Keeping bikes on Optimate

[Trogladyte]

Do you?

I don't, despite having 2 Optimates. I don't because I have always had some anxiety about leaving electrical things switched on, and unattended. I think I got it from my dear old Dad. It took years for Torque Wench to train me to stop unplugging TV and video every night, losing all her presets, and making her get up and plug the fuckers in every day.

I sometimes plug in an Optimate in the morning, leave it all day, but have to go out there and turn it off at night, cos I can't sleep if I know it's on.

Am I taking sensible precautions, or am I being a great big GURL?

[weeksy]

I don't. Although i have a NOCO Genius not an Optimate.

Over winter i go in the garage about every month or so and put them on for 3-4 hours and then whip it back off.

I don't do it because i'm taking precautions, i do it because IMO they don't need more than an odd hour here or there.

[Yorick]

I don't bother. I have an alarm on the GSXR and it does drain the battery a bit. But when I plan to use the bike, I have a connector direct to the battery that I plug the charger into overnight.

[JackyJoll]

I think smart chargers on continuously, have knackered a few batteries.

[MingtheMerciless]

Lead acid batteries like being maintained, their biggest enemies are cold and heat along with deep discharge (ex-Telecoms tech here with over 20 years experience looking after telecoms battery backed power supplies). Optimate charger I wouldn't have a problem with being left on all the time (dodgy Chinese knock-off no way). Do you unplug your cooker, dishwasher, central heating boiler, washing machine each night? What about your mobile phone charger, door bell, router? All of those are drawing power, maintaining clocks, presets, charging Li-ion batteries etc you don't ofter hear of them burning houses down.

[Skub]

Yes I do.

As soon as I'm finished with the bike for the day it goes on the Optimate. During the Winter it'll be in continuous use for months.

That's what an Optimate is for,look at it as a battery manager rather than a charger.

[Dodgy69]

You can leave them on , no worries. If you've got multiple bikes, just get extra leads and swap it every weekend.

[derek badger]

I've had one on the MT09 for 5 years. Longest I've had a battery survive on a bike.

[mangocrazy]

All my bikes are on Optimates/Accumates, but they are plugged into a cheap 7-day timeswitch that activates for 4-6 hours on a Saturday night (not quite sure why I chose a Saturday, but...). That's more than enough to keep a battery topped up.

[GuzziPaul]

The Le Mans is on anAccumate, boring old lead acid battery ( same as used on a ride on lawn mower) that get left overnight once a week, currently on charge now as I've been in the garage.
The Tuono is on an Optimate and, its on it's fourth battery since 2004 when I got it new. Last two have been Motobatts, I got the Optimate a couple of years ago as it was a bit of a pain swapping one charger over two bikes and the Tuono likes a healthy battery.
That gets left on for about a week at a time one week on one week off as I'm mostly in the garage on a weekend. I can see the green light flashing away through the garage window when I go for a piss in the middle of the night, always a good reminder it's plugged in.

[Asian Boss]

But you trust the fridge and the washing machine? Maybe they could keep an eye on the TV for you.

[scottyuk]

My bikes are left on Optimates all the time. Isn't that what they're designed for?

[Trogladyte]

But you trust the fridge and the washing machine? Maybe they could keep an eye on the TV for you.

True. But the fridge and TV aren't on the end of a very old underground mains spur that feeds the shed, with a a further extension via a bit of cable into the garage, which though reasonably solid is pretty damp. And its all a fair distance from the house and, unlike the fridge and TV, it involves a process that routinely creates explosive gas. So its not really quite the same.

[Asian Boss]

But you trust the fridge and the washing machine? Maybe they could keep an eye on the TV for you.

True. But the fridge and TV aren't on the end of a very old underground mains spur that feeds the shed, with a a further extension via a bit of cable into the garage, which though reasonably solid is pretty damp. And its all a fair distance from the house and, unlike the fridge and TV, it involves a process that routinely creates explosive gas. So its not really quite the same.

I meant the TV.

[Buckaroo]

Do you?

I don't, despite having 2 Optimates. I don't because I have always had some anxiety about leaving electrical things switched on, and unattended. I think I got it from my dear old Dad. It took years for Torque Wench to train me to stop unplugging TV and video every night, losing all her presets, and making her get up and plug the fuckers in every day.

I sometimes plug in an Optimate in the morning, leave it all day, but have to go out there and turn it off at night, cos I can't sleep if I know it's on.

Am I taking sensible precautions, or am I being a great big GURL?

I used to leave my bike plugged in most days and then read that using a timer to switch the optimate on for just an hour a day when the bike's not in daily use is sufficient to protect the battery.

Worked fine on my last few bikes. VFR 800 was hard on the battery when starting, as is my Harley 1200.

I also had to shake off the habit of switching everything off. My dearly departed dad taught me tons of good stuff; this isn't one of them.

[Taipan]

In winter I'll happily use them for a vehicle not in regular use, as ming says, cold temps kill batteries. In summer i don't normally bother as most vehicles get used and the warmer temps don't kill batteries. If I did have something that wouldn't be used for a month or more i'd plug it in though.

[Gimlet]

Never use them. My bikes are five and six years old. Both on their original batteries. I use a conventional charger on trickle until they show fully charged every six weeks or so. Sometimes longer. As long as the batteries are never allowed to completely discharge they should stay strong for ages.
The KTMs are fairly easy on batteries. Although imobilisers are still armed they go into dormant mode and don't sap much power. Got a ten year old Ducati and that needs more regular charging.

[Jody]

My mate has a very large shed, inside are a horde of bikes plus an Audi TT, VW T4, BMW 3?? tools, pushbikes etc etc.

He insists that as many sockets as possible are turned off every night. The Kettle, the toaster, the GF grill, the projector, the amp all have to be switched off.

2 optimate style chargers plus a dehumidifier (in the pit) stay on. The shed hasn't burnt down yet !

[mikeycee]

I have one Optimate which I switch between bikes each week (When I remember that is)

Also have a dehumidifier on a timer running 6 Hour on, 6 Hours off.

[Funners]

As above really Optimates or whichever flavour are not just a charger, they are a battery tender, they monitor charge levesl only top up when required, carry out de-sulphation if required and generally look after the battery its not just a trickle charger.
case in point, my mates 1200 Bandit is 21 years old, always been on an optimate from day 1, its still on its OE battery, which is some kind of record
All my bikes live on an optimate all the time and the only battery I've had to buy in the last 15 years was one for the BMW....which are renowned for eating batteries