Battery charging and maintenance devices – why, why, why?

4 min read

Battery charging and maintenance devices – 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 promises or are you faced with a bike that doesn't make a sound. 

Unfortunately, I personally had the experience with a device from the mid-range range that all the lamps lit up somehow, but the battery was flat and nothing worked anymore.

Of course you don't want that when things start again in spring. Often, especially with modern Harleys, there are a lot of things that you don't think about at first.

Entering the code, or what the code was like, can then develop into 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 people have an anti-theft alarm system installed and it also needs electricity, just like other consumers. Some newer models already have a standard battery charging cable installed, so you can connect a charger there without having to disassemble 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 + and - poles correctly to the battery.

The cheap thing 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, which places special demands on a 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 at many Harley-Davidson dealers and are priced between 40 and 100 euros.

An advantage of these devices is that the range of various plug adapters and cables available, if it is also to be used for other vehicles, makes it easier to reconnect if the cables have already been laid in advance.

However, the chargers are not only good for the winter; if you cannot move your Harley for more than three weeks, you should connect them as a precaution to avoid deep discharge. And of course there is also the corresponding device from Harley-Davidson. The advantage here is that you can use the cabling pre-installed by Harley-Davidson in a future-proof manner; in the newer models this only works with the devices from Harley-Davidson.

Everyone may have their own experiences and have found a perfect device for themselves, you are welcome to email .

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 maintenance device over the winter. 

The savior in emergency!

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 related to the electronic exhaust system, which we had to jump-start.

GOOLOO GE1200 Jump Starter Power Bank, 3000A Start Booster, Power Bank Car Jump Starter 12V up to 8.5L…
  • EMERGENCY LIFE SAVER: The GOOLOO jump starter power bank with…
  • SAFE AND EASY TO USE: The intelligent…
  • POWER BANK CHARGER: The GOOLOO jump starter power bank for…
  • LED WORK LIGHT: Not just a power bank car jump starter...

Then one of us takes out a device from his bag, which at first thought I just wanted to use to charge my cell phone, but I thought wrongly, it has enough amps to start a car, so normally it wouldn't have been a problem, so I gave up again to bring to life. It didn't save the 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 can be easily stowed away and it can be really helpful on any tour.

But you only notice that when you need it!


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