NEWS
BRIEFS
The Good, Better and Best of
Riders and their Relationship
with Battery Chemistry
Despite apparent production
timeliness issues - even before the
COVID-19 pandemic - Indian
manufacturer Royal Enfield looks set
to hammer another stake into the
low price-point, low displacement
market (if not exactly into the heart
of Harley's Pan America ambitions)
with the launch of a new $4,999
411 cc SOHC air-cooled single,
switchable ABS equipped
'Himalayan' ADV model. The interim
Business Head and President of Royal
Enfield Americas says it is all about
"the affordability, versatility and
capability."
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, B&B, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com
On July 14, Missouri became
the most recent U.S. State to
repeal its compulsory helmet
law, one that has been in force
for 52 years. However, certain
criteria need to be met in order
to be able to ride without a lid.
Riders have to be at least 26
years of age, with a full riding
license and proof of health
insurance. However, law
enforcement officers are not
permitted to pull a non-helmet
wearing rider over to check if
they meet those criteria.
APB Corp, Tokyo (Hideaki Horie - the
man behind development of the
Nissan Leaf), has invented a new
kind of battery that is said to be
90% cheaper to produce than
standard lithium-ion batteries - and
potentially much safer - by replacing
the basic components of a standard
Li-ion battery in order to speed up
and simplify the manufacturing
process. "Manufacturing the new
batteries is significantly simplified by
replacing the metal-lined electrodes
and liquid electrolytes typically found
within Li-ion units with a resin
construction."
KTM CARB filings appear to
suggest that the 200 cc Duke
will be headed for U.S. KTM
dealerships soon. Okay, so it's
not a 45 degree or even a 60
degree V-twin, indeed it isn't
even a custom bike of any kind
- just thought we'd mention it
here, because KTM's North
American dealers will be able
to sell each one they get five
times over! For the record - it is
a four-stroke, single-cylinder
rated at 25 hp and 14.38 lb-ft
of torque, 308 pounds dry. As
an entry level poster child, it is
bound to prove to be a winner.
A question often asked is why
OptiMate has different battery
chargers for lead-acid and
lithium starter batteries if the
two battery types work fine in
the same vehicle, i.e. in a 12V
vehicle charging system.
Both 12V lead-acid and 12.8V
lithium starter batteries work
well within the 13V to 14.5V
voltage zone required for a
vehicle's ignition system to
perform. That's why the stock
lead-acid battery in a modern
powersport vehicle can be
replaced with a suitable
LFP/LiFePO4 battery. In other
words, for all intents and
purposes, and without going
into primary differences such as
weight or cranking amps, for
most riders a battery performs
the same function - starting the
engine, never mind the
chemistry.
If riders kept their batteries
maintained every time they
park their vehicle, not much else
is needed other than an
OptiMate 1 DUO, but we know
that does not always happen!
As soon as that battery is deadflat,
you need a different type
of charger to bring it back to
life. Following deep discharge,
lead-acid and lithium batteries
require completely different
reconditioning methods to
successfully recover them from
a vulnerable 'dead-flat' state -
and "successfully" also means
safely where LFP/LiFePO4
batteries are concerned.
The four cells in a dead-flat
battery will be in a critical state
of health and need to be
treated gently. High current or
voltage will cause damage or
even kill the battery. OptiMate
lithium battery chargers
automatically deliver controlled
low current and low voltage to
bring all cells safely back up to
the normal voltage zone before
ramping up charging.
A sulphated AGM 12V lead-acid
battery on the other hand will
not accept charge at normal
voltage (up to 14.5V). It needs a
higher reconditioning voltage to
overcome its reluctance to
accept charge, and that's within
the charge algorithm of both
the OptiMate 3 and OptiMate 4
battery chargers - and it's a
pretty smart algorithm too.
If vehicle circuitry is sensed, it
will not engage that high
voltage SAVE mode. It's
therefore best to recover that
battery 'off vehicle'.
The basic things to remember
are that higher voltage kills
lithium batteries, but a
sulphated lead-acid battery
needs higher than normal
voltage to overcome its
reluctance to accept charge -
their responses are the
opposite of each other.
Secondly, at low voltage a
lithium battery can only
tolerate low current, but a
discharged lead-acid battery
can accept high current charge -
again, the opposite of each
other.
So how come a charger such as
the OptiMate 1 DUO works on
both battery chemistries? Well,
the DUO is a safe compromise.
It does not deliver high voltage
recovery, simple - and at low
voltage it delivers only very
low current. That said, it does
still have plenty of 'smarts' - for
example, its 24-7 maintenance
program adjusts to the
connected battery.
For dealers it is important to
sell the right OptiMate battery
charger to their customers. Use
the table seen here to navigate
your way through the different
customer habits that you have
to allow for.
The GOOD option is for the
conscientious riders who never
forget, i.e. always maintain the
battery of their parked vehicle,
with the BETTER or BEST
options for those riders who
may forget and need, on
occasion, to save their battery
or who simply prefer a battery
charger with more features.
www.tecmate.com
www.optimate1.com
14 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - OCTOBER 2020 www.AMDchampionship.com