A Battery is for Life – Get an Optimate

£167.50 – that is how much a replacement battery for my KTM costs. But I don’t need to think about that.

Modern motorcycle batteries are so reliable I can take them for granted. Turn the key, press the button and the bike springs into life. So I can ignore my motorcycle battery all through the summer and only connect it to my Optimate when I put the bike away for Winter – excellent.

Well, that is one way of doing it. Alternatively, even though battery technology has advanced significantly, some regular TLC dramatically extends the battery’s life and maintains its performance. And the good news is I can have all the work done for me.

Chemical Romance

All batteries rely on a chemical reaction to generate electricity, which is why they eventually ‘run out of juice’ and cannot hold a charge any longer.

In Winter, as the temperature drops, the chemical reaction inside the battery slows down, reducing its capacity and the ability to accept a charge. As a result, even a disconnected motorcycle battery will gradually fade if left alone during the chilly months.

The battery faces a different set of challenges for us hardy souls who continue riding through the winter months. Not only are the lower temperatures affecting battery efficiency, but we ask more of the battery as accessories like auxiliary lighting, heated grips and Keis heated clothing get plugged in.

But it is Summer

The been-there-done-that guy at the tea stop will have a point of view to share but talk to someone who designs motorcycle batteries for a living, and you are talking to someone who actually does know what they are talking about.

Regardless of the time of year, a motorcycle battery benefits from being kept charged up. To achieve this successfully, you need a battery charger-maintainer, not a standard battery charger.

Charger-maintainers differ from standard battery chargers and trickle-chargers by monitoring the battery’s condition and adding charge as necessary. This isn’t the same process the battery goes through when you ride the bike, either. The current draw on the battery is much higher when riding.

OptiMate is perhaps the best-known manufacturers of charger-maintainers for motorcycle batteries. I’ve had mine for so many years I can’t remember when I bought it.

I do remember that I chose an Optimate because I’m bone-arse-idle and wanted something to do all of the work for me.

Optimate charger-maintainers run a unique ‘connect and forget’ maintenance programme that automatically connects and disconnects from the motorcycle battery every hour, constantly monitoring and replacing only the charge drained in that previous hour.

The longer I leave the battery connected to the Optimate, the more exercise it receives and the stronger it becomes.

Getting Connected

So, after every ride, I remove the seat, take out the battery and connect it to my Optimate. Errr … No. Not a chance. Remember, I’m bone-idle.

In the box with my Optimate came a battery lead, which I also use to connect power to my Keis Heated Clothing. I’ve also seen Optimate leads used to deliver power to USB charging sockets, which was rather inventive.

And for motorcycles with 12V sockets, there is a lead that allows you to charge the battery through the 12V socket, removing the need for any additional wiring. But more on that in a moment.

One Optimate Per Motorcycle?

Until now, I’ve switched my ancient Optimate between bikes to ensure that the batteries are always in good condition. However, my colleague, Roger, recently purchased one of the newer Optimate 3×2s, which has made me think about upgrading.

It isn’t just that I have two batteries to maintain. The technology in the Optimates has also advanced, so maybe I should drag myself into the 21st Century.

These days there are even battery leads that double up as plug-in battery monitors, so I know which bike my ancient Optimate should be plugged into first.

Waking the Dead

Just because your battery appears to be flatter than a pancake that’s been under a steamroller, it isn’t necessarily ‘dead’. Some deeply discharged batteries can be brought back from death’s door by using an advanced charger-maintainer that can re-energise the chemicals inside the battery.

Just ask another of our colleagues who left his Africa Twin parked up in a cold garage for a couple of weeks and came back to a dead battery.

The battery was brought back to life with an Optimate 3 that can diagnose sulphation – crystals formed around the lead plates inside the battery, reducing performance – and automatically applied pulses of electric current to break the crystals down and recover the battery.

Since then, the Africa Twin has enjoyed regular sessions connected to the battery’s new best friend.

Make the right choice.

The other reason to consider upgrading is that not all 12V batteries are the same. Lead-acid batteries need a high current at low voltage, which tapers off as it nears capacity.

Whereas the latest Lithium (L-ion) batteries first require the internal BMS (Battery Management System) reset with a low voltage cut-out so that charging can begin.

After that, Lithium batteries then require a controlled low current charge until they approach full charge.

In other words, for Lithium batteries, you need an OptiMate Lithium 0.8A.

There is also Optimate technology for Can-Bus-equipped machines as not all Can-Bus systems and chargers are compatible.

For example, if you maintain your battery using the 12V socket on a BMW, the Can-Bus system ‘switches off’ the 12V socket when the ignition is turned off, breaking the connection to the battery.

The charger must know how to tell the Can-Bus system to reconnect the battery for continuous and unsupervised maintenance.

The OptiMate 4 Can-Bus does this to perform its hourly, ‘no supervision required’ test and maintenance cycle.

Easy Maths

However, putting all of the very clever technology aside, investing in a sophisticated smart charger is cheaper than replacing a battery.

Investing in a clever Optimate 4 battery charger-maintainer, the one with the fancy Can-Bus communication system, will cost me less than a third of what a replacement battery will take from my pocket.

The reason to look after my battery all year round truly is as simple as that.