R1250GS 2019 Wouldnt Start
- Thread starter listermint
- Start date
8 Ball Wizard
Registered user
Hijust for the record, I bought one of these from Tayna - YUASA YTX14H-BS
was on charge all weekend, like a pillock I forgot to check it this morning but no issues so far. All of 4 miles... If it don't start after work, there'll be trouble
I’ve just had similar issues with my original battery in my 2021 GS - failed to start after a short 8 mile ride after fuelling up on a cold morning. Started fine at -1degrees put on seat and grips etc . Stopped for fuel then wouldn’t go showed under 12v on dash and -1 degrees with blue frost symbol. 4 or 5 tries no go then showing 11.8v . Got a mate to jump from car road for 40 miles charging nicely on dash at 14.4v .
Left on optimate next few days - next few rides dash saying just 12.1v - just about starts but makes me nervous !
Not used heating since to not stress battery on rides.
Decided to get new battery Yuasa heavy duty as others suggested.
The weird thing is original battery showed 12.1v on dash - removed from bike put on bench and it reads 12.78v on volt meter ??
Checked it again day later read 12.8v checked next day 12.8v ???
Now I’m wondering is the dash reading inaccurate ?
Was it just the cold weather and the extra load with heating etc on ??
Yes, in my opinion.
When I look at the tracker, the battery voltage is higher than when the ignition is switched on. I assume this to be that there are other leccy bits draining the voltage.
Haven't used mine for about 3 weeks, the voltage on the Bike Trac app is showing as 12.5v but I'm sure that if I switch the ignition on, it will be somewhere around 12.2v, or less.
I have the GYZ16h battery fitted.
Victor c
Registered user
The dash reading is accurate. When the bike is switched on, there are a number of systems drawing power from the battery, which lowers its voltage, exasperated by a failing battery. The battery on my 2021 GSA failed two weeks ago.
Heavy duty Yuasa now fitted to mine now as well.
I doubt the dash reading.
I agree entirely that a failing battery, under load, will give a low reading, but the dash showed 12.2 V on my brand new HD battery. And it goes up, slowly, if you leave it on and don’t start the engine.
I have no idea why it should underread, reading a voltage in an electronic circuit is not rocket science, but I suspect it is not directly reading the battery voltage, but perhaps inferring it from some other reading.
I will check with a meter, at some point.
Further though. I wonder if the heated grips etc are on as soon as you turn on the ignition, or if the ‘puter is smart enough to leave them off until the engine starts. They’ll draw a few amps as they start up, and that will drop as they get warmer. That might explain the rising voltage. I’ll have a play and report back.
I agree entirely that a failing battery, under load, will give a low reading, but the dash showed 12.2 V on my brand new HD battery. And it goes up, slowly, if you leave it on and don’t start the engine.
I have no idea why it should underread, reading a voltage in an electronic circuit is not rocket science, but I suspect it is not directly reading the battery voltage, but perhaps inferring it from some other reading.
I will check with a meter, at some point.
Further though. I wonder if the heated grips etc are on as soon as you turn on the ignition, or if the ‘puter is smart enough to leave them off until the engine starts. They’ll draw a few amps as they start up, and that will drop as they get warmer. That might explain the rising voltage. I’ll have a play and report back.
Victor c
Registered user
So does mine…
I checked it this morning. The battery, with everything off, was reading 12.7. Turned on the ignition, it dropped to 12.2. I had left the heated grips on 1 when I turned it off Friday evening, so of course they were on. The lights all come on too, which, given the ECU controls everything, seems daft. It would be a simple software mod to keep all the accessories off until the engine fires up.
I was really quite surprised to see the battery voltage plunge to some 9.7 as the starter motor spun it up, and it immediately rose to 14.4 as it fired. This on a brand new, heavy duty battery as above. 9.7V is ridiculous, despite which it fired up without hesitation.
I nipped out for 15 minutes, (2 further starts) so put it on the charger when I got back.
I'm fairly certain from memory that my old Hexhead only turned the heated grips/accessories on once the engine was running ?
