[BarnRat]

Attach your (+) to either one of the red positive posts that you have found; they are connected so doesn't matter which one.
The motor and frame are both grounded to the negative side of the battery, so any point direct to motor/frame is ok; (beware of plastic guards and spacers though).
I have my (-) under one of the screws just towards the rear of the ECU box. The lead follows the upper frame tube and it all tucks away neatly. The screws are either side about where the back of the rider's seat is.

I have the SAE connector poking out on the RHS to the side of the plastic airbox. And when I'm not using it, I tuck it into the slot down the side of the same plastic airbox; don't know why the gap is there, but is handy for this.

Hope this is all clear.

Sorry to quote a three-year-old post but I wanted to thank you. Just got finished doing this on my 2018 R9T Pure and it works great. Took me all of 15 minutes. I ran the end plug out the left-hand side.


Thanks again! :eusa_clap::eusa_clap::10:

 

[BarnRat]

I have one (very minor) complaint about the Optimate 4: I wish it just had a switch/button to switch back and forth from CANBUS mode to non-CANBUS mode, instead of the method that it employs. Now don't get me wrong, it only takes 10-15 secs to switch back and forth -- but I have to get out the instructions each time and look for the plus&minus alligator clamp connector. Luckily I have several other old-school Deltran battery Tenders for the rest of my bikes so I can leave the Optimate 4 in CANBUS mode for my 05 K1200S.

 

[Olly Bridge]

Help please

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum as I just got my 2016 R nine T (I love it) and I came off a Harley Davidson 883 Iron (sorry). I have a left over Harley battery trickle charger (tender) and I've just added the ring style connector for permanent attachment to the battery terminals (they have a fuse in them) to the jumper terminals under the seat on the r nine t.

However, I'm now not sure if I can use it as I'm now worried that the more sophisticated BMW electrics won't like the caveman type charger from Harley?!?!?

It says - 800mA power - Suitable for maintainance of all 12 volt lead acid batteries.

What is your advice team, is this a no go and I need to shell out for the higher priced Cam Bus type charger?

Thanks in advance,

Olly

 

[Captain]

As you have connected in essence directly to the battery, you have avoided the nineT Canbus electrics.
Charging this way with your charger will be fine.
It's only a problem when you connect a charger to the accessory outlet plug, which in turn goes through the wiring loom on its way to the battery.

 

[Olly Bridge]

Thank you Captain, you're a legend

So just to confirm, connecting to the positive and negative jump terminals is the same as connecting to the battery itself?

 

[Captain]

So just to confirm, connecting to the positive and negative jump terminals is the same as connecting to the battery itself?

Yes.
But for charging you don't need to connect to the negative jump post on the RHS cylinder, you can find an earth point under the seat.
Just be sure it's a good earth, there's plastic washers and some alloy that won't work!

 

[David Price]

Optimate Lead - Newbie Question

Guys,


I'm looking to connect an Optimate lead direct to the RnineT battery.


On my other bikes I've just connected directly to both battery terminals.


However on the RnineT I can see a positive connection above the battery but the negative is hidden under the tank.


Is it OK to earth the negative to somewhere on the frame? If so, where is the best place to do it?


Or is it better to lift the tank and go directly to the battery terminals?


Thanks in advance

 

[Xander]

Guys,


I'm looking to connect an Optimate lead direct to the RnineT battery.


On my other bikes I've just connected directly to both battery terminals.


However on the RnineT I can see a positive connection above the battery but the negative is hidden under the tank.


Is it OK to earth the negative to somewhere on the frame? If so, where is the best place to do it?


Or is it better to lift the tank and go directly to the battery terminals?


Thanks in advance

You can plug the optimise directly into your bike, under the tank on the left side is a (small) lighter shaped connector you can use. I purchased an adapter cable / plug at the local motor store to go with the Optimate.

 

[BaldyDave]

Yep @Xander is correct. The Optimate 4 either cones with the correct lead if you buy the BMW canbus version, or you can buy the adapter lead separately. Works great on my bike.



If you still want to wire the charger directly to the battery, I fould a decent earth point on top of the cast seat brackets. one of the two bolt mounts will brovide an earht point. All you need is to crimp or solder a proper circular fitting onto the wire.

 

[Mr Bojangles]

I've seen and read a lot of posts about people connecting their trickle charger to their 9T with ease.

If you're like me and have zero experience mechanically then this may seem difficult.

I bought an Oxford oxtimiser 900 for £27 (Black Friday deal)
Took it to my local Kawasaki dealer who look after my other bike (Kawasaki A1P 636)

It took them 30mins to fit and cost me £30. Even they said it wasnt an easy job and required 2 people. I'd love to be able to do these jobs but I also have no tools as I've just moved house and it's probably better to learn small fixes on something less expensive than my R9T.

My bike is now stored for winter and will be ready for spring.

 

[Mr Bojangles]

I tried starting my bike yesterday after it had been on charge for a while and it just spluttered. After being on charge for a few weeks with the Oxford oxtimiser I thought it would work once unplugged.

This was not the case. I had to leave it plugged in to start it. Then once it was running I unplugged it and it ran fine.

The charger keeps it at about 12.8 volts. Yet when I plugged it back in after riding it it was on 13.6/8 volts.

