Trickle chargers

the drifter

Right...was all set for a spin this afternoon...been 3 weeks since ive been out with being on call and other crack...

turned the key....nothing...fook..battery flat

Now its been 3 weeks since the bike was out...been about six since its had a spin over 30-40 minutes...

Battery was new in july.

question 1 ) is it common to see a battery go flat that quick? or have i a drain somewhere?

question 2 ) I have a halfords bike-it charger...



Will this work as a trickle charger to leave on over the winter or do i need another one.

Sorry about the noob questions..im used to cages where id whip the battery out over the winter..

galwaytt

the drifter wrote: »

Right...was all set for a spin this afternoon...been 3 weeks since ive been out with being on call and other crack...

turned the key....nothing...fook..battery flat

Now its been 3 weeks since the bike was out...been about six since its had a spin over 30-40 minutes...

Battery was new in july.

question 1 ) is it common to see a battery go flat that quick? or have i a drain somewhere?

question 2 ) I have a halfords bike-it charger...



Will this work as a trickle charger to leave on over the winter or do i need another one.

Sorry about the noob questions..im used to cages where id whip the battery out over the winter..

Not unusual at all.......have an alarm/immobilizer on the bike ? And, indoors or outdoors? The cold can kill a battery very quickly.

eurofoxy

to answer the first part of your questions, well it depends on the bike...
I recently bought a gsxr600 and if it dont take it out every week it will be flat, my last cbr600 would be flat after 2 weeks... i think its just common on some types of bikes... some bikes just seem to do it more than others... I have a charger from louie.de and leave it plugged into the gixxer, keeps it nicely topped up.
Does it say on the side of the box for the charger that it is intended to be used as a trickle charger?
as some are just designed to charge for a few hours and may not have the auto shut off required for a trickle charge..

Wonda-Boy

From the looks of that charger I have the same one....you can use it as both a fast charge and a trickle charger then when charged it will turn to auto manage and optimise the battery. I paid about €60 for it in halfords.

the drifter

Thanks guys...i dont have the box but Google tells me it should do the job as a tricke charger!!!

Guess i just learned 3 weeks is too long for my bike :P

its indoors...but its still bloody cold lately!!

hopefully ill get it out tomorrow!

Wonda-Boy

Just be aware mine is actually a "Smart Charger" so it changes on the fly the one you listed is the the low spec model and might not have the same auto manage capacity.

This is mine:-

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_263923_langId_-1_categoryId_212387

the drifter

Ideal for use as a trickle or slow charger for long periods of time, whereby charge is applied to your battery as it naturally discharges

Taken from the halfords website...

I checked there..ive the cheaper one...doesnt seem to have an auto shut off though..

I prob wont leave it on it...just charge it up and take it off

the drifter

hahahahahaha

man how did i miss this

This product is not designed to be left constantly on charge

Wonda-Boy

Yeah told ya....ahh well. Get a better unit off santa m8.

paddy147

the drifter wrote: »

Thanks guys...i dont have the box but Google tells me it should do the job as a tricke charger!!!

Guess i just learned 3 weeks is too long for my bike :P

its indoors...but its still bloody cold lately!!

hopefully ill get it out tomorrow!

I do.

Wonda-Boy

I think that is the more powerful unit that I have paddy.....that does the 2-4amps. I think Drifter only has the smaller unit that does up to 2amps.

Not sure....

paddy147

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

I think that is the more powerful unit that I have paddy.....that does the 2-4amps. I think Drifter only has the smaller unit that does up to 2amps.

Not sure....

Yep,mine the switchable unit,goes between 2 and 4 amps.

It brought a dead flat battery in a Leon TDI back to life overnight.:)

Kido Fazer 1

Buy 1 of these. It's money well spent & will keep your battery in tip top shape.

Wonda-Boy

paddy147 wrote: »

Yep,mine the switchable unit,goes between 2 and 4 amps.

It brought a dead flat battery in a Leon TDI back to life overnight.:)

Yeah for the money they are a grand yoke....;)

Thinkingaboutit

I have Oxford Optimate trickle chargers (an old model and a near current one) and to be honest, they were not much good. One of my bike has suffered two battery failures, with no obvious signs of discharge, charging normal, etc., and it was no help there. The other has a good battery, and it starts regardless of whether a trickle charger has been attached.

paddy147

Thinkingaboutit wrote: »

I have Oxford Optimate trickle chargers (an old model and a near current one) and to be honest, they were not much good. One of my bike has suffered two battery failures, with no obvious signs of discharge, charging normal, etc., and it was no help there. The other has a good battery, and it starts regardless of whether a trickle charger has been attached.

