Battery conditioning.

[stevie]

I thought I'd share this with the rest of you in case it is of any use. I lay my bike up for the winter & usually charge the battery now & then but in January I visited my local Maplins store & saw a 'solar powered battery charger'. It was half price (£10) in the sale so I bought one. Thinking it may be a bit of a gimmick I attached it to my bike battery & left it. Starting my bike for the first time earlier this month the thing fired up on the button with the battery fully charged. The solar panel has indeed done what it said it would. I'd recommend one of these to anyone who wants to keep their bike battery fully charged over the winter.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solar-powered-12v-15w-battery-auto-trickle-charger-l58bf

They've also started selling them in Halfords for £15.

[cgblueman]

Nice one Stevie seems like a good find. Personally I've still been running my bike through winter (with the occasional 1 week gap due to really bad weather) but if it's ever gonna sit for longer periods I may just get one.

[Robell]

Hmm, looks interesting. My car only gets used every few weeks.
I'd have to run the cable outside tho, there'd never be enough light in the garage

[stevie]

Be aware the panel isn't waterproof but it comes with a clear plastic container which can be sealed (I think I read that in the comments section of the above link) I stood the panel in the window of the garage & hooked it up direct to the battery with the crocodile clips provided. I've also used it in my car & although you can plug it in via the cigarette lighter socket, said socket has to be permanently live otherwise you just hook it direct to the battery. I can report it works a treat for keeping a car battery topped up too.

Overall a great little gadget which is well worth the money.

[Robell]

Ah, think it would have to be waterproof, if it were connected all year round

Interesting idea tho