An anemic little trickle came out even though the gauge read full. Do I get to watch my bike burn to the ground? After a few minutes, the smoke had stopped and I grabbed the screwdriver and disconnected the battery. I cried, I screamed dirty words at the heavens, I prayed to wake up from a nightmare. But here I am. With a F GS with less than 10k miles with a melted wiring harness.
I am sure I killed the ignition too. It's something I have to have the dealer work on, and it's probably going to cost me upwards of a grand. Perhaps I should just sell it for parts. Do as I say, not as I do! This section contains a list of batteries with links to any modifications you may need to perform to fit the battery to your bike.
There are also some questions that are specific to batteries only, and are not directly related to the F Note 1: The 12AL-A is a common battery size and can be bought many other places other than the dealership. All batteries listed are 12V. Their battery section covers this in great detail.
Once you know the battery codes that will fit your bike, you can go battery surfing, as I believe that they all use the same codes such as YB12AL-A. The 12 is the battery amp hour rating.
I believe the Y may indicate a motorcycle battery and the rest of the code describes size, terminal location and vent tube location. Richard , Pacifica. There seems to be some confusion about batteries that fit the F. I have a list of batteries someone posted, but I don't know for sure if they are suitable. Well, you can't beat a good Yuasa! Criteria should be:.
The wet cell comes in 2 styles; serviceable, and maintenance free. Both are filled with electrolyte and I prefer one that I can add water to and check the specific gravity of the electrolyte with a hydrometer. The Gel-Cell and the AGM batteries are specialty batteries that typically cost twice as much as a premium wet cell.
However they store very well and do not tend to sulfate as easily as wet cell. There is no chance of a hydrogen gas explosion or corrosion using these batteries. Most Gel-Cell and some AGM batteries require a special charging rate, especially the deep cycle models. I personally feel that careful consideration should be given to the AGM battery technology for applications such as Marine, RV, Classic and Performance cars just to name a few.
If you don't use or operate your equipment daily; which can lead premature battery failure; or depend on top-notch battery performance then spend the extra money. Gel-Cell batteries still are being sold but the AGM batteries are replacing them in many cases.
There is a little confusion about AGM batteries because different manufactures call them different names. A couple popular ones are regulated valve, and dry cell batteries. In most cases AGM batteries will give double the life span and many more deep cycles than wet cell battery. I hope I have answered your question. I think I read somewhere that BMW is now installing sealed batteries in their bikes. If this is also true for the new F's, will the GS battery fit the Funduro? BMW batteries are expensive, but I'll bet they are less than Hawker.
It might be worth checking into. Richard If so how did it work out for you and is it lasting. They sell one for Later, Dirty. This section is focused on proceedures to modify your bike for different batteries. Check the battery lists to see what batteries you could you, and click on the link to see the modifications required.
There are also a few other modifications related to drain tubes. Here is the GS Battery, exposed. There is not much spare space where the battery is, so you can try one of these modifications. There are two basic methods: The most common is to re-drill the holes in the metal tray. An alternative is to bend the metal tray. Using some loctite and lock washers, re-attach the plastic tray to the bracket using the new holes. Given that assumption, I trimmed away the lower part of the plastic cover, cutting along the line shown below I carefully used a bandsaw; a pair of wire cutters, etc.
As you install the airbox back onto the throttle, the two new holes in the upper part of the bracket will be slipping into place over the mounting bolts. Notice that your rubber battery retaining strap needs to be installed at this time: the metal clip it hangs onto will now be pushed forward against the bike frame, and cannot be installed later!
Notice the new gap along the forward edge of the tray bottom: this is the new width you just created for your new battery! Install the two lower airbox bolts. Install the plastic relay cover. Install the new battery, postive terminal first. The negative battery cable on my bike did not fit the battery very well, so using a round file file I enlarged the copper hole a little. After a minute of filing it slipped right into place. Install right side tank panel and center panel.
Install seat. Set the clock and take your battery for a ride! Start to finish, I spent hours working on this. The AGM seems to run almost 0. My bike now starts much faster than it ever did with the OEM-type wet-cell batteries. And as a bonus, I don't have to worry about checking water levels every week!
