Battery warranty and replacement advice

[SMcGirr]

Hi, took the 1250 GS for a lovely run from Stockport through the Cat & Fiddle and the Snake Pass and back home. When I started the bike up, it didn't crank well despite being on the BMW trickler, almost all the time. Stopped a couple of times to check restarting and it improved as I went so obviously picked up some charge. Questions please :

1) would you agree this is most likely the battery starting to go ? Its 2 and 1/2 years old.
2) is the battery covered on the 3 year warranty if the answer above is yes, if no, what else do you suggest ?
3) assuming it is the battery, what do people recommend? I had an Odyssey on my last 1200 which was very good but can't see one listed for a 1250.
4) I have had the same BMW charger for about 12 years, whats the life cycle of a charger in your view ? it's not the ultra modern one, more grey square that plugs directly into the dash plug port.

Thanks, safe riding all in 2022. From the number of bikes I saw out this morning, lots of peeps using the nice mild and dry day to blow the cobwebs off.

Seamus

 

[casbar]

Just replaced my battery on my 1250RT, bike will be 3 years old in April. Battery is not covered under the warranty. Not sure if the GS has the same battery, but the BMW replacement Exide battery was £97 reduced from £135. The exile equivalent was £50 posted and it is the same battery - Exide 12-16. Spoke to Exide as the BMW battery shows a CCA of 200amps, the 12-16 shows CCA170, according to Exide the CCA is the same, its just that they measure at -18Deg and BMW apparently measure at -12Deg. It was a direct replacement, same terminals on the battery etc. Other difference is BMW offer a 2 year warranty and Exide only a 1 year, but if its half the price and it gives out before 2 years I can buy another

 

[SMcGirr]

thanks thats helpful

 

[wessie]

is the charger canbus compatible? If it is 12 years old, maybe not? Have you tried connecting it directly to the battery?

 

[SMcGirr]

yep its can bus-able. I just plug it in to the port near the clocks and it shows or at least suggests its charging. It doesn't have leads to connect to the battery

 

[casbar]

is the charger canbus compatible? If it is 12 years old, maybe not? Have you tried connecting it directly to the battery?

My battery was on an optimate 4 most of the time. The battery was showing the correct voltage and would start the bike, but if you then switched it off and tried starting again, it struggled, so the cranking power was down. The new battery is fine and the bike is back to normal.

 

[MIKE R]

Just replaced my battery on my 1250RT, bike will be 3 years old in April. Battery is not covered under the warranty.

I had a battery problem on the first ride of 2021 when the bike was about 18 months old.

The battery was changed by Alan Jefferies who told me that it had a full 3 years warranty and there was no charge.

I wonder which dealer was correct?

Mike

 

[Mr Bean]

I had a battery problem on the first ride of 2021 when the bike was about 18 months old.

The battery was changed by Alan Jefferies who told me that it had a full 3 years warranty and there was no charge.

I wonder which dealer was correct?

Mike

Not covered under the extended warranty is my understanding - the original 2/3 year should cover it.

 

[casbar]

I had a battery problem on the first ride of 2021 when the bike was about 18 months old.

The battery was changed by Alan Jefferies who told me that it had a full 3 years warranty and there was no charge.

I wonder which dealer was correct?

Mike

Don't know, but my dealer checked the vin etc and at no time did they offer to replace the battery, but the replacement cost me £50 and saved me riding an hour to get the bike checked over, so I bought a new one. And luckily I can still afford to eat, so all good. But good advice, ask the dealer

 

[BobT]

Don't know, but my dealer checked the vin etc and at no time did they offer to replace the battery, but the replacement cost me £50 and saved me riding an hour to get the bike checked over, so I bought a new one. And luckily I can still afford to eat, so all good. But good advice, ask the dealer

Mine on the 1250RS lasted 15 months and 10,000 miles. It is covered under warranty but my dealer gave me a new Yuasa as a replacement as he considers them better. BMW will still reimburse him as he does that for every battery claim.

 

[SMcGirr]

ahh thats good, when it goes in for a service in Feb they can sort it then

 

[yofi]

From the manual

Maintenance instructions
Correct upkeep, recharging and
storage will prolong the life of
the battery and are essential if
warranty claims are to be considered.

ergo, is covered by warranty (notionally)

 

[casbar]

Looks like my dealer may have been telling me porkies then. They said the battery was a consumable. So if I can be bothered, I'll refit my old battery, trot off to the dealer and see if I can get a new one. Then I'll at least have a new spare. Which will be fine as I help look after a fleet of RTs that all use the same battery

 

[hawkeye]

I have a March 2019 R1250GS and recently replaced the battery with a heavy duty Yuasa YTX14H-BS which has a CCA of 200 (I replaced not because there was necessarily anything wrong with the original, but having read about batteries failing on some of the 1250's due to a bad batch, decided to act early to offset the possibility of breaking down due to the battery going naff). Bike now cranks over that little bit quicker, even in colder weather, when sometimes there was a little hesitation (and I also have mine on the BMW CanBUS charger when not in use)

So if you do decide to replace yourself, can absolutely recommend fitting a heavy duty version for the extra few quid it costs over the standard battery.