Charge to Win

Blue Smart IP65 battery chargers & accessories

Back in my day we called it Scrambles, these days we know it as Motocross or MX for short. Not only has the name evolved but so has the sport and the bikes themselves.

In a race the worst thing you could do (besides crashing) was stall the bike in a turn, which then involved trying to kickstart a tall, high compression, four stroke single cylinder motorcycle. Even with a decompression lever and the whole ‘decompressor starting faff’, it was still difficult to get going. Less so with automatic decompression systems, yet even more so when hot. The only upside was you got a stronger left or right leg, albeit with a likely offbeat gait 😉

Things thankfully were easier with two strokes, but even that required a knack to kick the bike back into life again. Either way, 4T or 2T, that often meant you were relegated to the back of the pack.

These days that is no longer the case as modern 4T MX bikes have push-button start, giving you a chance to work your way back up to the front with fast ‘on-the-button-electric-go’.

Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger

Quick race restarts aside, competition (MX & Enduro) and indeed off-road leisure (Trail & Adventure) motorcycles often sit for some weeks between races or rides – when small partially discharged Gel or Lithium batteries may struggle (especially in cold weather) to start the bike, just when you are ready to go out and play.

Enter the Blue Smart IP65 Charger; just leave it connected to the bike prior to your next outing and it will automatically maintain the battery. Add in Bluetooth along with the free VictronConnect app and you can even adjust and monitor your charger wirelessly.

Whilst motorcycle batteries these days are 12V, the Blue Smart range also caters for other markets too. Here’s the available range:

120V – 12V 4/5/7/10/15A
120V – 24V 5/8A
230V – 12V 4/5/7/10/15A
230V – 24V 5/8A

Check the product page to see what input and output voltage, also what current suits your Ah size of battery. A handy table to choose the correct charging current for your battery is included in the datasheets at the page below.

Blue Smart IP65 Charger product page: https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip65-charger

Accessories

Now you have a tip-top charger how about a smart case and any accessories you might need.

The accessories available are:

Spread the word

Need a quick 1 minute way to tell your customers the key points, here’s a short fun video to help spread the ‘Charge to Win’ word.

Conclusion

Personally I think the riders of today have got it easy with reliable push-button start. Mind you when I think back to the number of kick backs and the consequent pain that kick-starting motorcycles has caused me – I am now persuaded that electric start, a good battery and a battery charger like the Blue Smart IP65 is the wise move.

UB-LEISURE are Victron Energy resellers, based in East Pretoria, South Africa. If you are in that part of the world, why not grab yourself a Blue Smart IP65 Charger and any accessories you may need from them, or locate a dealer in your own country.

John Rushworth