Bike won't start - any advice?

[motorbaker]

07 GSA, 23k miles, last trip 2.5k in August. EWS ring replaced, not FPC yet. Kept indoors. Never had trouble starting from cold (even when not used for 2 or 3 winter months) until yesterday morning.

Ignition on. Light sequence comes on as usual. Press starter switch. One click and all goes dead. Display blank. Doesn't turn over. Ignition off/on. Try again. Same thing. Take battery out and connect to Optimate4 charger. No problems indicated (all green lights) after charging for 24+ hours.

Battery back onto bike this evening. Ignition on. Press starter. One click then all goes dead. Ignition off/on. Press starter. Nothing turns, but a regular clicking noise comes from under seat somewhere, sounds like underneath where the autocom box is. Ignition off/on. This time I get "EWS failure" warning. Ignition off/on. No warning this time. Press starter button, one click then all goes dead again, lights off. A few more goes and same kind of thing happens, but EWS warning didn't reappear.

V confused.

Can anyone help or suggest what the problem might be - as I said, battery given all greens on the optimate charger...

Many thanks,

MB

 

[John Armstrong]

Ignore the charger, get a new battery.

 

[RickG]

The battery is almost certainly knackered. The optimate thinks it's fully charged simply because it's reached the fully charged voltage. It can't tell that the battery has no ooomph left inside. Ideally swap the battery for a known good one from a mate but failing that a new one is likely to be the answer

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Jump leads

Try starting it with jump leads - you will know straightaway then if the battery is at fault. If you don't have a pair of jump leads go and buy a pair - much easier than trying to get a battery in and out.

 

[ebbo]

Another option - Put a meter on the battery when you press the starter, if the voltage drops to nothing the battery's had it

 

[jtw000]

This just happened to me. It was the battery. I would seriously consider changing the bike... in fact i am.

 

[st247]

This just happened to me. It was the battery. I would seriously consider changing the bike... in fact i am.

Changing the battery might be cheaper.

 

[tunnie]

sounds like dead battery, FPC failure would let the bike turn over just not start. Total cranking failure and power loss says battery to me

 

[Funners]

another vote for the battery, you're describing almost exactly what mine did earlier in the year, and mine had been running 5 mins previous, I only stopped for fuel , when I got back on CLick...dim display, all the warnings possible etc etc....

 

[cookie]

the curse of the optimate strikes again.

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Be fair

the curse of the optimate strikes again.

The optimate chargers are only what (used to be called?) trickle chargers. If your battery is flat then disconnect the terminals and charge it with a 'proper' charger. If you have already decided that 'BMW bateries are crap etc;etc; ' then don't bother; Go and buy another make - it is all good for the economy!

 

[Slowdown]

The optimate chargers are only what (used to be called?) trickle chargers. If your battery is flat then disconnect the terminals and charge it with a 'proper' charger. If you have already decided that 'BMW bateries are crap etc;etc; ' then don't bother; Go and buy another make - it is all good for the economy!

 

[karnevil]

This just happened to me. It was the battery. I would seriously consider changing the bike... in fact i am.

Hope that was
if not then...........................................

Face
Spite

Cut
Nose
to
off

your

Its like a little Puzzle.

Shop around for a battery.Try motorfactors they are cheaper.If you can buy one via your works/employer you save VAT.I got mine recently,Yuasa.£27.00 touch few pence less actually,but under £30

 

[BegesRus]

2 year old GS1200 - defo the BMW duff battery - take you round the wurld? ? ? ? ?

 

[Wapping]

2 year old GS1200 - defo the BMW duff battery - take you round the wurld? ? ? ? ?

He's done 23,000 miles.

That is around the wurld (sic) and about 20% extra.... Your wurld may of course be different...

 

[mr badger]

The most useful life I've ever had from a bike battery is 3 years. They're small compared to four wheelers and need lots of cranking 'go' to turn over a big twin. Our bikes are used daily all year so never really get to see a charger.

Get ours from Multicell locally. Yuasa or similar. Usually half the price of Honda dealers so must be good value for BMs too.

Go on. lash out £30 and stop fretting.

 

[Kaybe]

Long shot perhaps, but have you tried starting it with the side stand up?
Sometimes that wee cheap switch can confuse the system.

Cost nothing to try.

 

[Pukmeister]

First suspect - battery.

Second suspect - Starter relay (underneath the seat in the tool tray area) or starter relay terminals corroded. Not an uncommon fault on the 1200 model.

 

[motorbaker]

Thanks!

A big thank you to everyone who gave advice on this thread. I ordered a new battery from Battersea yesterday which they charged and I picked up today. Just fitted it to the bike a few minutes ago - the sound of the engine starting on first try was music to my ears!

Thankfully the solution was less complicated than some of your replies hinted it might be, but good to know all those possibilities in case it happens again.

Thanks again,

MB