R3T - which Optimate to choose

I'm planning on getting an Optimate charger for my new 2015 R3T but I would like to get one that I can also use with my truck and SUV batteries. I'm a little confused about the features of all the different Optimate models they offer. It looks like I'll probably want an Optimate 5, or Optimate 6 Ampmatic but I'm at a loss of which would be best for my needs. (I don't have any 6V batteries so I'm not considering the Optimate 5 Voltmatic).

Then there's the CAN-bus issue. From what I can tell, my bike has CAN-bus. Is that correct? If so, if I plug an Optimate 4 with CAN-bus into the accessory 12V socket that I'm adding to the bike (connected to the existing connector made for that purpose) will the charger communicate with CAN-bus like it does with BMW motorcycles or does CAN-bus communication require a special socket? (I'm not sure if the Optimate 5 and 6 have the CAN-bus feature but, apparently, they don't.) In short, would there be any advantage to the Optimate 4 CAN-bus feature for my bike?

Lastly, I'm assuming that I can charge the battery with any Optimate charger by plugging into the 12-socket that I'm adding since Triumph recommends getting the adapter with the Optimate 3+ that they offer. Is that correct? (I do know that to go through the desulfate steps, etc., the battery has to be disconnected.)

(Sorry for all these dumb questions. I just want to get the best charger for my needs including using it with my SUV and Truck batteries.) I'm guessing that the Optimate 6 Ampmatic may be the way for me to go because it would charge my SUV and truck batteries faster but I'd like to get opinions first since I am a bit confused about the different models.

Anyway, I realize this is more a question about Optimate chargers but this seems as good a place as any to ask this question as I know many bikers use Optimate chargers and some here have probably had to make a similar decision. Any advice would be greatly appreciated? BTW, I'm open to another brand of charger. In fact, the Optimate chargers are known to be confusing to understand exactly what they are doing and what all the lights mean. I like simple but if Optimate chargers are good, that's not a big issue.

BTW, the folks here have been so helpful. Great forum!

Hi Zone
I have an Optimate SP3 had it for years, I guess it's not made anymore but it's always done it's job and never let me down
Just saying what a good bit of kit they are

RJ

ZoneIII said:

... Then there's the CAN-bus issue. From what I can tell, my bike has CAN-bus. Is that correct?

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The only CANBUS circuit on your Triumph is the data control to the instruments - not general electrical power distribution (like the BMW)
Just treat it as you would consider that you never heard the term CANBUS.

DEcosse said:

The only CANBUS circuit on your Triumph is the data control to the instruments - not general electrical power distribution (like the BMW)
Just treat it as you would consider that you never heard the term CANBUS.

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Thanks! That's what I figured but I wanted to check. I went ahead and ordered the Optimate 6 so it'll work faster with my truck and SUV batteries. Also, there's a seller on Amazon that sells it for about $80 which is $35 to $45 cheaper than Amazon but I'll have to pay shipping.

At the risk of sounding flippant, a battery charger is a battery charger. They provide voltage to the battery and keep it charged. Some can trickle charge during long term storage which is good, and some tell some outrageous lies about desulfating capabilities which is nonsense, once a battery sulfates it's sulfated. Which is partly why my bike has a Shorai Lithium-Iron battery now. Of course that needs a non-"smart" charger or Shorai's own...

cr0ft said:

At the risk of sounding flippant, a battery charger is a battery charger. They provide voltage to the battery and keep it charged. Some can trickle charge during long term storage which is good, and some tell some outrageous lies about desulfating capabilities which is nonsense, once a battery sulfates it's sulfated. Which is partly why my bike has a Shorai Lithium-Iron battery now. Of course that needs a non-"smart" charger or Shorai's own...

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You may be right - and you probably are - and you certainly know more than I do about chargers but I can tell you this: After doing a lot of research on this subject, it's clear that there are a lot of people out there who would disagree with you. Some of them are clearly very knowledgeable on the subject and have used and compared "regular" trickle chargers to so-called smart chargers and they report a big difference. I found others, like yourself, that are skeptical but those people are in the minority. As for myself, I'm not an expert on this subject by any stretch of the imagination. I'm also the world's biggest skeptic and I suspect that the claims about smart chargers may be way over-blown. I've always used just regular battery chargers but I haven't used trickle chargers. Since I now need a trickle charger, I figured that even if a smart charger does little more than a regular trickle charger, the difference in cost over time isn't that much so what the heck? With most things, I fully understand the product I'm buying and hate being scammed but I simply don't know enough about battery technology so I chose to go ahead and give a smart charger a try. It costs a bit more but, other than that, I don't see how it could hurt. But I hate buying things when I don't fully understand them. This is one of the rare examples of me buying something partly in the blind because of my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Oh, I'm no expert either by any means, the issue is more that nobody has yet to prove (as far as I know) that the Optimates do anything that any other trickle charger can't. But that said, I own an Optimate, not necessarily because it's an Optimate but because it's what was on the shelf under "trickle chargers". It's obsolete for me now (except for the car, perhaps) since I use a lithium-iron battery as I said, but I still have one. And I'm sure they're fine trickle chargers, just no more fine than any other, in my personal opinion. Buy the cheapest.

cr0ft said:

Oh, I'm no expert either by any means, the issue is more that nobody has yet to prove (as far as I know) that the Optimates do anything that any other trickle charger can't. But that said, I own an Optimate, not necessarily because it's an Optimate but because it's what was on the shelf under "trickle chargers". It's obsolete for me now (except for the car, perhaps) since I use a lithium-iron battery as I said, but I still have one. And I'm sure they're fine trickle chargers, just no more fine than any other, in my personal opinion. Buy the cheapest.

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If I had to bet, I would bet that you're right about "smart" chargers are mostly (or all) hype. After doing some checking on the subject, I knew less than I did when I started looking into it. Finally, I just thought, "What the heck!" and bought one thinking, at worst, it wouldn't hurt anything except my wallet. I hate it when I don't know about something I'm buying.

Another thing: With any product, especially products that make fantastic claims, the people who buy them tend to see what they want to see. It's sort of a placebo effect just as so many people who are given placebos in double-blind tests swear they got great results. I keep that in mind when I read reviews about products like smart chargers, etc. People just want to think that what they bought works as claimed. That said, I did read some reviews of smart chargers by people who really did seem to have a deep understanding of battery technology and most of those said the smart chargers really did have advantages. Who knows? I sure don't!