Scott, ID, A few tips: The nuts on the bottom of the bracket are epoxied on. I "broke" them loose with an 11mm box wrench and a hammer. A drill press would have been helpful, since the new holes overlap the old holes by a couple 32nds. I wound up with something more like slots when I was finished butchering the plate, but it still seems to be solid. To flatten the front hold-down tab, I hooked the strap over the tab, then hammered it vertical.
It still comes on and off, but I wouldn't want to "fish" it on now. I'm not sure if there is room for the thin airbox foam rubber pad that the back of the stock battery rests against. I'd removed mine earlier while trying to figure out what would work, and there may be room to leave it in there. Top panel clearance seems to be fine. There doesn't seem to be as much battery vibration isolation as stock, but hopefully the new battery can take it.
I'll have to check for contact wear after I do some off-roading, but I don't anticipate any problems. Assuming outright melting isn't an issue, is there still any reason to think the lack of space around the larger batteries might cause heating problems for the battery?
Dano PDX When needed I can just pull them up as shown. I then made a set of mini jumper cables with the left-over parts or "Barbie" cables as my wife says. I think I'm now ready for winter. Scott, ID There is a little tube that runs from and overflow outlet on the right side near the top of the battery FGS, but classic also has this tube.
Is there supposed to be a small hose clamp on this? Mine has no hose clamp. The tube either slipped off the battery by itself or the BMW tech who did my 6k service forgot to put it back on while he was busy mis-routing my throttle cable and stripping threads. The result being a fair amount of battery acid leak on to the negative wiring harness and a few other places. I did some good off-road riding, and that's when the leak happened.
Normally the overflow tube would carry the acid down under the frame and safely away. So, do you see a little hose clamp on there? Finally, this section contains all the other questions about batteries. So if your question is not about batteries only, and is not about modifying your bike for a new battery, your question should be answered here. This bike will EAT your battery unless you check the level of the electrolyte frequently.
Some try to remember to check it after every few tanks full of gas. When replacing the battery, both terminals partially broke. As I applied fairly normal torque to both bolts lubed with dielectric grease, a little tighter than hand-tight , a side of the circle that the bolt goes through opened up.
In other words, the "O" that the bolt goes through on the battery now looks like a "C. I can't find this in the FAQs so perhaps someone can help me out. Is there a way to check the fluid level in an '05 GS battery without a having to remove at least two pieces of cowling and b remove the battery from the bike?
I tried shining a torch through the battery to check the fluid level but without success. In theory there is no need for me to check the levels right now because the bike has just had its first service - but I wouldn't want to rely on the workmanship - see comment below re brake pedal.
Many Charge through the Accessory Plug, but read cautions below. I ask cause I just came back from a quick night ride. I haven't been riding and was wired. Figured I was due a short ride before I went to bed. Anyway my bike wouldn't start. It kept cranking but wouldn't catch. I left it for about 10 seconds then tried it again and it finally turned over.
They way it sounded when it turned over is like like it was almost at the brink of turning over then it just caught. Sorry I can't explain it any better. Oh yeah The bike is only 3 months old. That is why I am surprised. Should a battery tender be purchased in my near future? What on earth is EDTA? Pb is the symbol for lead on the periodic table. Your battery gets a certain amount of lead in its plates when it is new.
Some of that dissolves into solution when you pour in the acid. Some of it turns into lead sulphate when things are not working quite right. Adding EDTA prevents that. If you allow the extra liquid to boil off the lead stays in the battery.
The liquid does not actually boil in that it never gets that hot. It DOES electrolyze into hydrogen and oxygen and the vapours go away. Anyway, if the lead stays in the battery, you haven't lost anything when the level draws down except for water, which you happily add back in in the form of DISTILLED water. Removing electrolyte is not a good idea. There is Pb lead dissolved in the electrolyte and you'll diminish the capacity of your battery by removing it.
The battery on the F boils off electrolyte fast enough that it won't be overfilled for long. The EDTA somehow keeps lead sulfate from forming or keeps it soluble. Lead sulfate is insoluble in the electrolyte, and sinks to the bottom of the cell when it flakes off. When the pile of lead sulfate gets big enough, it bridges the gap between the plates, and you get a dead cell. If it doesn't flake off, it reduces the effective surface area of the cell, slowly reducing its capacity.