Bloody over complicated 1250 annoys me.
I don't trust the damn thing and have little faith in it, whereas I would happily ride off to anywhere in a heartbeat on my old bike.
I have to agree.
Only issue I ever had on previous bikes was a flat tyre.....My r1250 2019 has had numerous issues thrown up and one had left me stranded and had to use BMW recovery.
All in just over a year of ownership.
I even now carry a booster as a just in case despite having a brand new battery.
I'm off to Bosnia on it in May
Yes Very wise decision to carry a jump pack , one of my riding buddy's recently bought a used 1250gs from our local bmw dealer and even the salesman suggested carrying a jump pack, just shows even the dealer have little faith in what they sell 
Just for balance, another battery alternative.
Bloody expensive, but really high performance. I had a similar Odyssey battery on my hexhead and that was still going strong at 10 years old when I sold the bike.
ODS-AGM14 - ODYSSEY Battery EU
The new ODS-AGM14 is a drop-in replacement for many popular motorcycle and ATV applications. The ODS-AGM14 offers more initial cranking power than our competitors and a drop-in fitment. Like all ODYSSEY powersports batteries, the ODS-AGM14 is a true dual-purpose battery and features a...
eu.odysseybattery.com
Bloody expensive, but really high performance. I had a similar Odyssey battery on my hexhead and that was still going strong at 10 years old when I sold the bike.
It might be a wise decision, but it’s completely ridiculous that the “adventure” might end five minutes down the road when you stop for gas, and it won’t bloody start again.Yes Very wise decision to carry a jump pack , one of my riding buddy's recently bought a used 1250gs from our local bmw dealer and even the salesman suggested carrying a jump pack, just shows even the dealer have little faith in what they sell
It is. The only time mine refused to start after my regular commute was the day I had a hospital appointment and my RoSPA re-test about an hour after. Eventually, found a guy at work with some jump leads.
Missed the hospital but passed the test.
I now carry one everywhere on the bike, but also very useful when going away for charging phones and tablets etc.
So what’s the actual problem? These “fail to start” incidents seem to be commonly a few minutes after starting, and then being switched off.
(I haven’t heard of anyone stalling their bike and it failing to start, but then admitting that might be a challenge
)
I’ve seen reports that it somehow “recovers” if left for a while.
If that is typically the case, it seems unlikely to be a battery issue, so that points to the bike ECU, hence sensors, software or actuator (decompressor?).
It looks like there’s a 38 page thread on here: by chance the guy here thinks it’s the starter motor.
I’ll have a read at lunchtime.
(I haven’t heard of anyone stalling their bike and it failing to start, but then admitting that might be a challenge
)I’ve seen reports that it somehow “recovers” if left for a while.
If that is typically the case, it seems unlikely to be a battery issue, so that points to the bike ECU, hence sensors, software or actuator (decompressor?).
It looks like there’s a 38 page thread on here: by chance the guy here thinks it’s the starter motor.
I’ll have a read at lunchtime.
I read it was all about saving weight so they made the battery a bit smaller and heh presto starting issues as soon as the battery started to deteriorate especially when you add in the ooommph needed to turn a big twin, decompression issues and even potentially wrong sized cabling (again saving weight)So what’s the actual problem? These “fail to start” incidents seem to be commonly a few minutes after starting, and then being switched off.
(I haven’t heard of anyone stalling their bike and it failing to start, but then admitting that might be a challenge
I’ve seen reports that it somehow “recovers” if left for a while.
If that is typically the case, it seems unlikely to be a battery issue, so that points to the bike ECU, hence sensors, software or actuator (decompressor?).
It looks like there’s a 38 page thread on here: by chance the guy here thinks it’s the starter motor.
I’ll have a read at lunchtime.
So far since putting on the high cracking amps battery I have not had an issue (not even a sense of slow cranking). However its always in the back of my mind and I now carry a jump pack (Noco jumpboost plus GB40) for the just in case!!
Mine already had the 16ah Yuasa battery, with 240cca
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