New here and hoping someone can help

[JamGS]

Hi everyone, I need some help. I have just bought a brand spanking new GS 1200 Adv and am heading off to Sardinia on it beginning of next week. I really really need to be able to charge my HTC desire on route. I have searched these forums and the www and have found many possibilities. The trouble is this, the BMW dealer has told me that wiring anything directly to the battery will invalidate the warranty, so I am stuck with using the standard accessory socket. I need to run a cable from that socket up to the bars and then into my tank bag. The one product that appears to offer this is the "BurnsMoto USB Weatherproof Power Socket" with a Powerlet plug attached and probably a 5ft cable. The problem is that this item is shipped from the US and there is no way it will arrive before I leave. I wish I had found this site and the posts about that cable 2 weeks ago but I didn't. Can anyone suggest a way I can get hold of one of these cables or some UK supplier I can contact.

Any help appreciated as I seem to have run out of options. Yes its 12:30am and I am still searching for a UK supplier that can sort something out.

 

[Schtum]

Personally, I would just have ignored the dealer and wired a cable directly to the battery (via an in-line fuse of course). In fact that's exactly what I have on my bike - one of Burnsmoto's USB cables wired directly to the battery on my '09 GS.

I know Stephen Burns and he does great service but you're right in that it's too short notice for him to ship it to you from California before you leave.

I've got a spare one sitting here and somewhere I have a right-angled Powerlet plug, ie one which will plug into the socket on the nearside of the seat.

When are you leaving?

 

[patzx12]

There is a satnav socket under the headlamp, you should be able to use that as a power source you just have to get a plug from any BMW dealer.
Do a search there is plenty of info here.

 

[JamGS]

Personally, I would just have ignored the dealer and wired a cable directly to the battery (via an in-line fuse of course). In fact that's exactly what I have on my bike - one of Burnsmoto's USB cables wired directly to the battery on my '09 GS.

I know Stephen Burns and he does great service but you're right in that it's too short notice for him to ship it to you from California before you leave.

I've got a spare one sitting here and somewhere I have a right-angled Powerlet plug, ie one which will plug into the socket on the nearside of the seat.

When are you leaving?

Hi Schtum, thanks for replying so quickly. I did think about ignoring the dealer and wiring it strait to the battery but I was thinking that I would have to remove the cable before getting the bike serviced so that the dealer does not see it, which seems like a lot of hassle as I want to make this a permanent solution.

I am trying to leave on Monday but its dependant on getting the bike in for its first 600 mile service before I leave, I am calling the dealer today to try and arrange that. Is there any chance I can buy that off you?

Thank you for replying

 

[JamGS]

There is a satnav socket under the headlamp, you should be able to use that as a power source you just have to get a plug from any BMW dealer.
Do a search there is plenty of info here.

Hi patzx12, thanks for replying. That's where I am going to plug in my TomTom Rider 2 and its thanks to this forum that I found out how to do this and where to get the parts. Thanks for replying so quickly.

 

[ronnie69]

Can't believe wiring anything to the battery would invalidate the waranty, but you can only go on what you've been told. I'd read the warranty though if I were you. I bet it's riveting.

Meanwhile, if you asked the dealer to fit you a centech fuse panel (about £35 from nippy normans I think) to the battery, you could then run all kinds of accessories from the fuse panel and they'd be much easier to get to than the battery under the tank. You may also need an adapter to fit your phone thingy to the fuse panel but it may work and keep the dealer happy and leave space for other gizmos later.

I should say I don't even know if it's possible to connect up a centech fuse panel option on the newfangled 1200s with canbus electrickery, but a quick search should keep you right.

Alternatively, couldn't you just run a lead from the BMW accessory socket to a 'normal' 12v female socket, then run a 'normal' 12v in car charging lead from that to your phone ? That last one sounds too simple - I must have missed something.

3rd option - if the bike is going in for its first service the dealer must be able to offer a solution for you, surely ? You're not asking for anything weird. Stamp your feet and say you want it fixed or you're off elsewhere for servicing and bikes in the future. Having just shelled out a fortune for yer bike, they're bound to be accommodating, no ? That also sounds too easy to be plausible.

Good luck

 

[earthmover]

Ask the dealer to add a tail for a trickle charger, bet he wires it direct to the battery.
Anyway, my advice would be to tell him to feck off, wire it to the battery, and worry about the warranty afterwards.
Mark

 

[JamGS]

Can't believe wiring anything to the battery would invalidate the waranty, but you can only go on what you've been told. I'd read the warranty though if I were you. I bet it's riveting.