EDTA works by binding divalent cations lead in this case therefore inhibiting the formation of lead compounds. For already formed lead sulphate If you dissolve it in water first you can then add it to battery electrolyte which is approx 4M sulfuric acid.
I don't know how long it stays in solution. If you dump the powder straight into the battery very little will go into solution. If the 'powder dumping' approach yields results it suggests that very little is actually needed. As per Google, In general, use one tablespoon per cell in a golf cart battery such as a Trojan T There are approx. George I spent over 20 years in the battery industry, starting at the Exide battery research center in Yardley Pennsylvania. Battery additives and rejuvenators have been a hot item as long as batteries have been in existence.
Sulfation is the most often mentioned failure mode that these additives are supposed to correct. The problem is that the formation of lead sulfate is the normal manner in which a battery delivers its energy. On charging the lead sulfate is converted back into the respective active material. Both the PbO2 and Pb on the plates are conductive, the lead sulfate discharge product is essentially non-conductive. As long as the crystals of lead sulfate formed during discharge are very small, their proximity to conductive portions of the plate permits them to be converted back to active forms.
Destructive sulfation occurs when the PbSO4 crystals become larger and more difficult or impossible to be converted back into active material. This occurs through a phenomenon called Ostwald Ripening. OR causes crystals to become larger over time. The best way you can see this would be to take a small jar of water and add sugar till no more will dissolve and then add another spoonful or two.
At first when you stir it the powder in the bottom will swirl around easily. By the end of the day a crust will form on top of the sugar so the powder will no longer swirl. In a few days you will see crystals growing. Over time they may get to be a quarter inch or more in size. In your battery the PbSO4 crystals will be quite a bit smaller, but if you were to take apart a sulfated battery and dry the plates you would see them sparkle as light bounced of the crystal faces.
This sulfation is essentially irreversible. Battery manufacturers have tried to combat it since the beginning of the last century. Besides tying up active material the, sulfation also consumes the sulfuric acid electrolyte. As the battery degrades the acid concentration drops and the internal resistance of the battery goes up. This rise in internal resistance further limits the power output needed to start your vehicle. Most battery additives act to decrease the internal resistance which means that, for a limited time, you can more efficiently access the remaining power in the battery.
Depending on the application initial condition of the battery, power requirements, temperature, etc. When I complete the analysis I discussed the results with one of the Old Timers who had been designing batteries for over 40 years. The major ingredient was magnesium sulfate MgSO4 otherwise known as Epsom salt.
He said Epsom salt was the old standby for additive charlatans. It gave a quick reduction in internal resistance but could do nothing to renew an ailing battery. There was enough cobalt Co in the additive to give it a blue color. My friend said that cobalt would reduce the voltage required to charge the battery which might help if the car's charging system was weak.
The downside was cobalt also causes the battery to self-discharge more rapidly and accelerates corrosion of the positive grid. There was nothing else of any value?
At that time I told him that a lot of people thought it was possible to make a really long life battery but that the battery companies didn't do it because they wanted to keep sales up. He said there were 5 major companies. The company that could find a way to make a demonstrably better battery for a price could blow the others out of the market. If you could dominate the market why would you sit on the idea? He said that he could make me a year car battery The only problem was it would cost five times as much as current batteries and weight pounds.
As to EDTA in batteries, it will increase conductivity of the electrolyte, which may give you a brief reprieve as noted above. In addition, it may increase battery capacity for a time. As a salt of an organic acid EDTA will again become an organic acid when placed in the battery. Organic acids readily attack the metallic lead of the positive grid structure.
A small amount of organic acid can consume a large amount of lead grid because the reaction recycles the acid back to its original form to continue the attack. The corroded grid material will be able to withstand a few charge-discharge cycles but will fail fairly quickly. Over time dependent on depth of discharge, frequency of use and temperature the positive grid will corrode through and the battery will fail.
In other words, a battery that is close to failure might be brought back for a limited amount of time. That will give the battery a chance to finally fail just when you need it most!
If the battery is known to be weak, it is best to replace it as soon as possible rather than hoping you won't be in the middle of a serious situation when it does fail. The only valid use I can see for battery additives would be to have some Epsom salt in your tool kit so that you can try to get one last start out of a bad battery when caught unaware. Feedback: Epsom Salt.
The FAQ battery section mentions that it is a good idea to bring in a long trip some Epsom salt with you in case the battery dies. It seems that adding the salt to the electrolyte can give you some extra life in case of an emergency.
