battery failure

[good'oleboy]

Hi all went out with me brother not so long ago, got to boston in Lincolnshire from norfolk as we pulled away from the lights the bike died with no warning not expecting this by the time I got my foot down the GSA was well over I could'nt hold it. Felt a right numpty, traffic stopped, brother as strong as a lion heaves the brute up. Damage report; bent cylinder guard (done it's job) scuffed mirror and hand guard ,bent tank protector. BMW contractor came and started the bike and I turned back for home. In the hand book BMW state that if the battery discharges the bike can (and will) cut out without warning. On showing this to my dealer Lind BMW in Norwich ,they contacted BMW and all was fixed with no hassle. These bikes may have their flaws but I have had beemers for years and the warranty cannot be beaten. So if it happens to you and you have warranty don't worry they'll fix it.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

What was the age and mileage of the bike? And was it the original battery?

Same thing happened to my bro-in-law a couple of years ago. South of France, us, on 2 Spanish hired 1200's ... rush hour traffic and a total, instant bike failure.

The bikes were high milers and just out of warranty. Ended up getting a Piaggio dealer with a compatible battery at 5.30pm on a Saturday.

My own bike is 08, with 21k showing, but is about to do a big Africa trip... don't want to get carried away, but am trying to guess if the battery is going to last the trip?

 

[cas]

If you are going to Africa my advice is... change it.... I've ridden London Cape town and you won't find the correct size battery once you cross the water and mine has just about gone and I have 24k on the clock.... so don't risk it.!

 

[John Armstrong]

My own bike is 08, with 21k showing, but is about to do a big Africa trip... don't want to get carried away, but am trying to guess if the battery is going to last the trip?

Personally I'd change it before going as it's an easy buy here, an easy fit in the warmth of your garage = not by the side of some foreign motorway in the dark. Then keep the old battery as a spare.

Or, take some jump leads as long as there's 11xx's going as well

 

[good'oleboy]

GSA battery

What was the age and mileage of the bike? And was it the original battery?

Same thing happened to my bro-in-law a couple of years ago. South of France, us, on 2 Spanish hired 1200's ... rush hour traffic and a total, instant bike failure.

The bikes were high milers and just out of warranty. Ended up getting a Piaggio dealer with a compatible battery at 5.30pm on a Saturday.

My own bike is 08, with 21k showing, but is about to do a big Africa trip... don't want to get carried away, but am trying to guess if the battery is going to last the trip?

Sorry the reply is late, But the bike was a57plate with 4300 miles. I've sold it since that incident. Bought the standard bike. loved the GSA but loaded with fuel and panniers was to heavy for my gammy Knee.

 

[GSPeter]

Battery failure

Is it so that gel batteries are prone to sudden failure? I have tried to recharge mine after it was suddenly down to 6.5 volt one morning, and it would not take a charge. It was 13 month old, but had performed perfectly. BMW have not replied to my e-mail, after initially asking me to test the bikes charging system.
My local workshop says "buy another one, no one in history has made a sucessfull reclaim on a year old battery, there are just too many variables involved."
Where can I find more info on this? Are there any measures I can take to preserve my next gel battery, I don't want to go back to lead/acid, but I don't want sudden battery failure.
Peter, in Oslo

 

[AberdeenAngus]

If it suddenly went down to 6.5 volts then something drained it.
Gel batteries ARE lead/Acid. Just not a 'wet' lead/acid.
Any lead/acid that gets below about 11v is permanently shagged.
Not a hope claiming for a battery that's a year old.
Gel's are no more prone to sudden failure than any other sort.

For what it costs, and the hassle it avoids, I would recommend changing the battery every two years - regardless. Also replace it if it been completely drained (i.e. below 11v), coz its shagged.

 

[kbada]

The one thing I hate about forums, there's always some prat who says the opposite - well now it's my turn

After winter storage of my old 2004 12, in the spring the battery was flat and I mean flat read dead so being in the middle of nowhere, I hooked it up to a charger 2-3 hours later the beast started and the battery was performing as batteries usually do when I sold the GS several months later

 

[andyclift]

buy another one, no one in history has made a sucessfull reclaim on a year old battery

I did !! The battery on my last GS was discharging in the garage inside 24 hours. Dealer checked bike one day before warranty expired and told me a software change had fixed the problem but I needed to pay for a replacement battery and the loan bike. After pointing out that the failure was the consequence of a design fault they waived all charges (SLM incidentally. Before the disasterous take-over and staff exodus a year back. Hope its back to expected standard now Vines have taken over).

 

[AberdeenAngus]

The one thing I hate about forums, there's always some prat who says the opposite - well now it's my turn

After winter storage of my old 2004 12, in the spring the battery was flat and I mean flat read dead so being in the middle of nowhere, I hooked it up to a charger 2-3 hours later the beast started and the battery was performing as batteries usually do when I sold the GS several months later

I don't doubt you but while the battery may appear to recover, its capacity will be reduced. How much it will be reduced will depend on how flat it was, and for how long, but reduced all the same.
Lead Acid batteries that are discharged to the point of giving out less than 11ish volts are fecked. Sometimes a little bit fecked, sometimes a lot bit fecked, but fecked all the same.
The feckedness will reveal itself when you least want it......(sods law!)

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Just double checked after my previous post.....

Minimum you should take a lead/acid battery down to is 1.6v per cell i.e. 9.6v
If it goes below that.....it's fecked.

Some batteries are classed as 'deep discharge' and these can go lower, but these are rarely used for starter applications.

So, if your battery is flat and is down below 9.6v - change it, its fecked.

If its more than 9.6v, no probs. Charge it back up and no (further) harm done - it may still be shagged, of course, for other reasons.