majordad Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I am beginning to wonder if this thing is broken. I went nearly all this week with no riding, except around the block on Wednesday. I had been using the battery charger for no other reason that I might get pulled away from home for an extended period of time. I went out to the garage to check the charger because I noticed on Monday the red 1/3 light was on. It's on again this morning. I plugged it in after turning on the ignition so I think I attached it right. Could it be defective because the motorcycle starts right up without a hitch? Link to comment
Motorrad4fun Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Leave it plugged in for 24 hours, you should have a green light, or a flashing green light. Steady red light is 80% charged. Link to comment
majordad Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 It's been in for 1 2/3 days already. I called the dealer and they said they would exchange it tomorrow. Link to comment
Semper_Fi Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Like with Motorad - mine shows charged in the morning - from plugging in the night before. Will they cover under warranty? Link to comment
majordad Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 it's only two weeks old so they should. Link to comment
KCScott Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 What is the procedure for hooking up the BMW charger? I have always just plugged it into the bike and then the wall and it has always worked fine. I looked at the instruction booklet and it doesn't say anything about turning on the ignition. What's the true scoop? Link to comment
majordad Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 the dealer told me the assessory outlet isn't powered when the bike is turned off. they told me to turn the ignition on, plug in the unit and turn off the ignition. I did all of that. I have left the unit in the bike for up to 1 week without driving it and the unit displays a red light. The first night I used the unit, there was all green lights displayed. I think something is wrong with the unit but really don't know. also, the pamphlet that came with the unit says nothing on how to use it. very odd. I guess they think you use plug the two ends in the logical place. Link to comment
R4ND0M_AX3 Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 What is the procedure for hooking up the BMW charger? I have always just plugged it into the bike and then the wall and it has always worked fine. I looked at the instruction booklet and it doesn't say anything about turning on the ignition. What's the true scoop? 1. Bike ignition on 2. Connect charger to bike 3. Connect charger to AC power 4. Turn off bike ignition. Link to comment
Vicious_Cycler Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 You might consider unscrewing the charger's plug assembly and checking the connections. My charger recently blinked red continuously for a couple of days. When I pulled the charger from the bike, I noticed the wires were loose. I checked the wire connections in the plug, and found that one was disconnected. Uh, I'm not sure how this happened but I'm confident that pulling the plug by wires rather than the plug base had nothing to do with it ! I have always parked and locked the bike, put on the dust cover, plugged the charger to the AC, and insered the charger plug into the accessory outlet. It immediately starts charging w/o a hitch. BTW, I plugged my DC air pump into the accessory plug w/ the bike parked and locked recently and it worked fine. Yes, the charger was unplugged from the bike at the time ! Link to comment
majordad Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 I can honestly say I have never pulled the plug via the wire. It's been plug only. I went out tonight and still the red light. oh, by the way the dealership graced me with another key.........after I purchased another for $60. Now I have three of them. Tomorrow, when I replace the charger, I am going to ask them why they didn't say something to me when I purchased the second key if they knew they were sending me another. I know it's about money but it's this kind of stuff that deters future purchases. Link to comment
KCScott Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 What is the purpose in turning the ignition switch on and then off when hooking up the charger? Have I been doing some kind of harm to my bikes? They all seem to charge nicely and I have had no problems. Sorry for highjack. Link to comment
Boffin Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 What is the purpose in turning the ignition switch on and then off when hooking up the charger? Have I been doing some kind of harm to my bikes? They all seem to charge nicely and I have had no problems. Sorry for highjack. The hexhead's canbus sytem needs the sequence to know there is a charger fitted so it does not switch off the aux socket after a minute, stopping the charging current. Your older bikes do not need this dance. Andy Link to comment
Switz Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I suggest putting a short fused cable directly to the battery. Then you bypass the can buss issues completely. My short cable with plug sticks out the left side of the bike about two inches with a cap on it just in front of the saddle bag. I plug the two pole mating plug from the charger in at night. Even though I just rode into the garage, the charger goes to work as soon as I plug it in to top of the battery as I do not instantly shut off the ignition and gps etc. I think these are called the SAE plugs versus the small BMW cigarette lighter plugs or coax plugs. Link to comment
majordad Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 I plugged in the new charger and after two hours.....all green. Link to comment
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