Dead 1200GSA battery in the cold

[stabtherasher]

I ride a 2007 1200GSA with about 40,000 kilometres on the clock. The battery tended to go flat whenever the weather got cold so I recently changed it for a new battery. I was surprised again this morning to discover that as the temperature dropped below zero last night ( only to about minus two) that the battery was dead as a dodo again.

Has anyone out there ever come accross a similar problem or can anyone offer any (reasonable/polite) suggestions as to what the problem might be? The alarm was not activated.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

cheap battery or expensive one?

 

[Sgt Bilco]

What have you got running off it

My bike lives outside and has never failed me with it's cheap exide battery even in these deep freeze conditions

 

[John Armstrong]

Tried getting it fully charged again, and then disconnecting the battery overnight (when it's cold) and then in the morning reconnecting it. That way you'll get an idea if it's the battery that's at fault, or the bike is draining it down. All assuming the "new" battery is ok.

 

[TeaPig]

That way you'll get an idea if it's the battery that's at fault, or the bike is draining it down.

What he said.

It's not impossible that your new battery is a duffer too.

Check all the cable connections are clean and tight.

A normal GS battery will start the bike OK even when temperatures are below zero, though this is the hardest test and a weak battery will struggle

 

[stabtherasher]

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I don't have anything running off it overnight and don't even keep the alarm switched on at night. Must admit to being confused that a "round the world" bike cant fire up after just minus two overnight. I replaced the original battery with a fairly expensive Bosch battery. I like the idea of disconnecting overnight. Might try that.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Assuming the battery was fully charged when you fitted it and your electrical system is working correctly it's ppointing to a defective replacement battery

 

[ghiribizzo]

Borrow a decent multimeter, disconnect the ground cable and put the meter between the cable and the battery, set to mA. If all is ok, it should read zero; no drain.
If it has a drain, the fun begins. Old style bikes, you start pulling fuses until it stops. That way you narrow down where the problem is. Canbus? Hmm...
But it's either that or a duff battery.

 

[TeaPig]

Borrow a decent multimeter, disconnect the ground cable and put the meter between the cable and the battery, set to mA. If all is ok, it should read zero; no drain..

Not quite. There's a tiny drain (a few mA) to keep the brain alive. However, to flatten a battery overnight you'd be looking at a drain of hundreds of mA. It's certainly worth checking this if a meter is available as it's a very quick diagnostic.

 

[Beemerman59]

Motorworks have 20% off some Odyssey batteries if you need one:

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/bmw/pro..._15_35_IA_10&header_text=&header_text_image=0

 

[ghiribizzo]

@TeaPig - absoulutely right. Remembered it's a recent bike after going away from pc...

So - what was the result? Dodgy battery or a big drain? Aftermarket alarm fitted or any other add-on extras with wiring onto the battery that may have trapped/chafed wiring?

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

multi meter is the best way to see if there is a drain or not. Definitely not a standard function of the bikes though. I just went out to mine this morning for the first time in 6 weeks because of the snow. Its sitting outside and it started just fine. We have seen -11c here some nights and the battery is the original BMW one. Either you have a bad battery (it happens) or something is wrong with the bike and it is draining the battery. There was a software update for some bikes because of a power drain but I cant remember what year it was for. Have a search and see if it was your year, if it was then check with BMW that yours has had it.

 

[TeaPig]

There was a software update for some bikes because of a power drain but I cant remember what year it was for.

There was a higher standby current on early 1200's but it wasn't big enough to drain a battery overnight - though possibly it would in a couple of weeks, I can't remember the figures but the post software update drain is about 3 to 5 mA

As has been said above, that multimeter check is the answer. Bear in mind that on shutdown, the bike draws maybe 100mA for a few seconds before it fully shuts down at which point you should register just a few mA. If you are reading significantly more (100 -200mA) and you are certain nothing odd is connected to the battery it could point to a duff power distribution unit which is not good. ie very expensive. These can sometimes be killed by plugging a cheap battery charger into the power outlet socket

 

[stabtherasher]

I won't get a chance to check the battery for a few days but will let you know the outcome. Will also check with the multimeter. The only other thing connected is a mount for a zumo 660 which is connected via a Nippy Norman's canbus connector directly into the spare canbus socket on the wiring loom. When mounted the 660 works perfectly.

Forgot to say earlier that when I use the BMW charger the battery usually fires up after a while connected.

Unfortunately the postage on a battery from the UK because of the weight makes the cost prohibitve.

 

[Bem]

The only other thing connected is a mount for a zumo 660....

Ahh.
Maybe, maybe not, but these can be prone to developing a problem with green growth across the contacts (experience talking here!). Maybe, just maybe, there is a problem with the mount sufficient to draw a current which the canbus accepts full time, and so does not shut down accessories with ignition off.Worth investigating further to ensure no costly purchases made too soon.