Hitchcocks Forum

Hi guys looking for some advice maybe some of you have come across my situation i have 3 bikes and a car which I normally don't used over the winter I have two chargers for the batteries I have one from lidl called ultamate speed and another from halfords it looks like just a plug with a green and red LED is there a charger out there that can charge them all at the same time or do I need a charger for every battery and also is it safe to leave them on over the winter as I've just replaced another battery this morning only 18 months old I did try charging it on and off through the winter but should I have just left it plugged in and take the batteries off the bike to charge thanks 👍oh yes one bike is a 6volt all others are 12 volt 👍

Take the batteries out over winter and put them somewhere warmer. A smart charger should sense when the battery is fully charged and automatically cut off supply. Alternatively, you could trickle charge them with a small solar panel-type charger for caravans. Easy to swap chargers about from time to time if the batteries are off the machines, plus they won't leak current to old components if off the machine.

Thanks Michael 👍

I use an Optimate type charger (A BikeTek Pro 111 which is a cheaper type by a different manufacturer off of e bay)It comes with 2 leads one which you can leave permanently connected to the battery although I take mine off in summer this is ideal for my Bandit as the battery is under the seat and easy to access. For the Royal Enfield I have installed a lighter style waterproof Socket in the LH tool bin and have fitted a suitable plug on the charger spare lead. I dont leave the charger on permanently but every 2 or 3 weeks connect it up to each bike in turn and leave it on for 24 hours as it goes onto maintenance charge when the battery is fully charged I dont but you could leave it on all the time if you wanted to. With the plugs it only takes a couple of minutes to set it up and you dont need to disconnect the battery. I suggest you will need a 2nd charger for the six volt battery or a posh version that does both.The maximum charge rate for mine is 1 amp so I dont know if it would be suitable for a car but its advertised as a motorcycle charger, I bet someone on here will know though!I dont know if this helps but it works for me (bikes kept in an unheated garage)

I charge my batteries once a month for 12 hours each with a low amp charger which shuts off auto.

PS I protect the lighter type socket I use for charging on the Royal Enfield with a mini blade type 3 amp fuse and holder.

This could develope into a "which oil?" thread!
Car battery has not been touched from new (8 years), Flash has 2 x 6v 11 ah lead acid that were changed after 7 years. Bullet has 12v 5ah sealed burglar alarm battery for last 3 years that replaced a long lived lead/acid.
I do nothing with them except check the fluid levels in the Lead/acid batteries once a year. They all will stand for a few months at different times. Due circumstances beyond my control the bikes have been rarely used since last autumn, car standing for a few weeks now. Except for one abortive trial drive that resulted in me deciding to leave off for another while.
I never had a problem nor do I expect any when finally I am back riding.
Just my couple of drachma from a bored bryan
PS just remembered, the Bullet battery box is still held together with the cable tie i used as a "getmehome" a couple of years ago when I lost the screw & swivel fixing.

I have a three-stage charger on the Bullet`s battery. It can be left connected for years without damaging the battery. More information here.
http://www.batterystuff.com/blog/3-stag ... rgers.html