WInter battery storage.

[kruuuzn]

When I bought my new '04 RT the dealer sold me an Accumate Smart Charger which I left plugged into one of the power ports all winter long in my unheated garage.

Is it safe to do the same with my new '23 RT?

[dirtrider]

20 minutes ago, kruuuzn said:

When I bought my new '04 RT the dealer sold me an Accumate Smart Charger which I left plugged into one of the power ports all winter long in my unheated garage.

Is it safe to do the same with my new '23 RT?

Morning  kruuuzn

 

Good question, we need the specs on your battery charger to see if it is compatible with the AGM battery in your new RT.

 

If your Accumate Smart Charger is really a modern smart charger then it is probably AGM rated (or look on the front panel of your charger  to see if your charger has an AGM setting). 

[Paddler]

I have all 3 motorcycles, including my R1250RS, hooked to trickle chargers, all of which are plugged into a timer power strip set to charge everything for one twelve-hour period per week.  All the chargers for the bikes are older Schmacher 1.5A except for the boat, which is on a NOCO 5A Genius.  Are you saying I need to get a new charger for the RS?

[dirtrider]

6 minutes ago, Paddler said:

I have all 3 motorcycles, including my R1250RS, hooked to trickle chargers, all of which are plugged into a timer power strip set to charge everything for one twelve-hour period per week.  All the chargers for the bikes are older Schmacher 1.5A except for the boat, which is on a NOCO 5A Genius.  Are you saying I need to get a new charger for the RS?

Morning Paddler

 

If the charger on your 1250RS is not AGM rated then your really should replace the charger. Your present charger (assuming it ISN'T  AGM rated won't fully charge your 1250RS battery. 

 

The 12 hour a week is much better for the AGM than on all the time but it still won't get the battery to 100% & that will eventually sulfate the battery. 

 

That  NOCO 5A Genius might be (probably is) AGM rated so see if the front panel has an AGM setting.  If so then use that NOCO 5A Genius on your 1250RS set to the AGM setting.

[Paddler]

1 minute ago, dirtrider said:

Morning Paddler

 

If the charger on your 1250RS is not AGM rated then your really should replace the charger. Your present charger (assuming it ISN'T  AGM rated won't fully charge your 1250RS battery. 

 

The 12 hour a week is much better for the AGM than on all the time but it still won't get the battery to 100% & that will eventually sulfate the battery. 

That's what I thought you were saying.  I'll order one today.  Thanks!

[kruuuzn]

24 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Morning  kruuuzn

 

Good question, we need the specs on your battery charger to see if it is compatible with the AGM battery in your new RT.

 

If your Accumate Smart Charger is really a modern smart charger then it is probably AGM rated (or look on the front panel of your charger  to see if your charger has an AGM setting). 

 

Thanks DR

 

I'm looking at the original packaging and it does not mention AGM batteries (only standard lead acid, Gel, and MR batteries) so it looks like it's time to upgrade my charger.

 

Is it safe to maintain the battery through the power port or should I remove the battery cables? According to the manual the battery should be removed but that seems overkill to me.

 

 

[Paddler]

Just wondering if there is a charger that's on a timer will automatically select the AGM mode when it turns on each time.  I don't think the NOCO does, it seems to default to the typical lead acid mode.

[dirtrider]

5 minutes ago, kruuuzn said:

 

Thanks DR

 

I'm looking at the original packaging and it does not mention AGM batteries (only standard lead acid, Gel, and MR batteries) so it looks like it's time to upgrade my charger.

 

Is it safe to maintain the battery through the power port or should I remove the battery cables? According to the manual the battery should be removed but that seems overkill to me.

 

 

Morning kruuuzn

 

Look on the charger front panel itself, that will tell you if it has an AGM setting.  

 

Personally, I recommend disconnecting at least one battery cable for winter storage as that takes the persitic motorcycle system load off of the battery, and protects your motorcycle electronics if  somehow your charger jumps above 15 volts on a desulfation cycle. 

[dirtrider]

8 minutes ago, Paddler said:

That's what I thought you were saying.  I'll order one today.  Thanks!