What make of batteries?

Why did the battery fail??

Was it in some way down to the charger??

Thanks.:)

galwaytt

Thinkingaboutit wrote: »

I have Oxford Optimate trickle chargers (an old model and a near current one) and to be honest, they were not much good. One of my bike has suffered two battery failures, with no obvious signs of discharge, charging normal, etc., and it was no help there. The other has a good battery, and it starts regardless of whether a trickle charger has been attached.

I think the common denominator there would indicate it's not the problem, i.e. the Optimate.

I would be looking at the quality of the battery that failed. I just changed one for a guy with an F6C and it was only 6 months old. Thing is, it had some hows-yer-father brand name on it.

Got a genuine Yuasa, Honda OEM battery from the Honda centre in Cork - for LESS than he paid for the cheapie - and problem solved. A good charger can only do so much.

CJhaughey

A lot of battery life depends on how it was filled and charged.
Most Lead acid batteries come dry with an acid pack, when the battery is filled with acid and charged it's ready for use.
If the battery was filled and bubbles formed on the plates before it was charged the lifetime of a battery can be drastically reduced.
You should always ensure that any bubbles are dislodged by tapping/vibrating the battery before it is charged.
I would recommend MotoBatt or Odyssey as two alternatives to conventional SLA type batteries, they are Absorbed Glass Mat which in my experience are superior to standard type cells.
MotoBatt are a Chinese version of the Odyssey and are about 20% cheaper.
They are good though.

paddy147

CJhaughey wrote: »

A lot of battery life depends on how it was filled and charged.
Most Lead acid batteries come dry with an acid pack, when the battery is filled with acid and charged it's ready for use.
If the battery was filled and bubbles formed on the plates before it was charged the lifetime of a battery can be drastically reduced.
You should always ensure that any bubbles are dislodged by tapping/vibrating the battery before it is charged.
I would recommend MotoBatt or Odyssey as two alternatives to conventional SLA type batteries, they are Absorbed Glass Mat which in my experience are superior to standard type cells.
MotoBatt are a Chinese version of the Odyssey and are about 20% cheaper.
They are good though.

Where to buy from??

And what sort of price?

Thanks.:)

Johnny max

I got one of those chargers from aldi or lidl
€9 each

Richard tea

I left the old girl too long without taking her for a spin:( The battery is totally dead ( no lights appearing what so ever ) Will one of these trickle chargers sort me out or are they for something different.

Wonda-Boy

How long did you leave it Joe...is it two weeks? Thats not very long TBH....unless the battery was very weak in the 1st place. A charger might work, depends on the battery AFAIK let it go too flat and some dont charge back up. Worst case scenario you will need to buy a new battery....but you dont wanna buy a charger and find the battery is fooked, as then you need to buy a battery aswell.

Know anyone local to give ya a hand?

Richard tea

I do indeed. Ill ask a neighbour. Its 2 weeks since I started the bike. It was moved into my shed when I took the headlight assembly apart. Some very cold nights though so the battery took a bashing. If I need a new battery it will definitely be after Christmas till I can buy one. If its a case of a new battery, am I alright leaving the bike till the first week in Janurary ie. I shouldnt need to drain fuel or fluids from the bike?

CJhaughey

Some chargers have a recovery feature where they put high voltage through the cell and it can recover the battery depending on how long its been flat.
You should always aim to keep batteries fully charged, thats why Optimate chargers are great, you can leave it on the whole time and it won't boil the battery dry like a cheaper standard charger.
Its no harm to have a charger on hand at any time.
Your bike should be fine as long as the coolant has antifreeze in sufficient quantities to stop it freezing (assuming its a watercooled bike?)
I would make sure the tank is topped up to stop condensation and run the carbs dry with the fuel tap off, if its a carb model.

galwaytt

...can I just caution people with v.low or flat batteries, and trying to revive them: please DON'T use a car charger - they are way too powerful for bike batteries.

Generally speaking, you should never charge at more than 10% of the battery's capacity: So, a 15Ah battery should be charged at 1.5A etc etc.

Putting a 10A car charger on a small bike battery is the death-knell of it: you might as well bin the battery.

I have a 'Banner' charger bought from HERE and the offer a 900mA and 1800mA one - I have one of each.

Bought a new Oxford one for the S.O. lately for her SV for £29. Works well so far.

paddy147

galwaytt wrote: »

...can I just caution people with v.low or flat batteries, and trying to revive them: please DON'T use a car charger - they are way too powerful for bike batteries.

Generally speaking, you should never charge at more than 10% of the battery's capacity: So, a 15Ah battery should be charged at 1.5A etc etc.

