batt. breakdown

[mechanic savant]

Out for a ride on Sun. & stop at a fuel sta. I dont need ,but others do..pull over to the side & shut the bike off,when I go to restart I got nothing !!! no pre-start check (light & guage action) no click,whirr,nothin!!! when I turn the key off I get the clock & odo.to briefly flash w/key off !!!OOhhh DANG sez I..I've got a spare ews ring but it's not giving me that message..No info screen ,lights,instruments,head or tail lights...just that weird stuff when I key-off...try unpluging & reconnecting the only relay (key-off) nada , same w/batt. still nada !! in a moment of desparation/curiousity w/batt. disconected I go across the batt.terminals w/a pliers & no spark,flash or any other indication that any power is in there !!!Fortunatly I'm not alone..Or in the boonies...A rider is dispatched to the closest wal-mart w/the junk batt to try to match one up & comes back w/a darned close fit !!! we fill it w/acid give it a shake or 3 install it wait a few min. & bump start the bike ,,all seems ok so off we go...40mi home & no isseues Upon gettin home I check the old batt. 11.1v it won't take a charge & wont light a test light more than amber !!! bike charging sys is puting out 14.1v @ 3500rpm & wall mart batt is now up to 12.89v & acording to deltran batt charger doesn't need a charge bike starts fine !!!repeatedly !!!Any body else had a sudden-batt death experience ??? & I'll deal w /getting a new batt from the fatherland through the dealer once I induce a few 12oz.doses of therapy to my frazzeled motronic unit !!!

[WILDPIG]

ARE YOU KIDDIN? LOTTA RIDERS MYSELF INCLUDED HAVE HAD SUDDEN BATTERY DEATH AS U CALL IT. IF BMW CONTINUES TO CONTRACT WITH EXIDE FOR BATTERIES THEN BMW IS ---CRASY. WHAT LIL RESEARCH I VE DONE INDICATES A LOT OF PREMATURE BATTERY FAILURE.........

[deilenberger]

Be interested in production date of your R12, and the manufacturer of the battery. If the bike is less than 24 months old from the date you drove it from the dealership - they owe you a new battery.

[mechanic savant]

Date of mfg is 04-07 delivery date is mid oct.07 mi 9,856 it arived @ dealer a couple wks before & everyone (me & dealer) waited for paper work to land from NJ so I could go to the dmv ..this am.w/a fluke dvom batt.reads 12.55v but won't light a test light!!!I remember when as a youth I worked @ Sears auto ctr. & almost 10% of the "die hard" batts. were factory bad for your protection...My dealer has been exemplary over the yrs. & will probably get me a new one , he's closed mon.& we'll spin the wheel of batt.roulette again.. however my tool bag doesn't have enough room for a batt.,tools,flat repair kit & anews sensor!!!

[Graf]

& bump start the bike ,,all seems ok so off we go...40mi home & no isseues

....how did you manage to bump start the bike?......i tried it going down hill about 10MPH and it just would not do it......it's hard to get those cilynders moving.....in contrast...i had no problem bump starting a suzuki gsxr.....without a hill....

[snag]

We had the same issue with the bride's Z4 when we bought it. That battery got killed by a Neil Young song in a Safeway parking lot. Dealer was frantically charging the battery when we picked the car up and the salesman said that you've got to be careful with BMW batteries. The Z4 actually has a charger in the engine compartment and you're supposed to plug the car in if it sits for more than a week (even in the summer). The battery is a nice white color though.

Not really relevant, but I thought it might make you feel better that you're not alone.

Doug

[deilenberger]

We had the same issue with the bride's Z4 when we bought it. That battery got killed by a Neil Young song in a Safeway parking lot. Dealer was frantically charging the battery when we picked the car up and the salesman said that you've got to be careful with BMW batteries. The Z4 actually has a charger in the engine compartment and you're supposed to plug the car in if it sits for more than a week (even in the summer). The battery is a nice white color though.

Not really relevant, but I thought it might make you feel better that you're not alone.

Doug

Doug, did you buy the Z4 new? I've never heard of a BMW with a built-in battery charger, and I've owned a lot of the cages (including several currently, a 5 series and an M3.. neither have battery chargers.) My BMW car batteries typically last 6-7 years with basically no attention at all. The M3 often sits for weeks at a time as I'm usually riding the R12R.. (the M3 is just transportation for me..)

[Victor Vector]

Saturday Sept 20th was riding along at 40 MPH and everything shut down, just like I turned off the key! Won't jump start, only clicks from the starter. Weird LCD display when key switched to the off position. I have only 16K on my 2007 R1200R completely stock with no add-on electrical stuff. Dealer will replace it fully and those babies are up to $190.00 now! BMW roadside assistance arranged for a tow promptly----it was a 5 hr hassle because there was nowhere I could have gotten a substitute batt.

[snag]

Doug, did you buy the Z4 new? I've never heard of a BMW with a built-in battery charger, and I've owned a lot of the cages (including several currently, a 5 series and an M3.. neither have battery chargers.) My BMW car batteries typically last 6-7 years with basically no attention at all. The M3 often sits for weeks at a time as I'm usually riding the R12R.. (the M3 is just transportation for me..)

Don,

Bought it new with 200 miles on the clock (demo), car sat out over the winter on the lot and then was spruced up to lure me in when the snow melted. I live in northern Alberta and block heaters are common, almost standard, but I've never seen a charger before. The bride is out for dinner (while I'm going back to the office ), but I'll take a picture for you in the next day or two if I can remember. And I still do not know how to do quotes right; how do I get "Don Wrote" instead of "Quote:"?

