Battery & Charging System

[VeloMan]

Hi all.  Just found this forum and like what I see.


My RT is a low mileage 2014 with most of the bells and whistles but no radio and which Ive had since new. When not in use, which sadly is most of the time, the battery is kept connected to BMW's own charger.  Last September, I took the bike off charge and got her out for a ride after a lay-off of about 3 weeks. She started first touch, as always and off I went on a longish (about 280 miles) trip from my home in East Hertfordshire out though Essex, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk returning home via Essex.  At one point in my trip, I stopped at a Petrol Station for a top up and a coffee.  When I got back to the bike, she wouldn't recognise the the keyless fob so I could undo the steering lock let alone start the engine.  I had the owners manual with me and after consulting that, went through the emergency procedure for some time but with no success.  I then called a dealership, who happened to be only a few miles away.  They sent a technician out to me to help.  The tech guy rolled up after a short while on a (demo, I think) new GS1200.  He then tried the emergency starting procedure for about 15 minutes including partially dismantling the dashboard to improve access but again without any sign of life. Eventually, he swapped the battery out of the Gs for mine after which the electrics came to life and she started easily.  The tech guy said something about the voltage on these things was critical and only a very slight drop would cause problems. He then went to get a new replacement from the dealership.  Some time later and £140 poorer :sueno: [size=78%], I was back on my way.[/size]


Has anyone out there had a similar experience and can anyone explain how a battery capable of starting the bike from cold in the morning and having done over 200 miles at "progressive" cruising speed with a fully functional (I later had this checked) charging system to keep the battery up to scratch then fail to provide the necessary when called on after a few minutes rest.


Any expressions of sympathy or additions to my limited (very) technical knowledge would be greatly appreciated.


Best wishes,

[David.]

Batteries can & do fail without warning. On a 2010 TC, had been riding all day, stop starting ok, the bike was left overnight & the next day it was completely dead. If one of the cells goes down, there isn't sufficient voltage to start the bike.

I was away from home & got stung by BMW for £136 + fitting.

If you are fortunate enough to be at home when the battery fails, Yuasa offer batteries at around half the price of those supplied by BMW.

[smileymiley]

Batteries can & do fail without warning. On a 2010 TC, had been riding all day, stop starting ok, the bike was left overnight & the next day it was completely dead. If one of the cells goes down, there isn't sufficient voltage to start the bike.

I was away from home & got stung by BMW for £136 + fitting.

If you are fortunate enough to be at home when the battery fails, Yuasa offer batteries at around half the price of those supplied by BMW.

Blimey.... you telling people to purchase non BMW products!


They'll be trouble.. :wonder:

[David.]

BMW Battery Selection, http://www.largiader.com/articles/whichbat.html

Yuasa YTX16-BS £67 from Halfords, http://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorc ... la-battery

[johnarthur]

Or indeed if you want an Exide gel battery just like BMW supply:


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EXIDE-GEL-12 ... 1438.l2649


If that URL is too long then ebay (UK) no. 182890977415


As additional information it is not good practice to leave a charger, even an intelligent one, permanently connected to your battery.  Use it once a month in the winter for a day or two.  That will stop it draining but also stop drying the battery out internally.

[MacJ]

<<As additional information it is not good practice to leave a charger, even an intelligent one, permanently connected to your battery.&nbsp; Use it once a month in the winter for a day or two.&nbsp; That will stop it draining but also stop drying the battery out internally.>


Who says? I'm on my fourth BMW bike now and I have always left my Optimate charger attached to the bike when not in use and have never had a battery fail. The oldest bike was over four years old when I sold it and still on the original battery.
Perhaps the Optimates are better for batteries than BMW's expensive offering?

[simbo]

<<As additional information it is not good practice to leave a charger, even an intelligent one, permanently connected to your battery.&nbsp; Use it once a month in the winter for a day or two.&nbsp; That will stop it draining but also stop drying the battery out internally.>


Who says? I'm on my fourth BMW bike now and I have always left my Optimate charger attached to the bike when not in use and have never had a battery fail. The oldest bike was over four years old when I sold it and still on the original battery.
Perhaps the Optimates are better for batteries than BMW's expensive offering?

+1. Never had any battery trouble using Optimate chargers, Had my SV1000s 10 years on the original battery before selling the bike.

[smileymiley]

<<As additional information it is not good practice to leave a charger, even an intelligent one, permanently connected to your battery.&nbsp; Use it once a month in the winter for a day or two.&nbsp; That will stop it draining but also stop drying the battery out internally.>


Who says? I'm on my fourth BMW bike now and I have always left my Optimate charger attached to the bike when not in use and have never had a battery fail. The oldest bike was over four years old when I sold it and still on the original battery.
Perhaps the Optimates are better for batteries than BMW's expensive offering?

+1&nbsp; &nbsp; my 2 RT's have always been connected to an Optimate thru the r/h socket & never had any issues on either.

[David.]

Datatool charger bolted directly to the battery, works for me.

[T6pilot]

Veloman
In my experience most motorcycle batteries last 3-4 years, with the Bmw excide being on the low end, early replacement may save you next time from added expense and aggravation replacing a battery on the road
I replaced my keyless FOB battery 6 months ago with a no name (FOX) brand battery, it lasted 6 months, stick with a name brand if replacing FOB battery

[Ganesh]

From the collective epxerience is this isolated to keyless systems?

[VeloMan]

Many thanks for all the responses guys.&nbsp; Maybe its time to move away from lead/acid batteries. Anyone know of a Lithium-Ion battery that'd fit.&nbsp; Ive got one on my golf trolley, 5 years makers guarantee. Seems to hold its charge for ever, shame it won't fit in the battery compartment on the RT.

Cheers,
VeloMan

[David.]

For a TC RT, MDS offer a Yuasa battery for £50, https://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/yt19bl-bs- ... ttery.html

A lithium upgrade is available at five times the cost, https://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/shorai-lfx ... ttery.html

[blokeonthemove]

I don't think I'd trust Li Ion yet, they can get a bit flammable in certain circumstances , I can imagine the insurance company would welcome a way out.