Battery not getting a decent charge

[TheShaggyDA]

I've got a bit of a problem since starting a new job. Since it's only a couple of miles away, I don't think the battery is getting charged enough after starting, especially in the evening when I'm running the lights too. It was finally pancaked Thursday.

My garage is in a seperate block to the house, and has no power to it, so I can't stick it on an Optimate overnight. Disconnecting the battery and bringing it in the house every night is a non starter, as with the time that would take (and subsequent refitting in the morning) I might as well take the car.

I'm wondering if there's something like a standalone trickle charger that can run off a car (or golf buggy) battery, so that I can plug the bike into that at night, and then give the main battery a charge at weekends. Anyone seen something like this? I know there's things like a solar panel that you leave plugged in that keeps the battery topped up, but (a) there's no windows in the garage and (b) this is England, anyway.

I also know there's portable power packs like this, but that's only good for jumpstarting, and I don't want to screw my battery up by going through heavy discharge/charge cycles. Any ideas?

Shame the CB500 doesn't have a kickstart, otherwise I'd get a battery eliminator
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Ichy]

Not really an answer but when the transformer on my oximiser(?) died I wired in a 3.5mm socket and ran it from a plug in 15v transformer.

I just tried it with my 12v booster/power pack thing with a cigarette lighter adapter instead of the plug in transformer and to seems to work just as well.

What about a 12v solar trickle charger permanently wired to the bike? Sort of velcro'd on to the rear plastics? Guess it comes down to how secure the parking is but it would help even with the weather we have.
https://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=98358&&source=14&doy=3m12

[TheShaggyDA]

I could mount a solar charger on it, but I don't think it would be enough this time of year to counteract the load. I'm not riding with lights on in the morning as it is, and it's making me nervous.
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Ichy]

Maplin do say that it works in dull and overcast conditions, I'm going to get one this weekend anyway for £10, be interesting.

What about a bigger battery, anything with more amps that will fit?

[TheShaggyDA]

It's a consideration - it'll certainly buy more time before it dies again. I'm also looking at xenon bulbs, to see if there's any that have the same brightness for a lower wattage. There seems to be plenty that have greater brightness for the same wattage.

By the time winter's over I'll be out of my probationary period so if I'm staying at the job, I'll get something like a C90 or CG125. The highest speed limit on the route is 40mph, and with the traffic I'm lucky if I hit 30 anyway, so I might as well get a moped. Something with a kickstart, at least
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Phil_P]

Some of the battery chargers that radio control modellers use will allow you to do exactly what you want. Use a nice big chunky 'leisure battery' and charge up your poor little bike battery from it.

Mine is a Schultze Chamaleon, which you could 'Google' for, but that's a bit 'high end' for your needs. Plenty of alternatives though.
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It is not enough to win, others must fail.
Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport Injection '96

[finpos]

You could actually just hook it up to a car battery +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve. The deader one will charge itself up from the one that has more charge in a few hours. Of course you need to be careful that the bike battery has more charge than the donor battery or you'll flatten it even more! You might see the things in a car accessory shop that you plug into the fag lighter sockets of two cars to charge the battery, basically the same thing with some over-current protection and a diode to stop reverse-charging.

But the better solution by far I think is just to go buy a new battery for the bike, it doesn't seem to be holding it's charge very well.

f.

[TUG]

got a decent trickle charger spare if you want shaggy? its a rarely used acumen platinum.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[TheShaggyDA]