To Optimate or not?

Over the last 4 years I have used my optimate in the following way. Basically every 2 weeks I switch it on until I get two greens then I switch it off.
The last time ie start of this season the battery was fecked and I had all manner of snags restarting and fun with the Meta alarm.

Should I switch it on and leave it on for the next 6 months of storage?

I don't have one on my Mille at the moment (must get one) but I did on my 916. I used to plug it in after every ride and only unplug it when I was going out for a ride, moving it or starting it. The Duke battery never let me down once.

How long did you have the battery in for?

Well I had the bike 3 years and the guy before me (a mate of mine) had it for 5 years and it never had a new battery in that time. He did exactly the same as me with the optimate. The bike only had 6K on it when I sold it so it was not ridden a lot.

Thanks for the info. You hear so many tales of Optimates eating batteries but up til now I've never left it on and still lost a battery so we will see how it goes.

I cannot remember exactly which one I had, but it would condition the battery as well as charge it. It would discharge it every so often and then recharge it to keep it healthy

They are supposed to be intelligent chargers?

They don't charge constantly, they apply a little juice as and when it's required to keep the battery topped up and conditioned.

I have one on both bikes, just leave them on.....as someone has already said....only disconnect when you're going out or moving the bike...otherwise, just leave them connected.

Managing the batteries in this way, my Honda battery lasted seven years, and the Tuono battery lasted six.
Both batteries worked really well...until the last minute.

Ok I'm ready to change my way of thinking then. It's on right now and will stay on until spring. Is there anything else that should be done?
My bike is under a cover and in the garage, should I take the seat off to ventilate etc etc or am I thinking too hard about this. Perhaps I'm edging into a storage thread.

If your battery is not a sealed maint free type, check the electrolyte levels are ok. If they are low top them up with demineralised or deionised water only NOT water from the tap or anything else. Also check the levels periodically over winter to make sure they have not depleted due to charging.

Other than that just leave it to do its job.

It's one of those sealed types. You know the ones that come without min water in and you fill it yourself then push the caps in.

Hmmm....sounds like a standard wet filled lead acid battery to me. I am guessing (without seeing it) that the vent caps can be removed easily for top up. Failure to top up wet filled battery is the main cause of battery failure

Here it

Sorry take that back, wrong link.

This type: http://bit.ly/19CAV39

The little black caps off the acid bottles push down into the battery holes.

As a matter of interest that particular battery has a low cca compared to some, The Ape needs the highest cca you can get.

also the Optimate can and does get fooled into thinking things are perfect when they may not be, I have had two batteries that the Optimate said were perfect when both had failed cells and broke down under load.

You can top up the levels on your battery. There should be a mark for the level, probably a plastic bar across the top of the cell. A general rule of thumb is 4mm above the plate.

The link I posted was just an example of the type I bought from Busters. I couldn't find the exact link.
Touch wood I have never had any cranking problems but as the bike gets older I recognise that components wear so I will be careful if the battery dies after storage.
There's no strip on mine, the little black plugs go into the holes after filling, seemingly never to be removed.
It was one of these:
BYYTX14BS



Qty = 1

These are the batteries you want :thumbup completely sealed, highest CCA & if you remove the packing piece at the bottom they are the same size as the standard battery. I also leave my optimate on all the time & just remove it before I go out for a ride, never had any problems with starting, my batteries last about 4 years

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTOBATT-...28?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4176906f64

Ah thank you mate, very much appreciated.

Update:
It's been on for 4 days now and this is the current state, been like it since yesterday.

Is it normal?View attachment 5054

Your battery could be shot mate. This is from the Optimate 3 SP instruction manual

6) RED LED : the red WARNING LED means that after being charged the battery's voltage is not being sustained or that despite recovery attempts the battery was irrecoverable. This may be due to a defect in the battery itself, such as a short- circuited cell or total sulphation, or, if the battery was still connected to the vehicle’s wiring system, the red LED may be signalling a loss of current through deteriorating wiring or a degraded switch or contact, or in-circuit current-consuming accessories. A sudden load such as the headlights being switched on while the charger is connected, can also cause the battery voltage to dip below 12,3V. Always remove the battery from the vehicle, reconnect the OptiMate and allow it to pro- ceed through its programme once more. If the green LED then indicates, the cause is to be traced on the vehicle. If the red LED indicates, it is the battery which is suspect and should be taken to a professional workshop for load testing on a BatteryMate diagnostic load-tester/charger. It is important to note that even if the red LED does indicate, the battery will continue to receive float charge support at 13,6V until disconnected, so as to protect it from deterioration as far as feasible.