Charging tender trouble

[orhog]

I got a charger with a R1200C I bought, Little black box that says Advanced battery charging system. Programmed for BMW Gel batteries. I know it came from a BMW shop, but I can`t find a part # on it. So I plug it in to my R1200R onboard socket and all I get is the flashing red light ,that is AC power is applied, battery is not connected properly. On the back of the unit it gives light operation (flashing) steady red is charging. green flashing is 80% and green steady complete and storage. I didn`t get the book with the charger, but is looks pretty straight forward as to how it works. Any help tips or idea`s. Does the key have to be on to start charging?
Thanks Rich

[Dauntless]

For the special CANbus charger that I have, the directions say to turn the key to "on", plug the charger into the socket, plug the charger into a wall outlet, then turn the key off. You might have to wire your charger directly to the battery.

[MikeCam]

Two things occur to me:

First, the charger plug may have shorted and results in the charger reporting a bad connection. Unscrew the plastic cover to insure the POS and NEG terminal solder is intact and not shorted out. Check the screw tightness. That should clear up the red flashing light.

Second, the CANBUS equipped bikes Accessory socket is not always on. As posted above, you need to turn on the ignition (not starting, just on), then plug in the charger to "talk" to the circuit. If it works, the Hazard flasher lights up and stays lit after 15 minutes. Otherwise, there is no circuit.

Best solution for that charger type and that bike is to use a fused pigtail to an SAE socket as a separate, direct connection from the battery.

[deilenberger]

Hmm.. same discussion going on over on the MOA Hexhead forum..

The charger for CanBus bikes is "special" - it talks (0's and 1's) to the ZFE (body electronics) over the connection to the accessory plug telling the ZFE to leave the circuit active after system shutdown (which occurs about 1 minute after key-off.) An older BMW charger - made for pre-CanBus bikes will not have this feature, and won't work by simply plugging it in.

Choices are - wire it directly (via a pigtail, or a 2nd accessory outlet) or buy the new charger, or simply ride the bike enough that it isn't needed (what I do.. nice if chilly ride today, mid 40F's, 35-50 knot wind gusts - it amazes me HOW stable the R12R is in wind. It's actually fun to ride in these conditions with clouds of leaves swirling around.. much unlike every other BMW I've owned.)

[celticus]

Lots of us on this site have rewired our outlets to use the old fashioned Non Can Bus outlets.

Mark

[orhog]

well thanks for all the info,,,I think the direct wire to the battery is the answer. As a matter of fact the think the old BMW charger can with post clamps and the direct with pigtails, I just didn`t get them, so all i need is a fused pigtail to plug into my tender, Thanks all.

[ka5ysy]

One other thing you might not be aware of is that the RR battery is an AGM, or special kind of lead-acid battery, and not a Gel cell... they charge differently. Unless you have one of the "smart" chargers that can determine the battery type, it might not work direct connect either.

[MikeCam]

It'll work.

[orhog]

Ok just to let you all know,,, I put a fused pigtail directly to the battery (you can get it a motorcycle shop) (got mine at a harley shop, 6 bucks) with a plug end on it, and it works like a charm with an older charger (bmw tender) I had to reset the clock after hooking the battery back up. as always Thanks for all the help.

[Graf]

stupid question........why would you need a fused wire going from charger to the battery? I do understand why you would need one going from the battery to the accessories, etc.....

[mogu83]

stupid question........why would you need a fused wire going from charger to the battery? I do understand why you would need one going from the battery to the accessories, etc.....

I guess it's because you have to run the wire to the outside of the bike and there is always the chance the wires could short out or become grounded. Also many of us use the same lead to power our electric clothing.

[Graf]

ok....makes sense....thanx

[lewellen]

stupid question........why would you need a fused wire going from charger to the battery? I do understand why you would need one going from the battery to the accessories, etc.....

Not a stupid question.

In an ideal world ... you wouldn't need fuses anywhere. But there are many things that could cause the "hot" side of the lead to, at some point, short to either the frame or the "ground" side of the lead. If there's no fuse, the wire would probably overheat and could start a fire, and the battery would definitely get discharged.

In the CANBUS system, the electronics are supposed to watch for signs of a short or open circuit; but a direct line to the battery doesn't have such protection, so...

(Personally, I'm still somewhat bemused about the lack of fuses on the bike, but that's just me.)

Cheers,

- John L.

[towerworker]

So the R1200R doesn't have fuses?

I have an 1150r (04) and don't come over here often enough or I guess I would know the answer to that question.

[celticus]

It doesn't come with fuses (I'm pretty sure)although many of us have added fuse boxes to run non can't-bus accessories from though.