Any experience with that? Which quantity should I add to each cell? What's the chance I'll end up in jail if a cop finds me with a small ziplock full of white crystals?.
My idea is not to rely on the magic properties of the salts, BUT a small ziplock takes no space in the tool bag. My assumption is that IF I am stuck in the middle of nowhere and the couple of grams of salt I have in my tool bag can give me an extra kick to get to the next gas station. Why I shouldn't try using them? I doubt very much that this works. If the battery goes bad you want a NEW working battery on a trip so you don't get stuck in the middle of no where.
Since you should be able to get s jump start if your battery is toast and that should get you to a new battery source I see no reason to add Epsom salt or carry same But it would be interesting as a experiment at home with a known dead battery.
Let's see if a PhD in chemistry can help BTW, I've never heard of this fix it. Anyway, if the battery was dry, and not just low on water and therefore much more concentrated sulfuric acid , one could add water and Epsom's to get the active electrolyte, sulfate, nearly correct the Mg is not good in this respect and then if you could push start, in principle you could get the battery to charge.
Don't know how well it would work in the face of lots of Mg, but I guess it's possible. However, if the battery was merely low on "water", I'd never add the Epsom's, but rather just add deionised water to prevent the addition of undesirable ions like sodium, magnesium, etc. OK, there's my attempt. I can draw a mess of equations, but too difficult on this mode of communication. This is what happens when you don't: I am so stoopid. A conventional "spillable" battery requiring dry shipment.
Acid may be purchased locally i. See CG Battery Deal! See the Odyssey PC for alternative. This is most likely the alterative to the SBS8. If anyone can confirm this that would be appreciated. Around the right way. Rebranded Yuasa battery. The only way it would fit was on its end after removing the rubber box liner, and the wires will just reach.
The battery does, as mentioned above, hold a charge MUCH better. This was, incidentally, the only battery my dealer could find at that time that would fit. Hal New bracket is the gray piece.
This would make the width of the battery chamber wider. See below image; green arrows point to red dots that are the new holes one hole is hidden from view : Remove seat. Remove the center tank panel, and the right side panel.
Remove the battery negative terminal first. Remove the two lower airbox screws the ones that are located below the front part of the seat. Remove airbox and let it hang to the right side. I also removed a hose from the bottom of the airbox, to make it easier to get to the bottom side of it.
This may or may not be necessary. Place a rag in the throttle housing opening to keep stuff from falling into it. You WILL drop something in there if you skip this step. Using a torx driver, remove the screw from the plastic relay cover.
Remove relay cover. Using a socket, remove the two nuts that hold the metal bracket near the plastic relay cover. Using an allen wrench, remove the screws part number 8 in the diagram that hold the plastic battery tray to the bracket. You'll find that the nuts part 11 are spot-welded?
Place the bracket in a vice, and using a chisel and a hammer, knock off the two forward nuts leave the rear alone as you will not use this anymore. Measure the difference in battery widths. Alternatively, if your OEM battery does not completely fill the battery slot i. Now that the bracket is re-attached to the airbox, remove the rag from the throttle housing, and re-install airbox to the throttle. Notice the snorkle end of the airbox needs to slip into a small hole near the headlight.
Also, If you removed that hose from the bottom of the airbox, plug it back in before installing. It's a very tight fit, and it'll take a few minutes to figure out the right angle before it pops in there, but it works, and the terminals are in the reversed BMW-style position.
I was prepared for redrilling, cutting and bending on the battery bracket. To be safe, I bought a spare battery holder from BMW to hack up. Now that was a bunch of messing around! Then I looked closely at the new battery bracket Sure enough, the new one had different dimensions of the two tabs that bolt the bracket to the crossmember..
Then I removed the little foam pad on the front of the air box that touches the battery. Replaced it with a 1mm thick tire patch for the battery to rub against instead of the airbox. While I was at it I opened up the snorkle to the airbox. Everything slipped together just as nice as anything! No bending, no nothing! Ed Ford Method 4 by billmallin, I read Scott's post about installing his battery in his GS and ordered myself one. I installed it today while doing my 12,mile service.
