Jump Start

Are you saying you have access to 2 spare batteries and carry jump leads? JJH

I have access to 3x car batterys charged at all times

Although the car batterys have more oomph than the bike ones ;)

Far easier if your sitting at the side of the road,

with a flat battery to get a jump start then have someone trying to give you a push lol :)
 
I’m riding bms for 12 years with a dievatiin or 2 (fjr and capnoraid) and never had battery trouble. Oh once while helping out on a running event in Kinvara I had the hazards on at a junction for 3 hours. Got a jump start didn’t seem to do the battery any harm. I know their a pain when they don’t start but surley a AA membership would be more useful? JJH
 
I’m riding bms for 12 years with a dievatiin or 2 (fjr and capnoraid) and never had battery trouble. Oh once while helping out on a running event in Kinvara I had the hazards on at a junction for 3 hours. Got a jump start didn’t seem to do the battery any harm. I know their a pain when they don’t start but surley a AA membership would be more useful? JJH

I have that as well. but the most common place to break down is at home or at work...

why wait an hour or so for a jump start, when i can do it myself ;)

Ive been riding Jap stuff for years ... only had one battery failure, and that was within 24 hrs of buying the bike but the replacement lasted me through the life of the bike.

Ive had the GS 10 months , and its done 2 batterys 1 starter, 1 rear diff .. :)
 
Jumping ..

So I finally decided to stop messing around and have ordered a new battery. I went for a MotoBatt after some searching. I guess I will know in a day or so when it arrives - I'm currently on crutches after surgery and shouldn't really be out messing with the bike but I do want to get it running.

So the next question is do I need to get the bespoke MotoBatt charger or can I stick with my Optimate ..
 
So I finally decided to stop messing around and have ordered a new battery. I went for a MotoBatt after some searching. I guess I will know in a day or so when it arrives - I'm currently on crutches after surgery and shouldn't really be out messing with the bike but I do want to get it running.

So the next question is do I need to get the bespoke MotoBatt charger or can I stick with my Optimate ..
The battery of my 2012 GSA is also now showing signs of failing, & having read the various posts on the different specs of Motobatt I am still unclear what to go for, without having to faff about making things fit so I would be obliged once you are happy with what you have bought, for your recommendation, Cheers 🍻
 
Sorry to read that you are on crutches. I dont like optimate or any other of that type of battery tender. I think they do more harm than good. I dont konw how different a motobatt is but I doubt you would need a different charger. Are you going to change the charger on your bike? JJH
 
Optimates are handy to use overnight every other week when the bike is parked up. Using the bike regularly is a much better way to maintain the battery.

The Diversion 900 was kept outside most of it's life. Batteries (cheap no name or MotoBatt lasted about 2 years. BMW is used more regularly and lives in a garage. No battery problems to date.
 
Why not ? Just curious, because I do it once a week in winter but never let the temp. gauge go over half way.
,

Japanese 4 cylinder bikes spin pretty fast on cold start. On a cold engine the combustion is unreliable and its running under no load the internals will be bouncing all over the place. Running it fast smooths the rotation speed. But it's not using much fuel so (compared to riding the bike) the pistons will heat quickly but the cylinder will heat more slowly. This can lead to the piston over expanding and running tight in it's bore. Best to start and ride.

BMW say switch it on, start the engine and ride away. Avoid slogging or thrashing until its up to temperature but don't leaving it ticking over.

Running the engine on tickover also puts more exhaust gas and water past the piston rings. There wont be enough heat to boil off that water so you end up with oil more contaminated than necessary. If you can't ride over winter, just clean it use whatever metal preserver you fancy and leave alone until spring. Maybe change the oil for a cheap 20w50 which you can dump after 1000 miles next spring.
 
Not the battery

So the new MotoBatt turned up today and in the five minutes I was allowed in the garage (under supervision to avoid kicking things!) I got it fitted and it made very little difference. Slow cranking speed and no intention of firing. I'm beginning to suspect a starter motor problem but I've never been done that route before.

Any suggestions as to what I could rule out quickly .. I do have a GS911 but haven't run it recently since this problem occurred.

Thanks for all the advice so far - please keep it coming.
 
Thought you'd done all the jump lead tests?

