dead battery

[julia rose]

my bike has been sitting for 2.5 months and i went to start it up and have a dead battery. yes..i know, i should have been starting my bike from time to time... Now, i see that the battery is under the tank and its not so easy to get out. what do you suggest, should i try to remove the battery and charge up, or..can i use the heated vest connector to either boost or charge the battery? what is the method for boosting the battery in this situation, note that i cant charge the battery from where it is parked as there is no outlet nearby.
thanks for your help,

julia

[towerworker]

If your bike is a 2004 or newer there is a terminal next to the accessory plug for jumper cables. That one is positive and there is a negative terminal just under the throttle body on the same side (left hand side).

You can charge thru the accessory socket and that's what many people do. Just be sure to observe the correct polarity when you attach a charger. Center pin of the accessory plug and socket is + (Red) and the outer ring is - (Black)

Hope this helps.

Wayne

[towerworker]

I should have mentioned in my previous reply------starting from time to time just to keep the battery up is not a good idea unless you take the bike out and give it a good run. By that I mean 30+ miles. Starting and running for a few minutes at at time will do more harm than good. The engine needs a thorough warm up or you end up with a crankcase full of condensation. If you can't run the bike (on the road) for a good piece then your best course of action would be a battery tender.

[snowprick]

I should have mentioned in my previous reply------starting from time to time just to keep the battery up is not a good idea unless you take the bike out and give it a good run. By that I mean 30+ miles. Starting and running for a few minutes at at time will do more harm than good. The engine needs a thorough warm up or you end up with a crankcase full of condensation. If you can't run the bike (on the road) for a good piece then your best course of action would be a battery tender.

+1

[spoon]

+2
Also, I have heard that you will never fully charge a motorcycle battery by running the bike. Even if you rode it from Ca. to NY non-stop. Battery Tender.

[Sunbeemer]

And it should be mentioned that you should not try to jump start the bike using the accessory socket since it only has a 15 amp fuse that can't handle the load the starter would draw.

[marine dad]

you didn't say what kind of connector your heated vest has. if it is an sae connector you should be able to connect your batt tender to the sae connector. first time tank removal to get to the battery is a little intimidating, but it is really pretty simple, just pay attention to how everything is connected and put it all back the same and you'll be fine. good luck
mike

[julia rose]

my only option is to try to boost the battery versus use a tender because i dont have access to an outlet..even creatively and cant have a long enough extension cord running from my apt to the bike. so..has to be boosted but if i need to take the tank off to do it..fiddly to get on and then ride right away...because it shouldnt idle..that wont work..
other option is the accessory plug but i get mixed response on this forum that it is not right voltage???.
even if i were to get it started by boosting i also get mixed response about whether riding will fully charge it.
and, i would want to take it to a dealer i think to make sure the battery is okay, or in case it does not restart aftr riding.
your thoughts on this?
what i will do once i resolve this...is move it to a friends garage and use a tender over the next few months..so i dont get in this situation again.

julia

[Dr. Strangelove]

yes, JR, moving it to a friend's garage is probably a good idea, considering your winters. There is no plug nearby to plug in a tender? Even a 100' extension cord is cheaper than a tow to the dealer, I'd think. It would prob take a few hours to charge her up to start. I think someone posted that battery tenders are on sale now I KMart for about $20 USD. WalMart has them also.

John

[CycleRob]

Julia, We need more info.
--City/State of your locale to convey weather.
--What year bike and how old is the battery?
--How "dead" is the battery? - - slow turn on the starter or just faint clicks?

A battery "Tender" will NOT charge up a dead battery. It's not enough power or the higher voltage it needs for a reasonable recovery. I say the battery is beyond recovery because of it's likely age and the slow way it was discharged. Plan on replacing it, soon as the garage with AC power is available, as it will never again achieve full capacity because of Sulfation. See the why and how of it HERE .