It looked as if the bottom of the tray was wide enough, but the top was a bit too tight. So I simply took a mallet and bent the metal tray with a few strategically placed hits see arrows in diagram. Hint 1: I took out the bracket and removed the plastic part bolted to the bottom you know, that plastic deal that holds the snorkel to the air box.
With a piece of wood under the bracket on the floor and rubber mallet in my hand, I kept tapping it until the battery fit. Tap it, try it. Hit it, try it. Smack the crap out if it, try it. And so on until it fit. Joe Have a Westco, sealed, in one of my Hondas.
The only battery I have that gets the Battery Tender hooked up once every 3 months. My others are on every day. Starting to think the Westco needs no maintainer even with minimal use. It just works! Art Any problems with the oil reservoir melting the side of the battery?
Dano PDX Not sure which is worse An alternative appears to be the Hawker Odyssey PC see below. Hawker SBS. Notice that there is an additional brace as the battery is not as tall as the standard battery. No acid drips to worry about with this battery and you have more cold cranking amperage. It's a much better battery for shock and vibration which is why it's used for off-road applications.
The battery type is the SBS not the Odyssey. The product has a two year warranty. Touratech part , , Dm Battery David H Park.
By contrast, as the Westco holds more total power, the Westco should provide a little more of a cushion to run lots of electric gadgets at the same time without running down; however whether this 7. Both have clear advantages over the stock battery. However, I would conclude that as the Westco is much less expensive, the Westco would appear to be the better value. Other considerations: Both the Hawker and the Westco are supposed to be very durable and more vibration resistant than standard batteries, and both are also supposed to be better at holding a charge when unused.
However I don't have any information to determine which might be better in these respects. Both should be better than the stock battery. Mason Brad, I've recently gone through the same search as you regarding the Hawker batteries, with the same somewhat confusing results. It's unclear to me what the differences are between the Hawker SBS 8m sold by Touratech, and the Hawker Odyssey, available through several sources as you point out.
I'm referring to differences in technology, etc. Is there anyone who can help clarify this point? Mike Calif. It's smaller and lighter than the other "compatible" batteries. Touratech has an adapter plate for this which works great.
There is no real difference in technology. I spent quite some time with the techs at the Indy Dealer Show from Hawker talking about this application. They were fine with the SBS8 and intrigued that it was spec'd. It's just not "shown" here in the US due to a product management decision or lack thereof. Otherwise it's fine. I've got this in both my bikes and love it. It's a "telco" battery used for standby systems. I've had a hard time getting replacement or extra SBS8s here through distribution.
They are used in aircraft etc and are very reliable, and fortunately available in many sizes As I have always said, a battery is a consumable, you get 12 months out of it, and its bonus time from then on :- Jack, FGS, Queensland, Australia. I had the same problems, after dropping it a couple times my battery tray and engine cover started eating away so I got the Hawker battery. No trouble to install. The battery is smaller then the stock and requires a little 'extension' to install but no big deal.
I've had it in there for about 6 months now with no problems. I think I got it off of the Touratech website, but they seam to be having some problems right now so I can't give a specific link. Stumby 01GS VA When the battery comes, you will find it is the same size as you original battery, except it is a little shorter. You will also note that the battery post aren't just like normal motorcycle batteries - they are smaller and they stick straight up. Touratech makes a spacer intended for this application.
I decided to make spacers for the top and the bottom, effectively lowering the top top the battery, so that the battery cables would be an easy fit over the battery posts. I made my bottom spacer out of cardboard and covered it with fiberglass tape don't use the styrofoam that the battery is packed in, strofoam might not tolerate the heat of the engine and the oil tank - it melts.
I did use the styrofoam that came with the battery packing to make a block to go over the top of the battery, between the battery and the factory rubber retaining strap. This piece is actually two different shaped blocks, glued together and covered with clingwrap and fiberglass tape. I have 0 miles on this mod so I can't guarantee that the spacers will work as good as what you can buy from Touratech.
I am planning on a miles test this weekend :o. More reports on its long term usage are welcome. Winter I've had a PC for over a year now and it has been faultless. I believe it is a replacement for the SBS8 I read somewhere. The only hiccup I have had was when I drained the battery totally long story - my fault I couldn't jump start it so I had to take it home and put it on the Optimate overnight.
