I need a battery !

[flo3flo]

Battery turned up early -

Just been out and fitted it, along with additional Earth and +Ve cable

It span up a good un really quick.... now lets see !!

My Motobatt MBTX12U has lasted just under 2 years but started to die last week. It wont start my GS at all now, despite being topped up by my Optimate-6 daily.
How are you getting on with the bigger MBYZ16H ?
How tight was it to fit?
Cheers.

 

[Mistacat]

My Motobatt MBTX12U has lasted just under 2 years but started to die last week. It wont start my GS at all now, despite being topped up by my Optimate-6 daily.
How are you getting on with the bigger MBYZ16H ?
How tight was it to fit?
Cheers.

Motobatt MBYZ16H is a perfect fit as it is the same dimensions as the original BMW battery.
Had mine fitted for just over 2 years 26K miles all ok so far.

 

[bobsnew]

Motobatt MBYZ16H is a perfect fit as it is the same dimensions as the original BMW battery.
Had mine fitted for just over 2 years 26K miles all ok so far.

+1

 

[tjmouse]

I’ve got a JMT lithium in mine. 1 year old never gets charged works every time. When it was really cold before Christmas the bike started on the second try but the rest of the time it’s always first time no issue

 

[Bendy toy]

Batteries in regular use will go on and on. Ones that spend most of their time on an Optimate will be dead in 2 years.
Treat it as a consumable or get a lithium and accept it has (different) foibles.


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[Bendy toy]

I’ve got a JMT lithium in mine. 1 year old never gets charged works every time. When it was really cold before Christmas the bike started on the second try but the rest of the time it’s always first time no issue

They do that until the internal resistance warms the battery, then they keep cranking. But I see it as a benefit. Engine cranks slowly a few times helps to circulate some oil. Pause a few seconds then it flings over nicely. Unfortunately it will still be slow if you have to restart a few miles down the road.
When standing for long periods, press the test button regularly. They lose only 10% over 12 months but become a brick if allowed to go dead flat.

 

[Stevie4scoops]

As per the title

I need the biggest fuck off hot starting mega amperge battery that will fit under the seat.!

Sod cold cranking, it needs to turn the bastard when its hot not cold !!!!


Yup it let me down again... its fine cold, but when it gets hot it will not start.. just clicks and clunks.

Its got a new battery - March

And a recon / reman oem starter in July

Started from work tonight no problem - going into town some 10 mins down the road

some pratt decides to dive out out in front of me,

I heaved on the anchors, but not quick enough on the clutch, so it stalled ..

Yup ypu guessed it --- click clunk nada!!!

Pushed it the 20 yds or so to the carpark and did my shopping

Came back, turned the key pressed the tit and it whirred into life

rode home no issues... turned it off and then went to restart ... very slow, but dug in and fired up..


left it for a further 15 mins or so while i got out the optimate -

checked the voltage - 13.09V.. pressed the tit and it fired up straight away ..

14.09V turned all the lights grips on etc --- stayed at 14.9V

So basically i need a battery that can turn the fecker over when its at maximum temp, and any

clearances are non exsistant! ... somthing that can turn a country round a pole not the other way

I learned recently that some Multistrada’s have an issue with their battery leads which it seems do not have enough current carrying capacity and aftermarket heavier duty alternatives are available. It’s likely your problem is a high resistance in the cable/circuit feeding the starter motor.

 

[tjmouse]

They do that until the internal resistance warms the battery, then they keep cranking. But I see it as a benefit. Engine cranks slowly a few times helps to circulate some oil. Pause a few seconds then it flings over nicely. Unfortunately it will still be slow if you have to restart a few miles down the road.
When standing for long periods, press the test button regularly. They lose only 10% over 12 months but become a brick if allowed to go dead flat.

Agreed. It’s the first one I’ve had and was fitted by the previous owner. I didn’t even notice it was lithium until the other day. Really impressed with it and love that I could go away for 2 weeks over Christmas and not worry if the bike would start or not when I went back to work

 

[UturnTony]

My Motobatt just failed to start the engine a couple of weeks ago after being stood for a couple of weeks so, it's
going to get replaced with another Motobatt as i have had good service out of this one. Got it mid 2014 and did about 10k miles
with it on that bike then fitted it to my current bike in December 2014; i have done circa 40k since then without a hitch so, not too shabby for a 50 quid battery.
another plus point is, I do like the extra terminals you get with the Motobatt.

