Evening All The Monster 1200R arrives in three weeks and im looking at a new battery charger as the optimate i have is prob 7yrs old and will be used on the 600RR. Is there anything to be aware of when buying to ensure i dont blow a Monster up Thanks
I have Optimates and they do exactly what it says on the tin. Highly recommended. You can also get a LiPo version if your bike is equiped so.
Just bought this one with a bit of a saving ☺️ https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/46459
The Ducati one is made by X charger in Taiwan and appears not to be as sophisticated as the European designed Optimate. I've stripped down a few optimates and can confirm the quality is good. I've got five in use today, optimate 4. If you need to save money then buy the OEM x charger circa $35, the optimate are double the price.
Is you, riding your bike in all weathers! Storms, hail...snow' face the wild torment of an all year round bikers toil,.. ps: Optimate4 used once every few weeks to keep things good. For around 24hours & then discounted.
I too had an Oxford Oximiser 900. It was absolute rubbish. It would switch off at random. After unplugging and re-plugging it it would start working again - sometimes! It was utterly undependable. My son also had one and his went the same way. Eventually the LCD screen packed up and I binned it altogether. I now use a charger that I bought from Lidl for £13.99. It does everything that the Oxford thing did but is completely reliable. I modified the cable with a standard TM connector and have adaptors to a new style SAE connector or a pair of croc clips. Another problem that can happen with battery tender type chargers is that if a poor contact develops at the battery terminals, or more likely the Optimate connector, the charger doesn't wake up from sleep mode and the battery looses voltage and dies. So I don't depend on them and prefer to charge about once a month
Every time I'm in the garage, mine always seem to be flashing away. I'm assuming all is OK and any errors would show up.
I've got an old Optimate and a newer Ctek. Haven't needed to use them much now that I've got Motobatt batteries in all my bikes as they hold their charge for ages but when on the OEM style Yuasa Lead-acid battery I would use them alot as the 916 wouldn't start if left more than a couple of weeks off charge. I found the Optimate would, over time, dry the cells out that the Ctek didn't but it's a model from the late 90's so maybe the new ones are better? The Ctek seems very good, I even used it successfully on my old car that had a battery drain issue (and a really big battery!). It also restored a 'been-dead-for-years' battery on my Dad's golf cart that the Optimate wouldn't touch - I think it has a feature that alternates the polarity to 'shock' a flat battery into life?
That’s exactly my experience, which is why I too now charge periodically rather than leaving it connected.
Wow.... you nearly made my OCD seem completely normal. With a few exceptions Get rid of the plug sticker, Match the plugs (all black would be nice) Turn them all on And .... I'd have to fill the left hand space with another bike and connect it. Dump the storage rad and fit a heat pump (AC system).... just saying.
Ctek is a good company. Had some of the older stuff. My own company has a very similar name (sounds identical).
Wow.... you nearly made my OCD seem completely normal. With a few exceptions Get rid of the plug sticker, **Noted Match the plugs (all black would be nice) ** I actually had one black & one white plug previously, but changed a couple of chargers over so that I had a pair of each. Turn them all on **If connected to bikes, they are. And .... I'd have to fill the left hand space with another bike and connect it. **That's an old picture. There is a bike there now plugged in. My scooter used to live there at the time and I never used the Optimate as it was in daily use.
