They say power is nothing without control – but what if you’ve got no power to start with?
With kickstarts almost completely consigned to the history books, having a bike with a flat battery is a problem. And if you are miles from the nearest 13 amp plug then it’s a major problem – don’t even think about trying to bump start a 240 kilo adventure bike!
But thanks to battery charging heroes OptiMate, there are now plenty of options that will maintain your battery when you are off-grid or return a flat battery to life when you are in the middle of nowhere with not a three pin plug in sight. With batteries for modern bikes coming in at eye-watering prices, sometimes north of £100, having something that can keep them happy wherever is good news all round.
So, if your adventures take you far from the madding crowd, OptiMate’s first solution makes incredible sense in much of the world, and what’s more – or should that be ‘watts’ more – the power is completely free.
The Optimate Solar Modular Charge Kits cleverly convert low power from their compact and rugged solar panel into high current pulses that are needed to charge and maintain your bike’s battery. When the sun is out the smart charger gets busy converting all those lovely rays into battery power, and at sunset the control unit switches over to monitor and displays the battery status and charge. Now that’s great tech!
The Solar Modular chargers are safe with all conventional batteries from standard lead acid to gel, AGM or lithium, the control unit detecting the charge appropriate for the battery attached without any risk to your bike’s delicate electronics.
OptiMate’s Solar Modular units are of course totally weatherproof, allowing them to be left connected in everything from a British summer when the sunshine can be distinctly wet, down to the icy depths of -20 degrees. But let’s face it – not many of us are going out on a bike in that…
If you need to keep your bike battery topped up and ready when you aren’t away on a trip, the Optimate DC-to-DC charger allows you to connect your bike to another larger 12v battery and it will both charge and maintain the bike’s battery. The DC to DC is suitable for lithium or lead acid batteries and will keep them ready for use. It’s already popular for race paddocks and pits, on campsites and in garages or outbuildings with no mains supply. Because, just like the Solar Modular chargers, it’s fully waterproof, it can be used outside, maintaining healthy batteries, and can even rescue units with as little as 2 volts, restoring them to full health in a surprisingly short time.
