Battery issues GSA 1250 - tft replaced

[robstaffs]

Probably well documented but I thought worth sharing. I have a 2019 1250GSA. About 9k on clock.
Had a few hard starts then just before Christmas had to call BMW recovery after bike wouldn’t restart after refuelling. They jump started me. Took into the dealer who couldn’t replicate problem, but updated software. I leave on trickle charge at home, but a few days ago, stopped after 20 mins riding and the bike wouldn’t restart. Recovery called again, jump start to get me home. Back to dealer where this time bike fortunately wouldn’t start. They diagnosed a known battery issue (problem with a cell) and changed it, something they said was an instruction from BMW on certain battery numbers. However, the jump starting had messed up the control unit which then couldn’t be updated, meaning they had to change the whole TFT!! Ok for me in warranty, but out of it may have been a different story.
Bit miffed that the battery problem which seems to have been well known for a while wasn’t sorted first time, but equally surprising that BMW’s own recovery service don’t know that jump starting can cause damage.
Fingers crossed I’m sorted now, but as I say worth knowing as out of warranty that could mean a hefty bill.

 

[Mattwprice]

Interesting you say that as your problems mirror my own for which there is a thread 'starting issues' below. My bike did restart but only after it had called down for an hour and a quarter. First time around BMW replaced the battery at my expense even though I kicked up a bit of a fuss about it. Now that its happened again they are saying it is my problem as I have 'too many ancillaries on it (a pair of lights a Hex EZcan can a horn) and I should be trickle charging it. They have now given me a BMW charger and will be refunding the cost of the battery. But I KNOW this problem is not sorted. They offered to get me onto a replacement bike but again at my cost albeit with some discount. I'm tempted by a new ripple Black but other dealers have been able to do the same deal as mine but with a quite considerable difference in price in my favour. My dealers are local and friendly etc but I can not see how they can still ignore the known problem and how other dealers can beat them in price. Glad you got your one sorted. In conversation with a BMW guy it does seem to be 2019 rally models. So maybe their was a batch of bad engines or something. In which case they should issue a recall for those affected.

 

[robstaffs]

Sorry to hear you are having issues, starting problems are the worst as they kill your confidence in the machine! I do hope I’m sorted, only got the bike back today. I’ve done several tours home and abroad and will be putting it through its paces before going again! Personally I wouldn’t be handing over any cash for a problem like this on a bike which is under 18 months old with less than 10k miles. I am concerned about the decompression issue that gets mentioned, we’ll see what happens!

Fwiw I don’t have any extra electrical items bar a phone charger (Sat nav in the cradle) but I do keep on an optimate through the din socket most of the time.

 

[Winjar]

More happy now to have LCD, if BMW make LCD with nice big digital speedo that would be best.

 

[knutk]

...............
Fwiw I don’t have any extra electrical items bar a phone charger (Sat nav in the cradle) but I do keep on an optimate through the din socket most of the time.

Sorry for asking a silly question: Is the phone charger by any chance connected directly to the battery?

 

[robstaffs]

Nope. In an adapter to the din socket, so unplugged most of the time.

 

[G&T]

So are you saying that if you need a jump start it’s going to kill the TFT? Forever!

In that situation what the hell to do?

 

[robstaffs]

So are you saying that if you need a jump start it’s going to kill the TFT? Forever!

In that situation what the hell to do?

I would have been unaware there was a problem with it, all appeared to work fine to me, but the dealer was unable to perform the updates. I assume they’ve sent the unit off to BMW who will do some kind of fix.

The suggestion seemed to be that a slow charge is what’s needed, but obviously that’s not always going to be possible. It does seem a rather weak point, that said in 20 years of riding bikes, this is the only one I’ve ever needed to jump start. I guess I am most surprised that BMW’s OWN RECOVERY SERVICE don’t understand they can do damage.

 

[Tearaway]

I'm having what sounds like a similar if not the same problem.

When you say that the bike won't start what is happening exactly?

My bike is running fine and when I stop and then try to restart the bike is completely dead. Even the alarm doesn't work. After I left it for a while it then comes back to life.

Also what battery do you have... Regular or Lithium?
My bike is a 2019 gsa.

I'm going to try to duplicate the problem over the next day or two and see if I can find an answer.

 

[robstaffs]

I'm having what sounds like a similar if not the same problem.

When you say that the bike won't start what is happening exactly?

My bike is running fine and when I stop and then try to restart the bike is completely dead. Even the alarm doesn't work. After I left it for a while it then comes back to life.

