Optimate Charger

[JulesW]

I'm a weekend rider and at this time of year I don't manage to get out every weekend and my battery goes flat in between rides.

It's a minor pain in the bum to remove the side panels and seat and hook up to the car battery for a jump start but it gets me underway.

What bothers me though is if i stall the thing five miles from home before adequate charging has taken place and find that I need

A. A friendly motorist with jump leads to help me out
or
B. I push it home
or
C. I get the girlfriend or family member to bail me out.

So I thought it's probably worth the money to avoid this hassle and keep the battery tip-top by using an Optimate charger.

Qs to the Org are:

Which one of their various chargers is the right one to buy?

Do any of you guys use this product and how do you rate it?

Are there any less well known devices that do the same job for less money?

Cheers ;)

[Tomor]

I use an Optimate and it is fine. I also use numerous aldi/lidl trickle chargers and they do exactly the same job. Optimate wins as it comes with the fly lead which you can permanently leave on the bike, and make life a lot easier, and croc leads off a battery off the bike/car

[DJ123]

Your battery shouldn't go flat that quick, even if you are only riding every 2/3 weeks. Have you got an alarm on the bike?

[JulesW]

Tomor, thanks for the comment. Which Optimate model would you suggest?

Daddyjob, maybe the battery is a bit fuct. I thought it might be normal for the battery's charge to deplete over a 2 week cold period. I was completely flat on Sunday morning but seemed to regain decent charge after 35-40miles when I pulled up for a brew.

I believe the Optimate charger can help restore a battery.

[Tomor]

Opti 2 if you just want a trickle charger, Opti 3 for one that can desulphate batteries, opti 4 if you have a bmw/canbus bike, opti 6 if you want to easily do your car aswell.

[Kenzie]

I have the opti 4 and have the flylead attached to the battery and out under the pillion seat. Sure your battery isn't dodgy? I can leave mine for at least 6 weeks and it starts on the button.

[JulesW]

Damn, I'm beginning to think I might need a new battery and I could do without spending any more at the moment.

In for major service in 2 weeks, I'll ask them to do a check and replace if necessary. :(

[punyXpress]

They'll probably charge 1 x arm + 1 x leg, especially if a Suzuki dealer.
FAR cheaper to buy it yourself.