Trickle charger hookup

[BASEJET]

Hello fellow 1150R owners, I just bought a 2004. and now I found this great place for info. Thanks in advance for ideas or help. I looking to hook up a charger, it has the plug on the left side with a black cap and the back side of that it has two wires, one brown and one red with a white stripe that go along with a bundle of wires. Then on the battery there is two wires, one has an inline fuse and they go to a weather proof type of plug that is layihg on the air box. What is the best way to hook up my trickle charger from my old bike? I would like to avoid removing the tank to hook on my old one. It is starting to get cold here Wisconsin.

[boxermania]

BASEJET

I believe the accessory plug, which never used, is switched by the ignition and therefore not the place to hook up a charger, but check a wiring diagram.

The other two wires you refer to fused and from the battery, is not part of the original equipment as I recall. It is probably a hook up installed by the prior owner to maybe power a heated vest or something of the kind. I would trace the wires back to the battery and if they trace back to the + and - terminals you are good to go.

Good luck.

[gregor]

I believe the plug on top of the air cleaner area is a diagnostic connection to the engine management system. So do not connect to that.
The normal way to hook up a trickle charger is via a socket in the starter motor cover. Other forum threads will provide more gudance on the wiring and part numbers for the socket.

BTW I have just been told by a BMW dealer NOT to leave the battery permanently connected to an Optimate (battery conditioner/monitor) but only for one day every three weeks. Had done it "wrong"for many years without problems. Anyone else heard that?

[stilldking]

If you have an SAE plug on your charger, you can add one of these.

http://www.powerletproducts.com/shop-by ... 15-amp/107

If you'd prefer to use the accessory plug (like I do) you can get one of these. (Again, your charger must have the SAE plug)

http://www.powerletproducts.com/product ... -cable/261

As far as I know, the accessory outlet allows me to charge the battery at any time. I seem to remember their being a timer or delay circuit, but I don't recall if this was R1150 or R12 specific.

Hope this helps.
JC

[Biff's R]

I charge my bike through the accessory outlet with my Battery Tender. I've done it that way for many years.

[gregor]

But do you leave it powered up permanently?
I'm trying to figure out the programming of an electronic weekly timer for winter use. Thinking of only charging for say one 24 hour period per week.
I'd check that the green light came on within the 24 hours, to show a fully charged battery, before abandoning the bike to the garage.
Any comments welcomed.

[owldaddy]

I don't think it makes any difference whether you leave it hooked up all the time or not. The charger is supposed to switch to a maintenance mode when it detects a full charge. If you want to only have it charge now and then, I remember reading about a guy many years ago who plugged his charger into the light on his garage door opener. Every time that door opened or closed, it charged the battery for 4 minutes, which was the amount of time that the light is on when the door is cycled. I have not tried this technique myself, so I can't validate how well it worked out. During the winter when the bike may not run for an extended period of time, I have just left the BT hooked up all the time without a problem. I still have the original battery, it is over 4 years old now.
Don

[gregor]

I usually keep the battery on an Optimate all the time.
With this treatment,my K75's original battery survived to be 7 years old and I've just changed my R1150R's at 6 1/2 years.
The only downside of a constant charge was that I'd to top up the electolyte twice a year.

As above , I was told a few weeks back that this caused undesirable thermal stress on the battery.
The BMW dealer insisted on his stance.
So- any more support for not connecting all the time?

[towerworker]

Gregor--

If you got 7 years out of your K75's battery and 6.5 years out of your R's and you kept them on tender's all the time................sounds to me like you're doing it right and your mechanic needs to listen to you!

I keep mine on a tender thru the winter (I ride it every week just not every day) If I get 4 to 5 years out of any battery I feel I have gotten my money's worth.

Wayne

[MikeCam]

Depends on the charger and on the battery.

Lead acid will lose electrolyte if constantly hooked up to a charger that uses a voltage/amperage in the range that leads to out gassing. Battery Tender claim they do not have this problem.

AGM require a staged absorption phase and some AGM benefit from a temperature compensation phase as well as the need to avoid out gassing (which is reduced but not eliminated for AGM). Again Battery Tender claim to accommodate this requirement.

I do not have any information about Optimate, but I believe they have a comprehensive web site for any to review.

A "WalMart"/"Lowes"/discount battery charger probably does not have any staged sequences, temperature compensation, absorption phases or the like so I'd only use that type for a set period of recharge on any type of battery.

In any case, for pre-CANBUS BMW, the battery may be charged through the accessory socket, through an aftermarket pigtail direct wired to the battery or through an aftermarket accessory socket that is direct to the battery (and if you are really good at wiring - through a fused circuit you add yourself). For CANBUS equipped BMW the accessory socket approach does not work with aftermarket chargers and is spotty, at best, with the overpriced BMW specific charger. Most owners have gone the pigtailed SAE attachment route.