What Charger

[Ickaboo]

I am awaiting delivery of a new 1200 GSA on wednesday.

Do I need a different battery charger ?

I've always used a trickle charger plugged into the power socket on my 01 R1150 GS, but someone mentioned to me that I cannot use this on my new 1200 GSA, is this true ? and if so why ?

 

[CrashOverride]

You can't just plug your existing trickle charger into the 1200 accessory socket as the canbus electronics will disconnect it a few minutes after you switch off the ignition. You can buy bmw's canbus comptible charger for £70 or you can just wire a socket direct to your battery and connect your charger that way avoiding the canbus and the cost of the BMW charger. Cheers James

 

[Ickaboo]

OK Thanks James

 

[Wapping]

or you can just wire a socket direct to your battery and connect your charger that way

Don't forget to use a suitable fuse

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Wot Crash said

 

[oldrascal]

Lucky boy Ickaboo with a brand spanking new toy arriving on Wednesday - I bet that each day seems at least 48 hours long waiting for the beast...

To bypass the canbus limitations, either get a dedicated BMW charger which plugs straight into the accessory port or, cheaper and better in my view, buy an Optimate 4. To install it, take off the seat and connect the positive/negative cables straight to your battery. Feed the charging cable to the nearside frame and secure with a couple of cable ties. The female plug has a waterproof rubber cap and is very discrete.

That's it.

There is nothing more to do except plug in the male cable when you put the GSA to bed and step back with a smug look on your face. It is the perfect charging tool. Let us know how you get on with your new toy.

 

[littleredrooster]

You can't just plug your existing trickle charger into the 1200 accessory socket as the canbus electronics will disconnect it a few minutes after you switch off the ignition. You can buy bmw's canbus comptible charger for £70 or you can just wire a socket direct to your battery and connect your charger that way avoiding the canbus and the cost of the BMW charger. Cheers James

Mine works just fine plugged into the socket and goes through its on-off charge cycles without a hitch.

 

[GSband]

And now a warning : if ignition is turned on and nothing appears on dashboard, then battery is probably dead.
In this case, disconnect battery from bike before charging.
This is why : some chargers will send high voltages to battery to revive it, and these high voltages may damage the sensible on board electronics.

 

[John Armstrong]

£20 trickle charger from Motobins I bought 5 years ago works nicely. No need for ignition on / off, turn clockwise 3 complete turns and then 5 anti-clockwise

Only a trickle charger so can't go into de-sulphate mode so is safe for the electronics that attach to the canbus. Even came with the DIN plug on it as well.

 

[original_concept]

Or:

Replace the CanBus power socket with a (not cheap) Powerlet socket with fused wiring or make your own.

Then plug in whatever you like: Heated Clothing, Optimate, portable air compressor (pump up ya lilo on the beach), USB charger, portable sound system, jump start another bike/car (possibly, I dunno).. you get the idea.

No more funky fly-leads and the convenience of being able to plug in anything you like.

 

[Ickaboo]

Thanks All

Thanks all for comments and help.

BMW Tunbridge Wells are now going to deliver my new bike tonight, so I get it a full 20 Hrs soooooner !

I can't get this stupid grin off my face today ??