Exide Battery charger

[Giraffemom]

I've seen some conflicting information so I thought I would come to the best source for a final (I hope) answer. I have a BMW Exide battery and was in the market for a charger. Ordered one recommended by a fellow BMW rider. While talking with the mechanic at my dealership, he informed me that most "battery maintainers" charge at 15v and the Exide won't handle over 14v and I need to buy the one sold at the dealership. The one I bought is a Duracell 2amp Battery Maintainer that has an initial charge of 14.3v. Is there a problem? Should I return the Duracell and go with the mechanics recommendation? Cost isn't really a factor, just the hassle of returning the Duracell.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Richard

[iowabeakster]

There is truth to what the dealership guy told you. The gel type batteries will malfunction with the wrong type of charger. Many chargers out there will put out too much current. But, you don't have to buy it from the dealership, and can probably (almost certainly) find one cheaper.

The BMW branded charger is made by Deltran (BMW does not actually make battery chargers). The BMW branded charger is marked-up for labeling it a "BMW". The link below is from Deltran's website. Either the Battery Tender Jr. (.75A) or the Battery Tender Plus (1.25A) are what you need (12V models). There are other brands available too, but I don't know enough about the other brands.

Maybe, you can compare the specs between them and the Duracell.

I bought my Battery tender Jr. at my dealership (has worked great). It was reasonably priced, compared to other retailers. Look around the internet for the best price.

http://batterytender.com/motorcycle.html

[Giraffemom]

Thank you. I found it at Amazon for a reasonable price. It gets ordered tonight.

[Beemeridian]

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