Doug

[ka5ysy]

I had been blasting around Baton Rouge all day and stopped for lunch. On leaving I hit the starter and the starter bumped and quit. The gauges blanked too. Happily the dealership was close and had a battery.

Interestingly I tried jump starting which worked fine until getting into gear and trying to move at which time the computer shut off everything!

Must be something in the air today killing batteries instantly. The bike is stored with the BMW charger floating the battery. $140.00 later back on the road! Happily, unlike some of those reporting the problem, I had nearly instant access to help and a new battery. Good thing I did not decide to make a run up into the Feliciana's today as I originally intended!

Exide batteries seem to be the culprit for everyone.

[mechanic savant]

Bike bump-started very easily ,used 2nd gear as always (you do use 2nd gear don't you?) w/a slight push @ it fired right up ,perhaps it's the superior quality of the wally- mart emf box to the fatherland exide emf-less container !! now thats a scary thought ...in case of panic break cap & remove amber liquid & dispose of in am environmentaly safe way

[deilenberger]

$140.00 later back on the road! Happily, unlike some of those reporting the problem, I had nearly instant access to help and a new battery. Good thing I did not decide to make a run up into the Feliciana's today as I originally intended!

Why was there any charge? The battery is warrantied for 24 months (not sure on miles - but prolly 24k.)

[deilenberger]

Bought it new with 200 miles on the clock (demo), car sat out over the winter on the lot and then was spruced up to lure me in when the snow melted. I live in northern Alberta and block heaters are common, almost standard, but I've never seen a charger before.

I never have either - but they may have added it for the locale..

The bride is out for dinner (while I'm going back to the office ), but I'll take a picture for you in the next day or two if I can remember. And I still do not know how to do quotes right; how do I get "Don Wrote" instead of "Quote:"?

Doug

Easy to get that - just use the "quote" button - and it will add something like {quote="snag"} to the beginning of the quoted text. I just hack away at the text then, deleting what I don't need, and intersperse my inane comments surrounding them with {/quote} which starts unquoted text, and {quote} which restores the quoting. Note that none of these actually have {} around them, they have brackets around them [] - I changed these so the examples will display and not function. I think.

[ka5ysy]

$140.00 later back on the road! Happily, unlike some of those reporting the problem, I had nearly instant access to help and a new battery. Good thing I did not decide to make a run up into the Feliciana's today as I originally intended!

Why was there any charge? The battery is warrantied for 24 months (not sure on miles - but prolly 24k.)

Hi Don:

Mostly it was because I ran through the dealership and told them I needed a battery right now and didnt even think of the warranty issue.. I ran by the dealership today and we looked up the warranty. As you noted it is 2 years on the later model motorcycles. They issued a refund and filed a warranty claim with BMWNA. Interesting thing they showed me was that BMWNA has refused warranty on 4 motorcycle battery claims in the past several months for undisclosed reasons. (I smell a class action! Yummy!!) I told them when they filed mine to make a note that I am also an attorney and a replacement battery would be much cheaper than playing games

One of the mechanics who should know, said that the batteries are a major weak spot for BMW's.


Doug

[ka5ysy]

....perhaps it's the superior quality of the wally- mart emf box to the fatherland exide emf-less container !! now thats a scary thought ...

Makes sense to me; the Arkansas folks know how to make good moonshine! Hillbilly engineering at its finest

[Caroanbill]

These are all Exide, are they?

I think my Aussie bike has a different brand (and I'll check this weekend before my next long trip). Mine shows no ill effects from a diet of 3-6 days @ 700+km a day, followed by up to 6 weeks without use, the straight into another 3-4 days @ 700+km. No a single issue in 13 months / 13,000km (it doesn't even fret when I go to its gagareg and take its little sibling out for around-town work ... )

[ka5ysy]

These are all Exide, are they?

I think my Aussie bike has a different brand (and I'll check this weekend before my next long trip). Mine shows no ill effects from a diet of 3-6 days @ 700+km a day, followed by up to 6 weeks without use, the straight into another 3-4 days @ 700+km. No a single issue in 13 months / 13,000km (it doesn't even fret when I go to its gagareg and take its little sibling out for around-town work ... )

That is the interesting thing about my situation; I use the BMW float charger all the time, and it was showing green lights (fully charged) when I rode out to enjoy the cool weather. It literally died over a 40 minute lunch break. As I Said, I was really happy I was not riding way out in the country when it happened.

[mechanic savant]

Well shut my mouth @ fill me n my batt w/that razor back go-go juice.. If it's good enough fer Bill n Hillary it's good enough fer this yankee

[Shortpower]

Anybody try a Westco battery? They advertise in the BMW Owners News Mag. They don't list an R1200R on their website, but they do list other R1200's. The F650GS people on their "Chaingang" website had good luck with these batteries. The Westco website says that they have a YTX14-BS replacement--$95.95 plus shipping. Is this our Battery?

Shortpower

[mogu83]

When the battery went on my R1200R I took the WestCo 12V14-B (AGM) out of my Valkyrie and used it in the Beemer for almost two weeks. Same size and specs as the Beemer battery and everything (abs,computer) worked ok. I bought my WestCo from Westco http://www.westcobattery.com/battery_pa ... =13&vid=-1for $80.50 delivered to my door.