The Ducati unit says in can be used "long term", however, it isn't the most sophisticated charger. For example, it does not perform any analysis i.e. should the battery fail to hold charge, it switched off, rather than keep pulsing, also it doesn't compensate for temperature.
- Basically, it charges (Charge Mode), switches off when it reaches a set voltage, then restarts should the voltage drop (Maintenance Mode).
Conversely, my CTEK smart charger (MXS5.0) goes through a 4-step process:
-Desulpation, soft start, bulk charge, absorption, after which the battery can be used.
Following this, there is an analysis process to check how the battery is holding charge, followed by a 10-day Float trickle charge.
Then if the battery is still connected, it Pulse charges should the voltage drop, similar to the Ducati chargers Maintenance mode.
So, I would not leave the Ducati charger for more than a few days, since its not doing anything clever - would rather just leave it connected, then switch on every 2-3 weeks.
CTEK needs >10-days to do its thing, so I would leave for 2-weeks.
However, if we are talking completely unattended charging, then I would remove the battery and be happy to leave the CTEK for months at a time.
Always best to err on the side of caution, since the condition of the batteries plates and fluid levels are important factors when charging.
