Total battery failure on the motorway

[Peter Reilly]

There I was in the middle of a 5 lane motorway outrside Antwerp when the bike died completely. Everything went, engine, lights, instruments. I coasted to a halt in lane 3 just ahead of an artic who luckily stopped as well. My mate was behind me on another 1200GS and had the presence of mind to put his hazard flashers on. We got over to the hard shoulder in one piece and called BMW assistance. I had taken out the year 3 warranty which includes european breakdown cover. The battery appeared to be completely dead. When I turned the ignition on, the LCD panel came on but when I pressed the starter button, all that happened was that the LCD panel went blank.

2 hours later and we are at the local BMW dealer. The dealer tried a new battery and the bike started immediately. The mechanic said that the old battery had probably had an internal short circuit and suffered immediate and total failure. Interesting to think that if I had servo brakes, they would have died too...

The mechanic said that battery failure was not uncommon, which is not exactly reassuring. I now have a new BMW battery (€142!) and am tempted to swap it for an Odyssey. The bike had done 14,000 miles and there were no warning signs that the battery was on the way out.

 

[Fanum]

Just as a matter of interest, did you keep this battery on an optimate?

 

[Peter Reilly]

I use the bike for commuting to work, 10 miles each way. I attach an optimate when the bike is not being used for more than 1 week, otherwise I rely on the 10 mile ride to keep the battery charged.

 

[blobcat]

Battery failed on my GSA after ~100 miles, down to 8.65 volts. It didn't fail whilst riding it just wouldn't do anything when I came to start it. I keep it on an optimate and it was replaced under warranty. Claire's GSA hasn't had the same problem, I was just lucky...

 

[JohnU-IOW]

Ferk, you were fortunate there, Peter. If something had hit you I reckon you would have been lucky if you only got run over 5 times. The motorway by Antwerp is crazy - 5? lanes of mainly lorries, all swapping lanes. I have towed a boat that way a few times (with a Trooper or Shogun, not a GS12, before some smart arse comments!!) At first it scared me crapless. There is a bit where 2? lanes go off to the port facility. Get in the wrong lane there and you have to just indicate and go for it. Anyway, pleased you got out of it o.k.

 

[Dahoum]

The mechanic said that the old battery had probably had an internal short circuit and suffered immediate and total failure.

The mechanic said that battery failure was not uncommon, which is not exactly reassuring.

Cant say I've ever heard of the type of failure described - and i'm sure we'd have heard on here if it "was not uncommon"

am tempted to swap it for an Odyssey.

I'd do that as soon as the OEM one starts to flag - which wont be long

 

[Fredb51]

Curious as to why the alternator output wouldn't be enough to keep the bike running.

 

[Greg Masters]

Curious as to why the alternator output wouldn't be enough to keep the bike running.

+1



If the bike were mine I would carefully check the charging circuit. From what you describe, the fault could equally have been a failed alternator or belt.

When a new (charged) battery was wapped in, everything goes back to normal.

You get home, hook up the Optimate and the battery is recharged. Everything seems fine until you go on a long ride and drain the battery.

Greg

PS Why do you only hook up the Optimate once a week? Why not every night?

 

[D6]

if the battery totally shorted it could av dragged all the power from the alternator???,
hence no power to the ignition

 

[Myke Rocks]

Why hook it up to an optimate every night?

+1



If the bike were mine I would carefully check the charging circuit. From what you describe, the fault could equally have been a failed alternator or belt.

When a new (charged) battery was wapped in, everything goes back to normal.

You get home, hook up the Optimate and the battery is recharged. Everything seems fine until you go on a long ride and drain the battery.

Greg

PS Why do you only hook up the Optimate once a week? Why not every night?

If I am away on holiday am I going to run an extension lead to the bike?
If I needed to hook up a charger every night, I have a problem with the bike.

I normally park my bike up from start of November till start March, because I will not ride with salt on the roads. I cannot be bothered with a 1 hour freezing high pressure wash each time I go out at that time of year.
Near end of February, battery still has enough charge to do nearly everything except spin bike over, so I hook up a charger the night before I wish to use it.
I know electronics discharge battery slowly, but not enough to be a problem.
Been doing this for years without a problem.
(This item may have a bearing - Bike fitted with BMW alarm. I have never set it in the whole time I have had the bike)

Battery life: 3/4 years.

Myke

 

[Greg Masters]

Near end of February, battery still has enough charge to do nearly everything except spin bike over, so I hook up a charger the night before I wish to use it.
I know electronics discharge battery slowly, but not enough to be a problem.
Been doing this for years without a problem.
(This item may have a bearing - Bike fitted with BMW alarm. I have never set it in the whole time I have had the bike)

Battery life: 3/4 years.

Myke

I hook up my 1150GS to an Optimate all the time when my bike is not in use.

The original battery still performs well after 9+ years.



Greg

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Myself and MasterBaker hired a couple of 1200's from Barcelona 2 summers ago. Riding through Montpellier and his bike did the same thing at a roundabout. Battery died without warning.
4pm on a Friday.... not much chance of getting sorted. Ended up buying a same spec battery from a Piaggio dealer of all places....... worked a treat and got refunded from the hiring company.
www.motoespana.com if interested. Owned by a Scot called Mike... a top bloke!

 

[Steptoe]

Curious as to why the alternator output wouldn't be enough to keep the bike running.

+1



If the bike were mine I would carefully check the charging circuit. From what you describe, the fault could equally have been a failed alternator or belt.

When a new (charged) battery was wapped in, everything goes back to normal.

?

