I know this has been discussed in the past, but after almost 2 years of ownership I'm still takin off both seats to access the battery so I can clip my leads onto the battery to put it on the Optimate. What are my options to avoid this? 1) I think there is a Ducati lead you can buy that lets you charge up through a plug somewhere under the rear seat, or is it the dashboard plug? 2) I just attach a set of basic Optimate leads to the battery with the plug on the end. But I can't see how to route the cable out of the under seat compartment to somewhere inconspicuous, it's all enclosed? Advice welcome
Take a look at my post #5 on the following thread https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/optimate-connect-on-multistrada-v4s.93914/
I use an optimate lead that I keep at the very back of the rider seat compartment then when I want to use it I open the pillion seat (no need to remove rider seat as it’s accessible at the back) pull it out in the middle of the seat and then put the pillion seat back on.
I have a lead with a cover on that threads out through the under tray and is secured next to the shock spring. It just dangles there. Does not move much, but allows easy access to plug in the charger.
That’s probably the next move with mine - I tried threading it to the front of the tray and clipping it to the trellis frame but the standard length cable is a touch too short for that.
On my 1260MTS, I've got mine attached directly to the battery, with the connector exposed just out from under the seat on the RHS when sat on the bike. I've simply routed the cable behind the seat side panels and none of it can be seen at all. Works brilliantly for me, let me know if you want a few photos and I'll happily send some over.
^^^^^same here except it's on the left side and Zip-Tied to the rear foot-peg bracket. I also have a USB cable under the seat which feeds to the front of the bike and powers my GPS and phone when it needs a charge.
pcn1, here's a few photos to hopefully give you some idea of the route I've taken. You just need to loosen off the side panel to give enough space to feed the battery connector ends behind and then across to the battery terminals. Then re-tighten and 'jobs a good un'....
Thanks for that The lead, do you recall what length it was? I think you can buy short or longer versions.
I think it was/is the standard length version, however, just checked the packaging and it is a TM71 direct from Optimate. Should be relatively easy to get hold of.
There are many choices of SAE cables to choose from. You definitely don't need an Optimate adapter on a Multistrada as you should not be running higher current items off of the diagnostic port. The Optimate adapters are useful for those bike that don't have any USB jacks such as Monsters and Panigales. I would suggest you buy a fused SAE cable with the largest AWG and connected directly to the battery in case you want to run heated gear or a battery charger.
This cable is connected directly to the battery and it is in-line fused. Never been any sort of problem in the 4+ years I've owned the bike......
Directly to the battery is how it should be. I just don't want someone to think that they should be using an Optimate adapter connected to the low amperage DDA.
If you're telling me that you're SAE is connected directly to the battery then it's fine. However, if you're using an SAE cable connected to the diagnostic port, you're asking for trouble. Post #2 above should be deleted as using a 0-47 adapter is a dangerous suggestion for this thread's particular application.
Can you please allude to exactly why? The OP stated that the purpose he sought was to charge the battery. I have had my SAE Optimate adaptor connected to the diagnostic port on my Panigale V4 with ZERO issues in four years. I cannot imagine Optimate would market it if there were proven detrimental effects.
This is how I had mine. Easily accessible but tucked away enough to not be obvious. As an aside, I used to run a camera from that mounting too for power.
