Dead 1250GS

[DC]

How do you tell if you have an old or the new battery?

no idea TBH, i just called the stealers when it was dead, they said new battery ,bring it in !!!!! How the f am i suppose to do that ? so called BMW assistance, a car came he fired it up then followed me to the stealers where i left the bike ,was given a loan bike. Not sure if its early models or a bad batch. If yours is firing up fine ,not struggling, I'm sure its ok

 

[theop]

BMW website says the TrakKING system by Datatool has "virtually zero current drain when the ignition is switched off" so either BMW Motorrad are telling porkies, or the dealer is.

Trakking draws current on my 2018 RT. Not a lot, but it does.
OE battery lasted a month, changed to the biggest Odyssey one that would fit.
I havent got power for trickle charger in my garage and is a bike I use for touring 2-3 times annually, so it runs flat:
- within about 3 weeks in the winter
- 6 weeks in the summer.

I have a small (the size of a 90s mobile phone) German mobile battery gismo (cant remember the name) with crocodile clips that I keep in the top box, so whenever I use the bike I just connect it.

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

..... I havent got power for trickle charger in my garage and is a bike I use for touring 2-3 times annually, so it runs flat:
- within about 3 weeks in the winter
- 6 weeks in the summer.

Fit a small 12v solar panel on the roof of the garage and a solar controller inside.
A very small cost and will keep your battery topped up
This will do the job.

 

[Flappytabs]

It won't start if you leave it for 3 weeks.......

Harsh

But bloody funny

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

A new bike which only lasts 2-3 weeks without charging battery on a tender ?

Really ?

Acceptable?

 

[Mr Bean]

A new bike which only lasts 2-3 weeks without charging battery on a tender ?

Really ?

Acceptable?

it's bollocks. There may have been a duff battery, but the bikes don't need to be charged every three weeks

 

[Wooley]

Had a similar experience and now keep it on an Optimate which plugs into the power socket, experience shows it will help the battery last a few years longer.
Thankfully no issues and near 4K more miles

 

[theop]

Fit a small 12v solar panel on the roof of the garage and a solar controller inside.
A very small cost and will keep your battery topped up
This will do the job.

Thats a good idea, thank you Paul.

 

[DS]

Had a similar experience and now keep it on an Optimate which plugs into the power socket, experience shows it will help the battery last a few years longer.
Thankfully no issues and near 4K more miles

Which one you got Wooley? And is straight plug in?

 

[agent2494]

My Biketrac has no current drain with the ignition switched off as it has an internal battery that lasts for months - be surprised if the Datatool one was different.

The tracker should of warned you battery is going flat and yes the do draw current when switched off


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mr Bean]

Biketrac doesn't draw with the ignition off. It retained enough to track the bike several months after it was disconnected from the bike battery.

 

[agent2494]

BikeTrac draws power from its own internal battery when the bike's off, and when that drops by about 15% (the company says this can be as long as two weeks), we're told it will draw just 4-8mA from your bike for only around 15 minutes.15 Sep 2017
www.bennetts.co.uk › trackers › bik...


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[agent2494]

Will show you a screen shot later tonight and you will see power will be 12.5 this is normal according to Biketrac

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[agent2494]

Mr Bean
Here is proof of Biketrac battery drain.


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[Mr Bean]

Mr Bean
Here is proof of Biketrac battery drain.

No it's not, it's only showing you what the battery voltage is.

If it drained 0.1v a day you'd very soon have a battery incapable of turning over the bike.

The drain from a Biketrac tiny, unless faulty.

If the first image was taken not long after a run the voltage will drop and settle a few hours later.

Here's mine, just taken after 2 hours or so sitting outside my office.

 

[agent2494]

Mr Bean
Yes the bike has a flat battery after 3-4 weeks when left alone, Biketrac have replaced the tracker as good will and it still draws this! I don’t any farkles fitted even had a bigger battery installed by BMG to see if this helps with the drain but nope.
Biketrac say this is normal


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[Mr Bean]

Mr Bean
Yes the bike has a flat battery after 3-4 weeks when left alone, Biketrac have replaced the tracker as good will and it still draws this! I don’t any farkles fitted even had a bigger battery installed by BMG to see if this helps with the drain but nope.
Biketrac say this is normal


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That's very odd - the little internal battery in my Biketrac lasted for two months and was still transmitting when I connected it up to my replacement bike. The bike also sat for more than three weeks last Nov/Dec with it fitted and fired up straight away.

I don't know how accurate the voltmeter is but I've never seen 12.5v on the portal, 12.6v is the lowest.

Have you disconnected it to see if the problem exists without it being connected?

 

[stanley]

I've got a BikeTrac on my 1290GT. It hammers the bike's battery!
Bike will not start if left for 2-3 weeks. I disconnected the unit (when it failed) and had no battery drainage problems. BikeTrac sent me a new unit; I fitted it; drainage problem returned.

I still think it's worth having. BikeTrac seem decent to deal with: they replaced the unit even though it was well out of warranty.

 

[Stanford]

Isn't it a bit of a no-brainer?
If you have a power source (mains, solar or spare battery) stick it on a battery charger/maintainer or you disconnect the tracker (or remove it) and ask your insurer to adjust your premium?
I've had Biketrac fitted on three bikes and none has suffered a flat battery or starting problems...because they are kept on Optimate chargers/optimisers.

 

[richtel]

Isn't it a bit of a no-brainer?
If you have a power source (mains, solar or spare battery) stick it on a battery charger/maintainer or you disconnect the tracker (or remove it) and ask your insurer to adjust your premium?
I've had Biketrac fitted on three bikes and none has suffered a flat battery or starting problems...because they are kept on Optimate chargers/optimisers.

When playing with online insurance quotes, it quickly became clear that the factory tracker on the 1250 made absolutely no difference to the premium. Granted I don't live in a crime hotspot but just goes to prove that the tracker fitted as standard might not be worthwhile. After the first year it's an annual cost of £130 as well.