bike (R1 08) battery charger query?

[TheFitter]

Hi all,

After some advice please...

Recently traded my Thundercat in for an R1, The Thundercat never needed
a trickle charger but the R1 will, what charge rate should I use? Been given a charger
but the lowest setting is 2amp is this ok?
Also from your experience is it best to leave them on all the time?

Cheers

Ali

[badgerKDD]

I think it will depend on how much you use the bike, if you use it daily or so then it should be fine to just trickle when you are leaving it for a while between rides, otherwise I believe you leave them plugged in if you don't regularly use the bike. Charge rate will depend on how much electrical drain is on the battery while its left unridden, but I would say choose the lowest rate and work up depending on how well it maintains your battery.

I personally don't use one as I have an old 'analogue bike' , but am only giving general battery advice. I'm sure someone with a more extensive R1 knowledge will come along shortly and be more specific.

[podrick]

My 08 R1 never needed a charger, sat over the whole winter, probably didn't move for 6 months or so and still started no problem.
If it's going flat it would suggest to me that something is draining it or the battery has seen better days.

[Red5]

batteries don't like sitting unused as a general rule but most modern batteries should be happy for a good few weeks, depending on the drainage, eg an alarm system or any led's on for any reason.

Not sure of amp ratings but any optimate or any charger designed for bike use is plenty good enough to leave plugged in to keep a battery topped up. I think most of these have all kinds of safety features built in to protect the battery.
Batteries very very rarely go wrong on there own accord and if they do it's probably because they're a million years old, or if only a couple years old have probably been murdered... completely discharged once too often, either a drain or just left unloved, un attended, cold, un used which lead acid type batteries really don't like.
There's always someone that'll tell you that "I had a battery that I left outside all winter and the bike fired up first time..." but they're the exception.

Personally, just go and spend a bit of dosh on an optimate. Think they're up to the Optimate5 now.
My Optimate3 is still going strong and in regular use after years of good service

[rsv_man]

I plug the optimate in on my R1 2010 model normally around October and unplug it around April and never had any issues. I used this routine on all my previous bikes (including my 07 R6 which still had the original battery in this year until I sold it).
Obviously, if you ride on dry days in the winter......unplug it before and plug back in after your ride.
I hope this helps.