Bought a Honda scooter back end of Summer,will not be using it in the winter and need to keep the battery charged,the battery is 12V but only 5Ah capacity,am afraid to use my normal charger which says its suitable for 36to75Ah batteries,have found a Draper Batt.Master on the web looks like a phone charger in the picture and says its designed to maintain batt.on laid up vehicles,any one out there have any experience or suggestions please.
ndbw
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suggest you go to a motorbike dealer,im sure they will have loads of suitable battery chargers?
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sparkrite do 6/12 volt chargers...When I was a bit younger I bought one from Argos
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It's important that you get an 'automatic' charger as the simple brute force ones are bad for the battery if left on for an extended time. An automatic charger starts to charge when the battery voltage drops below a certain point, and will stop once the battery is fully charged.
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I use one of these and find them excellent for the purpose you require.
tinyurl.co.uk/ftxx
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I've found the Draper battery master very useful, there is a similar version from Clarke which you can buy at Machine Mart. The charge current is so low that you can leave a battery connected for extended intervals though its not fully controlled and only single stage. The cheapest fully electronic charger I've found that has a 3 stage algorithm charge profile suitable for extended connection is from Argos about £28 last year. Much cheaper than anywhere else but you'll need to check their catalogue to see if they still do it. It has a setting for bike or car.
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I use a US-made 'Battery Tender' (do a search on Ebay). They are totally waterproof and can be left outside 24/7 keeping the battery topped up. I paid £20 plus post for mine.
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CTEK 800 conditioner at bottom of page here is really clever and meant for long term connection with no need to disconnect battery leads www.hamiltonclassic.co.uk/ProductInformation/Batte...m
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CTEK 800 conditioner at bottom of page here is really clever and meant for long term connection with no need to disconnect battery leads www.hamiltonclassic.co.uk/ProductInformation/Batte...m
This looks identical to the 'Battery Tender' I mentioned in the post above, except it costs twice as much. Has the same operating modes and charge current (0.8A).
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If you're thinking about using a Battery Master (or similar device), just check that the battery is maintenance free (or not).
I had one connected on my dads pre-war MG whilst in my car for a year or so. When I came to start it & generally check it for its' journey home, I discovered the battery was flat ???
Had a look inside and most of the cells had boiled dry!
So had to buy a new battery anyway. As it turns out, the battery was only a little more than the price of the Battery Master!
So if the battery isn't sealed, then check the water in the cells periodically & top with de-ionsed water if required.
Stu
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I reckon you've got too much charging curent there Stu. My Minor battery, definitely an old style battery with removeable caps, now 5 years old, sits on an 'Airflow' unit year round. Needed topping up once or twice in that time. The airflow unit doesn't charge all the time. It gets the battery well charged and then monitors voltage and only runs when the battery needs it. I believe some of these cheaper units don't do this but always keep a small current flowing. Probably not ideal.
JS
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Many thanks to all for your help,can now get myself sorted charger wise.
ndbw
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