BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

simbo wrote: Oxford Oximiser. You can usually pick them up on sale for about £20 ish, no fancy bullshit but they keep your battery charged.

Until they go tits up like mine did and killed the battery because they are cheaply made

sakm wrote:
Until they go tits up like mine did and killed the battery because they are cheaply made

There's plenty of horror stories on the Internet about Optimate's going tits up too. I've got both and I've never had a problem with either.

simbo wrote:
There's plenty of horror stories on the Internet about Optimate's going tits up too. I've got both and I've never had a problem with either.

This is true but as they say once bitten twice shy and all that

David. wrote:If I had to replace my 17 year old Datatool charger.

But I don't because it's not gone tits up yet.



This is the current Datatool Smart Charger, https://scorpiontrack.com/product/datat ... t-charger/

This Accumate battery charger looks remarkably similar to the Datatool version I've got.

AccuMate 6 / 12V Battery Charger / Optimiser | FREE UK DELIVERY | Flexible Ways To Pay | M&P (mandp.co.uk)

Found this Biker Rated, "The Best Motorcycle Battery Chargers", The Best Motorcycle Battery Chargers - 2021 Review - Biker Rated

Their cheapest recommendation is a Motopower at just over £20, MOTOPOWER MP00205A-UK 12V 800mA Fully Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer-UK Plug : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

David. wrote: This Accumate battery charger looks remarkably similar to the Datatool version I've got.

AccuMate 6 / 12V Battery Charger / Optimiser | FREE UK DELIVERY | Flexible Ways To Pay | M&P (mandp.co.uk)

This is my optimate 3sp


Makes you wonder if they are all the same and rebranded or all the same company at one point!

sakm wrote:This is my Optimate III SP.

Wow, that looks pretty old school, how long have you had it.

David. wrote:
Wow, that looks pretty old school, how long have you had it.

Now you are asking!!


Easily 15 years maybe 17! so about the same as yours

sakm wrote:Makes you wonder if they are all the same and rebranded or all the same company at one point.

Tecmate the manufacturer of your battery charger make both Optimate and Accumate, About OptiMate UK — OptiMate UK

sakm wrote:Easily 15 years maybe 17, so about the same as yours.

Well, that's a thumbs up for good old quality products, none of this modern crap with fancy electronics, unnecessary.

Looks like the Accumate would be the best option if either your Optimate or my Datatool ever need replacing.

David. wrote: Tecmate the manufacturer of your battery charger make both Optimate and Accumate, About OptiMate UK — OptiMate UK

Yes I know that bit but I was wondering if the made them for datatool at the time too as they are very similar in fact my mates old optimate 3 (no sp) is almost the same as the datatool one


He has had his 22 years and still works as it should

This is the OEM battery as fitted to a 2019 R1250RT.

hammo wrote:Can you use any battery charger on your motorcycle.

As a "rule of thumb", the max. charging rate (Amps) output from the battery charger should not be more than 10% of the battery's Ah rating. In the case of this particular battery, that would be a max. of 1.6A output from the charger. (My Datatool charger max. output is 1.2A and it's used on the XJ650 12Ah battery).



I've just noticed this on the battery, it backs up the 1.6A theory. The "Quick" charge at 8A for 1 hour is probably acceptable as it's the heat generated over time that will knacker the battery. A car battery charger (depending on the max.output),  would do the latter.

A lower output battery charger will charge the battery, it'll just take longer. I use mine on the car battery too which is 44Ah.

hammo wrote:Can I charge it in place on my 2019 RTLE or because of all the bells and electrics these days does it have to be removed from the bike.

That would depend on the state of discharge (voltage) of the battery and the type of charger being used. The BMW advice is to remove the battery from the bike or use one of their chargers via the on-board socket. An alternative, as already posted is to use an Optimate 4 Can Bus edition via the on-board socket. These chargers and method of charging have built-in (voltage) protection for the electrics on the bike.

If the battery is not allowed to deeply discharge, then a normal battery charger with a lead bolted to the battery on the bike will easily maintain the battery for use.