General Failure

[Rob J]

just started the bike up and the display panel showed "GENERAL FAILURE" on my 2014 1190 Adv (just 1450 miles one the clock).

I called the KTM dealer who suggestd that had Seen this before when the battery was running low.

To be fair I charged the bike up for an hour and warning disappeared.

Just wondering if anyone else had had any similar experience of this issue.

Quite keen to ensure this is not an issue as I'm off on a Euro trip in a couple of weeks.

Cheers all.

Rob

 

[Northern pie eater]

I had a new battery fitted to my 1190 at around 6k as it was knackered. I've never had a battery die so soon ever !
I expected it to be replaced under warranty, but not a chance. KTM (the one in Scotland) charged £ 155.00 for a new battery, when I picked myself up off the floor they explained that they'd fitted it for free....I was so grateful.
Learning point for me, if it's not warranty buy it yourself (max £ 80 for the same make anywhere) It sounds like yours is knackered too as when it's cold the starter motor can't cope on early (2014) bikes and the current draw to start the engine is too much for the battery. If you're off on a trip I'd want your dealer to check the battery and replace it if it's dead.

 

[Dellis]

I have seen "GENERAL FAILURE" a few times when wheeling the bike backwards with the engine running, as soon as you ride off all is well.

Dave

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Might be nothing wrong with the battery. Just might have gotten a bit low. Before you go changing it.........
Has the bike been stood for a while?
Does it have an alarm?
Have you been doing short trips?

 

[Rob J]

Quite a few short runs recently (1-2 hours) but last Saturday was a bit longer.

I had just fitted a usb charging point and wondered if disconnecting the battery may have caused the failure warning.

The bike is noticeably labouring when turning over so think there is an underlying battery issue somewhere but the warning seems to have disappeared for the time being.

I'll continue to monitor the situation but Guess the euro trip will give it a good run. I'll take the jump leads just in case. ��

 

[AberdeenAngus]

By short runs I meant 10 mins.
As a rule of thumb it takes 20 mins to put back in what starting took out.
So, your runs are plenty long enough to keep it topped up.

But.....it might be your USB charging point.
Is it straight off the battery?
These things pull a few mA even when not in use. That's enough to cause problems if the bike's not used for a few days.

 

[Rob J]

By short runs I meant 10 mins.
As a rule of thumb it takes 20 mins to put back in what starting took out.
So, your runs are plenty long enough to keep it topped up.

But.....it might be your USB charging point.
Is it straight off the battery?
These things pull a few mA even when not in use. That's enough to cause problems if the bike's not used for a few days.

I do have a coule of pieces of kit wired direct to he battery , namely:

1. The USB charger
2. My ultimate add ons iPhone charger.

I seldom get chance to ride the bike during the week and it usually only gets ridden at the weekends (and not every weekend at that).

Perhaps these two bits of techno are the cause of my battery problems.....

I would appreciate your thoughts on this Angus....

I was out for a couple of hours today and, Im pleased to say, the "General Failure" warning did not appear.

Notwithstanding the above I do love the KTM. We plan to marry later in the summer

Thanks

Rob x

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I have no doubt that these widgets, wired direct to your battery are causing your problem.

Your USB charger will (typically) pull about 10mA, iPhone charger, the same when doing nothing. Let's say 20mA for both.
20mA x 24 hours = about 0.5 Amp hour per day
So in a week you lose 3.5 Amp hours, which is a fair chunk out of your battery's capacity.
If the bike stands for a week, your battery will be low.
Let it stand for more than 2 weeks and it won't start.
Take the feed for your widgets from a switched live and the problem goes away.
If you really want to be able to charge things overnight, then you should fit a switch.
None of this is an issue if you're using the bike every day or putting on a trickle charger every night.

 

[Rob J]

I have no doubt that these widgets, wired direct to your battery are causing your problem.

Your USB charger will (typically) pull about 10mA, iPhone charger, the same when doing nothing. Let's say 20mA for both.
20mA x 24 hours = about 0.5 Amp hour per day
So in a week you lose 3.5 Amp hours, which is a fair chunk out of your battery's capacity.
If the bike stands for a week, your battery will be low.
Let it stand for more than 2 weeks and it won't start.
Take the feed for your widgets from a switched live and the problem goes away.
If you really want to be able to charge things overnight, then you should fit a switch.
None of this is an issue if you're using the bike every day or putting on a trickle charger every night.

Thanks Angus,

Im a complete electrical numpty but would ideally like to go for the switched live option. I watched a Youtube clip about this a few weeks ago and it didn't look overly complicated.

However, and for the time being at least, I think I'll stick with the trickle charge option.

Thanks for your help.

Rob