Better Then a Battery Tender

[jrock]

I got this for Christmas this year and I was told this was better then a battery tender. I did some reading and I would have to agree. I'll leave the battery tender on the VFR and put this one on the CBR.

http://www.optimate3.com/classic/

[2weelpilot]

can that be used on sealed gel batteries?

[sqrly]

I have one for the Aprilia, it is excellent!

Yes, it works for ALL batteries.

[Chills]

So what does it do that's better than a battery tender?

[jrock]

Originally Posted by Chills

So what does it do that's better than a battery tender?

For one, it diagnoses and desulfates batteries.

Starter batteries that have been left in a discharged state tend to sulfate and quickly build up resistance to conventional charging. This is more evident during extreme temperature conditions. Most of the electrolyte in the battery turns into water when the battery is completely discharged and this has three effects:
- without acid the build up of sulfate crystals on the battery plates occurs rapidly; as the buildup of crystals increase so does resistance to charging
- water freezes which physically damages the battery plates or casing (water expands by 6 / 5 when freezing)
- in hot conditions water evaporates, impeding the chemical process required to re-energize the plates.

Standard ‘smart’ chargers cannot overcome high resistance caused by sulfation, but OptiMate3’s desulfation program can. (One of the main reasons why our competitors claim that once a battery is sulfated, it is only good for dumping.)

The truth of the matter is, both filler cap and “MF” VRLA starter batteries can be recovered if done right & soon enough, confirmed in the technical report “Service manual for sealed MF Battery” published by Yuasa Battery Co. Ltd. Japan, with similar text included in the latest technical manual of Yuasa Battery Inc. (USA) : In charging an over discharged battery having terminal voltage of 11,5V or lower, its internal resistance may be too high to be charged at normal voltage. Therefore, raise the voltage initially (25V as max.) and charge. Adjust the voltage as often as possible to keep current at standard value.

TecMate took this principal and designed a circuit that does this all automatically. Here’s how, it applies a high voltage at controlled current to breathe life into the battery and does this for a maximum period of two hours. Once it senses recovery OptiMate shifts to two step constant current charging, then checks if the battery can hold power before switching to safe long term storage charge.

For best results the battery must be removed from the vehicle if over-discharged & sulfated. OptiMate will not start the desulfation mode if it senses vehicle circuitry and automatically lowers the maximum charging voltage to 14,3V to protect sensitive electronic circuitry against damage.

One must bear in mind that not all batteries are of the same design nor are they of the same quality, especially the ‘clone’ / pirate part batteries based on OEM product. Such factors all have a bearing on how successful a particular battery’s recovery from sulfation is. Some battery types may not recover at all from sulfation, what-ever you do. Even those that do may not recover to 100% rated capacity and will retain some effect of the sulfation event, such as a higher self discharge characteristic.

The good news is that from our experience almost all batteries used in the power sport industry are recoverable, especially sealed AGM VRLA types such as manufactured by Yuasa, Hawker Batteries, GS and East Penn. And the sooner the battery is recovered the better the result.

Prevention is always better than cure. Leave the OptiMate3 connected when the vehicle is not in use and it will protect against sulfation, excessive self discharge or current draw from connected devices.

[Chills]

Good info, thanks Justin.

[Blah Blah Blah]

That's too high tech for me.

[LsilverR1]

i noticed there is a lot of battery talk on this site.

ive had 5 bikes in the last 2 years and none of the batteries gave me any trouble. even my friggin john deere tractor i leave in my enclosed trailer all winter and charge it in the spring and its all good. i used a battery tender ONCE (on a car) and the battery was cashed when i went to use it in the spring. i dunno.

[equipt31]

i have this and its actually the simplest thing to use. just hook up your battery and read w/e light turns on. charge till battery is good. that simple

[SilentAlero]

pfft high tech nothin.... just recharged your battery for a while u ride ya pussies. Today was a decent day to recharge em.

[Troy]

Anybody use an Optimate on a sulfated battery yet?

I suspect the battery in one of my sleds and the battery in my Deuce need desulfating. Both have some age on 'em and don't take much of a charge from the tender.

[Grasshopper]

Basically, in lammens terms, that device is putting a load on the battery. It's exercising the battery. A battery that just sits on a trickle charger is not exercised. The more a battery is used the longer it lasts.

That's what that thing is doing.

You could buy a 25 dollar battery load tester at Pep Boys and go out in the garage once a week and apply a load to it and get the same results that expensive device is doing.

It's not like the fucking thing is magic or something... LOL!!!!

[Grasshopper]

It also hits the battery with an over charge. I'll bet its hitting it with about 14.8 volts DC to burn the sulfur off the plates. It's kinda like a spike of voltage for brief short periods of time. I'm betting it hits the battery with a sign wave. It goes high voltage then low voltage over and over exercising the battery.

[Troy]

I can certainly try applying a load to each battery, then a charge.

It does look like the Optimate uses high voltage with low current to desulfate (up to 25V). I'm curious to see if it works.

[Grasshopper]

LOL!!!! Do not apply 25 volts to a 12 volt battery Troy. I wouldn't apply more than 15 volts to it. Just a load tester would be good enough.

I had a Yusa that lasted 6 years with just a battery tender in the winter.

I think that device is a little over kill anyway. Even if a battery is still good after 5 or 6 years I'd change the damn thing anyway for piece of mind.

[Troy]

Both batteries are between 4 & 5 yrs old. I'll probably wind up replacing them soon anyway, but figured now would be a good time to experiment with an Optimate.

Heck, they're only 50 bones. That's less than a new battery and I can probably use an extra charger even if it doesn't work as advertised.

Should I expect some fireworks if this thing applies 25V DC?

[A.B.A.T.E.]

Anyone got a cost on them??

[AgentofDarkness]

Originally Posted by CHGOTHNDER

Anyone got a cost on them??

Quick search on Google shows prices from $50 to $80.

[Pete The Greek]

i used a battery tender all winter, and the bike started up perfectly for me on sunday no problems

battery tenders and fuel stabil FTW

[PatFitz9]

I used a cover for my bike and a full tank of gas. started right up for me too I do have a heated garage though.

[Blah Blah Blah]

I say a prayer before putting my bike away and another prayer when I fire it up in the spring. It always fires right up. God must ride a Gixxer.

[MM Racing]

I have NEVER winterized shit. Fired up the RC last Sunday no issues, especially with the RC where normal weather starting is occasionally a hassle. I would not use either one of these chargers unless I was leaving for more then 6 months.

[SENGVIN]

can i keep my batteri on this tender all the time???

[LsilverR1]

[OldSkoolMC]

Originally Posted by 2weelpilot

can that be used on sealed gel batteries?

Yep. I have the same model. It does the job.

[whitedawg]

Well I bought the OptiMate3 today, hopefully it works good! BTW, $55 at Willy World in Joliet

[whitedawg]

FYI: Works great! Helped both my roommate and I

[Troy]

Did either of you have batteries that weren't taking a charge from a Battery Tender??

[jrock]

Originally Posted by Troy

Did either of you have batteries that weren't taking a charge from a Battery Tender??

You can borrow my Optimate if you want. It has a mode that desulfates the battery. And it will test it and tell you if it is holding a charge or not.

[Rated R]

Are these in any stores closer to the city? Or in what's considered the chicagoland area...