Since then I've not had a problem with it. I give it a trickle charge once a week or once a fortnight if I feel it needs it I have a Signal Dynamics battery minder thing fitted to tell me how the system is charging and the freedom from worrying about cell levels is worth the extra money. I've had no trouble in cold weather my bike lives outside and I reckon if it did get cold enough for the battery to fail, it's probably fate telling me it's too cold and dangerous to ride anyway.
They are both made by the EnerSys Corp. Rocketman Has anyone had luck installing the SBS 8 in a GS looking through the forums it looks like artyom66 did in ?
If so how were you able to do it? Here's the link for the battery tray which has a locating tab for the wet cell battery which must be cut off to allow the longer SBS8 to fit. Once you've got the air snorkel off, you'll need to unscrew the battery tray 3 screws I believe and pull it out. This is all easy as pie so far. I used a Dremel to grind the plastic off but a bench grinder or a hacksaw would work fine as well.
The material will have a tendency to melt if you grind too fast or too hard so don't worry about dorking up the precious and coveted virginal German plastic imported from Romania or Bulgaria or some other cheap place junior EU country. Once you've ground down the locating tab down to flush with the bottom of the battery tray, just reverse the removal and you're battery will slide right in snug as a bug in a rug.
The TT adapter is worth the wait if you run a lot of accessoreis because it give you an alternate site to attach those wires. Key, IYAM. NothingClever For those of you running the Hawker with the Touratech adapter: Does the adapter just fill the extra space, or is it also needed to make the electrical connections work?
In other words, would running a Hawker with a home-made adapter be a decent option? Dano PDX You could probably make something to provide the same functionality. I think a couple of people that were waiting for the adapters did. The Touratech adapter does make it a little easier to connect to since it provides longer terminals and relocates them a bit which makes getting things hooked to them a little easier I would imagine having not tried to hook it up before the adapter arrived.
I have had it in for 15 months and have never looked at it, have let the bike sit for as long as 3 months, and it holds a charge, seemingly, almost forever. The only one I personally have used that is any better is the Odyssey in my Ural - after sitting for 7 months, cranked strongly and immediately. Look for an AGM absorbed glass mat battery. Zero maintenance. Dimensions are 6.
Stock is 6. I haven't measured the battery BOX yet to see if this will fit. Probably do that tomorrow night. Flash This may no longer be the case: Hello there, I just checked out the FAQs for batteries and in the sealed batteries section it says you get free shipping from Battery web. They told me that that promotion is for two specific batteries only and neither is for F models.
I thought I would let you guys know. The dimensions seem to indicate it will fit with the plastic sleeve, contrary to the FAQ info on the Westco battery which is apparently larger. Cathy Halifax. Under the seat near the fuse box is a positive terminal, and on the oil filter cover is a negative terminal. There is a wonderful charging unit that is neat and tidy and can be left on permanently I have one for my F It is an "OPTIMATE" the leads are left permanently connected to the bike usually by cable ties to the frame.
The optimate charges initially at 14V until the battery is up to about 12v then it switches to trickle charge. Once fully charged it switches itself off. Thereafter it turns itself on regularly to check the charge, if needed it will top up , if not it turns off again. My other bike is a Honda VFR which stays in the garage over the bad winter weather, and when the F isn't being charged the VFr is connected permanently and I have done that for 4 years now. Alan Thanks to everyone for their hints and tips.
Last night I bought some gauge wire, gauge spade connectors insulated , and some small battery clips. Some heat-shrink tubing and plastic cable housing the spiral stuff you wrap around wires to protect and tidy up with finished it off.
I ran the positive wire down to the seat area and patched in a fuse, then routed the wire back up to the battery and out the front of the tank blue wire is for the accessory light fuse.
I learned with the lighting fuse that it makes lots of sense to put the fuse where you can get to it easily update: I removed the 20A fuse as it always blows when jump starting. This may or may not be a good idea in the long run, but for now I'm jumping without a fuse, and so far, no troubles. This isn't rocket science, but I'm including photos of the operation just in case it is helpful to anyone.
Scott, ID You can find clips that will handle a goodly amount of current. Watch your wire size, AND the type of insulation. The insulation on Mega-Speaker wire large gauge melts pretty easy. Unfortunately, most decent gauge wire is really stiff and hard to pack.
