Is your battery conditioner hiding a reg/rect fault .....

[mickthemirkin]

.... like mine was?

Hello all, sorry not been here for a while but that's life.

Anyway, thought I'd share the following in the hope it might prove useful to someone else:

I always keep my bikes batterys charged up on optimate or equivalent chargers. So far so good. Now, having four bikes to ride I only manage an hour a week or so on each unless I'm off on a ride out, etc. etc. Thusly, I'd start up, ride for a bit, have a coffee, ride a bit more, and put it away, plug it up, etc. etc. ad infinitum.

Recently, on a much longer ride out I pulled up at some lights and the bike died. Pressed the button.... nothing. I should add that during the previous several rides I had noted with a fair degree of consternation the performance was a bit off, the usual bogging down in the lower revs being particularly bothersome. Mind you, I initially put that down to my burgeoning girth...

Now, after bump starting the bike and limping home, I plugged it up and repeated the above cycle. Odd indeed. Suffice it that after much head scratching I put a meter across the regulator/rectifier as directed in the bible and found the thing to be somewhat wonting.

A new regulator/rectifier from local Kwak dealer has restored performance manifoldly, practically cured the bogging down and seems to have unleashed even more horses.

Just thought I'd share this incase someone else is masking a reg/rect fault with an optimate and finds it out the hard way like I did.

Ride safely,

Mick.

[Mori Man]

Never used any of these battery top up aids and last year I was back in blighty for 12 weeks - got home, next day go out and switch the fuel tap on let the bowls fill up and press starter and vroom. Have to say that my car in the long stay car park at the airport was the same, turn key, a few turns and away it went.

Only time I have had a battery die on me was letting the bike sit for4 very cold weeks in winter.

Since stripping down the ZXR I've hauled the battery out and kept in the kitchen - it will get a trickle charge next week ready for that 1st press of the button.

If your riding the bikes once a week I can't see any reason to keep the battery on an optimate as a few miles down the road it'll be back up to power - nothing wrong using one but like you say, may mask other problems.

Just my 2p worth