For the first time in a while I used my 2022 V4S last Saturday for 3 hours, numerous starts, no heated gear, but I did use my heated seat and grips. On Sunday I rode to Brighton and back, over five hours riding with heated seat and grips on plus a Keis jacket and gloves. Today (Saturday) I rode 1/4 mile to fill up, then 3 miles to meet someone, I put on the heated seat and grips and stopped after another 4 miles for five minutes. Battery was flat as pancake, had to call the wife out with the jump leads. I rode probably 50 miles before stopping, for 30 minutes, the bike started instantly. Was using heated seat, grips, Keis jacket and gloves just too much and I should use the Optimate the night before using the bike in the winter?
Suggest turning your heated gear off 10-15minutes before stopping. Prefer wireless heated gear but have certainly mulled going keis a few times.
I have been riding recently with the heated grips and a W&S jacket on but not the heated seat as I find I don't need it with the heated jacket and have had no issues at all. BUT I do have the bike on an optimate whenever it is sitting in the garage. Recently I was playing with the settings in an abortive attempt to get the Ducati Connect App to talk to an Android 13 phone, this meant the ignition was on with the engine off and the Optimate NOT Connected, maybe 30 -45 minutes of playing with settings before I gave up. When I reconnected the Optimate I was surprised by how long the optimate took to get the battery back up to charge - over 2 hours! It would seem that sitting with just the ignition on takes a lot out of the battery. Something I will avoid in future, now it's switch on and start up ASAP.
I personally leave my bikes permanently on the optimate. It does what it says on the tin and optimises the battery to keep it tip top condition.
Some years ago Snells advised me to put a seven day timer on the optimate so that it charged the day before I needed my Panigale, which had a tiny battery. The Multistrada has given me a false sense of security.
Yeah I’d probably agree if it was a battery charger you are using but an optimate is subtlety different. It only keeps it topped up when necessary and will help prolong the life of your battery if used frequently. Especially in winter
It’s not just that, it’s cleaning it afterwards I can’t be arsed with, and if you don’t it’ll be a furry mess come April (unless it’s a Honda )
I’ve always ridden through the winter, although I don’t bother if it’s icy or snowing. If the roads have been gritted the Himalayan gets the nod. The upside is there are less (summer only) riders chucking themselves down the road.
When I had GS’s I used to ride all year round, and enjoyed it, but as I tend to feel the cold more nowadays, don’t tend to bother as much.
Not ridden a bike through the winter since I was an apprentice. And that, let me tell you, was ages ago!! And I can still remember the finger pain when thawing out again. Fuck that!
I rode scoots in all conditions. Even the hurricane. Ive had icicles on my eyelashes and eyebrow. Borederline hyperthermia and drownings. Fuck dat shit. I got a van with heated seats. Im too old for that shit.
