Flat battery!

[Brian ROSEN]

Progrès !

Felicitations, pas trop mal. 'Nous sommes getting' won't be getting you very far! try 'nous devenons' ....easy isn't it. NO I DON'T WANT TO START A THREAD ON French teaching.

 

[simonbarnes]

Exactly the same happened to my 06 GSA. Normally leave it on Optimate but left it off for 6 days last week.

Tried starting it--flat as a witch's t*t. Got it started ok with a boost pack, rode 200 miles to Brighton. Following morning bike only just cranked over. Rode it back 200 miles home with cautious use of heated grips.
Left it on Optimate for 24 hrs. Still only cranking over weakly. Took it to dealer and they said I should use a special BMW charger.--that'll be £60 please.

Getting a bit miffed about all this. NEw charger coming up with error so still no wheels.

Going back to dealer this week to try and resolve this.

Bit hacked off that £10K worth of brand new bike won't start after a week. (when my old Super Tenere lasted weeks between starting).

There is no alarm fitted and no fancy electrics.


http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/AE_absorbed_glass_mat.html

will let you know outcome

Took bike to Piddys and they agreed that the charger was coming up with a fault.
It transpires that the Autocom system (wired in by Piddys to the back of the aux socket) was draining the battery. The BMW charger was getting confused and showed 'error' (therefore not charging). The autocom has now been hardwired into the rear light wire. So far so good and the prospect of warm pinkies again.

Sime

 

[Brian ROSEN]

All this fuss!

You have a bike at last with a battery just under the saddle. You can connect up direct to a charger, Optimate or similar, in one minute. And in the process, if you are lucky, you will learn how to refit the seat quickly. Or you could buy the expensive BMW charger

 

[EddTheDuck]

ATROPOS, can I have your battery mate?

 

[locp10]

Had to call BMW breakdown today as bike wouldn't start. Last used it about eight days ago, when Optimate reading said battery was fully charged. Top marks to BMW Mondial - here in 45 mins - and bike started with booster charge. Took it for an hours' run and all OK, but now need to find out why battery will not hold charge for a week. Bike is an '05 1200 GS and has done 7.5k miles. Will report back when I find the problem. Anyone had a similar experience though?

Oh yes -- see other posts on this page. My battery died after a month after the bike had done 300 miles. BMW man came out straight away and diagnosed a knackered battery after checking for drain etc (used a sensitive clip on ammeter) It was interesting because the battery always registered at least 12.5v on my cheapo meter but it just did not have any "cranking" power. Anyway the battery was changed and now seems ok.
I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of batter problems on 1200gs forums + there appears to be more people with battery problems when using optimate or BMW maintenance chargers than those who dont use them. It seems like the battery gets used to having some help and wont work properly without them.

 

[JayGee]

You have a bike at last with a battery just under the saddle. You can connect up direct to a charger, Optimate or similar, in one minute. And in the process, if you are lucky, you will learn how to refit the seat quickly. Or you could buy the expensive BMW charger

Do you/is it necessary to disconnect the battery from the bike when charging with an optimate or similar (I have an old optimate- maybe a II). I always do so, just cos I read in the manual that I could damage the bike electronics (ECU etc). It makes using the optimate a PITA so i don't unless the battery won't crank the motor (i.e. very rarely) and I never botherered with my previous bikes. So, do I need to disconnect before charging- i suspect not.

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Charging

I have never bothered to disconnect the battery when adding what used to be called 'a trickle charge' *- that is to say from an low output Optimate type of charger. If you want to give it a higher charge then disconnect it - you will find that easier if you buy yourself a srewdriver torx 6 - (if that is the right description,) rather than the small device in the toolkit (if you still have a toolkit.) If you disconnect, note when refitting that the screw goes into a floating nut in the terminal and unless you support this nut you cannot engage the thread; If it all sounds a bit obvious accept my excuses but I was fooled the first time;
* but if your bike blows up don't blame me!

 

[JayGee]

..
* but if your bike blows up don't blame me!

I'll just sue you instead
yep, I discovered the torx bolt isn't quite long enough to reach the floating nut- I put a small piece of rubber under the nut so it's easier to connect each time. I'm not too sure what the optimate does when it tries to recover the battert (may it de-sulphates with a highish charge rate) and thought this might damage ECU.

 

[swebb]

Same problem... i think?????

I've just come across this thread with interest... my -05 GS is ALWAYS plugged into my Optimate 3 as soon as it's placed back in the garage after EVERY ride.... the optimate connects direct to the battery (using the connector that came with the optimate)

Whenever i go to the bike, the optimate shows fully charged, no problems... although when i return from a ride, even long rides, and plug the battery back to the optimate, it normally takes over 8hrs to get back to fully charged state?

