Oppo motorcyclists

"Alex Murel" (alexandermurel)
10/29/2013 at 12:15 • Filed to: Advice

How often do you guys connect your bike to a trickle charger? After having been through a little inclement weather my bike has been needing it more and more, often starting fine one day and then leaving having to take my car the next day.

DISCUSSION (31)

Sn210 > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:17

Both my father and father in-law plug their bike in after every ride and until the next one.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:18

I leave my Triumph Sprint ST hooked up when its in the garage.

But then again, I do have British electrics.

505Turbeaux > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:19

winter only for me, check the water level in yours, you might be running a bit low

Alex Murel > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 12:22

I suppose thats the safest bet. Unfortunately I don't have a garage at my apartment so I have to run an extension cord out of my bedroom window (ghetto, I know), but its worth it to have a running bike. And my Italian electrics are not all that much better than British ones, so I know that feeling.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:23

Ducati? Moto Guzzi? Or something else by Piaggio?

desertdog5051 > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:25

This time of year when the nights are cooler (my battery is 5 years old). As soon as it is cool enough to reach around the exhaust to hook up.
I only have a 32 amp alternator so short errand running trips do not give it enough running time to really charge.

SantaRita > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:25

I have a Honda, and sometimes after really short rides or for winter i'll hook it up.

My other bike is a pure EV...i plug it in after each ride.

McMike > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:26

I have tenders running on three vehicles (one being a motorbike)

If any of them are going to sit more than 5-6 days I'll put the tender on it.

Alex Murel > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 12:26

An older Ducati M900. Love it to death, but its a bit temperamental.

Alex Murel > SantaRita
10/29/2013 at 12:27

Which EV do you have?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:30

I'm pretty convinced that only the Italians and the British manage to make bikes dripping with soul.

Generally that manifests itself as being temperamental.

BMW and the Japanese make good bikes, but they are so clockwork reliable, you sometimes wish they'd act up once.

I don't do cruisers, so I give my dad tons of crap for riding a H-D.

mycarneverruns87 > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:32

Mine is getting ready to be hooked up for the winter. I ride it enough between March and October to keep it charged as normal. Winter sucks and I don't want to ride in the cold.

CAR_IS_MI > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 12:32

My Triumph was much the same (Dayton 675). I upgraded the regulator / rectifier and that fixed the issues (or at least helped)

Alex Murel > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 12:34

Definitely. The German and Japanese bikes a purely machines but the Italian and British bikes have personalities, even if it means I only go two weeks without having problems. On the bright side, I'm learning a lot and getting pretty damn resourceful since I'm at college without my normal garage full of tools.

Cruisers are American as hell but they're just not my thing.

Alex Murel > mycarneverruns87
10/29/2013 at 12:36

My bike lives in Texas, so that whole winter thing isn't a problem.

CAR_IS_MI > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:37

I see this quite often with the modern bikes.

Step one: Check / replace your battery (use a high quality battery)

Step two: Check / replace your regulator / rectifier

Step three: Check / replace your stator.

I've had bikes that just draw on power no matter what, and others that have zero draw. Bikes that can sit a full winter without a charge and start up no question, and bikes that can't be left alone for more than a week.

I'd say a day is too short and to check what I've listed out above.

What bike is this?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:37

I've taken to calling mine "The British Alternative bike", as all of Dad's friends are either on cruisers, or well, cruisers.

Then someone in the Home Depot parking lot, after I told the story of crashing it, called it a Chumbawamba bike.

What a trip to the 90s. Video related.

mycarneverruns87 > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:37

Your a lucky guy then.

Alex Murel > CAR_IS_MI
10/29/2013 at 12:42

Its an '02 Ducati M900 and unfortunately that probably means it needs all three. The other problem is that I don't have a garage to pull it apart in when I'm at school so any actual work has to wait until summer. Which is a long time from now.

Alex Murel > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 12:44

Haha. My friends have taken to calling mine "The Italian Death Machine" and its ended up sticking. I wanted to give it a pretty Italian name, but that works too.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:46

I just need to get the right hand hard saddlebag refinished and then I'll get new right side fairings. That will solve the it looks like crap on one side issue with mine.

CAR_IS_MI > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:46

Start with the battery, should be easy enough to check voltage output under load, and / or cheap enough to just replace.

SantaRita > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 12:57

Mine is a 'roll your own' based on a 78 CB750. 48vLifepo4... 65mph, 45mile range.i love the little bugger!

Kinja'd!!!

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 13:15

To this day, I still wish I bought a Sprint over the Niner.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/29/2013 at 13:16

Ehh, I'd probably beg to differ - try getting the 919 to engage a gear without having to rock it back and forth.

DocWalt > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 13:23

I've found that my bike is fine all winter. I do get out and ride anytime it's over ~40 degrees though, so that helps.

Alex Murel > SantaRita
10/29/2013 at 13:28

Damn, that's pretty sweet. I toyed with the idea of doing that with a CX500, but then I decided I better just buy a real motorcycle to DD.

Kugelblitz > 505Turbeaux
10/29/2013 at 13:30

Yep. This. When it gets below 40 I just plug mine in, I already have the jacks mated to the battery permanently so all I do is lift the seat and plug the tender in.

That way I have to put the seat back on before I ride off, which avoids pulling the charger off the wall and dragging it halfway out of the garage.

It umm, happened to a friend of mine. Once.

505Turbeaux > Kugelblitz
10/29/2013 at 13:33

haha that friend you see while shaving in the morning??

dont worry I let my 2 year old daughter drive my 73 Wagoneer once before disconnecting the thing, and she ran right over it. Guess it was the fault of the man at the pedals

Kugelblitz > 505Turbeaux
10/29/2013 at 14:00

Well, yes. Oh and that is funny.

Turk > Alex Murel
10/29/2013 at 14:39

Get yourself an AGM and easily accessed master disconnect - easily accessible charger pigtails are not a bad idea either. Leave it on ...most days. Solved.

I'm trying to figure out how to handle a pretty much track-only bike... I think just pulling the battery between race weekends will become part of the normal routine...