Battery Thoughts/Questions

[Bogdan]

I have a Odyssey battery in my 2004. I've noticed that when I return from a ride , the battery reads at bit lower voltage then when it came off the charger - irregardless if the charger is powered by household current or the sun. For example: When I unplugged the the solar charger before today's ride the battery read 12.94 Volts; when I returned from my very pleasant 70 mile loop, it read 12.73. Is the BMW charging system such that it won't fully charge a battery such as the Odyssey?

The battery was installed by the previous owner a retired BMW wrench still doing some independent work. I've had the bike 4 years. I'm guessing it's a least 5 years old. This summer I'm planning to do the brake fluid change since it was so much fun last time. As you know, the gas tank must come off. I was thinking of putting in a new battery while I'm in there. Don't know if these batteries fail suddenly like batteries I've had in the past but thought I'd play it safe since I do take long trips. What do you guys think - am I jumping the gun ? I've been told that the Odyssey is the best battery for a Bemmer. Is that still the case ? I've been known to drink cheap beer - I've transcended micro-brews - and cheap vodka. However, I don't believe in cutting pennies on something I depend on and buy once every 5 years.( ok..I do kinda depend on a hit of vodka after a long day but you get the point. ) Within reason, I want the best battery available.

Oh yeah FWIW, I first bought a 2 watt solar charger; it wouldn't keep the battery charged. I then bought a 3.5 watt charger and it does fine.

[AZBMWRIDER]

What kind of riding did you do, slow speed, highway speeds ??
Do you have a lot accessories on ??
I've never had a charging system issue in 17 years and 70,000 miles of operation, until the battery starts to show signs of age .