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Does anyone know how much my 2004's battery drains, just sitting? Also....the amount the Kisan Signal Minder I installed adds to that? I should have measured when I had the tank off last summer.

The clock also drains your battery.

I use a battery tender for 48 hours (Friday 6 AM till Sunday 6 AM) every week and the Motobatt is now over 8 years old.

Google result:

https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/ ... ge-drain/

Much thanks, Sweatmark. According to that link our rides lose 2.6 mA just sitting. Still don't know how much the Kisan Signal Minder adds to that. FWIW the reason I asked: My solar panel maintains my battery to full capacity in the summer. In the winter there's less daylight and the sun moves south behind a tall building for a good part of the day. When the sun reflects into cloud cover my panel puts out 13-16 mA; when the sky is clear and the sun is behind said building the panel supplies 3 mA. After 3 weeks the battery reads 12V or a below. I usually am able to ride before it gets too low. If the snow persists I run a cord and trickle charge - a bit of a pain

If the Kisan Signal minder is in question try a voltmeter on your Battery then un-plug it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-SYN0cUcEc
I was going to buy a Kisan unit until I read some reviews stating parasitic drain and running hot.
Let us know what you find.

Yes..Tundra Man....the video describes it well. Trouble is, the fabled German engineers decided to bury our batteries. I don't feel like removing the tank as it's a pain in the derrièr. Hope to remember to do this next time I'm forced to remove said tank.

I find the Kisan no problem except the drain, which is not an issue during the main riding season. I find the stock system counter-intuitive; a second or two is important in heavy urban traffic. I was able to enjoy a pleasant jaunt last Sunday but today it's snowing here in Colorado.

Isn't there a fuse for the clock?

Yes..and a fuse for the Motronic. I pull these as well as the Kisan unit when I'm going to be out of town for extended periods. Then it drains very little. However...the box isn't made for the fuses to be removed repeatedly. I'm afraid of wearing something out. Mostly, the solar panel does the trick.

I guess everyone already knows how to eliminate the drain from the signal minder
But just in case
Just cut the RED wire and move it over to the LT GRn/DRK GRN

No.. Mrclubike. This is the second or third time I've raised this topic and this is the only time this info has been posted. Opened my Haynes manual though I'm not the best at reading these diagrams. Am I correct in thinking that this move would cut the flow to the hazard lights ? Would you know where is an accessible/easy place to perform this re-route ?

If you do this mod the Emergency flashers will not operate with the key off but work as normal with the key on
My brother in laws 07 GS's flasher will not operate with the key off either so I don't think it is a big deal.
The best place that I know of to do it is directly below the flasher relay connector.
You may have enough slack in the harness to pull it out and access the wires without removing the upper half of the relay box
If you don't. Getting the upper half of the fuse box on and off is a pain in the rear

I also removed my clock and installed a volt meter in its placed that turns off with the key

The Kisan takes the parasitic drain from about 2.5 mA to 7.5 mA. In other words it triples the drain!

Here’s what I did to fix mine: https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/7 ... drain-fix/

You lose flashers with the Key Off but that didn’t matter to me.

If you have to worry about parasitic current draining your battery y'all need to ride more..............

but seriously though....that's good info on reducing the current drain. I too have the SM-5. I keep a tender on my 680 for much of the winter even though I ride it often. The above instrument panel picture reminded me that I wish BMW had included an oil temp gauge (as well as a clock).

This topic prompted a quick look at the SLP wiring schematic...

I'm away from bike right now, but doesn't the flasher switch have backlight? Just a subtle reddish glow?

The R28 wiring diagram shows no specific means of backlighting, so I assume (if I'm correct about the glow) that the switch has built-in LED.

I'm trying to pin down potential current sinks for that Kisan SM-5 parasitic draw.

Did the deed. Mrclubike's diagram, with instructions, was very useful toward understanding the cure. I decided to go with Roger 04 rt's surgical solution - as pictured in the excellent photo he provided; it seemed simpler as there was no need to dig around in the wiring. One problem...I'm not a surgeon. I am an artist but solder is not my medium. Enter my friend Mark - what Rembrandt was to oil paint, Mark is to solder. Between us exchanging stories the job was done; the actual work took just a few minutes. Reinstalled the Kisan; the turn signals seem to work. Since I switched to a 5W solar charger the battery is never low; a 3.5W was not enough. Now, however, I trust I can leave the battery alone for more than two weeks. Much thanks to Mrclubike, Roger 04 rt and others who chimed in.