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battery tender and Cover


bmwdavid

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When I went to pick up the new 16 RT I inquired about a battery tender and cover. They had two bmw chargers. One was $180 and pugged into the accessory outlet and was specifically for the new canbus systems. They suggested another bmw one for $90 but it wasn't smart enough to charge thru the accessory but they said it could be plugged directly into the garbing pigtail they installed to the battery. With this one they said you have to disconnect every other week and reconnect. Is the one for $180 a good charger and could it be left charging indefinitely?

They had a all weather bmw cover for $125 that looked pretty good. I was looking for only a dust cover but wouldn't hurt to have it if left out on a road trip. Has anyone tried this cover?

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They had a all weather bmw cover for $125 that looked pretty good. I was looking for only a dust cover but wouldn't hurt to have it if left out on a road trip. Has anyone tried this cover?

 

Don't know about the chargers, but take a look at the BMW Travel cover. Lightweight, packs small. I use it on the road trips for overnights and when I want a bit of extra security. Cost is under $50.

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Skipped the charger with the logo and got an Optimate that plugs into the accessory socked for under $100. Lots of places to buy them but here is what I have used the last two off seasons. You just have to plug it in with the ignition on, then turn off and it keeps the CANbus circuit open all winter long. Lots of smarts in this charger.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tecmate-optimate-4-dual-program-battery-charger-for-bmw-canbus

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Somehow I've never seen BMW's motorcycle covers. So checking a little further I find that BMW calls the reasonably priced ones "half covers" and they come in three sizes. Part numbers are 71 60 2 212 202,203,204. Checking further yet, on Amazon, I see lots of half covers priced under $50.

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The BMW "travel cover" would be considered a half cover. Which I have grown to prefer. MUCH easier to put on/take off. Pack MUCH smaller. Made of lighter material so they are MUCH quicker to dry.

 

Large size fits the RT quite nicely. Large BMW logo on the front, which makes it easy to orient the cover when putting it on. $45, which must be the cheapest BMW part in the system.......

 

BMW Travel Cover

Edited by realshelby
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Skipped the charger with the logo and got an Optimate that plugs into the accessory socked for under $100. Lots of places to buy them but here is what I have used the last two off seasons. You just have to plug it in with the ignition on, then turn off and it keeps the CANbus circuit open all winter long. Lots of smarts in this charger.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tecmate-optimate-4-dual-program-battery-charger-for-bmw-canbus

 

Are you sure you need to plug it in with the ignition on? I've never done that with mine and it works just fine. The CANBus version of the charger has the smarts to turn on what needs to be turned on all by itself ... at least I think it does.

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Get the better charger, Optimate or BMW.

 

Skip the cover.

 

Get some saddlebag liners.

If you are travelling they are more important than a cover and will make it much easier for you and the SO, IMO.

We've done more than 50 trips together and the saddlebag liners are the best investment I made wrt mc and hotel/B&B's/camping.

Easy to pack, you know where everything is and how much you can bring.

Easy and much better than trying to lug the saddlebag inside.

Did that once... :dopeslap:

You can wipe the bike off when travelling and it will get sun/rain/snow/dirt when on the road.

That is why you'll clean it at home.

:)

 

 

 

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But when I stumble out of my motel or tent in the morning, and find the seat, switchgear, and maybe tankbag and tailbag, soaked or frost covered - wouldn't I wish I had covered it?

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Nope.

BTDT.

ATGATT works, as does a wipe down of the seat etc.

A lot of fun taking a frost covered cover and fold it up and put away, to do the melt/wet/thing inside its bag, to be there for you when you unwrap it the next time.

I used one, have had snow/frost/sormy etc on it and there is no way to get that stuff off before putting away.

I even did extra seam sealing and water repelling treatment on my excellent cover. So I could shake it, wave it, and a lot of stuff came off.

Had the same weather w/out a cover and you know what, the bike was just fine...

YMMV

And, doing so many 2 up trips, the extra space was a nice "find".

;)

Think of the cover as a condom, the next morning...

 

Now for hiding from prying eyes, works.

Mine has eyelets for cable lock and I can lock the cover to the bike and through the wheel.

So, they have their use.

.02

Best wishes.

:wave:

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Battery Tender for under $30 works perfect. Had an Optimate and IMHO too complex. Battery Tender is simple to use and works perfect. Have used them on BMW's since 2000. The BMW Chargers you are just paying for the roundel.

