12 Month old bike on its 3rd battery ??

Dodger

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The first battery failed after 6 months and the second failed after a further 6 months, both causing considerable inconvenience. Vines said "fit an Optimate" somewhat missing the point. I have now have my Optimate on, but I feel this is probably just masking the problem. After I have used the bike and immediately connect the Optimate, it takes several hours of charging before both green lights come on (Optimate 3) Doesn't seem right.

I ride with headlight and spots on and occasional heated grips and the display says the battery is charging at around 14.3 volts whilst riding.

Has anyone else had this happen and what did you do?
 
clivemarsden said:
The first battery failed after 6 months and the second failed after a further 6 months, both causing considerable inconvenience. Vines said "fit an Optimate" somewhat missing the point. I have now have my Optimate on, but I feel this is probably just masking the problem. After I have used the bike and immediately connect the Optimate, it takes several hours of charging before both green lights come on (Optimate 3) Doesn't seem right.

I ride with headlight and spots on and occasional heated grips and the display says the battery is charging at around 14.3 volts whilst riding.

Has anyone else had this happen and what did you do?
Click to expand...

They all do that sir!!!
Well actually they don't. I would be playing merry hell with the dealer until they get it sorted. I know it's a pain but I would stop using the optimate and see if a third one goes then I think you have every right to go all guns blazing, unless of course you have added something which is draining the battery then you would look a bit of a twat :D
 
Place an amp clamp on a main battery cable and measure what's leaving the battery anything more than 0.03 of an amp is a drain.
I understand you shouldn't have to do this with a bike in warranty, but it will focus their minds if you have something tangible.
 
The amp clamp sounds like its worth pursuing. This has, of course, supposedly had every kind of test done by Vines. I think you are right, the Optimate has to come off!
 
Vines = useless.

Like selling bikes but not a lot else in my experience.

I also discovered that their knowledge of the bikes they sell (in my case LCRT) was somewhere patchy and zero.

After-sales attention from sales team non-existent. Service department disinterested.

Otherwise, they're excellent...
 
Had my gs te a year it sits in the front garden and get used approx. once a fortnight but I ride a good 150 to 200 miles. never put any sort of charger on it, or my previous bikes. so you should not have to buy one. IF it needed one the bike would come with it from new.
Re the amp clamp im a motor mechanic and find they are not sensitive enough for finding parasitic draws. Best to use a digital multimeter running the battery positive cable through it
hope that helps Nigel
 
richardbd said:
Vines = useless.

Like selling bikes but not a lot else in my experience.

I also discovered that their knowledge of the bikes they sell (in my case LCRT) was somewhere patchy and zero.

After-sales attention from sales team non-existent. Service department disinterested.

Otherwise, they're excellent...
Click to expand...


Glowing tribute have you thought of working in their marketing department :jes:jes
 
From a Yank bmw magazine on their long term 2014 gs:

"We experianced a dead battery and found the fault to be in the calibration of the accessory socket which was draining power. After recalibration, the electric current was back to normal....."

A possibility?

I would stick an ammeter inline with the battery and see what the leakage current is. Most basic multimeters will do this, only keep the ignition switched off of course.
 
Yep - in series for current. It must be some kind of parasitic draw, as my GS sits for literally months between rides and starts fine.
 
In 2009 I had the same problem with a new K1300S, it took NOG. a few attempts but they got there in the end. It was the Garmin Satnav charging base they had supplied and fitted. It was a tiny current draw that did the damage. They replaced it with the near identical BMW Nvigator and the problem was solved.

Sounds to me like Vines need to step up and get the job sorted.
 
Too many battery replacements. One, OK, could be infant mortality however unlikely; it just has to be parasitic drain somewhere.

Vines - well they usually respond if you press hard enough, eventually. Get grumpy & insist on a dialogue with the main man - a few years back it was Duncan Bell Motorcycle Director - not sure these days as the faces move on regularly? Vines do a lot of prep for BMW UK press bikes, so should have good contacts with the HQ roving tech team.