Anyone know why this is?

(This may be the normal thing I've no idea)

 

[JohnT]

I tried starting my bike yesterday after it had been on charge for a while and it just spluttered...

The charger keeps it at about 12.8 volts. Yet when I plugged it back in after riding it it was on 13.6/8 volts.

Anyone know why this is?

The "after riding" 13.6/8 volts sounds about right. Then you need to wait an hour plus and check the batterys' resting voltage.

The 12.8 volt float voltage while on the charger sounds wrong. Typical charging voltage is 14.3+ volts. Float voltage is usually ~13.6. Optimate 4 and newer Optimate 3 chargers cycle during float (maintain) mode. On for 1/2 hour @ 13.6 volts, then off for one half hour to check the batterys' health. Again, what matters (in terms of battery health) is its' resting voltage after being off the charger for an hour plus.

 

[LoRez]

I tried starting my bike yesterday after it had been on charge for a while and it just spluttered.

You may want to consider testing/replacing the battery.

Using a maintenance charger is good practice but can also deceive you into thinking your battery is in better shape than it might actually be.

I had an incident where I left from home, the bike fresh off the tender, was a little slow to crank, but started.
Bike ran fine for the couple of hours I was out, but when I made a brief stop, luckily not too far from home, could not get the bike restarted without a boost. :frown:

The OE battery seems barely capable of cranking this engine, and less so when it's cold or the battery gets a little weak.
Mine had been on a tender since day one and still failed after only two years.

 

[JohnT]

Mine had been on a tender since day one and still failed after only two years.

Life of OE batteries is potluck. Many get mortally wounded sitting on dealers floors. Many replacements also get wounded sitting too long. Want to see sellers get upset? Take a voltmeter along when buying a new battery and check voltage(s) before buying.

 

[Captain]

I had an incident where I left from home, the bike fresh off the tender, was a little slow to crank, but started.
Bike ran fine for the couple of hours I was out, but when I made a brief stop, luckily not too far from home, could not get the bike restarted without a boost. :frown:

Exact same thing happened to me!
I don't leave my bikes attached to the tender now. Just periodic top-ups every month.
Also went to lithium for the nineT.

 

[BarnRat]

I find that you need to disconnect from the battery tender occasionally. I don't know why this is but I've noticed this phenomenon for over 15 years. It seems the like the tender "gets confused" and needs to be reset occasionally. BTW "gets confused" is technical talk. :laugh2:

But I can tell if a battery is going bad by how long it takes to fully charge on a battery tender.

 

[Mr Bojangles]

I tried starting my bike yesterday after it had been on charge for a while and it just spluttered...

The charger keeps it at about 12.8 volts. Yet when I plugged it back in after riding it it was on 13.6/8 volts.

Anyone know why this is?

The "after riding" 13.6/8 volts sounds about right. Then you need to wait an hour plus and check the batterys' resting voltage.

The 12.8 volt float voltage while on the charger sounds wrong. Typical charging voltage is 14.3+ volts. Float voltage is usually ~13.6. Optimate 4 and newer Optimate 3 chargers cycle during float (maintain) mode. On for 1/2 hour @ 13.6 volts, then off for one half hour to check the batterys' health. Again, what matters (in terms of battery health) is its' resting voltage after being off the charger for an hour plus.

I did read that is should be 13.6 or above. Which is why it bothered me that it was only 12+.

I'll check it again today as it's quite dry so may take it out and see how it is.

 

[Mr Bojangles]

I tried starting my bike yesterday after it had been on charge for a while and it just spluttered.

You may want to consider testing/replacing the battery.

Using a maintenance charger is good practice but can also deceive you into thinking your battery is in better shape than it might actually be.

I had an incident where I left from home, the bike fresh off the tender, was a little slow to crank, but started.
Bike ran fine for the couple of hours I was out, but when I made a brief stop, luckily not too far from home, could not get the bike restarted without a boost.

The OE battery seems barely capable of cranking this engine, and less so when it's cold or the battery gets a little weak.
Mine had been on a tender since day one and still failed after only two years.

I think I may have to do that. I'll keep it charged and then once some decent weather comes in I'll take it for a new battery.

 

[JohnT]

I did read that is should be 13.6 or above. Which is why it bothered me that it was only 12+.

That 12+ volt reading is bothersome. Resting voltage a couple hrs after a ride or being charged is a pretty good indication of a batterys' condition. Optimate chargers do cycle on and off while they're in float mode but during the Off periods (1/2 hr on - 1/2 hr off) battery voltage, even with a marginal battery, doesn't drop that much.

If you've got riding weather checking the battery voltage a couple hrs after a ride would be a fair indicator of your batteries health as would checking its' voltage a couple hrs after being charged with a "known good" charger...

My original battery is 4 yrs old now and still in good health. I have acquired an Optimate Lithium battery charger in anticipation of its' next battery being a LiFe.

 

[hellsing269]

Installed the battery tender today. Hooked up the positive as indicated in the photo and then screwed in the ground where I am pointing on the second photo. Will start charging and everything looks good then the 12v light starts to flash indicating a bad battery- the battery is not bad by the way. Any suggestions??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Does anyone know what would happen if I grounded to the right screw on your picture (which I assume is the negative on the battery)?
Doesn't negative on negative work?