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2LH8DUZ1Q6T63

 

For Covers the EZ Tour or Nelson Rigg for 1/2 covers..

 

http://dev.eztouring.com/product/the-traveler-motorcycle-cover/

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Ed,

BT for me, for decades.

I was just answering his post options.

Don't have experience with most recent BMW systems and compatability.

Thanks.

 

My cover is a Nelson Rigg.

Excellent cover, not over used

:)

will be in classifieds soon as it appears I've sold my GT.

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Ed,

BT for me, for decades.

I was just answering his post options.

Don't have experience with most recent BMW systems and compatability.

Thanks.

 

My cover is a Nelson Rigg.

Excellent cover, not over used

:)

will be in classifieds soon as it appears I've sold my GT.

 

I actually have both the BMW version of the Battery Tender and a Battery Tender Jr. I only have the BMW versions as they came with one of the bikes I bought. Having 2 bikes i run a battery tender on them ALL the time when they are parked in the garage. I bought the BT Jr. on Black Friday when Home Depot had them for $19. Just too good of a deal to pass up. Have then running right off the battery and no issues at all.

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Skipped the charger with the logo and got an Optimate that plugs into the accessory socked for under $100. Lots of places to buy them but here is what I have used the last two off seasons. You just have to plug it in with the ignition on, then turn off and it keeps the CANbus circuit open all winter long. Lots of smarts in this charger.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tecmate-optimate-4-dual-program-battery-charger-for-bmw-canbus

 

Are you sure you need to plug it in with the ignition on? I've never done that with mine and it works just fine. The CANBus version of the charger has the smarts to turn on what needs to be turned on all by itself ... at least I think it does.

Same here. I didn't know anything about plugging it in with the ignition on and have never done that. It seems to be working fine. I have left the bike on the charger for a month or more without riding and the battery is fine when I start it for a ride after a delay.
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I use the BMW half cover and it works really well. If I get up in the morning and look out the window of my nice hotel room and see frost on the cover...I go back to bed!

GT

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Skipped the charger with the logo and got an Optimate that plugs into the accessory socked for under $100. Lots of places to buy them but here is what I have used the last two off seasons. You just have to plug it in with the ignition on, then turn off and it keeps the CANbus circuit open all winter long. Lots of smarts in this charger.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tecmate-optimate-4-dual-program-battery-charger-for-bmw-canbus

 

Are you sure you need to plug it in with the ignition on? I've never done that with mine and it works just fine. The CANBus version of the charger has the smarts to turn on what needs to be turned on all by itself ... at least I think it does.

Same here. I didn't know anything about plugging it in with the ignition on and have never done that. It seems to be working fine. I have left the bike on the charger for a month or more without riding and the battery is fine when I start it for a ride after a delay.

 

Yeah I checked where I got that info. Ingition on step is not in the owners manual and in fact it says in the brochure "Automatic KEY-LESS activation and continued maintenance until charger is disconnected." So, this is not a needed step.

 

Best I can remember. I read where someone was having trouble with the auto activation step even though he had verified he was in the CABbus mode and found that he got it to work by having the ignition on when activating the charger. I adopted the needless step thinking it wouldn't hurt to do the same just in case the charger did not activate the circuit.

 

I must of fell victim to some fake news :dopeslap:

Edited by Paul De
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Skipped the charger with the logo and got an Optimate that plugs into the accessory socked for under $100. Lots of places to buy them but here is what I have used the last two off seasons. You just have to plug it in with the ignition on, then turn off and it keeps the CANbus circuit open all winter long. Lots of smarts in this charger.

 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tecmate-optimate-4-dual-program-battery-charger-for-bmw-canbus

 

Are you sure you need to plug it in with the ignition on? I've never done that with mine and it works just fine. The CANBus version of the charger has the smarts to turn on what needs to be turned on all by itself ... at least I think it does.

Same here. I didn't know anything about plugging it in with the ignition on and have never done that. It seems to be working fine. I have left the bike on the charger for a month or more without riding and the battery is fine when I start it for a ride after a delay.

No needs for ignition on for the wetheads! OTOH, for the earlier models of the R1200, you have to plug in the charger and have it on before the CANBUS shut down the aux. socket, or you can keep the ignition on until you do so. Apparently the CANBUS for thee wetheads are more intelligent and will let you connect at any time, even hours after you have shut off!

