| The optimate will keep the battery alive and the alarm working. Don't count on it firing up first time in the spring though, without resetting the Optimate and getting it to charge out of it's "long storage mode" - I had trouble with that.
As for starting occassionally, many will say do not because it will do more harm than good. If you do start it, run it up to temperature, rather than just start it and stop. | 
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