This is what happens on a 1200 when the battery dies. The bike starts to shut down . First the lights/indicators stop and gradually all the circuits shut down until the bike stops -even with a fully functioning alternator. Great isn't it .

 

[Greg Masters]

This is what happens on a 1200 when the battery dies. The bike starts to shut down . First the lights/indicators stop and gradually all the circuits shut down until the bike stops -even with a fully functioning alternator. Great isn't it .

Fail un-safe!



Greg

 

[JJH]

Curious as to why the alternator output wouldn't be enough to keep the bike running.

If there was a dead short in the battery? JJH

 

[Blowzorn]

This is what happens on a 1200 when the battery dies. The bike starts to shut down . First the lights/indicators stop and gradually all the circuits shut down until the bike stops -even with a fully functioning alternator. Great isn't it .

The very same happened to me some 3/w weeks ago.
Stopped for a gypsies at Warwick services. Come back out and the bike wont start.
Dash lights up initially then goes blank when the starter butoon is hit.
Managed to get a jump start and the bike was ticking over nicely. A multi-metre across the battery showed there was 14.6v going in so there was nothing wrong with charging system. But if the ignition was switched off then there was no power to restart the bike.

Jumped it again and thought I'd go for it (as long as I don't stop before home I'd be OK).
Got about 2 miles up the motorway when first I got a lamp out warning, quickly followed by brake failure warning, then the engine started to cut out, the momentum I had would bump the engine back to life, but by now it was cutting out every 500m. After about 2 mins of this everything went. The residual braking at motorway speed may as well not be there... eeeeek.
Recovered home and a new battery the following day cured everything.
It was the original battery on a 3.5year old 1200ADV with 80k miles.
With hindsight the only thing I could comment that could be seen as an early warning was in the preceding two weeks I was starting top get regular lamp failure warnings but no lamps were out, I would clear it by switching the ignition off and on. I put this down to the HIDs I had fitted as was going to get round to checking the connections.

 

[Fanum]

I hook up my 1150GS to an Optimate all the time when my bike is not in use.

The original battery still performs well after 9+ years.



Greg

It's been looking likely that there's a problem with the continual use of Optimates for ages though.....and yes I do have a slight bee in my bonnet about it

I think Cookie's theory is good....that using an optimate or similar charger masks a problem by keeping a failing battery charged.......the end result isn't a battery that gets progressively weaker , it's a sudden and total failure.

My OEM 1150GSA battery lasted 5 years and was never a problem, even after periods of a month away in the winter when I was out of the country and I never ever connected it to any charger.....yours is OK I'd suspect, not because of the use of the optimate Greg but in spite of it.........it's a better battery, period.

If yours had a problem though and you masked it by keeping it topped up with the charger, it could easily let you down suddenly.........perhaps that's not so much of a problem on an 11xx, but these 12's seem to be far less tolerant of a duff battery and as described several times( I don't think Duckhoum reads his own section if he's not heard of it before) so the consequences are getting more serious.

JMHO, but every month my conviction that using an optimate or other charger like this is bad practice gets stronger and stronger

 

[monkeybrain]

Total Battery Failure - Same here

Hi

Interesting.

I have had exactly the same. R1200GS 2007 with a 13months old battery, which had been swapped last year due to a fault.

I was coming back from Truro and on the M25 the brake failure light started flashing. I thought nothing of it and 10 mins later everything on the bike shut off. Bike would not start again. Called Green Flag and 4 hours later I was recovered back to my house.

BMW Battersea swapped battery and problem gone... I picked up the bike and on the way home I decided to top up the air on the front tire and the front valve snapped off.... recovered back to BMW Battersea (they said that happens a lot, because the valves start corroding after a few years) and they swapped the unit for £120...

Owned the bike for 3 months, covered 3500 miles and had two brake downs. In fairness the battery and the valve are not really BMWs fault.

I had a Vstrom before for 20k miles and not a single issue in 3 years.

I just need to add the the previous owner kept the bike contin on a trickle charger.

 

[brianmaslen]

Almost the same on mine, took it for the first MOT which passed, 3 years to date of registration, drove about 45 miles, stopped for petrol and then nothing! Would restart on a jump from teh BMW recovery but as soon as you disconnect and let revs drop it died. New battery cleared the problem. I use an Optimate everyday as I always have on previous bikes but its the sudden failure that worries me.

 

[Greg Masters]

JMHO, but every month my conviction that using an optimate or other charger like this is bad practice gets stronger and stronger

You've only got to Google the word 'sulphation' to begin to understand just how important it is to keep a lead-acid battery fully charged.

This site and this site give some useful incite into reasons why batteries fail. You'll see sulphation is listed on both.

But also check the characteristices of 'starter' batteries. Thinner lead plates give better starting performance but makes them more vulnerable to damage from deep discharging and sulphation. Failure can also occur more quickly from physical collapse of a plate and consequent shorting.

I suspect that the switch to OE Gel and AGM batteries, although well intentioned, has resulted in a drop-off in robustness and, consequently, reliability.

However, the key to increased battery life, irrespective of battery type, is to keep the battery fully charged for as much of the time as is possible. This means not turning the engine off with the kill switch (and leaving the lights on) and ensuring that the battery is fully charged when you park the bike. Yuasa suggest that, even then, the battery should be float charged after 4 days. This is precisely what an Optimate does.

As far as my 9½ year old battery is concerned, I ought to replace it simply because of its age. I will use a full wet battery with appropriate capacity when I buy another - and it will also spend its idle life hooked up to an Optimate!

Greg