There are some commercially made booster cables for motorcycles I've seen them for sale at rallies. The problem with using the accessory outlet is the fuse. It will blow if you exceed its limit, and the battery will charge no more until you realize the fuse is toast and replace it a 15 amp car battery charger will do this, likely jumping it through the outlet will as well.
I bought a battery tender when I picked up my bike The dealer told me very confidently I wouldn't have to worry about the water level in the batter-go figure. I found the battery tender Yuasa quite a bit cheaper at a local shop than at the dealer, but it doesn't have all the cool little connectors that come with the BMW version it has some pigtail connectors, accessory outlet connector and one that looks like the thing you use for a Gerbing heated vest connector.
Runaway CO I usually commute with my bike times a week. It is a 20 minute drive. I Installed heated grips last Friday, so I don't know how that will end up.
But before that I have had no problems with the battery for the last 2 years since I bought it used. I store the bike outside and today it was degrees above zero Celsius.
I'll keep an eye on the battery when I start using the heated grips. Spakur If you have a BMW accessory outlet and want to charge the battery while it remains hooked up to the bike, I would say no.
I do it all of the time with my bikes. However, I have never had to charge a fully discharged battery while the bike. When you hook up the charger that thing is really going to bubble for a long time maybe over a day while it is charging.
It is also going to generate a fair amount of hydrogen gas while it is charging. I would be concerned about acid leaking out of the overflow tube or gas accumulating under the tank do you have a GS? Is that where they hide the battery now?
There will probably not be a problem, but removing the battery would insure that nothing happens and will allow you to top off the battery water when the charging is completed.
Richard Funduro I usually just plug the tender into the accessories outlet, but like Richard said, that's for maintenance rather than charging a completely empty battery. Runaway CO. I have done the same left the parking lamp on and it drained my battery.
Do you have a classic or later year model? For my classic I used the little fused adapter that came with the tender. Permanently installed this allows you to just plug in the charger when ever you think its necessary by just undoing the seat to access the little cord.
Will in CA Having seen lead-acid batteries explode while being charged at other than trickle currents, I would recommend removing the battery to a safer location if you are going to use an external charger with high charging current e. Teddco GS Battery Drain Tube There is a little tube that runs from and overflow outlet on the right side near the top of the battery FGS, but classic also has this tube.
Mine has fallen off several times of its own accord. Using a ziptie will keep it firmly in place. In my case, can't blame this one on anything but the nature of the beast and a less-than-optimal design..
Gerry I've used a tiny nylon tie wrap to secure the tube, or in extreme cases, used super glue - which makes it NOT removable, must be cut off. It was badly pinched, and didn't appear to be able to let any fumes or pressure out. The poly tube is good because it is harder for it to get pinched.
From my cannister I have used the extra clamps for the battery vent tube and for an inline fuel filter. Chris in Santa Cruz, CA This picture shows the battery tray, and the drain tube in its "normal" position. Winter Hooking Tender to Alternator or Battery? The ONLY benefit of that is that it is impossible to reverse the polarity.
Some people don't know which end of a soldering iron gets hot and operate with one on the wiring anyway. Good luck sorting it all out. There is a Classic wiring diagram in the FAQ. Flash hey flash - my bad. The big wire from the positive battery terminal goes to the solenoid.
So as long as it was hooked to the battery side of the solenoid, it WAS hooked straight to battery hot. The battery ground is the same point, electrically, as the frame. Nothing wrong with that. Yes there is possible corrosion at all connections. But connecting to the solenoid and frame ground make less of a mechanical problem at the battery terminal bolts, especially if there are other accessories hooked up there.
General Questions Finally, this section contains all the other questions about batteries. Battery Maintenance This bike will EAT your battery unless you check the level of the electrolyte frequently.
My Battery seems to be low on water. What shall I fill it with? Distilled water. And If your battery was low on water, you had better check the voltage regulator output and also check the specific gravity of the battery cells.
You may have a bad cell and need to replace the battery, before it takes out your Voltage Regulator. What about that Acid in a Bottle? If a battery is low on water, why can't battery acid be added instead of water? Well you could use that too. The battery companies say not to do it, maybe they are just trying to sell more batteries. You add distilled water to the battery because once it is filled initially with acid the particles that make up the acid are always in the battery.