Afternoon Paddler 

 

Look on that NOCO 5A Genius, it very well might have an AGM setting on it. 

[dirtrider]

5 minutes ago, Paddler said:

Just wondering if there is a charger that's on a timer will automatically select the AGM mode when it turns on each time.  I don't think the NOCO does, it seems to default to the typical lead acid mode.

Afternoon Paddler 

 

A number of charges will remember last setting when the power is turned off then back on. All my CETEK chargers remember last use setting. 

[kruuuzn]

6 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

 

Look on the charger front panel itself, that will tell you if it has an AGM setting. 

 Yup, that's the first place I looked but there was even less info on the charger than on the packaging.

 

7 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Personally, I recommend disconnecting at least one battery cable for winter storage as that takes the persitic motorcycle system load off of the battery, and protects your motorcycle electronics if  somehow your charger jumps above 15 volts on a desulfation cycle. 

That makes perfect sense to me. That'll be my plan.

 

Can anyone recommend a good charger?

[Paddler]

2 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon Paddler 

 

A number of charges will remember last setting when the power is turned off then back on. All my CETEK chargers remember last use setting. 

 

Thanks again.  I have contacted NOCO to ask if their Genius1 remembers the last setting.  If not I guess I'll go with the CETEK.

[Paddler]

7 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon Paddler 

 

Look on that NOCO 5A Genius, it very well might have an AGM setting on it. 

 

It does, but IIRC it defaults to 12V lead acid each time it's powered on.

[dirtrider]

3 minutes ago, Paddler said:

 

It does, but IIRC it defaults to 12V lead acid each time it's powered on.

Afte4rnoon Paddler 

 

Was it set to AGM then returned to lead/acid at next power-up, or was it not set to AGM prior to power-down? Make sure that it was/is set to AGM before power-down /  power-up.

[Paddler]

30 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afte4rnoon Paddler 

 

Was it set to AGM then returned to lead/acid at next power-up, or was it not set to AGM prior to power-down? Make sure that it was/is set to AGM before power-down /  power-up.

 

I just tested it and it does remember.  I used it previously in a vain attempt to resuscitate a dead battery, and it defaulted to lead/acid each time, hence my confusion.  Cool.

 

10:00- Just heard back from NOCO, they confirm that all their charges have last mode memory.

[Daveyator]

If you get a new charger, consider getting one with a lithium option. Even if you don't have one now, you might get one in the future. I ran into this when I ran out and got lithium  for my 1200RT only to find out I need a compatible charger. You guys are making me read directions! I have a C-Tek, 3.6 amp BT, 4.0amp BT with lithium button, and a simple BT plus with a metal case (kinda old). The directions for all say okay for lead acid. The C-Tek and BT 4.0 both include AGM. Does this mean my other 2 BTs can't or shouldn't do AGM? All lights are normal and frankly I've never paid much attention to it other than the lithium thing.

Edited November 14, 2023 by Daveyator
spelling

[Daveyator]

Answering my own question. It appears that all BTs are compatible with lead acid/AGM at least according to BT. As far as memorizing settings and the like, I think you get what you pay for!

[JCtx]

I MUCH prefer my Optimate6 smart charger than the C-Teck, because it automatically switches to the right mode. It only has a mild desulfating cycle, which is what I want, since I always prefer to connect it directly to the battery. Just remember it cannot be more than 5A, which is exactly the maximum setting (it also changes automatically from 1A to 5) of my Optimate6. I only use the C-Tek when I want a full desulfating cycle, but that think stays where you left it last time, so have to  be careful if using  it on the bike, since that cycle is not meant for motorcycle batteries, I think. But any smart charger should be fine, including those Battery Tender... although those will take much longer to charge the battery, since they're maxed out at 1.25A, I believe. Anyway, it's always good to have a SAE pigtail to charge your battery, since you could also use it for heated gear, an air compressor, or any other accessory if needed. BMW typically has lousy limits on the BMW plugs (my bike has 1). Hope this helps.

[dirtrider]

18 hours ago, Daveyator said:

Answering my own question. It appears that all BTs are compatible with lead acid/AGM at least according to BT. As far as memorizing settings and the like, I think you get what you pay for!

