BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Its that time of year a bit cold and guess what battery does not want to play , not being up with modern technology can you use any battery charger on your motorcycle ? , also can i charge it in place on my 2019 RTLE ? or because of all the bells and electrickery these days does it have to be removed from the bike . 

hammo wrote: Its that time of year a bit cold and guess what battery does not want to play , not being up with modern technology can you use any battery charger on your motorcycle ? , also can i charge it in place on my 2019 RTLE ? or because of all the bells and electrickery these days does it have to be removed from the bike .

Get yourself a CANBUS aware charger such as the BMW one or the Optimate 4. Get a DIN adapter if it does not come with one, plug it into the power take off in the fairing and you are done. No mucking around taking the battery off or on, changing leads on the battery etc.


If you are not into playing with technology this is the simplest way

PeteM wrote:Get yourself a CANBUS aware charger such as the Optimate 4.

Available from BikespeedUK at a very good price of £56.95 with free shipping, OptiMate 4 CAN BUS BMW Motorcycle Battery Charger (bikespeeduk.com)

David. wrote: Available from BikespeedUK at a very good price with free shipping, OptiMate 4 CAN BUS BMW Motorcycle Battery Charger (bikespeeduk.com)

And it includes the DIN adapter 

PeteM wrote:And it includes the DIN adapter.

Which is nearly £20 itself, O9 12V DIN Plug — OptiMate UK

PeteM wrote:Get yourself a CANBUS aware charger such as the BMW one.

If you would like the BMW one, it can be had for £75 from Cotswold BMW, BMW Motorrad Battery Charger PLUS. CAN-Bus and Lithium-Ion Compatible – Cotswold BMW Motorrad Online

Or, from Nippy Normans for £139, BMW charger for R1200GS LC, R1250GS, K1600GT/GTL and all models after 2004 (nippynormans.com)

Or £79 from Optimate themselves - https://www.optimate.co.uk/products/optimate-4-bmw


We have just bought 3 from Optimate for our fleet and spoke to them, they confirmed this is exactly the same charger Nippy is selling and the ones Nippy are selling are no different as Optimate do not make anything special for other retailers

Why pay £20 more from Optimate than BikespeedUK, I can highly recommend BikespeedUK.

A new GS owner recently bought one and he was very pleased with the product & service.

NN is selling the new Optimate 4.5 for £70, Optimate 4.5 BMW Can Bus Goldline DUAL Charger (nippynormans.com)

"This Goldline version is exclusive to Nippy Normans".

£52.37 from sportsbikeshop


https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/343092/#/27907,3203,1186


I have the optimate 3 connected direct to the battery but I am debating whether to go for the canbus one!

Although I am unsure if it has the din plugs with it

sakm wrote:Although I am unsure if it has the din plugs with it.

"Weatherproof eyelet lead and clamps are included".

The BMW DIN lead/plug is not included, that's another £20.

"With OptiMate 4 Dual Program you can now either charge the battery direct, or select the program to charge via the 12V port on CAN-bus equipped BMW motorcycles (using either the optional O2 or O9 accessory plug lead)."

David. wrote: "Weatherproof eyelet lead and clamps are included".

The BMW DIN lead/plug is not included, that's another £20.

"With OptiMate 4 Dual Program you can now either charge the battery direct, or select the program to charge via the 12V port on CAN-bus equipped BMW motorcycles (using either the optional O2 or O9 accessory plug lead)."

Teaches me for skim reading then


BikespeedUK is the best deal then

sakm wrote:BikespeedUK is the best deal then.

Exactly.

David. wrote: Why pay £20 more from Optimate than BikespeedUK, I can highly recommend BikespeedUK.

A new GS owner recently bought one and he was very pleased with the product & service.

NN is selling the new Optimate 4.5 for £70, Optimate 4.5 BMW Can Bus Goldline DUAL Charger (nippynormans.com)

"This Goldline version is exclusive to Nippy Normans".

We didn't, we got a discount for being a blood bike group So if you happen to be a blood biker, Optiamte will do a deal

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

Oxford Oximiser 900 - 888 Anniversary Edition for £27.42, Oxford Oximiser 900 - 888 Anniversary Edition - FREE UK DELIVERY (sportsbikeshop.co.uk)

If I had to replace my 17 year old Datatool charger, I'd probably go for this Oxford Oximiser. It's no big deal having a pigtail lead bolted to the battery with a TM connector tucked under the seat.

You only need a fancy Can Bus version if you want to charge via the onboard aux. power socket.

I can live without that and save £30 between the BikespeedUK discounted Optimate 4 and the Oxford Oximiser.

If you want crocodile clips, wall bracket and screws, the Oxford Oximiser 900 is available for £31.24, Oxford Oximiser 900 - FREE UK DELIVERY (sportsbikeshop.co.uk)