Unable to jump start F700GS

[Ks88Mia]

Hello all,

 

Newbie here, I have a 2014 F700GS which I have been unable to ride for some time so its just been sitting.  Admittedly this isn't the first time I've let it sit for a while and had the battery charge die, but I've always been able to connect the bike up to a battery pack and get it started up fairly quickly.

 

This time is a bit different though, I've connected the battery pack as well as trying jumper cables connected to my car battery  for about 10 minutes (car is off) and the bike doesn't respond at all.  The screen stays off, and the speedometer doesn't react like it usually does when turning the key on.  When I press the starter I get a single audible click but that's it.

 

Can anyone offer advice of other things someone with a limited knowledge of motorcycle mechanics can check?  The battery is a BMW battery only about 18 months old.  I live in a condo and thought of perhaps disconnecting the battery, buying a trickle charger and letting it charge overnight inside, but logically I would think the battery isn't the issue if the battery pack and jumper cables did not solve the issue.

 

 

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Ks88Mia said:

Hello all,

 

Newbie here, I have a 2014 F700GS which I have been unable to ride for some time so its just been sitting.  Admittedly this isn't the first time I've let it sit for a while and had the battery charge die, but I've always been able to connect the bike up to a battery pack and get it started up fairly quickly.

 

This time is a bit different though, I've connected the battery pack as well as trying jumper cables connected to my car battery  for about 10 minutes (car is off) and the bike doesn't respond at all.  The screen stays off, and the speedometer doesn't react like it usually does when turning the key on.  When I press the starter I get a single audible click but that's it.

 

Can anyone offer advice of other things someone with a limited knowledge of motorcycle mechanics can check?  The battery is a BMW battery only about 18 months old.  I live in a condo and thought of perhaps disconnecting the battery, buying a trickle charger and letting it charge overnight inside, but logically I would think the battery isn't the issue if the battery pack and jumper cables did not solve the issue.

 

 

Morning  Ks88Mia

 

It still sounds like either a battery (or battery cable connection)  issue. Problem is accessing the battery is a real pain on the 700/800 BMW's.

 

It could also (maybe/sort of) be an ignition lock-out thing with all those charging & dead battery issues so you might try a 30 minute battery disconnect, then reconnect & try to start it.   

 

Best approach is a voltmeter to see what the battery has to give. 

 

Lacking a voltmeter then the  jumper cables from a donor vehicle directly to the motorcycle battery posts is probably a good next step. (just make sure that your connections on both ends are resistance free & making solid contact)

 

 

[Ks88Mia]

Thanks dirtrider, I guess I'll try the battery disconnect and order a trickle charger.  I did connect to my car battery but did not try a full disconnect so let's see.

[Hosstage]

A bad battery will prevent a jump start. A trickle charger will not charge a dead battery, it must have something like 10 or 11 volts to pair up and start charging.

[Oldrider51]

If the battery is an AGM you might be able to revive it by using a charger that will RECONDITION it. The CTEK has this option and probably the Optima. If you are going to get a good trickle charger you might look into these two. 

[Skywagon]

23 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

it must have something like 10 or 11 volts to pair up and start charging

I had that experience last year.  When my rt battery starting failing and got below 10.4 volts, the charger would not come on....and I tried several chargers I own.

[Hosstage]

I've heard you can "jump" start the charge by using a second battery connect to the first so the charger sees 12 volts, then remove the good battery and the charger will continue charging on the bad battery.

Personally, once I have a battery run down that far I don't trust it and just buy a new one, especially if it has had a complete discharge.

[Ks88Mia]

Well I feel kind of dumb because I was able to get the bike started with a new battery after all.  No luck on the gauge cluster so I guess that is a separate issue.  Interestingly enough out of stubbornness I left my old BMW battery connected to a cheap trickle charger for two days, charger did not register it as a battery at first but after two days I actually was able to crank the bike up.    

[dirtrider]

49 minutes ago, Ks88Mia said:

Well I feel kind of dumb because I was able to get the bike started with a new battery after all.  No luck on the gauge cluster so I guess that is a separate issue.  Interestingly enough out of stubbornness I left my old BMW battery connected to a cheap trickle charger for two days, charger did not register it as a battery at first but after two days I actually was able to crank the bike up.    

Evening Ks88Mia

 

I have seen a few 800GS dash  gauge clusters go blank like yours is. They usually start out by acting up when cold but start working again when they warm up or get hot. 

 

If you know someone with a GS-9-11 you can do a couple of basic dash checks but it probably won't show you the exact failure condition. 

[Lowndes]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:14 PM, Oldrider51 said:

If the battery is an AGM you might be able to revive it by using a charger that will RECONDITION it. The CTEK has this option and probably the Optima. If you are going to get a good trickle charger you might look into these two. 

 

Also, if you have an AGM (Absorptive Glass Mat) type battery then you definitely need an AGM rated charger.  If it's not AGM rated it will only charge at 13,5v for the older "flooded" lead-acid type batteries and will only get the AGM battery to 80% charged.  AGM's need 14,5v to fully charge and they last longer fully charged.  CTEK, Optima, and Battery MINDer have AGM rated chargers. 

[Mike279]

On a side note some new chargers have an option to charge a battery with extremely low voltage.  One is the NOCO brand which comes in many varieties. The ones I have also have options for battery type and conditioning. 

[dirtrider]

22 hours ago, Mike279 said:

On a side note some new chargers have an option to charge a battery with extremely low voltage.  One is the NOCO brand which comes in many varieties. The ones I have also have options for battery type and conditioning. 

Morning Mike

 

On the chargers that have a battery conditioning cycle, you (everybody) needs to be careful if using that battery conditioning cycle on the newer BMW motorcycles without disconnecting the battery from the motorcycle first.

 

A lot of those battery conditioning or de-sulfation cycles do exceed 15 volts, BMW has stated fairly firmly to never exceed 15 volts if the battery is still connected to the motorcycle. 

 

[Mike279]

Good question about max voltage.  I did not see a max voltage rating on either charger I have so I inquired.  According to the manufacturer's rep for NOCO the max voltage in AGM mode will be 14.8 plus or minus .2 volts  for temperature compensation.  He states you will not harm the battery charging it in the bike. But as with any electronics there is always a chance something will fail at some point and hurt the bike.  I have been using a couple of these chargers and so far they seem of good quality and I have had no issues with them.  I do run them on a timer during the Winter(once a week for a few hours) though they are rated for continuous use and will not charge unless needed.