Optimate - any good prices seen lately?

I'm after one of these optimates to keep the 955 happy while it lurks
furtively in it's lair.

Anyone seen any good prices recently? Busters is the one to beat at 35
quid so far.

Does this sort of thing usually go cheap at bike shows?

 

Christofire says...

Wait until the bike show, if they are under 35 quid then buy one. I've
found HG to be cheapest over the years.

 

Not normally cheap at the NEC, but I'll have a look for you on
Thursday.

 

Just scored a new-in-the-box Oxford Maximiser, big brother to the
Oximiser, for 30 quid including postage from eBay. There's more:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30900&item=7931382517&rd=1

 

What's these battery chargers of which you speak?

If you'd bought a properly built bike you wouldn't need one.....

 

SteveH wrote

It's not the buying what counts, any **** can do that, it is the riding.

 

I'd disagree with that.

The VFR starts up first time, every time, regardless of how long it's
been standing since the last time I used it - which, this year, has been
anything up to 3 months.

The MZ doesn't like being abused in such a way, though, and due to the
wierd leccy system of the MZ, it's one of the few kickstart smokers I
know that won't start up on a flat battery.

 

SteveH says...

Just wait until your reg/rec goes tits-up, which it will being a VFR.
You won't be so smug then.

 

You're lucky then as the VFR I had on loan (more recent than yours)
flattened it's battery happily.


Do you have an alarm on the VFR?

 

I'm with Steve. Mine has never failed to start after weeks of standing idle.

In fact, the bike's never failed in any way, shape or form. It's a Honda,
see?

I don't. And won't given the choice; precisely because I don't want to be
constantly charging the battery.

 

There's nothing weird about the electrical system on the MZ. It wont
start on the kickstart as it has an alternator and needs some current to
start generating properly.

Although it doesn't have an emergency start position like the 6v versions
it will start without a battery but needs a pretty good hill to get the
alternator up to speed.

ftp://sweller.dynalias.org/pub/mz-manuals/etz-250-handbook-(part)-rotated.
pdf

The battery, however, is an elderly one I had knocking about and probably
doesn't hold its charge very well.

 

Sorry but no guarantee. I've had the rec/reg go on my VFR in the middle
of bloody London traffic jam.

and that is the point. Alarms are a curse when it comes to maintaining a
charged battery. And I cannot get insurance without an alarm.

 

Well my experiences of a Hornet and a VFR V-TEC were the opposite to yours.

I've had two 15 000 mile Suzuki's with no problems whatsoever.

They're machines - some are good, some are bad - they're all good enough
that you'll be unlucky to get a lemon, but it's more than possible.

Constantly is wrong. It's only if you leave it for more than a couple of
weeks.

 

Paul Corfield secured a place in history by writing:

Alarms are OK. In Winter it's the evil triumvirate of alarm, lights and
heated grips that does the damage.

 

In it's defence, the trumpet has only failed to tootle twice, and both
times I'm suspicious of the alarm. After hmm-ing and har-ing, and once
said box of tricks has been slung a few dirty looks it fired up most
chirpily.

It hasn't had any problems in the battery department so far, but as I
ride the bike much less than my previous ones[1] I thought it might be
a good idea.

[1] no commuting and short A-B hops. Unless I want to.

 

Because the faulty rectifier would have already fucked the battery..

 

Christofire secured a place in history by writing:

Grapes in Sainsburys today were £2.29 a kilo. And I got two cases of
Grolsch for £20 as well.

 

I got mine from last year's NEC show for £25, if that's any help. Can't
remember the trader concerned, though...

 

I've got a PRO-peak prodigy charger that'll charge anything from a car
battery to a mobile phone battery. Designed for model planes, but I use
it for everything.

 

That's nice and all, but how's it going to help keep my bike battery
tip-top, YTC?