Michael Koij and his family recently settled down in the beautiful village of Vika outside of Falun. It was in the old Falu red wooden house with white corners at Runns strand that they found what they wanted more than anything else in the world – a peaceful place in the country with lots of room, close to the lake and lots of opportunities for leisure activities, like boating, snowmobiling and beautiful, winding MC trips around the lake.
“Come in and have a cup of coffee,” says Michael and immediately begins talking about all the construction projects that will soon be carried out on the inside and outside of the house.
There is no doubt that Michael Koij is the active type. You can see that as soon as you drive up to the courtyard. Here, there are several cars, a snowmobile and a motorcycle. At the lake, he also has a large boat – a 26-foot Scand Queen that will soon be launched., he explains. In addition to work, family life, construction projects and an interest in motors, he also runs a music studio and plays squash.
“Motorised vehicles are my greatest interest,” says Michael, who reveals that he is also considering buying a four-wheeler.
Battery care necessary to keep your leisure time problem-free
Battery problems are something that every motor enthusiast goes through now and then. But, Michael does his best to avoid the problems. That is why he is very careful to maintain his batteries and has a Multi XS 7000 CTEK charger to help him.
“During the winter, I used my Stiga lawn mower as a snow plough. So, I've been very careful about connecting the battery and maintenance charging it when it wasn't in use. This winter, it was particularly important on the days the courtyard had to be ploughed in the bitter cold.”
Spring is finally here and the plough attachment can be removed and stored in the shed while the cutting attachment is put through its paces. It is also time for the snowmobile – an Arctic Cat Pantera 550 – to get a break over the summer.
“I connect the charger to the snowmobile battery to maintain it during the off-season. It's nice to have batteries that last long and you can rely on when it's time to take off over the mounds of snow,” says Michael.
When the snowmobile goes on its summer vacation, it is time for other items to come out of hibernation. It is always an exciting moment when you take the motorcycle out if its winter den and turn the starter key after a long winter to see how the battery has fared.
Carelessness that costs time and money
The motorcycle batteries on Michael's Honda Varadero 1000 did not survive the severe winter well. Michael ignored his usual habit and did not perform any battery maintenance.
“I was going to drive the motorcycle out, which was still inside the old house in Falun. I got it started after a lot of hassle, but it broke down halfway home. The spark plugs stopped sparking because of the bad battery. I was careless with charging and just forgot about the battery over the winter. I knew full well what could happen if you don't perform maintenance charging. That carelessness cost me a day's worth of unnecessary extra work and the unnecessary purchase of a new battery,” explains Michael.
He got a lift to a petrol station, where he bought a new battery. Once home, he charged the old battery with one of his CTEK chargers. After a day, Michael determined that the condition of the old, recharged battery was almost as good as the new one.
Boating season – an eagerly awaited time of year
The boating season is something Michael has been looking forward to all winter. It is almost time to launch the 26-footer that serves as the family's excursion boat in Lake Runn in the summer. But, family joy can quickly turn into irritation if you have not made all of the necessary preparations.
“There's nothing worse than battery problems at sea. You can't really push-start a boat. There have been times where I've been stuck without a running motor when I accidentally left the lanterns on overnight. Being at the mercy of the strong wind is a scary experience that I never want to have to go through again,” says Michael.
That is why he is particularly careful with his boat batteries. It is also a safety issue since little Ronja, three years old, is often along for the ride. When out on the water, he always has a CTEK charger along that he can connect as soon as he gets to a guest harbour with an electrical connection.
“I've used several chargers during my motor-enthusiast life, but I can safely say that nothing beats the ones from CTEK. I've seen that some of my friends have trouble with their boats when they don't use a CTEK charger. I also think it's good for the environment. If you take good care of your batteries, you eliminate the impact that discarding a battery puts on the environment,” says Michael Koij.