Power outlet no longer switched?

[Anyname]

On my 2005 R12GS, using the power outlet for the battery charger required a little ritual with the ignition switch to tell the electrical system that the charger was plugged in and ready to charge. Today I decided to hitch my 2011 R12R to the charger and was surprised when the battery started to charge with no key ritual. Is this new for 2011 or is this old news?

I have also noticed that if my GPS is mounted (it's wired to the BMW connector), it turns on when the charger is plugged in. If I shut it off, it will turn itself on again, apparently when the charger cycles.

[Dauntless]

On my 2009, I don't have to turn the key on to activate the plug.

[websterize]

Is this new for 2011 or is this old news?

Two-year-old news.

[Anyname]

I have to say it's good news. Now I don't have to wire a socket directly to the battery. On my 2005 GS, every power outage would cause the electronics to disconnect the charger. The last time it happened the battery was dead by the time I noticed that it was no longer being charged.