Will Not Start

[Arthurwg]

Tried to start my 2005 R1200GS this afternoon for the first time since winter. The bike has been on a can-bus charger all winter, which indicates a full charge. The battery was new last year. But all I get is the yellow triangle warning sign and a flashing "brake failure" message, plus a clicking sound, apparently from the starter motor. Any suggestions?

 

[takko-rann]

Jump start and replace battery (has gone) pls

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Don't use a can-bus charger. Connect your charger directly to the battery.

 

[Old Wobbly]

Don't use a can-bus charger. Connect your charger directly to the battery.

+1...

 

[Arthurwg]

So I connected the battery directly to another charger and after a while that charger showed that the battery was fully charged, as did the BMW can-bus device. Still no go. I bought and installed a new battery and the bike cranked up immediately. So why did the bad battery show fully charged? And can I still use the can-bus charger to keep the new battery topped up? Thanks, Arthur

 

[trainman]

So I connected the battery directly to another charger and after a while that charger showed that the battery was fully charged, as did the BMW can-bus device. Still no go. I bought and installed a new battery and the bike cranked up immediately. So why did the bad battery show fully charged? And can I still use the can-bus charger to keep the new battery topped up? Thanks, Arthur

most chargers can only sense the voltage, even the newer intelligent ones (that can monitor current to a degree) come with a warning that sometimes good doesn't mean good, voltage can be fine but if your cell plates or chemicals are bad then when on load theres no current so no start, age and vibration normally the causes

the only test is at a battery supplier with a load tester

if you are on the original battery you have done well!

 

[Roymondo]

Most battery chargers "know" when a battery is fully charged when the current that the battery draws with a voltage around 13.5V applied drops to zero. They have no way of knowing whether all the individual cells are fully charged, just that with the charging voltage applied, the battery doesn't draw any current. With an otherwise healthy battery, this is the point at which it can be said to be "fully charged".

Some of the cleverer chargers will stop charging for a while, but continue to monitor the voltage produced by the battery and see how far it drops (it will fall to just over 2V per cell) in an effort to detect a weak battery. But this still won't necessarily detect a failed cell, as it might still produce near enough the full voltage while there is no significant load. It's only when you come to try to draw several tens of Amps to start the thing the the defective cell packs in completely. I've never come across a home charger that is capable of simulating this type of load test. I think modern AGM batteries are more prone to this sort of failure mode than traditional acid-bath types - the latter seem to fail more gracefully over a longer period of time.

 

[Roymondo]

if you are on the original battery you have done well!

He did say the failed battery was new last year...

 

[Pukmeister]

In my personal experience, batteries that are being permanently supplied with a maintenance charge from devices such as optimates seem to slowly lose capacity. The rate of capacity loss starts off as very little, but seems to suddenly avalanche over time into a serious capacity reduction. The optimate type devices don't sense the loss of capacity, only the terminal voltage which has reduced by a negligible amount, hence they tell porkie pies about the battery capacity. It's only when you thumb the starter that you discover it's true capacity.

The best way to use an optimate to maintain a battery is little and often, not permanently on charge. A rule of thumb is leave it overnight to recharge say once a fortnight if the bike is getting little use.

 

[Roymondo]

I have one Optimate (Optimate 3, I think) and a small "stock" of used bike and mobility scooter batteries (all AGM type) that I keep as back-up in case the ones currently in service should suddenly fail. I only ever leave the Optimate connected to any one battery for a few days at a time, then swap it over to the next one. This leaves each battery off-charge for a month or more at a time. Some of them are at least five years old, yet they still work perfectly on the odd occasion I've needed to put them into service temporarily.

 

[Arthurwg]

The best way to use an optimate to maintain a battery is little and often, not permanently on charge. A rule of thumb is leave it overnight to recharge say once a fortnight if the bike is getting little use.[/QUOTE]

Pukmeister, I think that's good advice. I had the bike charging continuously for 6 months without using it. An intermittent charge is probably best.

 

[Bendy toy]

Put the cash of a fancy AGM and Optimate into an even more fancy Ballistic battery.


Sent from a widget that can't spell.

 

[dippy]

I had the same some time ago on a '06 gs, clicking came from the starter relay under the seat, one terminal was corroded to hell, cleaned up and started fine, could this be the same issue you're having?