Peter's Blog

I don't have a motorbike any more but here's a motorbike tip anyway. Winter is approaching and bikes are going into hibernation till next spring. This is England and around this time of year being in a safe warm car is preferable to sliding down the road beside your motorbike.

The first year I had my old CBR600fx I left it in the garage all winter. By spring the battery was knackered and refused to hold a charge. The factory fitted immobilizer had drained the battery all winter and ruined it. I had to buy a new one.

I did't want to buy a new battery every year so I bought a trickle charger designed to keep motorbike or car batteries healthy. Just plug it in and leave it for however many months. The one I bought was by a company called oxford, I think it was called an Oximiser. It came with connecters to permanently wire to the bike so it could be plugged in whenever it was needed without having to take the battery out. It was a wonder, in the last year I had the bike I didn't ride it yet it started quite easily when I got around to selling it.