Morning Daveyator

 

If it is compatible with an AGM then it should have an AGM setting. About any lead-acid charger will charge an AGM but unless it has an AGM setting it probably won't ever bring the battery to a full charge state (especially in cold ambient temperatures). This will eventually sulfate the battery & ruin it. 

 

The charger also needs to be temperature compensating (luckily, most  modern smart chargers are) as the charging voltage needs to be increased in cold conditions & decreased in warm conditions. 

 

If you intend to leave a charger hooked up to the battery for longer periods of time then you need a charger that has the correct charging cycles with enough current output in the bulk charging cycle to prevent sulfation. 

 

If the charger has a de-sulfation cycle then it must not exceed 15 volts (ever) if you intend to use it with the battery still connected to the motorcycle system.

 

Not all AGM batteries are the same, most OEM AGM batteries are pretty consistent on charging concerns but some of the aftermarket AGM batteries require a slightly higher charging voltage & higher amp bulk cycle.   

 

Over the years I have seen a number of motorcycle batteries ruined by using old outdated chargers in a trickle type situation. 

[Skywagon]

What would be the max amp output charger that would be safe for regular maintenance?

[kruuuzn]

10 hours ago, JCtx said:

I MUCH prefer my Optimate6 smart charger than the C-Teck, because it automatically switches to the right mode. It only has a mild desulfating cycle, which is what I want, since I always prefer to connect it directly to the battery. Just remember it cannot be more than 5A, which is exactly the maximum setting (it also changes automatically from 1A to 5) of my Optimate6. I only use the C-Tek when I want a full desulfating cycle, but that think stays where you left it last time, so have to  be careful if using  it on the bike, since that cycle is not meant for motorcycle batteries, I think. But any smart charger should be fine, including those Battery Tender... although those will take much longer to charge the battery, since they're maxed out at 1.25A, I believe. Anyway, it's always good to have a SAE pigtail to charge your battery, since you could also use it for heated gear, an air compressor, or any other accessory if needed. BMW typically has lousy limits on the BMW plugs (my bike has 1). Hope this helps.

 

There's also an OptiMate 4 CAN-BUS Edition that claims can be plugged into the BMW DIN socket like I did for 19 years on my '04.

Dunno, I wasn't too worried about using the DIN socket on my old pre-CAN-BUS RT but now I'm hesitant. I like DR's method of unhooking the battery cables.

 

https://optimate1.com/product/om4canbus/?wcmlc=USD

[Paul De]

I have an Optimate4 CAN bus edition that I use with my 2015 R1200 RT and have always connected it to the DIN receptacle for the last 8 years for over the winter layups and anytime work travel would have the bike sitting for two or more weeks.  I have had zero problems.  I leave it connected the whole time and the charger has never failed to wake up the circuit so it can do its charging routine thing.  Anecdotally, I have  used the Optimate4 on my Waterhead since purchasing the bike new and the OEM AGM battery lasted 7 years.  The battery was still starting the bike this spring with no problem, but it was time for a fresh battery just out of an abundance of caution.  Keep in mind I live in a battery friendly climate and the bike is spoiled in a climate controlled garage, so your results might vary.

[Twisties]

On 11/14/2023 at 9:08 AM, kruuuzn said:

 

Thanks DR

 

I'm looking at the original packaging and it does not mention AGM batteries (only standard lead acid, Gel, and MR batteries) so it looks like it's time to upgrade my charger.

 

 

I think the "Gel" you mention is for AGM.  

[dirtrider]

41 minutes ago, Twisties said:

I think the "Gel" you mention is for AGM.  

Afternoon Jan

 

GEL is a different battery than an AGM, somewhat close but definitely different. GEL takes a closely controlled charging sequence so as to not damage the GEL. AGM is a bit more forgiving.  

 

 

[Twisties]

58 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon Jan

 

GEL is a different battery than an AGM, somewhat close but definitely different. GEL takes a closely controlled charging sequence so as to not damage the GEL. AGM is a bit more forgiving.  

 

 

Ahhh.... who knew!  Thanks, D.R.