I decided last week to get the 1098 a new MOT so have had my optimate plugged in most of the week. My bike has been living in the house over winter as my garage/shed is still awaiting a replacement. The battery charged and the optimate was reading "good" on the charger. I booked the bike in for 9.15am Saturday morning, curbed my Friday night drinking and got up at 8am to begin the task of getting the bike out of the house. I put the key in and pushed the starter button and.....................feck all. The starter turned a little then spun out as they do when the battery is dead. I rang the MOT bay and cancelled, he offered a slot at 12.15 which I accepted and shot out for a new battery. I put the battery on the bike and she started first time. So, are these optimates a waste of time or what? The battery on the bike was an "easystart" I assume they are not factory supplied. I now have a Lucas on it. Should I sling my optimate over my neighbours wall or shall I continue to use it? A mate of mine reckons his optimate killed off two of his batteries. Anyone had any issues?
My Optimate works ok - my bike started first time yesterday after being sat in the garage for 4 months over the winter.
I have to say I'm not a fan of having any bike plugged in constantly. Yes, I know that the immobiliser uses power, but I've not had a snag even with the 1198 after a couple of months starting on a cold winter morning. I may plug the Optimiser in every few weeks but while it keeps going to fully charged in a short period I see no reason to do more. I use this approach on both the 1198 with original battery, and the ZZR with a eBay replacement battery. (Cue me trying to bump start a lumpy bad tempered V twin this weekend....)
I'm a big fan of Optimate chargers. The bikes I don't use very often are plugged in contantly and always start 1st time when I come to use them. I don't bother with the scooter unless I lay it up for a few months over the winter, as I'm pretty much using it all the time. My MV Agusta was plugged into one in all the time I had it and was still one the same battery 7 years later. A friend of mine had a new MV Agusta on which the battery went flat every couple of weeks. He connected it to a booster charger to get it going and blew the ECU.
I've alway used an optimate, 749 started first time after 4 months lay up no problems at all. I've only changed the original battery 2 years ago as it was getting a bit "lazy".
I have found on Dynavolt batteries (748) that it seems to somehow kill them within 6 months. I have had literally several replaced under warranty and they all lose charge after a while. I got fed up and bought a Yuasa battery and have no troubles. My 998 is plugged in all the time but uses an MF battery and it seems fine. I am not sure what to make of it all but I suspect Dynavolt batteries are a bit too chap and cheerful or there is something about them that doesn't like Optimates or Oxford's equivalent.
Mine has been plugged in all day, every day for the past 4 months. I repeat, it started first time yesterday.
I only use my Optimate once many be twice over winter and don't have battery problems. I know of a guy who has his bikes living on the optimates and he goes through batteries for fun
heard ya the first time :smile: not convinced its good for battery long term to have it constantly plug'd in. reading these tech forums as i do, read allot about screwed battery's that appear to be left on charge. just a wee theory of mine.
If the optimate is 'on' as you unplug and re plug it in, sometimes ive noticed it holds its okay status. If you then just power it off and repower it on it refreshes and goes to charge.
Yes as I did not fancy leaving it constantly on charge whilst it was in the house. Flat or not, the issue is the optimate telling me its charging it and then indicating a full "good" battery when obviously it was far from being so. I had however, charged it sporadically with the optimate over the winter months whilst I was occupying the house.
You have to turn the Optimate off at the mains when unplugging it from the battery and re-connecting again, otherwise it won't run through it's initial cycle and get confused.
Both mine plugged in 24/7. Never had any issues. In fact Ive had fewer battery related incidents than I had before I had the optimate on the 916. The 1198 has never given me any problems in any department whatsoever.