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Here I am to comment on bike covers again... and battery tenders

 

Prior to the ride to UN-Rally Wisconsin two years ago I decided I should have a cover. Did a lot of research and long story made short- bought the cover at Wal -Mart for about $20.

 

Works great, packs small, does the job.... and as a bonus it does not say Wal-Mart anywhere on it.

 

As for battery chargers... I use the pigtail directly to the battery. The charger is a straight ahead, old, simple type that actually says "Harley Davidson" on it but it puts out 12v, has a nice built-in meter, and turns itself down as it reaches full charge. It must be 20 years old but the volts come out like it was only a few weeks old...

 

YAMMV...

Edited by hopz
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After reading all this stuff about connecting the charger thru the accessory socket it seems to me to that a better idea is to buy a cheap battery tender and connect the harness directly to the battery and just simply plug it in when your not riding.

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A Battery Tender Junior works fine. All you need to do is to connect it directly to the battery, as you indicated.

 

The electronic frippery that drives up the cost of the BMW charger simply allows it to work through the power port, but it seems like spending six times more on it than a product that works equally well is hard to justify.

 

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Can't really speak to a WC RT, but on my 2013 I replced the accessory outlet with a new one from powerlet wired directly to the battery. Suitable connectorized and fused I use it for my battery tender and can also use it for a small compressor.

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I think the ignition-on-to-initiate-charging step was for older BMW branded chargers. This was a problem if there was a temporary power failure because charging would not resume after power was restored. The Optimate 4 can activate the power socket without the key. I'd expect the newer BMW chargers to be equally capable.

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Great to have initialization process sorted. I had assumed all CAN-bus 1200s were the same and it seems it depends on if your 1200 is pre wet head or not. For sure there are less costly chargers to keep the battery maintained for the minor inconvenience of adding and managing a loose pigtail directly to the battery. Some lower cost units may not be recommended for all battery types, so that may still have you out charger shopping instead of using the one on hand.

 

I do recommend sticking with a constant voltage multistage charger/ maintainer as the old school trickle charges can overcharge and shorten battery life if left on the battery after full charge is achieved. When I used those units I would pull the battery out of the machine and place it in a convenient place to get at as you are the tender!

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I just remembered I have a new Harley Battery charger but wondering if it will work.The name is Supersmart Battery Tender.120v at 60 hz 12W 12vdc at 750mA. Here is what the manual says: The charger operates in one of 3 primary charge modes: the bulk mode(full charge power, constant current, increasing battery voltage, battery is 0% to 75% or 80% charged), the absorbtion mode(high constant voltage, decreasing current, battery is 75% to 100100% charged), or the storage/float maintenance mode(low constant voltage, minimal charge current, battery is 100% to 103% charged). The 4th step is the initial battery condition evaluation.

When the battery is fully charged the green status indicator light will turn on and charger will switch to storage/maintenance charge mode and will automatically monitor and maintain the battery at full charge. Also says: time to fully charge a battery at rate of 750 mAmps (.75 amp-hours per hour) is 16 hours to 80% charge. This charger has a lead that will plug into the dealer installed Gerbings lead attached to the battery. Someone mentioned in a post they would only recommend a charger that charges at constant voltage and it seems this one doesn't. If there is any doubt I will just purchase the bmw charger. The dealer in NY said the accessory outlet will not allow charging unless the $180 charger is purchased and then the accessory will know when the charger is on and allow voltage in.

One other thing. I took the bike out for a ride yesterday and noticed the motor seemed to be much quiter than the 14 but that may change. The one thing I don't remember hearing is when in neutral the bike sounds very different when clutch is let out compared to pulled in at idle.

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Sounds like a smart charger/maintainer so it should be good on your BMW with a pigtail connection directly to the battery. Likely built by Deltran (Battery Tender) based on its modes of operation. 750MA will not bring back a depleted battery too quickly, but sounds like a great maintainer.

 

Sounds like you're done with the need for a charger. Now you can redirect those farkel dollars elsewhere :Cool:

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  • 4 months later...
Bill_Walker

I'm going through some old threads to learn about my new bike, and happened on this one. Several folks mentioned using a regular Battery Tender connected to a battery pigtail. Page 139 of my R1200RT Rider's Manual says:

 

Charging the connected battery directly at the battery terminals can damage the motorcycle electronics. To charge the battery via the battery terminals, disconnect the battery first.