Mark

[deilenberger]

No fuses, and a MUCH simpler wiring harness. Was looking at a friend's R1150GS this AM.. where he will likely need a new harness. The old one, aside from weather damage (he's an all year rider in NJ - so it sees it's share of salt and snow, and he parks it outside without a cover) had several wires that had worn through, shorted and melted down. The complexity of the harness requires splitting the bike in half to replace it (the rear subframe has to be dropped just to get the electronics box out.) And some circuits on the oilheads aren't fused..

CANBUS system allows for very simple control wiring.. power feeds from the FZE (body) module go to all the other components, which talk to the FZE and other components transferring info between each other to do all the control needed (lights on/off, turnsignals, speed, ABS sensing.) No need for relays, fuses, massive wiring harnesses. The entire harness runs along the top frame tubes and could probably be replaced in about 2 hours. Plus it isn't trying to bundle wires so tightly that they tend to overheat.

IMHO - CanBus is a VERY good thing.

[8b]

My 07 R12R is nearing its Oct 2009 3 year warranty ending, as its in-service date was Oct 2006.
On the computer, the temperature readout is flashing-- My guess is that is my low battery warning?
The bike has been sitting for 3-5 months of very infrequent use. I can tell the battery is weak because it sounds like it barely has enough juice to start, yet I used it last night and thankfully it started once to go out, and once to return home after dinner.

I do own a Deltran "battery tender plus" from my old bike, and a bmw "advanced battery charging system" that appears to be the same unit/chassis.

I haven’t used them like I did on my f650CS because I understood that they cannot be plugged in to the accessory socket due to Canbus.

So long story short I suppose I need to install the pigtail direct to the battery. I have the (fused) pigtail, it came with the battery tender plus.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY NYC PARKING GARAGE WITH ME TO INSTALL THE PIGTAIL?


ALSO, WHAT (IF ANY) THINGS SHOULD I HAVE LOOKED AT BEFORE MY WARRANTY RUNS ITS COURSE?

[Dauntless]

On the computer, the temperature readout is flashing-- My guess is that is my low battery warning?

It flashes if there is a possibility of ice.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY NYC PARKING GARAGE WITH ME TO INSTALL THE PIGTAIL?

You'll need a #2 phillips screw driver to remove the screws holding the battery cables and some small zip ties to secure the pigtail. If your pigtail doesn't come with them, you will also need to crimp round terminals on the pigtail to properly attach it to the battery. They are usually yellow with an inside diameter of 1/4" or 5-6mm. Put an inline fuse as close to the battery as possible. Don't forget your key!

[PhilSB]

My 07 R12R is nearing its Oct 2009 3 year warranty ending, as its in-service date was Oct 2006

Sorry to be off subject - but, do USA bikes get a 3 year warranty?
My UK bike is just coming up to 2 years old and my warranty is running out. I'm wondering if you have 3 years why do UK bikes only have 2 years?
BMW have offered an insured warranty extension costing £300 ($600?)for a year with £100 excess. I don't think I will take it.
Does anyone think it would be worth it?

Phil

[lewellen]

My 07 R12R is nearing its Oct 2009 3 year warranty ending, as its in-service date was Oct 2006.
On the computer, the temperature readout is flashing-- My guess is that is my low battery warning?

If the temperature reading is within a couple of degrees of freezing, it means there's a possibility of ice.

If it's warmer than that ... beats me. But the bike has a red battery-status indicator on the gauge side. It should light up red when you first turn the bike on.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY NYC PARKING GARAGE WITH ME TO INSTALL THE PIGTAIL?

You'll need a Philips head to remove the negative battery lead, and a Star (Torx) wrench to remove the positive battery lead. Or at least I needed one when I installed a fused pigtail, just last night. I think it was a T-25 but am not 100% sure. The positive screw is actually a little post with the star cutout on top.

When you screw the positive terminal back on, just make sure you don't get the red rubber thingie around the + terminal caught under the screw ... as I did.

You might also want to bring along a cheap multimeter to measure the battery voltage before, during and after charging. (Just to make sure things are working right ... and it's a great diagnostic tool to have around.)

I'm often on travel for a week or two at a time. When I'm home I have a short commute to and from work, and like using the heated grips.... Long story short, I got stranded by a too-low battery at a gas station yesterday morning, thus prompting the purchase of the tender for when I'm away, and finding out about needing the Torx-head wrench, etc.... Gotta love it....

ALSO, WHAT (IF ANY) THINGS SHOULD I HAVE LOOKED AT BEFORE MY WARRANTY RUNS ITS COURSE?

Well, warranty / recall work for mine so far has been for:

• brake line replacement (recall)
  steering damper (rusting & starting to leak - warranty)
  keyring antenna replacement (recall)
  Bike computer memory flash (software update)

I've also noted a number of screws / fasteners that have rusting heads, a couple of places where brown (rust) is starting to show on the frame, etc. Nothing too serious yet but I am definitely not pleased about this sort of thing. Geez, you'd think BMW never expected people to ride in the rain.

Good roads,

- Lewellen180