You can jumpstart your bike from the starter solenoid's upper fat (Positive) terminal -but- that is extremely hazardous if the correct technique and sequence is not used. One T-25 wrench removes the plastic starter cover, then you can use the car + it's own good battery to charge your "dead" one for 10 minutes running while on the jumper cable feeding.

Once the bike starts and as soon as it's near warmed up, keep the RPM's consistently higher than usual to help prevent the bike's heavily loaded alternator from overheating.

[TicTac50]

You can jumpstart your bike from the starter solenoid's upper fat (Positive) terminal -but- that is extremely hazardous if the correct technique and sequence is not used. One T-25 wrench removes the plastic starter cover, then you can use the car + it's own good battery to charge your "dead" one for 10 minutes running while on the jumper cable feeding.
Once the bike starts and as soon as it's near warmed up, keep the RPM's consistently higher than usual to help prevent the bike's heavily loaded alternator from overheating.

CycleRob is correct. Once, this option worked for me. I had an old battery and no accessory socket. Left the parking lights on for the whole day. Could not start the bike in the evening. Took the cover off and co-worker had jumper cables. After a little chit-chat and couple if cigarettes, bike started without jumper cables. Co-worker had a Mercedes and did not like the idea of cables connected to his car while starting the bike. Something to do with the COMPUTER in the Mercedes. But, it worked for me, should work for you too.

[julia rose]

okay here's my response cyclerob:

i live in victoria bc where its mild and rainy this time of year
the bike is a 2002, and not knowing the history i will just presume its the original battery
i didnt run it since end of october (me dumb)
when i started the bike it was weak then died. then tried to start again and got the clicking sounds
i have no way to access an outlet to charge via a tender..no outdoor outlet and not close enough to an indoor outlet
i dont have it in a garage (open covered parking) so working on it outside basically
i am not mechanically inclined so will need to find a rider familiar with bmw to assist me
i do have towing coverage so could tow to the garage and have them do it all.
or, try to "boost" and then still might need to bring to the garage for a new battery right?
so my thinking at this point..tow the bike to the garage and likely get a new battery.
julia

[Sunbeemer]

i do have towing coverage so could tow to the garage and have them do it all.

my thinking at this point..tow the bike to the garage and likely get a new battery.

I think that's probably your best bet. The positive starter connection is a little tricky to reach with a standard pair of jumper cables, but can be accomplished by someone knowledgeable.

And as mentioned, starting the bike while still connected to jumper cables can possibly damage the computers and/or charging systems of both vehicles, This actually, albeit rarely, could happen when disconnecting the cables after the jumped vehicle has started from a high-voltage spike generated during the disconnection. I have never personally seen this happen, but it is mentioned in the manual.

[timl]

Is push-starting an R1150 possible? That is, beyond the extraordinary physical challenge. Assuming that there is enough battery remaining to drive the motronic, etc..

[snowprick]

Is push-starting an R1150 possible? That is, beyond the extraordinary physical challenge. Assuming that there is enough battery remaining to drive the motronic, etc..

NO

[Dr. Strangelove]

NO

spoken like someone who knows. did you try, what's the story and why can't it be

[Sunbeemer]

Is push-starting an R1150 possible?

While I've heard it can be done, I remember reading that it is contra-indicated since it puts a lot of stress on the final drive gear-set which could possibly damage them or their bearings. However, I would think that these parts undergo at least as much stress during sudden, unsynchronized downshifts (which we all know should be avoided).

[snowprick]

Low batt means no computer. Also no fuel pump. Dont try you may drop your bike. Take my word on it.

[towerworker]

I must agree with Snowprick----two winters ago I killed my battery on a cold morning. I have a very steep driveway which then goes to a gently downhill sloping city street. The ideal path on which to let a bike roll (or be pushed) to bump start. I even waited for the temps to get up. All I managed to accomplish was a good workout for me in pushing the bike back to the house.

That's when I bought a tender.


Wayne

[julia rose]

thanks for all your feedback.
unfortunately the mountain bike is my only bike that i think can be on the road right now..while i wait for the icy conditions to clear up..and a warmer day... then i will have the beemer towed.