 

Now, maybe BMW just wants to sell more CANbus compatible chargers, but this seems like a pretty clear warning to me.

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I'm going through some old threads to learn about my new bike, and happened on this one. Several folks mentioned using a regular Battery Tender connected to a battery pigtail. Page 139 of my R1200RT Rider's Manual says:

 

Charging the connected battery directly at the battery terminals can damage the motorcycle electronics. To charge the battery via the battery terminals, disconnect the battery first.

 

Now, maybe BMW just wants to sell more CANbus compatible chargers, but this seems like a pretty clear warning to me.

 

Afternoon Bill

 

That BMW warning is based on not knowing exactly what battery charger a rider will hook up-- BMW's warning is based on the fact that you should never exceed 15 volts charging without disconnecting the battery from the bike's electrical system first to protect the bike's electronics.

 

Some battery chargers (even multi stage smart chargers) do a desulfation cycle & that can easily exceed 15 volts dc.

 

A few of the very modern electronic marvel chargers can tell when the battery is hooked to the bike so disables the desulfation cycle.

 

If you have an older battery tender, or similar smart type trickle charger most of those don't have a special snow flake setting or AGM battery setting so can actually do more damage to a new BMW AGM battery than help it.

 

You don't need a BMW CanBus charger but you REALLY should at least get a new modern smart charger with a dedicated AGM battery charging setting with voltage, bulk, & current charging cycles & even better yet a snowflake setting to properly charge an AGM battery in cold weather.

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I've been using BT charger on my 2015 RT sense it was new and it hasn't been a problem. Hooked up at all times when bike is parked. Same with my 2012 K1600.

Original battery in the K bike still.

GT

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I'm going through some old threads to learn about my new bike, and happened on this one. Several folks mentioned using a regular Battery Tender connected to a battery pigtail. Page 139 of my R1200RT Rider's Manual says:

 

Charging the connected battery directly at the battery terminals can damage the motorcycle electronics. To charge the battery via the battery terminals, disconnect the battery first.

 

Now, maybe BMW just wants to sell more CANbus compatible chargers, but this seems like a pretty clear warning to me.

Dirtrider had answered your concern, and very well too! :)

 

The part that I want to add is that a CanBus compatible charger does NOT have to be expensive. I have been using the BatteryDoc charger on the RT for many years now, and at the time when I had bought it (2012 for my prior '07 RT) it costed around $30. Works very well, but only as a maintenance trickle charger. I plug it into the rear socket of my RT as soon as I ride into the garage and turn the bike around. This is the charger that I am talking about:

 

http://www.batterydoc.com/battery_doc_specifications.htm

 

Price is more like $40 nowadays: https://www.amazon.com/WirthCo-20039-Battery-Doctor-Charger/dp/B002JUEGT0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496412987&sr=8-1&keywords=wirthco+battery+doc

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Bill....now you are going to force me to read the manual. Whats interesting is my RT LC came with the pigtail installed by the dealer direct to the battery. In fact all of their BMW's come out of assembly with that. I plug my charger in as soon as I park the bike and have since it was new...It is a smart charger with snowflake...Now I'm going to see the dealer tomorrow and RIB them about violating BMW Factory Procedures and ask for a new bike :)

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Bill_Walker
Bill....now you are going to force me to read the manual. Whats interesting is my RT LC came with the pigtail installed by the dealer direct to the battery. In fact all of their BMW's come out of assembly with that. I plug my charger in as soon as I park the bike and have since it was new...It is a smart charger with snowflake...Now I'm going to see the dealer tomorrow and RIB them about violating BMW Factory Procedures and ask for a new bike :)

 

Where is that pigtail? Maybe I'd better go out to the garage and look.

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I've seen the pig tail on bike at some dealerships, I asked the sales guy he said we put them on all the bike. I've been using a pig tail (I installed) since buying the bike new 2/14. I always keep it on the BT when parked in my shop. The pig tail should have a fuse on the positive side of 15 no higher, 3 will work if you plan on only connecting a tender.

 

My 02R1150RT had an Odyssey same set up, sold it with that battery working at 6 plus years. Yea I know it wasn't a cam bus system.

 

Jay

 

 

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