The only thing that boils off is water so that is all you add back. Put in EDTA if you want more juice. How do I put water in those Tiny Holes? Recycle a translucent plastic fuel filter. Cut off one at the widest part and voila! A funnel just the right size. Can I add water with the battery still connected? No, you do not need to disconnect the battery to top the cells up with distilled water.
However it is fairly hard to see how much water is in the battery without disconnecting it and removing it from the bike. While doing my routine mile battery top off, I was surprised to find several cells almost dry. This is unusual. Whats happening? Do an electrical check, in case your voltage regulator is over charging.
Some bikes' lighting circuit turns on a second coil in the alternator. In your salt air environment, try cleaning every connection and ground. If that don't get it What about more details of Battery Maintenance?
There's some really good detailed discussion in "Everything you never wanted to know about batteries. Ian Great Information. Always put it it on. Otherwise In between the frame and the swing arm is a plastic washer and between the bushing and the swing arm is a foam rubber seal. A leaky battery vent tube dripped acid onto the washer and seal and basically ate through them. I never felt any problems but found this when I took it apart.
Mark Have you ever watched a battery as it sits on a charger? This type of charging goes on every time you ride from the alternator. There is a build-up of gas inside the battery and if no vent, the battery can swell. The tip over is also a culprit, but really not the primary reason for the vent hose.
A blocked off vent is worse than a removed tube though. Thus no pressure problems with a Gel Cell. Gar Had a terrible situation happen last night to my pride and joy. Went for a ride down a dirt road on my 02 F GS Dakar with miles on it.
Got home in the garage and saw a small pool of what looked like water under the machine. Upon closer inspection I saw the wet spots all over the fine finish on the right and left side of the engine cases. You know the gray powder coat on each side of the engine heads and cylinders.
I go to wipe the wet stuff off thinking its radiator water. Instead I discover its battery acid. It quickly takes a lot of l the finish off by beautiful metal surfaces. I open the tank area where the battery is to see the overflow tube has fallen off the fitting.
Must of been the bumpy dirt road. My work dress pants are shot and a pair of shoes get trashed from particles of acid.
Its not massive damage but lines of corrosion running down what once was pristine finishes. My tube barely reached the fitting. I had to pull it with some pliers to give it some slack so it would easily fit. I think that was the problem along with a too full of battery I'm sure. Bad combination. Biggums This sounds like clearly a warranty issue here.
No BMW doesn't put a clamp on this hose. None is needed. When properly installed there is no problem. Even if the hose is not connected , which I have seen a few times, no major mess is made. Sounds like the battery was over filled and the vent tube was left off. I would return to the purchase dealer with a smile on my face and suggest perhaps a mistake was made here and that perhaps they should make it right and they should.
Remember the smile, maybe some Krispy Kreams and they should make it as good as new. Clearly a mistake has been made here. If that doesn't work find a new dealer. If the vent tube on your bike is not long enough most likely it is not routed properly.
There are several ways these things come routed from the factory. You might try a different route. Be careful one route causes the tube to be pinched by the air snorkle.
But even then no leakage occurs if the battery isn't overfilled. StuporXtech 01 Dakar Or I had a similar event, but the reason the acid came out was because I dropped the bike in the dirt.
BMW replaced the small electrical component cover on the right side under warranty. I put a tie-wrap on the vent tube and washed everything with baking soda had to re-wrap the negative battery cable. I disagree with the previous post that this bike doesn't need the tie-wrap.
My vent tube was barely long enough to go on the battery, so vibration probably knocked it off. Comment Post Cancel. Re: GGS battery access The first time you do this it will seem to be a real pain in the ass. The second time is not so bad. Take the seat off. Take the turn signals off. Take the faux gas tank panels off. Take the middle faux tank panel off. You can see the battery and there is lots of room for a battery tender cable. Now I find this to be about a 5 minute job. Cheers, Peter Y.
Re: GGS battery access. First time accessing the battery, it was pretty straight forward. Re: GGS battery access Thanks everyone. My wife took delivery of the bike and to my surprise it came with a Powerlet outlet. I bought a set of adapters for it, one of them is a SAE and the Junior Tender cable plugs nicely into it luckily this outlet is 'hot' even when the ignition is off - not the case on my bike.
Didn't need to bother with the battery at all. For now anyways. All rights reserved. Yes No. OK Cancel.
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