For a start, I think you need to have them take a detailed look at every retro fit electrical accessory. Then the aux power sockets that can get corroded internally. Then the alarm - does it drop into sleep mode correctly.

If nothing there, then turn to the charging system. First the reg/rec (really needs a scope) - maybe think about a MOSFET if OE is shot. Then the alternator output/wiring. Are any elements of the wiring damaged from road debris/pinched/clipped too tight. Are connectors corroded. Does the ground wire from the reg/rec run hot (sometimes an indication of alternator problems).

Battery management - have they only ever been charged using the bike's system or your Optimate. No fast starts/jumps?

Personally, when trying to hunt down ghost problems, I prefer to stick with the supplying dealer. After all, they probably fitted your accessories & carry responsibility. I am lucky enough to have an aero industry sparks as a neighbour, but frankly, any good auto electrician should be able to pinpoint the issue for you.

I hope this helps - all the best ...................... KEN
 
Ken has it spot on really - get the bike back to stock to isolate the problem to either an accessory or the stock bike. Then work out if something is draining the battery, damaging it or not charging it properly. Vines should have started this process after the 2nd battery failed.
 
clivemarsden said:
The first battery failed after 6 months and the second failed after a further 6 months, both causing considerable inconvenience. Vines said "fit an Optimate" somewhat missing the point. I have now have my Optimate on, but I feel this is probably just masking the problem. After I have used the bike and immediately connect the Optimate, it takes several hours of charging before both green lights come on (Optimate 3) Doesn't seem right.

I ride with headlight and spots on and occasional heated grips and the display says the battery is charging at around 14.3 volts whilst riding.

Has anyone else had this happen and what did you do?
Click to expand...

Using the headlight, spots and heated grips will flatten the battery in an hour if it is not charging.

As it appears to be lasting longer than this there must be some charge going into the battery.

There are therefore two possible scenarios:

1. The Charging system is not charging at a high enough rate such that the battery energy is decreased every time the bike is used until eventually it has insufficient energy to start the bike:
DIAGNOSTIC: Measure the Charge rate with everything switched on - the Charge rate must be equal to or higher than the Discharge rate.
Note. A 14.3 voltage across the battery does NOT indicate that the battery is being charged at the correct rate.

2. There is a parasitic drain on the battery when the bike is not being used.
DIAGNOSTIC: Disconnect the battery earth terminal. Connect a multimeter set to around 1 Amp DC Current range BETWEEN the disconnected earth lead (meter + lead) and the battery earth terminal (meter - lead) with the Ignition OFF.
Observe if any current is flowing as indicated on the meter.
Note: A 1 Amp current drain will flatten a fully-charged battery in around 15 hours.
 
ymfb said:
In 2009 I had the same problem with a new K1300S, it took NOG. a few attempts but they got there in the end. It was the Garmin Satnav charging base they had supplied and fitted. It was a tiny current draw that did the damage. They replaced it with the near identical BMW Nvigator and the problem was solved.

Sounds to me like Vines need to step up and get the job sorted.
Click to expand...

NOG may well be right, but this seems strange to me.

The BUS controller should switch out the Nav Mount, whatever type you chose to fit, about 1 minute after you switch off the ignition; witness the Nav unit should stay on for a while, then put up a power loss notification around a minute later. Once switched out, there should be no possibility af parasitic draw from the Nav Mount itself. Maybe yours was somehow connected wrongly; through the Aux socket perhaps? Maybe the controller had the wrong instructions?

Not that this matters now you are sorted, but it may help the OP trying to understand/ hunt down his problem. It only needs the likes of an aux socket running permanently live to create a small drain.

Finally, take care to make sure any meter used is capable of dealing with life as an ammeter in series. Equally, remember the drain from the likes of the alarm only drop back (sleep) after around 24 hours (probably varies, see Riders manual) so you need to know what you are looking at & the values that might be anticipated. Hence Vines would need the bike a couple of days to research things properly.

All the best ..................... KEN
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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