 

[Bendy toy]

I paid £65 for the JMT lithium that delivers 240 CCA. OEM battery is only 200 CCA.
Lithium weighs 0.8Kg.


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[Karlos]

I’m puzzled as to why people are having issues with batteries that aren’t that old, I’d expect a 2014 battery to give more than 3 years service. I’m new to the BMW world, but all my previous bikes went years without a battery, for example my 2001 GSXR bought secondhand with the original battery and it only needed replacing in 2015, likewise my Explorer, never an issue with the battery, was fine for the 3 years I owned it before trading in.

Oddly enough I’ve just reviewed a post on here about the battery cover fitment and I notice the battery on the GS in the video, I’m guessing in the USA due to the accent of the owner, is much larger than the battery on my GSA. Is there a problem with uk spec bikes having a smaller battery and then all the issues?

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[BOBAD]

I wonder why oem batteries never get a mention when talk turns to replacing batteries?

I'm on the original battery on my 2011 GS - that's 7 years old and starts the bike no problem whether hot or cold.

And I use an optimate !




,

 

[UturnTony]

Karlos, i agree 3 years doesn't seem long for a battery to last. I am going to replace mine as it's failed to start the bike once since it's been fitted
after being stood a couple of weeks which it's done before without trouble so it's probably a bit under parr but not duff. I'm taking it as a warning sign
as i do not want to have it fail me in some of the places i get to as my TC has always been a dozy starter. I look at it as preventative maintenance like
rebuilding the final drive before it lets you down. It's likely that the present battery would be fine if i left it on as long as i keep it on the Optimate or, better still,
ride the thing more often through the winter

 

[Karlos]

Karlos, i agree 3 years doesn't seem long for a battery to last. I am going to replace mine as it's failed to start the bike once since it's been fitted
after being stood a couple of weeks which it's done before without trouble so it's probably a bit under parr but not duff. I'm taking it as a warning sign
as i do not want to have it fail me in some of the places i get to as my TC has always been a dozy starter. I look at it as preventative maintenance like
rebuilding the final drive before it lets you down. It's likely that the present battery would be fine if i left it on as long as i keep it on the Optimate or, better still,
ride the thing more often through the winter

I understand your thinking. I was getting concerned that GSs have battery issues. I’m still curious as to the size of the battery, as the battery compartment is clearly designed for a larger battery. As the only thing I don’t have on my bike is heated seats, I am assuming that the extra space in the battery compartment isn’t for a optional larger battery for the electronic gizmos.

Does anyone know the reason for this?


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[Mistacat]

Some of the GS`s were fitted with a smaller battery and a spacer under the battery, no idea why.
The Motobatt MBYZ16H is a perfect fit without the spacer.
The bikes you mentioned are triple and four cylinder engines which are a lot easier to spin over than a large twin, most large displacement twins have decompression on start the airhead and oilhead BMW boxers have no decompression so the batteries are probably being used near their limit with a 14 AH battery.
Just for reference the R80RT had a 30 AH Battery, although I suspect that might have also had something to do with its inability to charge below 2000 rpm.

 

[Bendy toy]

The huge and heavy (<5Kg) Odyssey fits with not a fag paper to spare. But in practice the less than 1Kg lithium is just as good and only a bit more than 1/2 the cost.
The only reason to have huge capacity is when the generator can’t keep the battery properly charged.
If an Odyssey (effectively 4AH)** or my JMT was run flat using all of its genuine 4AH the starter motor would be cooked to death.

** Lead acid can only deliver 30% of its charge at the currents taken by a starter motor. After that you’ll be lucky to run the side lights.