Putting a 10A car charger on a small bike battery is the death-knell of it: you might as well bin the battery.

I have a 'Banner' charger bought from HERE and the offer a 900mA and 1800mA one - I have one of each.

Bought a new Oxford one for the S.O. lately for her SV for £29. Works well so far.

I can show you a nice picture of what happens to a bike battery,when some Dumbass decides to charge up a bike battery overnight with a car battery charger..:pac::D

Hotblack Desiato

Johnny max wrote: »

I got one of those chargers from aldi or lidl
€9 each

I have the Lidl 10 euro charger. It says it's safe to leave it constantly connected.

Bike batteries are very small compared to the engine size, the starter motor has nearly as much work to do as a small car but from a battery about a quarter of the size. Going flat in two weeks is not really surprising.

The flatter a battery gets, the higher the freezing point of the electrolyte - a well charged battery can't freeze (in Ireland) but a flat one can and it can split the battery case if it does. If you have a bike stored for more than a couple of weeks in winter either keep it charged or keep the battery in the house (if in the house it'll still need to be charged every few weeks though.) If a lead acid battery is let go totally flat it will never be the same again, that's if you can get any charge into it at all.

Richard tea

Ok, first thing ill do is look what type battery I have. For future reference is this a good spec charger http://www.louis.de/_209217d6600da09ce534d17982a919dfa8/index.php?topic=artnr_gr&artnr_gr=10003695&anzeige=all&ADTRACTIONSLOT=home_zweifach_10003695

Its also a trickle charger. I cant wait for lidl or aldi do have them in stock again so the above charger for 40 quid prob seems ok. What do you say all?

Ill remove the battery tomorrow incase it leaks.

Hotblack Desiato

Yeah it's good, but for 60 euro it should be. don't know where I saw 60 euro, it's a good buy at 40 euro provided the delivery isn't much, or you're getting other things from them as well.

If you're stuck though you can just go to a car accessory shop and get a cheap 12V trickle charger that's rated at 2 amps or less. The one I had was rated 4 amps (exaggerated!) but never put more than 1.5A through a bike battery. OK to use overnight on a bike battery every week or two, not constantly connected though. If you have a multimeter you can measure what actual charge current you're getting and check on the battery voltage when it's in storage to see when it needs a charge.

Richard tea

ninja900 wrote: »

Yeah it's good, but for 60 euro it should be. don't know where I saw 60 euro, it's a good buy at 40 euro provided the delivery isn't much, or you're getting other things from them as well.

If you're stuck though you can just go to a car accessory shop and get a cheap 12V trickle charger that's rated at 2 amps or less. The one I had was rated 4 amps (exaggerated!) but never put more than 1.5A through a bike battery. OK to use overnight on a bike battery every week or two, not constantly connected though. If you have a multimeter you can measure what actual charge current you're getting and check on the battery voltage when it's in storage to see when it needs a charge.

40 Euro;) well 10 euro delivery I suppose also. More fool me for not keeping her running

Richard tea

No point waiting till tomorrow. My battery is a Bosch 12v 8Ah so is the above procharger suitable for my battery. Ill ask a neighbour soon about getting it started but I would like a charger also for future emergency's.

Hotblack Desiato

It doesn't quote a minimum amp/hour size, but it should be ok (for leaving it connected all the time.) Definitely OK to use for charging and then disconnect it.

Wonda-Boy

Joe for getting that delivered for €50 just get the one in Halfords for €59 (same as mine) I think its even cheaper now. And its a very good one....hope you get sorted soon.

CJhaughey

That Procharger one is a very good charger, they come with a set of leads that you bolt to the battery terminals and it has a plug at the other end.
When you park it up, you plug it in and turn the charger on.
Battery is always fully charged and maintained.

paddy147

CJhaughey wrote: »

That Procharger one is a very good charger, they come with a set of leads that you bolt to the battery terminals and it has a plug at the other end.
When you park it up, you plug it in and turn the charger on.
Battery is always fully charged and maintained.

So does the Halfords Charger.;)

Wonda-Boy

You get sorted Joe?

Richard tea

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

You get sorted Joe?

I ordered that procharger Gary. Dont expect delivery till mid week. I have a dose of that vomiting bug so I havent done a tap with the bike since.

Richard tea

Ok so the charger arrived and I connected it to the battery this evening. It more or less had the battery power at 75%:o I beginning to think I didnt have the battery connect correctly in the first place after i removed it to tinker with the headlight. Ah well the charger is essential anyway & at least I have it now. Ill leave it connected for now and ill refit the battery tomorrow and see if the little beast starts.