Optimate connection

[Narked]

Guys, as I am new to the world of the GS I seek your knowledge.

On all previous bikes I have had a per indent lead to connect the optimate, but my new GS has a 12v hella style socket, the dealers explained that this was the best option for the charger but I needed to cycle the ignition to all the bike to recognise the charger, this works fine but only for about 30 mins then it drops the input from it!
Any thoughts?
It may be best to hard wire it, but where is the battery, don't laugh! Not got round to taking bits off it yet.

 

[Tarka]

where is the battery,

I don't own a 1200WC.

I've never even sat on a 1200WC.

Yet it took me less than 2 minutes to Google R1200GS WC battery location in order to find out.

Go on....have a go yourself...it'll open up a whole new world of discovery.


Or,as ever....

 

[Narked]

I don't own a 1200WC.

I've never even sat on a 1200WC.

Yet it took me less than 2 minutes to Google R1200GS WC battery location in order to find out.

Go on....have a go yourself...it'll open up a whole new world of discovery.


Or,as ever....

Found it!

But the good old fashion way of poking about under the few panels on the bike, google is only used in extreme cases.

Still struggling with the theory behind this can bus system.

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Connect the optimate directly to the battery. It's the best way.

 

[Bengaz]

I have the hella plug on my optimate 4. Cant it just be bunged into the hella socket on the GS dash to work the optimate or do I have to do something fancy to ignition?

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

Fit a Separate socket via fuse direct to battery,then you have no need to worry what charger you use and it gives a socket you can use to power other things as the can bus shuts down if more than 5 amps is used.

 

[Bengaz]

I still would like answer to my question tho thx.

 

[Fluffmeister]

You can lead a horse to water ......

 

[Fluffmeister]

Canbus can be really twitchy about charging through the accessory socket. Have a look in the hexhead section and you will see a few posts about it.

 

[Bengaz]

You can lead a horse to water ......

Helpful...Bored?

 

[Fluffmeister]

I tried to help on the next post squire there have been issues with shagged batteries when charging via the accesorry socket. Simple fix, as people have said, go direct to the battery use any charger you want within reason then

 

[Bengaz]

I tried to help on the next post squire there have been issues with shagged batteries when charging via the accesorry socket. Simple fix, as people have said, go direct to the battery use any charger you want within reason then

Thank you thats much more helpful

 

[Narked]

Guys,

Right had some time today so had a poke around the bike, once the left panel has been removed there us the battery with the negative terminal showing, to the right is a red cable mounted to a post on a small black box, when the meter is put across these I get the 12v of the battery with the ignition off, so I guess test this I'd just the other end of the positive post, didn't take the battery out as at this point the rain arrived.

So an optimate across these connections will work fine, unless you guys have different information?

 

[The smudger]

Welcome!

You will need to connect the charger leads straight to the battery. I have a 2010 RT and have done just that.

The trouble with the BMW charging points is nothing to do with the Can Bus system. All that happens is the control unit that the BMW charging point is connected to (ZFE) is 'powered down' after about 2 minutes from sw off, which opens up the circuit and renders the charging point useless.

Its pretty easy to connect straight to the battery, and it works.

Hope this helps.

 

[The smudger]

Connect the optimate directly to the battery. It's the best way.

OOps! sorry Miff, didnt see this before!!

Anyway, what he said....

 

[Nutty]

I have the Optimate 4 with the accessory socket plug (I thinkers the 4; its in the garage and I can't be arsed to get wet ), and have had no issues charging the HP2 and XC via the accessory socket, but haven't tried it on the GS. As it works on those bikes, I'd be surprised if it doesn't work on the GS.

 

[Bengaz]

On my HP2 and first GS, I had a BMW charger that plugged into the accessory socket so it must be possible somehow to hold the canbus fed socket in a "connected to battery" state...

 

[(RIP) Miff]

On my HP2 and first GS, I had a BMW charger that plugged into the accessory socket so it must be possible somehow to hold the canbus fed socket in a "connected to battery" state...

It can and does work that way. But it works much more betterer connected direct.

 

[Bengaz]

It can and does work that way. But it works much more betterer connected direct.

Im going to add the extra socket outlet, Ive got one here already.
Wheres exactly is everyone putting theirs on the side of the bike?

 

[steadysteve]

Seem to remember reading somewhere (either the bike manual, Haynes or the optimate manual), that you plug it in to the accessory socket and switch the ignition on for a few seconds to tell the canbus what is happening and stop it timing out.