I've never seen this as a problem, as the battery is always tip top by the time i next use it. HOWEVER... a couple of weeks ago, i went to my bike (it having not been used for around 4-6 weeks) disconnected it from the optimate (indicating fully charged) and took it for an 80 mile ride to work. Finished my days work, went back to the bike, turned the ignition and was met by speedo cluster lights coming on, almost immediately turning off again and complete ignition failure???

I tried the normal, ignition off, ignition back on... but now with the ignition on, there was absolutely zero power, it had completely died. The bike was in exactly the same state with the ignition on or off....

I called BMW Assistance.... 1 hour later, still had not had a callback with ETA... so figured the only thing i could think of doing, was disconnecting the battery, to force the bikes electrical circuits to reset... I disconnected, reconnected the battery, did the twisting of the throttle to reset the sensors.... and Bingo.... all was back working correctly????

Needless to say, i took the bike into my dealer (balderstons) but was told they could see no problems within the fault codes, but the battery was showing as only half charged???? (the bike had been back on the optimate overnight between the problem and getting to the dealer, and was showing fully charged again)

Basically, i still have no idea what really went on, but the problem has not occurred since.

When i saw this thread, just seemed a few too many similarities to not be related!

 

[vfxmark]

4k miles on my 06 GS... Previously it had sat for a month and started strongly first try, but yesterday, after sitting for about a week, it started but signalled an ABS fault... I got to the bottom of the hill and re-started it which cleared the ABS fault... it did it again in the afternoon. I'd seen this before with wife's and my older oilheads - figured low batt voltage triggering the fault.

Took it to the dealer today and plugged it in to the Moby Dick (or whatever the Moto DiTec replacement is called.
Bike had logged two low voltage faults.

I'm going to wait until it acts worse before squealing any louder, but the dealer pointed out that in their incredible wisdom in making the bikes lighter (which the magazines were asking for, as it were) one of the things BMW has done has been to put smaller batteries in the bikes...less cranking reserve. I suppose we asked for it....
I suppose I'll end up getting one of the Battery Tender units (popular on this side of the pond) and fit a connector on it that mates to the pig-tail I put direct to the battery to run my little air compressor. (Which I got so I can air down when on dirt paths and such and re-fill for the freeway ride home) I don't want to spend the $$$ for the BMW charger.

Mark

 

[EasySushi]

Hi Guys

Is it me or do we seem to be getting this problem just when the weather temperature drops?

I too have had similar problems over the last 3 days. When I get ready to go for a ride, hit the starter the starter turns over but does not catch it take 3 or 4 attempts to get it started, seem like there is not enough charge in the battery. I have the bike plugged into a BMW charger every night. Might it be something to do with the cold and Gel battery, the Gel freezing ?

Has anyone got hold of the technical specs of the battery, or find out the min and max operating temprature?
Cheers


Ty

 

[kalahari gs]

Good News & Bad News

Hi All,

Good News - This is my first post, great to be here.

Bad News - Same problem with the battery on my 1200 GS, the battery was replaced in the summer last year under warranty, and iv'e had no problems since then (almost). The bike started with no difficulty shortly before Christmas, however i tried to start it yesterday and the battery was totaly flat. It's been on the OptiMate overnight and still doesn't show a full charge. I can feel the purchase of a Hawker Battery coming on, Motor Works here i come!

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Gel battery?

I thought that these gel batteries were the answer to all problems?
In fact although I use my bike every day in winter ( perhaps I should have said 'because' I use.......) I have never experienced any battery problems, and it is now in its third winter. However I have been careful to recharge it whenever it was not run for a week or more - after all a very simple procedure. It is my eighth BM and I have to say that ALL of them had to be 'nursed' a bit with the batteries. Are other make 'big twins'' less trouble? (A four is obviously going to be esaier to start.)

 

[cookie]

Are other make 'big twins'' less trouble?

pulled my guzzi convert out of the garage the other day where it had been leaning for a couple of months. gave it a good going over with an industrial steam cleaner & it started straight off

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Guzzis

Are they sill steam powered then?

 

[cookie]

Are they sill steam powered then?

 

[piebaps]

Fecking electrical problems here too.

Bike goes on BWM charger every night. Saturday morning starts first time after 12 hour charge. 20 mile run no probs. Switched off for 30mins and restarted no problem. 10 minutes later after a stopped for a pie (I know I know) its bloody dead.

I bump starts her, goes to work for a coupla hours and she restarts no problems. 20mile run home,parked up overnight with no charger and she starts first thing this morning. I then do a 10 mile run to meet up with some fellow tossers and when I get on it again, it won't bloody start.

Into dealer on Friday for some warranty work.