Battery Chargers?

[garandman]

Anyone up on battery chargers? I have an old charger that doesn't seem to work with the AGM battery in the Triumph. The Battery Tender Jr. does seem to work OK with it so I'm fine, but I want to get a new one.

I'm looking at the Clore 4520, a 20/12/2 Amp charger that should work well with cars and bikes.


PS We already have several Deltran Battery Tenders or BT Jr, I want something that can quickly charge an automotive or motorcycle battery.

[568V8]

Deltran Battery Tender Junior. About $35 and perfect for motorcycle batteries.
DON'T use a charger that is for car batteries, or you cook your bike battery. Because they are designed to be charged with only a trickle charger with a low output like your stator.

[SnowMule]

+1 for batt tender jr. Great for moto batteries.

The bigger ones are for bigger batteries.

[Range Motorsport]

Originally Posted by 568V8

Deltran Battery Tender Junior. About $35 and perfect for motorcycle batteries.
DON'T use a charger that is for car batteries, or you cook your bike battery. Because they are designed to be charged with only a trickle charger with a low output like your stator.

Originally Posted by SnowMule

+1 for batt tender jr. Great for moto batteries.

The bigger ones are for bigger batteries.

On this note many bigger ones have a low amp charge rate like mine which can do 2, 20, or 50 amps. Most powersports size batteries will only handle 10 amps.

Get what best serves your needs.

[VStromTom]

One of my BT's died so I bought a WallyWorld charger that works great. It's bigger than the BT but only marginally so. Under $20 too. Works the same as BT and I have my bikes set up so I can use either charger on any bike.

[GoNOW]

I like the http://www.geniuschargers.com/ chargers. They have an AGM setting for the higher voltages the AGMs need.
The 3.5 amp one is my favorite for general use.

[garandman]

Originally Posted by Range Motorsport

On this note many bigger ones have a low amp charge rate like mine which can do 2, 20, or 50 amps. Most powersports size batteries will only handle 10 amps.

Get what best serves your needs.

That's why I'm looking at this Clore - it's got "intelligent" charge rates depending on the battery size and type.

My current charger is a 6Amp max so I could use it for motorcycles. But it's around 25 years old so it doesn't charge AGM batteries properly.

Originally Posted by GoNOW

I like the http://www.geniuschargers.com/ chargers. They have an AGM setting for the higher voltages the AGMs need.
The 3.5 amp one is my favorite for general use.

Know anything about the company? Clore makes some great products, I have their jump starter and it's night-and-day better than most of the other products around.

[HapHazard]

I have quite a collection of battery chargers, mostly "old school" transformer jobs, in various capacities (1.5 amp, 3 amp, 2 &10 amp, 6 amp, 2, 10 & 50 amp) and some maintainers (Battery Tender Plus, HF cheapies). For a "straight charge", I just use an appliance timer and watch the meters, after the charge rate has dropped down for a while, I turn off the charger (the timer is there for when I forget to check on it). Then check the voltage after the battery "rests" for a few minutes and you're done - AGM or flooded, I've never had a problem.

Maintainers, the BT Plus is great, and much preferred to the HFs (which I use on the car and tractor batteries, not AGMs except on my ATV, which works). I would also like to get a maintainer that claims to "de-sulphate" batteries, and am shopping for one (or three).

I had never heard of Clore, so I Googled it and found that charger at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Clore-4520-12V.../dp/B004RTJONY

There are 2 reviews, one is 5 star (that reads like it was copied from the claims on the box), and one is 1 star ( that someone had one arrived DOA and two of them die premature deaths).

I tend to rely on the simple reliable stuff for the simple jobs (one of the chargers I have is 50 years old, and still works fine). Many of the new digital controlled chargers seem to lead short, unhappy lives.

[ragtoplvr]

Originally Posted by 568V8

Deltran Battery Tender Junior. About $35 and perfect for motorcycle batteries.
DON'T use a charger that is for car batteries, or you cook your bike battery. Because they are designed to be charged with only a trickle charger with a low output like your stator.

That is incorrect

My BMW has a 55 amp alternator. Harleys have a 45 amp alternator. I have had a current probe on both. Right after starting the battery will accept 30+ amps, very common. This happens every start for 30 to 60 seconds, then it tapers off. I have intentionally discharged Harley batteries to where the bike needed jump started and then ran them at 2500 RPM in front of a fan until the battery was charged testing regulators and stators. I have had a good Yuasa AGM that took over 50 cycles before it died. I can not kill an Odyssey in the same test. This same situation will be true of any modern bike with a decent alternator. It is also true for cars like a Miata with a very small AGM battery. Strangely enough, we do not have a lot of quality batteries fail. MY starter endurance test rig has a Harley alternator mounted on 3 phase motor, recharging the battery after each start. I have had 1000 cycles on a battery and starter. I know several Beemer riders with 5+ year old Odyssey. I am an Odyssey convert now.

If you have a quality charger or alternator with effective electronic voltage regulation, it will not hurt the battery. If you have a cheap one, they usually over voltage the battery, and that is always bad even if it is a 1.5 amp trickle charger left on too long..

My home charger is a cheap one but I removed the diodes and regulator and replaced with a Harley Rectifier regulator., Seems to work great.

Rod

[bob393]

Originally Posted by SnowMule

+1 for batt tender jr. Great for moto batteries.

The bigger ones are for bigger batteries.

+2 Have 4 of them, even one on the tractor, and one on the truck but it's the larger one.