Battery chargers and trickle chargers - why, why, why?
Now that the winter season is slowly coming to an end, the question arises as to whether the battery charging and maintenance device has done what it promised, or whether you are faced with a bike that doesn't make a sound.
Unfortunately, I myself have already had the experience with a mid-range device that all the lights lit up somehow, but the battery was flat and nothing worked at all.
Of course, that's not what you want when it's time to get going again in spring. With modern Harleys in particular, there are often many things that you don't think about at first.
Entering the code, or what was the code in the first place, can then become a problem. But by the way, if you have the Fob key, you can also assign a new code if the old one has been deleted in your head.
Most have an anti-theft alarm system installed and this also needs power, just like other consumers. Some newer models already have a battery charging cable fitted as standard, so you can connect a charger without having to dismantle anything.
The task is clear, to keep the battery alive during the winter phase and to train it through charging and discharging cycles so that it can start again in the spring.
I bought the cheapest device I could find in the fall and connected it to the battery over the winter.
It was an 18.- Euro investment, the device is really simple, you first have to supply it with power and then connect the poles corresponding to + and - correctly to the battery.
The cheap part did a good job for me last winter season, simple and good.
In any case, you should pay attention to whether you have installed a gel battery, as these place special demands on the charger. A gel battery requires certain charging pulses and can otherwise become too hot and cause a nasty surprise.
Many people swear by the Optimat devices, which are also available from many Harley-Davidson dealers and are priced between 40 and 100 euros.
One advantage of these devices is the range of various plug adapters and cables, if it is also to be used for other vehicles, it makes it easier to reconnect if the cables are already pre-laid.
However, the chargers are not only good for the winter, if you can't move your Harley for more than three weeks, you should connect them as a precaution to avoid a deep discharge. And of course Harley-Davidson also offers the corresponding device, the advantage here is that you can use the future-proof wiring pre-installed by Harley-Davidson, which only works with Harley-Davidson devices on the newer models.
Everyone may have their own experiences and have found a perfect device for themselves, you are welcome to share your experiences. mail.
And to briefly summarize the „why, why, why“, especially with the newer machines you need power for the alarm system and the BoomBox during the longer downtime, a deeply discharged battery is usually no longer usable afterwards.
So either disconnect everything and set it up again in the new year, or keep the Harley fit over the long downtime with a battery charger and trickle charger over the winter.
The savior in need!
And while we're on the subject of electricity, I saw something cool on my last tour of Russia, one of us had a problem with his bike due to some strange wiring in connection with the electronic exhaust system, which we had to jump-start.
One of us takes a device out of his bag, which at first thought I only wanted to use to charge my cell phone, but thought wrong, it has enough amps to start a car, so normally it wouldn't have been a problem to bring the car back to life. It didn't save my colleague at that moment, we had to solve the problem in the workshop.
And yes, you can also charge your cell phone or laptop with it, this compact miracle device is easy to stow away and can be really helpful on any tour.
But you only realize that when you need it!
