Likewise, just buy a maintainer then hard wire a lead from the battery. Plug it in everytime u finish with the bike it keeps it 100%.
I've used and been using Optimate for over 20 years and have always found them brilliant at keeping my motorcycle batteries in good condition. My current battery is the original installed by Ducati, being 5-6 years old now. The only recent modification I've made to my regular battery charging process, is to link the Optimate up to a timer socket, set for 2-hours at the same time every day. This has been effective for the last 10 months or so, for me anyway, so a habit I will continue with until less effective. It uses far less power over time and still maintains appropriate functionality. I also use a Ctek for my car charging as and when necessary, which hasn't proved the case since a hip replacement operation, way way back in November 2022, when I couldn't drive for 4-6 weeks after the op'n!
Not sure; I was told that leaving a battery connected to charger that was off would contribute to battery discharge, but that was by my Grandad back in the '70s so I expect chargers have moved on a bit since then!
You really do not need to have a modern smart charger on a timer. They are designed to be connected all the time and monitor the battery condition, only applying any correction when needed. And one thing they measure is the rate of discharge with no load which power cycling will disrupt their ability to measure. The other thing to consider is that the life of switch mode power supplies in a modern charger is somewhat a function of power cycles so switching it on and off repeatedly only shortens it's working life. This is true of most modern appliances btw.
Optimates should be left on a constant power supply, because they cycle modes, they tend to do something like charge-measure-trickle-de-solphate and rotate through the cycles. Just turning them on and off all the time isn’t great, it might have worked, in that the battery has stayed topped up but it’s not what they are designed for
I'm going to revert to 'always-on' mode with the Optimate charger for the next 2-3 months or so, to see if it makes any meaningful difference to battery charging or the Optimate itself, instead of using my timer method. I'll also check in 'real-time' the electricity usage difference, not that I'm too concerned about that. I note, my Optimate 4 is already 8-10 years old and still functions perfectly, even after my conversion therapy......
All this chat about filling batteries with acid is for the stone age. You will be hard pushed to better an Odessey AGM battery. I bought my SS new in 01 and immediately put it on an Optimate. The OE battery gave up in August 2010. By rearranging the stuff in the battery tray, like fuses, I managed to squeeze an 18 amp hour battery in instead of the OE 12 amp hour unit. Two years ago my Optimate ceased to work, or so I thought, so I bought a new Optimate 4. It turns out that it was the LED on light that had failed, it’s still working. As for the Odessey battery, it’s now in it’s 14th year and still going strong, even when I put the Optimate on my newer machine for a couple of weeks it still has no problem turning the Duke over. Would never contemplate anything other than Odessey and Optimate. Before anyone bangs on about lithium batteries and how much weight saving they achieve, which I defy anyone to be able to notice the difference, just consider the fire risk, additional cost, you will need a different battery tender to care for it and when do they not perform well? In the cold. No thank you.
