Portable generator for bike in storage?

[mikestrivens]

If you going down the generator route you'd be better off with a 240v one so that you can use an Optimate battery conditioner and power other things as well.

[Squealy_Wheelie]

 

Is something like this any good? Only 230v

[mikestrivens]

That would work. Have a look at MachineMart as they have lots of generators

[Bender]

Get another battery, charge it at home and take it along with a pure sine wave inverter and a mains 3 stage charger. This set up will charge the bike battery fully

 

Sry didn't see you post

[Stu]

Get a decent battery on the bike and make sure the charging system is in tip top condition and you shouldn't need to worry about it at all!!

Solve the problem instead of trying to mask it as the problem could one day leave you stranded

[Squealy_Wheelie]

Yeah i tried that once before, i’m guessing all they did was replace the battery. They said it was fine.

Might be worth having her checked out with someone else. I never thought much of it to be honest as i’d heard it was a common issue with suzuki intruder 125’s

Edit: they also said she needs regular riding which is not possible, so someone suggested a battery charger instead at the time and this has worked fine for dormant stretches.

[Stu]

sounds like its time to get your hands dirty and check things out yourself!

But if the battery isn't holding charge over a 2 week period then my guess is the battery is either shagged or not getting enough charge

These are easy to check yourself with a multimeter

[Squealy_Wheelie]

Haven’t checked with a multi meter for a while, it was fine last time. Won’t be able to start having a proper look at her until she’s in storage. So wanted to cover my back before she’s in there

[Joeman]

You don't need a generator, just a big leisure battery connected to the trickle charger(optimate) socket.

That will provide many more amp hours so your bike will last month's without discharging. Take the leisure battery home to recharge periodically.

[Squealy_Wheelie]

Yeah thats exactly what i want, not sure whats the best to use

[Squealy_Wheelie]

Though the leisure batteries appear to be 12v too, so are these any better than the 12v battery charger with 3 pin socket i was originally looking at? Unless they come in higher than 12v

 

[Joeman]

If your bike drains a leisure battery as well as its own, you have something pulling some serious current...

[Squealy_Wheelie]

So connect battery optimiser to bike and power that from the leisure battery after taking off the 3 pin plug? I’m an electrical noob as you can probably tell

[Bender]

My 125 would stand for 3 months and start first press of the button

[gogs01]

Surely one of the latest batch of power packs is what you need, for example :

DBPOWER 300A 8000mAh Portable Mini Car Jump Starter, Emergency Battery Booster Pack, Power Bank with LED Flashlight for Phone Tablet and More, 2.5L Petrol Engine.

It's guaranteed to start your bike even if your battery is flat, it will charge your smart phone and you can carry it in a (large) pocket. Don't ask me how all that's possible, but I've seen them in operation and they're amazing.

[Squealy_Wheelie]

Surely one of the latest batch of power packs is what you need, for example :

DBPOWER 300A 8000mAh Portable Mini Car Jump Starter, Emergency Battery Booster Pack, Power Bank with LED Flashlight for Phone Tablet and More, 2.5L Petrol Engine.

It's guaranteed to start your bike even if your battery is flat, it will charge your smart phone and you can carry it in a (large) pocket. Don't ask me how all that's possible, but I've seen them in operation and they're amazing.

 

I’ve just been looking at these too. At least it’ll save me if i got stranded somewhere aswell.

[gogs01]

I’ve just been looking at these too. At least it’ll save me if i got stranded somewhere aswell.

 

The guy who first showed me this idea rides a (very) old BMW which needs a fully charged battery to start, so he carries the power pack when he's away from home.

Carrying it in the car means you can start your or other people's cars in the event of battery issues (and keep your phone topped up in the event of a real disaster)

[Stu]

My 125 would stand for 3 months and start first press of the button

 

This should be true for ALL bikes!

[mention]Squealy_Wheelie[/mention] You have a problem which you need to find out what it is before spending money on all these leisure batteries and a generator!

What is your location? maybe someone is close enough to help

[Squealy_Wheelie]

I’ve just been looking at these too. At least it’ll save me if i got stranded somewhere aswell.

 

The guy who first showed me this idea rides a (very) old BMW which needs a fully charged battery to start, so he carries the power pack when he's away from home.

Carrying it in the car means you can start your or other people's cars in the event of battery issues (and keep your phone topped up in the event of a real disaster)

 

Mine would have to be charged at home as i don’t own a car and the crocodile clips would have to be swapped out for the O ring style connectors as crocs don’t fit my terminals well.

So i’ll remove the current O ring connectors that i use with my battery optimiser, and swap them out for the O ring cables for the jump starter instead. So i can connect it quickly if need be

Would be interesting to see how often i needed to use it, especially with the heated handlebar grips in use.

[Squealy_Wheelie]

My 125 would stand for 3 months and start first press of the button

 

This should be true for ALL bikes!

@Squealy_Wheelie You have a problem which you need to find out what it is before spending money on all these leisure batteries and a generator!

What is your location? maybe someone is close enough to help

 

North England. After at least 2 ‘professionals’ told me it was my fault for not riding regularly enough. I presumed they were right

[Stu]

My 125 would stand for 3 months and start first press of the button

 

This should be true for ALL bikes!

@Squealy_Wheelie You have a problem which you need to find out what it is before spending money on all these leisure batteries and a generator!

What is your location? maybe someone is close enough to help

 

North England. After at least 2 ‘professionals’ told me it was my fault for not riding regularly enough. I presumed they were right

 

how far north?

I get what you are saying but a battery should hold enough charge to start a bike for at least 2 months

Do you have an alarm fitted or something like that?

[fastbob]

My 125 would stand for 3 months and start first press of the button

 

Exactly ! This is really becoming a storm in a teacup.

[Squealy_Wheelie]

This should be true for ALL bikes!

@Squealy_Wheelie You have a problem which you need to find out what it is before spending money on all these leisure batteries and a generator!

What is your location? maybe someone is close enough to help

 

North England. After at least 2 ‘professionals’ told me it was my fault for not riding regularly enough. I presumed they were right

 

how far north?

I get what you are saying but a battery should hold enough charge to start a bike for at least 2 months

Do you have an alarm fitted or something like that?

 

Newcastle, no nothing like that, just heated handlebar grips, but the issue didn’t start as a result of fitting them. I was already having to charge it.

Wonder if its worth putting a new battery in first. Would have tried that a lot sooner but this is the first time i’ve heard that sitting dormant isn’t causing it

[fastbob]

North England. After at least 2 ‘professionals’ told me it was my fault for not riding regularly enough. I presumed they were right

 

how far north?

I get what you are saying but a battery should hold enough charge to start a bike for at least 2 months

Do you have an alarm fitted or something like that?

 

Newcastle, no nothing like that, just heated handlebar grips, but the issue didn’t start as a result of fitting them. I was already having to charge it.

Wonder if its worth putting a new battery in first. Would have tried that a lot sooner but this is the first time i’ve heard that sitting dormant isn’t causing it

 

Here you go , take your pick . I've got a Powerline battery in on of my bikes but you can spend more if you want .Try Tayna Batteries. https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/f/suzuki/vl125-02/

Edited December 30, 2018 by fastbob

[Stu]

If you was looking at spending any sort of money I would be looking at a new battery before anything

[mention]Bender[/mention] do you know anything about electrics? can you offer any assistance?

too far north for me!

I would invest in a multimeter to start with and do some tests yourself

If you don't know how then simply start a post when you get one and we will assist the best we can