My 2002 R1150R has its battery buried under the tank. The ground cable also is not accessible. When the bike stayed outside, I kept the battery charged with a small solar panel. For a year and half the bike has lived in a common indoor garage on the first floor of my building. I parked it near an outlet and connected a trickle charger. Recently a fire department guy demanded the bike be moved to a spot away from outlets. He also forbids running extension cords. I know battery packs are used to jump start vehicles. Can they also be used to maintain our small motorcycle batteries ? If that were the case, how much amperage would have to be on tap. I have zero experience with packs. Any advice appreciated.
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Maintaining a Battery With a Pack
- Thread starter bogdan
- Start date
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
You should have asked him why the motorcycle needs to be removed? Sounds like one of those that has a chip on their shoulder.
And why can't an extension cable be used? Yet I bet they have an EV parked in there in which case...that is safer. Really?
lee
Debbie's Servant
I would ask anther person from the fire department to look at your parking area.
Ask why a car can park near a outlet but not a motorcycle.
If they only do a inspection once a year I would wait a week or so and go back to using your battery tender. Maybe it will be a different person next year.
If you don't get anywhere ask the owner of the Anti Gravity Micro Starts if they have a product you can connect to the bike battery once a month to top it off.
https://antigravitybatteries.com/pr...TlnK4vLkbVaeemcqoGoNRa_tUau4_HshoCZhgQAvD_BwE
Ask why a car can park near a outlet but not a motorcycle.
If they only do a inspection once a year I would wait a week or so and go back to using your battery tender. Maybe it will be a different person next year.
If you don't get anywhere ask the owner of the Anti Gravity Micro Starts if they have a product you can connect to the bike battery once a month to top it off.
https://antigravitybatteries.com/pr...TlnK4vLkbVaeemcqoGoNRa_tUau4_HshoCZhgQAvD_BwE
In order to maintain a charge in a battery, you need to have a charging circuit which means more than the normal 12 or so volts, preferably with regulation to actually monitor the battery.
Not enough information on why the fire guy was there and what made him state no extension cords. Is there a HOA and someone turned you in?
OM
Not enough information on why the fire guy was there and what made him state no extension cords. Is there a HOA and someone turned you in?
OM
As far as extension cords go, most people use TOO small gauge of wire on them. Fire fighters never like cords. A lot of fires are because of them.
Was the bike parked in a walkway? Need more information here.
Back to your question.....I have no idea if your battery can be kept charged with an auxiliary starter pack but I would guess that, considering it's application, it can't.
Question: Will a solar panel work? Is the basement parking properly illuminated or is it just two 60 watt bulbs hanging from the ceiling, one of which is burned out? Just a thought.
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
Forget about a 14 ga which is good for 15A for the length we are talking about, even a 16ga is more than enough if it is a charger/maintainer of 2A or 3A.
Because anything technical is far beyond them.
pauls1150
MOA #24991, south of Los Angeles
There may be a law - state or federal? - that prohibits flammable material storage (like a gas tank) within some certain distance of an outlet.
When I was working aerospace, one extension cord was permitted for "temporary" work setups (which gave us a bit of, ahem, leeway...), but "daisy-chaining" more than one was absolutely prohibited in all cases.
When I was working aerospace, one extension cord was permitted for "temporary" work setups (which gave us a bit of, ahem, leeway...), but "daisy-chaining" more than one was absolutely prohibited in all cases.
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
Yet in the two-car garage of my home, there are 4 outlets, all within a few feet of any vehicle.
The bike is parked in a niche not in the way of foot or vehicle traffic. The charger is feed by a stout cord to a outlet 4 or 5 feet away. Most of the cord was on a spool - not laying around loose. The guy at Micro Gravity said jump starters won't work to maintain a motorcycle battery. (Thanks Lee for the link.) I've put 30K miles on this ride in 6 years - mostly enjoyable. It has not been perfectly reliable but not a lemon. I've learned the crazy brake fluid flush. For awhile, I've been thinking of changing to something lighter and lower, but set up for touring. And yes...with a battery than can easily be disconnected and removed. (My old airhead?) This happening may be the push I needed. Life was easier in the immigrant culture of Day's Chicago where I grew up. You simply slipped these types a few dollars.
52184
GTRider
Options:
1. Ignore the FD and move back to where you were. They likely won’t be back for a year and it may be a different inspector next time.
2. Take up the matter with the building super, and request that electrical access be extended to your parking area. You did remember him with a fifth at Xmas last year, right? This could be an easy task for an electrician—an extension box on the existing receptacle box feeding into a conduit run to an add-on receptacle box within reach of your charger. You’d likely have to foot the bill.
3. Open up your charger and replace its current cord with a proper rubber-sheathed exterior-rated cord long enough to reach the existing outlet. You can usually buy the cord in bulk at Home Despot or Lowe’s. If it’s fed directly into the device it’s technically not an extension cord, right?
4. Much of the above depends upon you or someone else having the skills, desire, and resources to attack the problem. Beyond that, you are probably left needing to ride the bike a couple times a week, or for winter storage removing the battery and putting it on a maintainer in your living quarters- a much less desirable scenario for you, the super, and the FD.
Personally, I’d give option 1 a run first and if questioned, point to the issues with option 4 and ask for them to suggest a solution.
Best,
DeVern
1. Ignore the FD and move back to where you were. They likely won’t be back for a year and it may be a different inspector next time.
2. Take up the matter with the building super, and request that electrical access be extended to your parking area. You did remember him with a fifth at Xmas last year, right? This could be an easy task for an electrician—an extension box on the existing receptacle box feeding into a conduit run to an add-on receptacle box within reach of your charger. You’d likely have to foot the bill.
3. Open up your charger and replace its current cord with a proper rubber-sheathed exterior-rated cord long enough to reach the existing outlet. You can usually buy the cord in bulk at Home Despot or Lowe’s. If it’s fed directly into the device it’s technically not an extension cord, right?
4. Much of the above depends upon you or someone else having the skills, desire, and resources to attack the problem. Beyond that, you are probably left needing to ride the bike a couple times a week, or for winter storage removing the battery and putting it on a maintainer in your living quarters- a much less desirable scenario for you, the super, and the FD.
Personally, I’d give option 1 a run first and if questioned, point to the issues with option 4 and ask for them to suggest a solution.
Best,
DeVern
52184
GTRider
akbeemer
SURVIVOR
lee
Debbie's Servant
I vote for this option.
So now you’re insulting firefighters in general?
I was not insulting firefighters. Having worked with many of them either on on opening or remodeled buildings.