 

[flo3flo]

Some of the GS`s were fitted with a smaller battery and a spacer under the battery, no idea why.
The Motobatt MBYZ16H is a perfect fit without the spacer.
The bikes you mentioned are triple and four cylinder engines which are a lot easier to spin over than a large twin, most large displacement twins have decompression on start the airhead and oilhead BMW boxers have no decompression so the batteries are probably being used near their limit with a 14 AH battery.
Just for reference the R80RT had a 30 AH Battery, although I suspect that might have also had something to do with its inability to charge below 2000 rpm.

I sent an email to Motobatt.com regarding my failed MBTX12U and this was the reply:

'This is not the correct battery for your bike, although it does physically fit. Some online sellers recommend it (its not technically wrong as it does work and fit) to appear less expensive.
We would recommend this battery http://www.motobatt.us/MBYZ16H-Motobatt-12V-Battery
This is designed for BMW upgrade with more AH capacity and CCA. The genuine BMW battery is very good, and this is why we built this new battery for BMW and Triumph so we can compare with high capacity.
Essentially it is the same physical size as the battery you have but there is no spacers and the plates are larger and thicker for this application.
The BMW is a hard starter when cold in the flat twin, the starter is large and pulls additional current for accessories.'

I wish I had known this before buying the MBTX12U version.

 

[Bendy toy]

The souped up (and very expensive) Odyssey is “only” 14AH and rated 200 CCA. It sells on its massive burst current but that’s academic at best.

 

[buncobooth]

I sent an email to Motobatt.com regarding my failed MBTX12U and this was the reply:

'This is not the correct battery for your bike, although it does physically fit. Some online sellers recommend it (its not technically wrong as it does work and fit) to appear less expensive.
We would recommend this battery http://www.motobatt.us/MBYZ16H-Motobatt-12V-Battery
This is designed for BMW upgrade with more AH capacity and CCA. The genuine BMW battery is very good, and this is why we built this new battery for BMW and Triumph so we can compare with high capacity.
Essentially it is the same physical size as the battery you have but there is no spacers and the plates are larger and thicker for this application.
The BMW is a hard starter when cold in the flat twin, the starter is large and pulls additional current for accessories.'

I wish I had known this before buying the MBTX12U version.

That is utter nonsense. If you put in any BMW 1200GS/K1200/1200RT/650 it comes up with the MBTX12U, and the product page for that battery lists all those bikes. The page for the 16 does not list them. I originally had a 12 in my GS but I changed it for the 16 as I put one in a K1200S and it seemed to crank better. The 16 is definitely better (albeit a bit heavier) but according to their specs the 12 is the correct battery for those bikes.

 

[jogo]

The souped up (and very expensive) Odyssey is “only” 14AH and rated 200 CCA. It sells on its massive burst current but that’s academic at best.

I have no experience with Motbatt or Lithium. But I do have a Odyssey PC535 in my 2005 R12GS. It has served me well for 8 years now but is slowly getting a bit weak, so I will get another one. Having a reliable battery for that amount of time is well worth the price in my view.
Lithium (as far as I understand) is great if it does not get too cold. Therefore I stick to a conventional battery but I might just be old-fashioned.

These days, the battery capacity (Ah) is much less relevant than some decades ago. Back then, engines had carbs which would not be able to provide perfect atomization of the fuel at low engine rotation (during start) and mechanically controlled ignition which more often than not would be at least slightly out of the optimum timing. This in combination needed a battery which had the capacity to turn the engine for an extended period of time if needed in order to get at some stage ignition. Therefore high Ah-values on batteries in older bikes are well justified.

For engines like BMW boxers (from oilhead onwards), an initial high current delivered by the battery is almost all that counts for starting the bike. With electronic double ignition and fuel injection there will be right from the first rotation the right amount of fuel, nicely atomized and strong sparks at the right time.
The only challenge for the battery is to provide the initial high current to "break loose" the the engine moving parts from standstill and force it over the first very few compression strokes (which is especially demanding with high compression ratio and larges cylinder volume). Then the engine will start. Hardly any capacity worth talking about is needed for that, it is virtually only the initial current that determines if the engine starts or not (given all electrical, mechanical, fuel-related systems work as they shall of course).
This is something which the Odyssey battery seems to be particularly good at.