Best Motorcycle Battery Charger

OPTIMATE POWER-SPORT BATTERY CHARGERS

At OptiMate, we believe in making battery charging and maintenance as easy as possible for your motorcycle, ATV, UTV (SxS) or PWC (personal watercraft). Our motto is ‘connect and forget, no more battery problems’, keeping your battery ready until you press that magic start button!

All OptiMate battery chargers share the following key features:

AUTOMATIC – OptiMate battery chargers are fully automatic after you connect to the battery. Your OptiMate automatically diagnoses the battery’s condition and will then save, charge and maintain as needed. No supervision required!
24-7 SAFE MAINTENANCE – OptiMate battery chargers are safe to be left connected for a weeks or months. The battery is tested hourly and receives maintenance (float) charge only if needed. Connect & forget for MORE battery power and LONGER battery life!
LOWER POWER USAGE – OptiMate battery chargers are energy efficient certified. OptiMate’s advanced electronic technology reduces electricity usage and saves you money.
TWO ACCESSORIES – All OptiMate battery chargers include 2 separate accessories as standard, a set of battery clips and a fused battery lead / harness with ring connectors that can be installed on the vehicle.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHARGER

OptiMate battery chargers for powersport / motorcycle are arranged in 3 groups, EASY, MORE and BEST, according to rider battery knowledge and functions demanded from their battery charger.

The EASY group includes all OptiMate DUO battery chargers that automatically adapt to your 12V battery’s chemistry, no need to select anything.

Use – Connect to the battery and that’s it. The OptiMate DUO battery charger automatically adapts and then charges & maintains the battery.

Popular – with vehicle owners that want the most cost-effective battery maintenance option / may not know the technical details of their vehicle’s 12V* battery.

TIP: All motorcycles from 1975 to date have 12V batteries. Some small scooters may also have 6V batteries (see here for 6V battery options).

OptiMate DUO is ideal for maintenance of all 12V powersport batteries, Pb (lead-acid) or LFP (Lithium).

OptiMate 1 DUO is the most popular choice for 24-7 long term maintenance of any 12V power-sport battery.

OptiMate 2 DUO offer a higher charge current of 2 Amps, ideal for larger powersport or even automotive or marine craft batteries. OptiMate 2 DUO is also offered in single or 2 or 4 station / bank format.

OFF-GRID

If you have no AC power where your vehicle is stored, consider the following options -

SOLAR: OptiMate Solar DUO 10W is ideal for maintenance of all 12V powersport batteries, Pb (lead-acid) or LFP (Lithium). OptiMate Solar technology delivers charge even in cloudy conditions. Learn more about how our OptiMate Solar Battery Chargers work: https://optimate1.com/solar

DC to DC: The OptiMate DC-DUO 2 Amp battery charger draws power from another 12V battery or 12V vehicle system, to charge & maintain your 12V Pb / LFP battery. It can also reset the smart BMS of a 12V LFP Lithium-Ion battery.

 

The MORE group of battery chargers offer more features at a reasonable price. They are battery chemistry specific (Pb or LFP), subsequently they can SAVE a battery from dead-flat, and will then test, charge and maintain the battery.

Use – Connect to the battery and the charger will automatically diagnose, save, charge, test and then maintain the battery.

Popular – with vehicle owners that know their vehicle battery’s chemistry / type (Pb-lead-acid or Lithium LFP), AND prefer a 12V battery charger that can also save and test a dead-flat battery, or can reset the BMS of a Lithium-LFP battery

OEM’s choice – The MORE group of chargers are recommended by motorcycle OEMs.

 

12V Pb / lead-acid (flooded, VRLA, AGM, GEL).

OptiMate 3 can automatically save, charge, test and then maintain your 12V Pb (lead-acid: STD / flooded, VRLA / AGM or GEL). OptiMate 3 is recommended by Honda, Triumph, Suzuki, Yamaha & Kawasaki.

OptiMate 3 is offered in single or 2 or 4 station / bank format.

12.8V / 13.2V LFP Lithium-Ion

OptiMate Lithium 4s 0.8A can automatically save, charge, test and then maintain your 12V / 12.8V / 13.2V LFP Lithium-Ion battery, and it can reset the battery’s BMS that protects the battery against total discharge.

OptiMate Lithium 4s 0.8A is recommended by Honda, Yamaha & Kawasaki.

Learn more about LFP Lithium-Ion batteries and our more powerful LFP charger options here: https://optimate1.com/best-lithium-battery-charger/

 

OptiMate 4 Quad Program is the BEST of all OptiMate power-sport chargers combined into a single product, making it the most advanced power-sport battery charger in the world. OptiMate 4 Quad Program can save, charge, test and maintain all types and sizes of power-sport battery, including 12V Pb (lead-acid: classic wet cell or sealed / VRLA AGM or GEL) and 12.8V / 13.2V lithium (LFP / LiFePO4), and it can reset the battery’s BMS that protects the battery against total discharge.