Meanwhile, if you asked the dealer to fit you a centech fuse panel (about £35 from nippy normans I think) to the battery, you could then run all kinds of accessories from the fuse panel and they'd be much easier to get to than the battery under the tank. You may also need an adapter to fit your phone thingy to the fuse panel but it may work and keep the dealer happy and leave space for other gizmos later.

I should say I don't even know if it's possible to connect up a centech fuse panel option on the newfangled 1200s with canbus electrickery, but a quick search should keep you right.

Alternatively, couldn't you just run a lead from the BMW accessory socket to a 'normal' 12v female socket, then run a 'normal' 12v in car charging lead from that to your phone ? That last one sounds too simple - I must have missed something.

3rd option - if the bike is going in for its first service the dealer must be able to offer a solution for you, surely ? You're not asking for anything weird. Stamp your feet and say you want it fixed or you're off elsewhere for servicing and bikes in the future. Having just shelled out a fortune for yer bike, they're bound to be accommodating, no ? That also sounds too easy to be plausible.

Good luck

Hi ronnie69, thanks for replying. The guy at Park Lane seemed quite sure about that but I will have a look through the paperwork at some point...

The Centech panel on Normans requires wiring to the battery so back to square one, seems like most of the solutions to this problem involve wiring direct to the battery, frustrating. Must check that warranty eh.

Option 2 sounds like it could work but I am not a very technical person to be honest.

I just phoned the dealer and enquired about this and he mentioned getting a conversion cable from Nippy but I have already looked into this and nothing is long enough to run from the stock socket up to the bars. I then asked how much to install a second accessory socket up at the front, £150!

Perhaps I should just wire the damn thing to the battery and have done with it.

 

[JamGS]

Ask the dealer to add a tail for a trickle charger, bet he wires it direct to the battery.
Anyway, my advice would be to tell him to feck off, wire it to the battery, and worry about the warranty afterwards.
Mark

Hi earthmover, trickle chargers have to be plugged into the accessory socket and work through the canbus system.

I am seriously considering doing that now.

 

[bladerunner]

Hi

One condition I gave of me getting the new GT was that they gave me an additional socket wired directly to the battery so that I can use my trickle charger and my aerostich heated fleece and bypass the damned Canbus.

Riders of Cardiff have done that nicely, with fuse, and no suggestion that warranty has been violated.

 

[JamGS]

Hi

One condition I gave of me getting the new GT was that they gave me an additional socket wired directly to the battery so that I can use my trickle charger and my aerostich heated fleece and bypass the damned Canbus.

Riders of Cardiff have done that nicely, with fuse, and no suggestion that warranty has been violated.

Hi bladerunner, sounds positive, I have searched for a warranty document but can't find one perhaps they forgot to give it to me. I think its time to call up customer services and find out the truth.

 

[JamGS]

Just phoned BMW Motorrad service at Battersea and have been informed that unless its a BMW approved part and fitted by a BMW dealer it will affect the warranty. So that's confirmed.

 

[earthmover]

Just as well mine's out of warranty then......
It's your call, no phone charging, or (potential) invalidated warranty.
Mark

 

[John Armstrong]

Hi earthmover, trickle chargers have to be plugged into the accessory socket and work through the canbus system.

Where does it say that? Post a piccy of it in writing

 

[JamGS]

All this info has come from the guys at Park Lane, just spoke to them again and they have re stated that attaching anything directly to the battery will invalidate the warranty.

Schtum, is there anyway I can get those bits from you?

 

[BBB61]

Ah, that explains it. It's Park Lane. The only way you will have warranty issues is if you fit a component, which is not BMW approved, which then is the cause of a failure.

 

[JamGS]

Hi Bob, Yes it certainly seems that way.

 

[Schtum]

Schtum, is there anyway I can get those bits from you?

Possibly - the issue is how you're going to contact me. If you post up an e-mail address, I'll drop you a line with a phone no. Just remember to change @ to "at" to fool the spambots.

 

[JamGS]

Possibly - the issue is how you're going to contact me. If you post up an e-mail address, I'll drop you a line with a phone no. Just remember to change @ to "at" to fool the spambots.

Hi Schtum, jonmackieishere -at- googlemail.com

 

[Schtum]

e-mailed....