Also what battery do you have... Regular or Lithium?
My bike is a 2019 gsa.

I'm going to try to duplicate the problem over the next day or two and see if I can find an answer.

Sounds very similar problem. Must confess I’m not sure on the battery type, but assume regular as I wasn’t given any warning about using the same charger.

 

[Rowle]

I dont get it - surely a jump start is only another way of getting 12v through the battery cables to start the bike ??
If jumping from another 12v suply i cannot see how anything gets damaged .

Willing to learn though......

 

[spoonz]

I dont get it - surely a jump start is only another way of getting 12v through the battery cables to start the bike ??
If jumping from another 12v suply i cannot see how anything gets damaged .

Willing to learn though......

Usually only happens if the ignition is on when the jump leads are connected. The spike of connecting the leads to a live system is what does the damage. I wouldn’t put it past a recovery guy who is in a hurry to try the bike ( powering it on), no start so grabs his jump leads but doesn’t power it down before connecting.

Otherwise I’m with you, hard to see it happening if done properly

 

[robstaffs]

Usually only happens if the ignition is on when the jump leads are connected. The spike of connecting the leads to a live system is what does the damage. I wouldn’t put it past a recovery guy who is in a hurry to try the bike ( powering it on), no start so grabs his jump leads but doesn’t power it down before connecting.

Otherwise I’m with you, hard to see it happening if done properly

Interesting. I can’t remember whether the ignition was on or not - my hunch is off, but couldn’t be 100%.

 

[robstaffs]

Interesting. I can’t remember whether the ignition was on or not - my hunch is off, but couldn’t be 100%.

Thinking about it now, on first call out the guy tested the battery but it took some time to do it because there was too much happening with the electronics on the bike. Possible second time that not enough time left for stuff to calm down? Either way, still strikes me that it’s actually pretty rare to be in a jump start situation. I’ve never done it on a bike before and the charger always comes with me on tour.

 

[Rich8000]

battery was replaced on my 2019 last year because of starting issue. all seemed fine move the bike out of the garage turn off to shut the door then couldn't restart. The voltage seemed ok. Dealer Oceans in Plymouth replaced the battery under warranty saying there was a known issue with a bad batch of batteries.

 

[SBD]

I’m not sure how connecting a 12V battery is different to turning the bike on..

Of course, if he jumped it with a 24V (truck) supply...

 

[spoonz]

IÂ’m not sure how connecting a 12V battery is different to turning the bike on..

Of course, if he jumped it with a 24V (truck) supply...

I can only guess but I suspect the electronics are powered in sequence and in built batt over voltage etc would be detected by diags and a full power up prevented.

On a live bike it’s diagnostic protocol is already satisfied so everything is awake and potentially open to spikes from arcing during jump lead connection. I don’t know the BMW electronics so well but on Aprilia’s much of the switching is done by the ecu not the ignition. So if the ecu diags are not happy, a lot of the bike is offline and potentially protected. On several manufactured years of Aprilia RSV’s connecting a batt with the key in the ignition almost always wipes the mileage to 00000. The key being present provides a spike path from the battery.

 

[SBD]

I bet the dealers love that one. I wonder how the hell it got through validation, let alone type approval.

 

[Rushy]

So are you saying that if you need a jump start it’s going to kill the TFT? Forever!

In that situation what the hell to do?

Bump start it

On a serous note I was reading a post on another forum with a BMW rider out with mates having a similar battery/start problem. He seemed to prefer to call and wait hours for BMW assist rather than get a good old fashioned bump start. Is there some reason why this is not possible on modern GS? I had aftermarket heated grips on a Fazer 1000 and left them on every now and then during winter whilst out and about..... bump started her every time.

Had a starting issue with the Guzzi on a trip to Scotland a few years back , thought was battery bump started it at hotel , wouldn’t start when I stopped at petrol station so bump started again and rode it to a dealer who fixed the staring issue . Lost about 2hrs of the day in total when i’d have probably have lost almost all the day if I had called & waited for recovery.

Doesn’t work all the time though. Managed to leave ignition on at a petrol station whilst having a very long phone call with a customer last year on Honda..... can’t bump start a DCT!? The third commercial vehicle I approached had jump leads, but strangely he had no idea how to jump start a vehicle or where the battery was in the transit he was driving ... I just made sure he had the engine and ignition off before connecting AND have your own ignition off as mentioned in previous posts.