Use – Select the chemistry / charge method and connect to the battery. The charger will automatically diagnose, save, charge, test and then maintain the battery.

Popular – with riders that want one battery charger with selectable options and accessories that work for any powersport vehicle brand or battery, be it 12V Pb (lead-acid) or 12.8V / 13.2V LFP-Lithium.

OEM specific – Includes selectable CAN-bus friendly programs (Pb & LFP) to charge through a BMW motorcycle’s 12V port.

Two OptiMate 4 Quad Program models are offered that are identical in operation with the PREMIUM edition recommended for BMW and Triumph motorcycles as it also includes the cable adapter (SAE to DIN plug) that enables connection to the smaller 12V DIN / European motorcycle socket.

 

OptiMate 4 Quad Program FAQ

OptiMate 4 Quad Program includes four charging programs; the standard program for lead-acid batteries is supposed to be used when connecting directly to the battery, the CANbus (BMW) program for lead-acid batteries allows charging and maintaining via the DIN socket on BMW Motorcycles (models 2004 and later).

The standard program for lithium batteries is supposed to be used when connecting directly to the battery, the CANbus (BMW) program for lithium batteries allows charging and maintaining via the DIN socket on BMW Motorcycles (models 2004 and later).

Yes, the standard program has the most advanced recovery program which saves 'dead flat' sulphated batteries from as low as 0,5V.

You'll need to select Program 2 (Pb-CAN-bus) or Program 4 (LFP-CAN-bus) depending on the type of battery in your BMW motorcycle. Program 2 is for a 12V sealed lead-acid battery - your sealed battery may be marked 12V VRLA, GEL or AGM. Program 4 is for a 12.8V LFP (Li-Ion with chemistry LiFePO4) battery.

Disconnect the OptiMate 4 from the battery or vehicle. Push and release the pushbutton switch. The mode selection changes when the button is released. Continue to press and release until the desired program has been selected. If no futher selection is made for at least 3 seconds SAVE (#3), CHARGE (#4), OPTIMIZE(#5) and TEST (#6,7, 8) LEDs flash twice to confirm selection is in memory.

The standard edition is delivered with a set of battery clips (O-04), a permanent battery lead (O-01) and a handlebar hanging hook to suspend the charger from the handlebar. The Premium edition includes all the same accessories PLUS a SAE to DIN adapter (O-19) to connect directly to 12V DIN sockets on BMW and Triumph motorcycles.

Yes, IF the socket is ‘live’ (hot) when the motorcycle ignition is turned off. (TIP: Recent model Triumph Tiger 850/900 and 1200/1250 have a live socket near the instrument panel.). Select program 1 or 3 for direct-to-battery charging as the socket is directly connected to the battery.

STD, AGM and GEL 12V lead-acid & 12.8V / 13.2V lithium LFP (LiFePO4) batteries used for engine start & deep cycle applications. For lead-acid batteries from 4Ah to 60Ah for 24-7 battery maintenance and for lithium batteries from 2Ah to 15Ah for 24-7 battery maintenance.

Charge time on a flat but otherwise undamaged battery: a 12Ah battery should take no more than about 12 hours to progress to the self-discharge check. Deep-discharged batteries may take significantly longer, a full charge may not be achieved within the hour charge safety limit. In this case.

General Motorcycle Battery Charger FAQ

The OptiMate 1 VoltMatic and the OptiMate 1 DUO are both Bronze series chargers, that means that they're easy to use to charge and maintain your battery.

The OptiMate 1 VoltMatic is a 6V and 12V automatic lead-acid charger, so if you have 6V to charge that's your option!

The OptiMate 1 DUO is a 12V Bronze series charger for both lead-acid batteries and Lithium.

The OptiMate 3 is a Silver series battery charger.

What that means: It can save, charge and maintain any lead-acid 12V battery.

The OptiMate Lithium series is made specifically for Lithium-ion LFP LiFePO4 batteries, so if you bought a new battery, connect it to your OptiMate Lithium charger for 24 hours before you install it into your motorcycle. That way your battery will be 100% charged and you will always be ready to go.

Yes, it can! The Solar DUO controller harnesses the power of the sun to put it into your 12V lead-acid or Lithium-ion LFP battery. In full summer when the sun is at its maximum power the controller can actually use that power to save your dead flat battery.

Learn about the OptiMate USB charger technology here!

Learn more about our OptiMate Series here!