Battery Charger

[Briank]

Can anyone recommend a good battery charger / trickle charger. Want to store bike and there are so many on Amazon

 

[dduelin]

Deltrans Battery Tender Plus 12V 1.25 amp.

Battery tenders are usually 750 or 800 milliamp and aren't chargers but can maintain a charged battery over long periods of time. The Tender Plus can actually charge motorcycle/ATV size batteries and also act as a tender for long term maintenance.

 

[Hound]

TecMate's OptiMate and AccuMate chargers are well-regarded.

TecMate – High Performance Battery Chargers, Tools & Accessories

tecmate.com

 

[Obo]

You want one that's "smart" if you plan to leave it connected all the time. What I mean by that is one that charges when the battery is low and shuts off when it's up to charge, so it doesn't overcharge the battery. The type of charger will also depend on the type of battery you have. If you have a standard lead acid just about any charger will work. If you have a AGM or lithium battery you will want a compatible charger for those.

 

[David@Norfolkbiker]

The Oxford Oximiser battery charger does the all you need to store a bike

 

[Tedbrogden]

I've always used a Battery Tender Junior.

 

[ReSTored]

As people are mentioning, you don't want a trickle charger, you need a smart charger or a tender. Just plug it in and forget about it.

Had a Battery Tender Jr. for 18 years, worked well, included it with my ST when I sold it. About $30 in 2003.

Got a new Optimate for the Tracer, was about $50. https://optimate1.com/om1vm/

 

[tonythecarguy]

I like the BatteryMINDer I have 3 different models with all the bikes and cars to keep charged up. The oldest being 18 years old and still in use daily.

 

[Obo]

And if we are throwing brands out there I have 3 Noco Genius chargers.

I have 2 older 750mA models (oldest is 9 years old) and a 2A model I just got in January.

I leave them on the bikes all Winter without concern. One stays on most of the Summer too as one bike is rarely ridden. They do 6 & 12v lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries; flooded, gel, maintenance-free and AGM; starter, deep-cycle, marine & powersport. They also have a decent warranty.

NOCO - Genius Multi-Purpose Battery Chargers

Our most advanced battery charger yet. Its a charger, maintainer, and desulfator. And it's incredibly powerful and compact.

no.co

I don't think you can really go wrong with any brand unless you don't get an intelligent one that goes into standby when the charge is full and comes on when low.
For ease of use look for one that comes with or that you can hook a quick disconnect up to the battery vs having to use alligator clips on the battery to charge it.

 

[DeanR]

I've always used a Battery Tender Junior.

Me too. I have 4 of em plugged in all year.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Get one that can do as many different types of batteries as possible- you never know what type of battery you may have next.
Get one that not only charges and maintains, but also performs a test cycle on the battery as it does so.
Get one that includes a de-sulfate cycle for the battery types that suffer form this.

Most of the better known brand name intelligent chargers/maintainers probably have all of these features now.

 

[Larry Fine]

I recently got this charger/starter/conditioner/maintainer:

Robot or human?

www.walmart.com

 

[Roger]

I have a solar charger and a regulator set at 14.4v when it turns down to about 13.8v. The battery has been on the bike for more years than I have fingers, so it must be working ok....

 

[dduelin]

........I don't think you can really go wrong with any brand unless you don't get an intelligent one that goes into standby when the charge is full and comes on when low.
For ease of use look for one that comes with or that you can hook a quick disconnect up to the battery vs having to use alligator clips on the battery to charge it.

For consumer or home garage uses I think it is pretty hard to find old fashioned ferroresonat chargers as compared to today's more or less "automatically regulated" 3 or 4 or 5 phase charging profiles chargers that this thread is recommending. I know they are out there and it is good to warn against their use for small capacity motorcycle batteries. I still have a Schumacher ferroresonant charger left over from when I had 6 volt golf cart batteries in my sailboat but I'll probably never use it again and should give it or throw it away.

 

[red one]

For my motorcycle I use my Schumacher 1.5 amp maintainer I bought at Walmart. For my cars I use a Schumacher 2/6 amp dual rate charger. I've own these for about 10 years and these have been great.

 

[Cogmeister]

I've got an optimate 4 which seems to do the job
Came with leads to attach to the battery and end in a plug , so you don't have to take the bike apart every time you want to attach the optimate
The lead from the optimate attaches to the plug for charging / battery maintenance use
Also a lead ending in spring clips to charge other batteries

 

[Obo]

Who knew a charger thread could be as varied as oil and tire theads...

 

[SMSW]

For consumer or home garage uses I think it is pretty hard to find old fashioned ferroresonat chargers as compared to today's more or less "automatically regulated" 3 or 4 or 5 phase charging profiles chargers that this thread is recommending.

These old chargers show up at a lot of house/estate sales. If you know what you are doing, they will serve you well, but it is too easy to cook your battery if they are left connected. Most do not have an anti sulfation pulse cycle, so what you get is worth the few bucks you pay for these.

We should buy these smart chargers now. In a few years they will be so smart that they will talk back to us....

 

[Larry Fine]

I still have a Schumacher ferroresonant charger left over from when I had 6 volt golf cart batteries in my sailboat but I'll probably never use it again and should give it or throw it away.

If it will attempt to charge dead batteries, which most electronic ones won't, I'm interested!

Actually, I can get an electronic charger to work if I jump it with a good battery for a while.

 

[TourNut]

I went through many of the $20-$30 chinese plastic box of several brands , none of those seemed to last more than 2 years , I finally settled on the Battery Tender Plus with the " 10 year warranty " . However I run 6 of them on 6 "vehicles" , but none of them have lasted the full 10 years , more like 6- 8 max. But still more reliable than the plastic cheapies . When any of them fail & still show they are working by a green LED , but they have let the battery die , and you didn't know it . it is very aggravating to have to buy another AND another battery too !
I buy the "Battery Tender Plus " through Amazon , stores around here have the same model $15 - $25 more !