G'day all

When trickle charging the bike, should I disconnect the bike from the battery?

If no, do I disable the alarm?

Mag

 No need for either Mag

I've run trickle chargers on both my last two bikes and just have the charger hard wired to the battery and then just plug it in when required.  Never had a problem.

 Yep, that's a good idea.

I know of at least one dealer who supplies a trickle charger and fits a plugged harness to every new machine they sell.

The plugged harness also comes in handy for running gadgets like mini compressors and the like.

Ride more and you won't have to trickle charge mate....

magilla,

I think with batteries these days they are zero maintenance, ie you don't need to vent or fill. They do have vent holes in them but you don't need to mess with them.

yeah just looking to buy one of these now.
got my 1st flat finally.
Any reccomendations??

I already have a charger. It has a trickle charge function and is protected by the circuitory gadgets thingies for protection from over charging and maintaining etc.

Just wasn't too sure about the venting of the battery as it says so in the book and it's what I have always done always with car batteries ...... and wether to hook up with out disconnecting the battery from the bike just in case it stuffs the bike computor stuff

 I think they call these new fangled battery chargers, battery tenders.  As has been said they maintain charge at full. I've had one on the 'couch' from almost new and have had periods of time up to 3 months when not ridden. Bike is now over 5 years old and still on original battery.

I attached the tender tail as per instructions and it exits just under the passenger seat so very easy to attach.  I think the tender cost approx $40.00.  Highly recommended.

Just check if the charger is suited to your battery. Some are ok on lead acid  battries but not for gel or glass mat

From what I've seen/researched you need spend just over $125.00 to get a good one that will protect, shut-off, and not create any leakage. Also with that you can go for rapid charge if you've let it run down a bit. Still working out $$$ and what one to get.

Hey all, I bought this charger from Jaycar $133.95 (got 2) and it is fantastic. I just use the slow charge and the bike was 80% full in 3 hours.

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MB3622&CATID=18&form=CAT&SUBCATID=295

It is dead simple to use and you can see different readouts e..g % full, amps, rate etc.
Has all the modern safety features wont create leakge or overcharge etc.



15A Intelligent 5 Stage Battery Charger

The perfect charger for any garage. Microprocessor controlled for not just charging your batteries, but maintaining peak performance and long term maintenance of your 12V batteries. It's suitable for all flooded and gel acid batteries, including deep cycle batteries. If the temperature changes, it will compensate and also compensates for voltage drops in the cables. It's also ultra-portable with a handy storage pocket in the back for the leads. Simply select the battery type and charge rate and hit the start button. The charger operates in five stages:

1. Soft Start - tests the battery condition. A severely discharged battery needs charging with a reduced current until the voltage reaches 10V.

2. Bulk charging - delivers most of the charge (60-80%). The charger delivers maximum current until the terminal voltage has risen to the set level.

3. Absorption - completes the charging up to nearly 100% at a constant voltage. The current tapers off as the battery reaches full capacity.

4. Float - maintenance charging at constant voltage, keeping the battery at 100% charge.

5. Pulse - long term maintenance charging. Cycles the battery between 80 and 100% charge for maximum battery life. The battery receives a pulse, starting a new charge cycle, when voltage drops to set limit. The charger can be connected for months keeping the batteries fresh.

Features:
• Short circuit protection
• Voltage compensation
• Overheating protection
• Polarity reversal protection
• Fan cooled

Specifications:
• Charging current: 2 - 15A
• Input voltage: 220 - 240VAC
• Output voltage: 12VDC
• Dimensions: 170(W) x 230(H) x 140(D)mm

I bought my sporty custom about 6 months ago, and after a work trip kept me off the bike for 2 weeks, the alarm etc had drained the battery. I ended up buying a trickle charger, wired a lead from one side of the battery to hang over the other side under the side cover, and now whenever I'm not on her, I just clip the charger to the terminal and 2nd wire I installed and life's good. All up took about 4 minutes and cost under $90 bucks and I haven't had any issues since.


Cheers

just wondering where most guys position the plug on the bike / frame ( rather than using the aligator clips )

thanks

Fat Tony