Nearly always on for me, although I do unplug it when I go for a ride! I used the optimate on my last bike from new and the battery lasted 8 years before it failed, it was kept in an unheated garage for all that time. Of course when it did fail it chose the most embarasing time to go, in front of a bunch of mates so I had to bump start the bike with a crowd watching
This is the best option but the MTS resets the odometers and speedo to the default km setting if you disconnect the battery. Pain in the a*** as it can only be reset to miles by a dealer I think. Does anyone know whether if it causes any problems to leave the battery in the bike while it is connected to the optimate? I think it should be fine as I use a circuit breaker to combat voltage spikes.
Good luck bump starting a Multi - I had to bump start my ST once and went straight out and bought an Optimate (after I got back from casualty!)
Get one set up properly, mine is plugged into its own separate 13 amp socket, has an extension lead and is hard wired in to the bike with a discreet handy little plug that lives just under the tank, plugging it in takes seconds. Mate of mine tried to bump start his T595 Daytona by himself with a flat battery, needless to say over it went and a huge bill for replacement fairings made sure he never tried that again
Big, high compression pistons are almost impossible to turn over by bump starting - all you end up doing is locking the rear wheel.
Thanks for all the comments. Majority is for leaving it plugged in all the time as far as I can see. It's a new Optimate so I have confidence in it not cooking the battery so that's what I am going to do. I do go out in the winter if the weather allows and the roads are dry but as soon as salting starts that's it until the March rains wash it all away. Riders always put conection sockets on all new bikes sold so its easy to plug in.
+3 for leaving on all the time. The way the starter labours to turn over the engine it looks as though the battery could do with any help it can get.
I don't really understand all this stuff about optimates. I have never used an optimate. My 2011 MTS1200S has never had its battery charged, or needed it. I just leave the bike in the garage, sometimes for weeks or months at a time, go out and press the button and it starts. Aren't they all supposed to do that?
never tried it on the Multi and hope never to have to - but it was effin difficult to get to the required speed to turn over the ST engine. If there had been an accessible hill or I had been 40 years younger it might have been different. But on the flat forget it.
That sounds good. Is your garage heated? I found that my ST battery went flat quite quickly if the bike was not used. But it was left out in the cold and did have an alarm. I've noticed that the Multi retains its charge much better even though it has an immobiliser and a tracker. Perhaps the battery is heavier duty?
With the battery being only 2-years old I would hope that it does still keep its charge for a decent length of time. As it ages it will lose its ability to retain a full charge. The point of the Optimate is that it is suposed to monitor the state of the battery and keep it in optimum condition thus extending its useful life. I can only go on my own experience but I believe the optimate does do what it says on the tin.
My twins have always been the same in that the battery seems under rated for the lump it has to spin. My previous bike was a 1000cc twin and a common upgrade was to up the battery from a ytx12bs to a ytx14bs for more cranking power. This bike cc is bigger then my last and yet still retains the Yuasa 12BS battery. It never ceases to maze me that the thing fires up on the button every time with a battery that is typically found in skinny 4 cylinder bikes. The use of a tender is pretty much down to how you use a bike. One that is ridden throughout the year wont require any additional help beyond the bikes own charging system, if it does then there is an issue. If your like me and a fair weather rider , or you mothball it over winter, then a tender will extend the life of your battery. Optimates as mentioned are not constant trickle charges, they simply monitor and apply charge when it drops below a sustainable voltage threshold. They wont mask a problem, in fact to the contrary in my experience. They have shown a problem before I found it when thumbing the bike over 10 days into a trip. Lesson learned.
They're not, it's a matter of technique. I haven't had to bump the Multi - yet, but I bump started the ST4s a couple of times when I accidentally left the parking light on all day at work. They have a fairly high compression with big cylinders, so put it in 2nd or even 3rd gear and with the clutch out pull it back against compression. Then, with the clutch held in run like feck pushing the bike. When you've got it as fast as you can jump onto the seat sidesaddle and at the same time release the clutch. Your weight bumping the rear suspension down should enable the tyre to grip and turn over the engine. If you are lucky it should fire and at the same time you should pull the clutch in again and catch it on the throttle. If you get it right job done, if not you'll have to do it all over again. At my age twice is more than enough!
