Nothing lasts forever and motorcycle batteries are no exception. The original equipment battery on my 2012 FLD Dyna Switchback had been dragging occasionally, after enduring a couple of summers and bad-ass winters in northern Virginia, plus another sweltering summer in the Conch Republic of south Florida. So I was pissed but not surprised when it barely had enough grunt to fire up my bike for the commute home from work a couple of weeks ago. I charged the battery when I got home, but a subsequent test with a multimeter confirmed my suspicion. The battery was toast.
So, purchasing a new one was a priority. I reached out to Biker’s Choice and ordered a new battery, plus.
The man in brown delivered two boxes to my door in the midst of a tropical downpour: a Twin Power premium motorcycle battery and an OptiMate6 Model TM181 automatic charger, manufactured by Tecmate International.
According to the literature that came with the Twin Power battery, it was shipped from the factory fully charged. Still, you never know how much time has elapsed since then, and batteries do self-discharge over time when not in use. Just to be on the safe side, I charged the battery overnight after installing it on the bike.
- It optimizes and extends the life of 3 to 240 Ah AGM, GEL and sealed or refillable lead-acid batteries.
- It can save a battery as low as 0.5 V that can’t accept a charge from a standard smart charger or the vehicle’s charging system after jump-starting.
- It will recharge a battery faster than a standard smart charger.
- It continuously readjusts the charge rate to suit the battery’s size and condition.
- It provides visual indication, via its LED display, if the battery is damaged or near the end of its life.
- It protects the battery from discharge by the vehicle’s connected circuitry (such as a security system), keeps it 100-percent ready, and never overcharges.
- If you do something stupid, like connect the charger to the battery bassackwards, the charger has built-in reverse polarity protection, disabling output so no damage will result.
- It comes with a three-year limited warranty.
The charger can be laid flat or wall-mounted. It comes with a pair of harnesses: a 15A fused plug-in harness that can be permanently connected to the battery terminals, and a plug-in harness with clamps that can be used to charge a battery outside of the vehicle (or an automotive battery under the hood).
Use is straightforward, but do read the instructions and pay attention the safety precautions and warnings. Batteries generate explosive gases, and battery acid is extremely caustic and corrosive.
