Almost any brand except Oxford, which uses lousy quality weak connectors prone to bending and breaking. The most popular in the UK is probably Optimate and it uses the best and most robust connectors known as SAE. As Data says, a cheap supermarket model may suffice. If you choose one of those, I suggest you check it has SAE connectors. CTEK are also fine and quite popular but use their own proprietary connectors which are not quite as good as SAE.

If it's just for the bike then a low maximum amp model is all you need. This is the Optimate 1 which also charges lithium batts should you ever need that.



This is the CTEK equivalent, but it's not suited to lithium batts.



I've used both Optimate and CTEK for many years. The Oxford went in the bin.

Have had the Lidl one for a few years and it does what I need. Converted the wiring to connect to a permanent plug in lead on my battery ...lets me easily plug charger in and off.. ..needed as the Forza 300 battery location is awkward to say the least ...would recommend it.

Also, the Lidl charger is 'TUV' rated so it's a quality bit of kit. If you look at the pictures below is doesn't make it absolutely clear it's a motorcycle charger and car charger. But on the box in varioius places and in the instructions it makes it clear that it does motorcycles as well as cars. Just put my bike on charge to top up the battery. I don't use pig tails because my bike is pretty much always in use and the battery is always good. If I have had to stand the bike up for a week or two (when I was in hospital for stuff) I pop it on the tender if the weather is very cold. Also, found my receipt for the Lidl charger and I've actually had mine for just over 5 years, not 3 years as I mentioned in my earlier post. It's had quite a bit of use when some of you guys have come round for jobs on the scoots to be done and found your battery has been below par. It does a pretty good job of recovering a flat battery and extending it's life. It does our cars ok too when I've been unable to drive for a while. Having had an Opitimate some while ago I'd say I prefer the Lidl charger. The clamps are definitely better than on some chargers. Lidl were still selling it last year and I think the price was still around £12.99 or £13.99 reduced from £20. Absolute bargain and very good quality. I fully expect you can pick one up in just another month or two from the middle isle. Keep a look out if you go that route as they sell very quickly. The best charger I've ever had was my professional one from Sealey if I remember correctly. It had the ability to charge at a very high rate for cars and mc's. Had that for 20 years but it did cost me £75 even all that time ago.

Ultimately, whatever mc charger you get I'm sure will be fine. But why pay more if you don't have to. Take a look and see what you think.

Pics & info:

Thanks again for all the prompt and helpful replies. I had been looking at the oxford and the optimate, I would probably have bought the Optimate one until Data mentioned Lidl. I'm in no hurry as the scooter is getting used, just come back from a little ride, I'll have couple of trips to Lidl and se what I can find. Thaks for that Data and the photos.

I've got the Oxford one. It's fine. There's nothing fancy about them, they all do the same job.

Data, from the pictures your Lidl charger seems to have permanently connected clamps so you don't have any connectors, (apologies if I've not viewed it correctly), rather than the alternatives of both clamps and a permanently connected flylead (pigtail in the USA) that come with Optimate, CTEK and the great majority of chargers. I think most bikers want the convenience of a flylead so you can just plug in without having to access the battery and clamp it every time. As Mister Paul says, all bike chargers do the same job more or less so I'd say that the difference in practice is with the connectors as the weakest link, ranging from the flimsy shite fitted by Oxford to the SAE standard fitted by Optimate and some others such as the USA market leader, Battery Tender.

Harley Davidson have for some time now been factory fitting SAE type battery pigtails to their bikes, maybe the only manufacturer to do this. No doubt because Harley's own charger is a rebranded Battery Tender though I use one of the smaller Optimates on my hog. Also have one of the more expensive dual rated CTEKs so that I can charge both my Vespa (have fitted a pigtail to it) on the low amp setting and my car if necessary on the higher setting. I keep all my bikes on permanent charge at home as I don't use them every day.

Interestingly, Optimate a very long time ago used the same trash connectors as Oxford still use. But Optimate switched to the immensely more robust SAE type years ago.

Yes, that's right abitmad. It uses just the one type of traditional croc clamps. You can of course change them for any other type of connector. And other connectors are cheap to fit. I haven't fitted pigtails on my GTS as battery access is really easy, and my bike is in fairly constant use. On the Burgman the battery is again really easy to access so knight2 shouldn't have an issue connecting up. Lots of bikes though, as you are eluding to, have more difficult battery access therefore the pigtails will be much better.

You need to be a little careful if you use a trickle charger on a timer. If left connected to the battery with no power feed some chargers can flatten the battery they are connected to.
Just a warning.

Buggy

bugsy wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:13 am You need to be a little careful if you use a trickle charger on a timer. If left connected to the battery with no power feed some chargers can flatten the battery they are connected to.
Just a warning.

Buggy

Yes you are right, though technically what we're discussing are "smart" chargers and not old style trickle chargers. I know a lot of people use that term but it's incorrect, trickle chargers are old technology and went out with the stone age. They cannot be left charging indefinitely, unlike smart chargers.

But why use a timer at all? The power consumption of these chargers when in use is vanishingly low so why not just leave them on permanently when attached to the bike. They are designed to do just that, not be switched on and off by a timer.

As abitmad says it was the permantly fixed fly leads I was thinking of. I have an old battery charger that works reasonably well but it was the convenience of something like the optimate that I was thinking of. My idea was to screw it to one of the joist supporting the flat roof so when I wanted it I could just unhook the cable drop it down plug it into the fly leads and turn it on, job done. Using my battery charger I've either got to get the battery off the scoot (easy job compared to some) put it on the bench get the battery charger and extension and plug every thing in or set up a workmate alongside the scoot with the charger on it. Which is all taking up room in a small garage also the optimiser does a better job than a charger.