Put battery on Optimate overnight.

Clip a jump lead to battery negative and a bare bolt on the engine. If that cranks OK you have a dirty main earth connection. The main one is on top of engine by alternator. If it's still slow, you'll need to check the starter motor it might need new brushes.
 
So the new MotoBatt turned up today and in the five minutes I was allowed in the garage (under supervision to avoid kicking things!) I got it fitted and it made very little difference. Slow cranking speed and no intention of firing. I'm beginning to suspect a starter motor problem but I've never been done that route before.

Any suggestions as to what I could rule out quickly .. I do have a GS911 but haven't run it recently since this problem occurred.

Thanks for all the advice so far - please keep it coming.
Don't assume its the battery or the starter ! I did the same only to discover it was the alternator that was seizing up making it almost impossible for the thing to crank over !
 
Don't assume its the battery or the starter ! I did the same only to discover it was the alternator that was seizing up making it almost impossible for the thing to crank over !

Good point. Mine just got noisy but was clearly cracked when I changed it out. It was jammed solid 2 weeks after taking it off the bike, so I got lucky.

If the earth jump lead test checks out, pop the alternator belt off and try again.
 
Dilemma

So I've not been able to do the jump lead check yet as I've been doped up on post surgery pain killers and I've not been trusted with anything important (and I class my bikes as important !)

These symptoms do seem to point to something binding and slowing the cranking speed and I've been lucky with 5 yrs of reasonably trouble free GS motoring with only main dealer intervention so I guess the time has come when I work out how to deal with this problem. The posts on here indicate that both the starter motor and alternator can be dealt with by a competent spanner man so the game is afoot as Sherlock states ..

Seriously though I'm well grumpy with this situation - it's not helped as I work away in London from Mon-Fri and really don't like leaving my bike like this.

Once again thanks for all the advice ..
 
Take the plugs out and see if she turns over as you would expect.

Any drag will be noticeable.

Or take the belt off and feel how free the alt pulley turns.

Both ways cost nothing.
 
This will be fun ...

a. Moving the bike around to a clear space in the garage where I normally work on it whilst on crutches

b. Trying to take the alternator cover off for the first time without being spotted by the wife whilst keeping my foot raised. The stats for this bike (which is in VGC and a keeper) are that 1 in 5 bolts are a pig to remove .. I just forecast that I'm going to get halfway through the job and then it'll all go t**ts up.

I've got a dreadful feeling I might be calling a man with a van and accepting that the law of sod has conspired to damage my credit card. I know Steptoe would solve it in a flash - he did some excellent work on my RT recently ..

Cheers to all .. I shall keep the thread running till I solve it one way or the other
 
Seriously mate, wait until you are a bit more mended after your op. TBH your Mrs is right to keep you away from the sickles but I do understand how you feel.

When you are feeling better the alternator cover wont be a big deal. You'll also be better able to cope with the inevitable seized screws. The two M5s up top are quite likely to shear off but there is space to drill and tap to M6.

It's winter so if there is corrosion (quite likely) you can get the cover off and do the job properly. Oxidised crud under and around the crank position sensor can cause coil leaks. All hidden from view until you get the covers off.

IF (and it's only a theory) the alternator is toast they are fiddly to replace but the electronic modules have to come off and the units wiggled between the steering subframe tubes. I unbolted one of the support legs for better access.
 
Don't worry I won't be allowed to go against the surgeons advice ! I know it's not worth it.

As it happens I've just managed to get hold of a highly recommended independent BMW technician nearby (Barry Barber) who is going to collect it tomorrow and will also service it for me so I'm happy with that. :clap

Thanks to all who had offered advice - I'll post what the problem was in due course.
 
Don't worry I won't be allowed to go against the surgeons advice ! I know it's not worth it.

As it happens I've just managed to get hold of a highly recommended independent BMW technician nearby (Barry Barber) who is going to collect it tomorrow and will also service it for me so I'm happy with that. :clap

Thanks to all who had offered advice - I'll post what the problem was in due course.

Good call. *If* the alternator has jammed, you can get the lower power version at very reasonable costs on www.eBay.de complete with the larger belt pulley. You will need the longer drive belt if you go for that option. With LED headlamp bulbs its more than powerful enough.
 


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