Battery Charger Obsession?

[ADulay]

All,

 

Not quite sure where to post this but as I'm getting ready for an R12RT I figured this was as good as any.

 

As I read through all of the messages here in the forums a recurring comment comes up all the time and it's this apparent obsession with the battery charger.

 

I don't get it.

 

I probably use my charger mayber twice a year across three bikes. It doesn't sit on any bike all the time and unless I have left the country for a month, I don't charge the bike before starting.

 

So what's the deal with BMW's and these chargers???

 

Will I be needing one shortly?

 

Doesn't the 60 amp alternator do the job?

 

I'm obviously missing something here, but I can't figure it out.

 

AD

[Mainuh]

As I read through all of the messages here in the forums a recurring comment comes up all the time and it's this apparent obsession with the battery charger.

 

I don't get it.

 

I probably use my charger mayber twice a year across three bikes. It doesn't sit on any bike all the time and unless I have left the country for a month, I don't charge the bike before starting.

 

 

Doesn't the 60 amp alternator do the job?

 

I'm obviously missing something here, but I can't figure it out.

 

I think it might have a wee bit to do with your geographic location and the average sustained temperatures? My bike doesn't see a charger from around March 1st to the end of November. But when the temps start getting down towards 0 degrees F, The charger usually gets plugged in. Winter before last, we had -25F. How often is your battery seeing temps remotely near that?

 

I do ride all winter when the roads allow it, and it cranks over much better when it's 5F out and it's got a full charge. If it starts on a low battery, you'll sometimes get ABS faults or other issues that won't clear while the electrical system is low.

[Pictou]

If you lived in Canada any your bike sat for 4-5 months a year without moving you would need a battery charger. There are different theories about keeping your battery healthy but there are those that believe if you only ride on weekends keeping your battery hooked up to a battery tender during the week will make your battery last longer.

[Ken H.]

I'm obviously missing something here,

The only thing your missing is that this board obsesses about most everything!

[MooreDriven]

In almost every application a cheap battery tender is money very well spent. The tender only applies charge to the battery if it senses a need for charging. Because BMW uses a CanBus system on the RT's, you are suppose to use their special charger that cost $150. Not $25 like most tenders. You can use a standard tender, but you will need to do search on this site to determine how to properly connect it without frying your CanBus.

 

For me, keeping the batteries on a tender is easy, cheap, and guarantees the battery to be ready when needed. However, if you ride enough, a tender is not necessary.

[Mainuh]

I'm obviously missing something here,

The only thing your missing is that this board obsesses about most everything!

 

Touche Ken! THis is probably one of the highest concetrations of extreme AR types of any forum anywhere.

[PastorEd]

The first battery on my LT lasted 3 years. The second one lasted 6 months. Gina's BMW in Iowa City recommended I leave it plugged into a Battery Tender when parked in the garage and the battery would last longer. I finally figured out how to solve the battery problem on the LT. I traded it for an RT. I had Gina's install an auxillary plug from a GS, it's connected to the battery, so I can use the Battery Tender and not BMW's tender. I will let you know if it works in a couple of years

[ADulay]

Thanks for the comments. I can understand having the battery charger for climates not nearly as conducive to riding as my own in Florida.

 

We'll see how it goes with the new bike and if the battery thing turns out to be a problem, I'll scour the boards here for the appropriate solution.

 

Once again, thanks to all.

 

AD

[steveknapp]

I'm obviously missing something here,

The only thing your missing is that this board obsesses about most everything!

 

[Ken H.]

I'm obviously missing something here,

The only thing your missing is that this board obsesses about most everything!

 

LOL! Well not that I was excluding myself or anything...

[Quint]

"The pot calling the kettle black". My old man used to use that expression at least once a week for as long as I can remember. Taken in good humor, too!

[90RedRider]

Not at all familiar with the canbus system. But I have been using a batt. tender and just hooking it up to the provided posts on my 04 RT. So far no probs. Have I just been lucky and is there a bullet out there for me to watch out for. I wanted the beemer because it was hands on, but all these nuances are damn hard to keep up with. Somewhat like the myth buster TV show.