jump starting an "98 r1100rt

[wolcott]

I read an article by brian curry on the Oilhead tech pages, (the internet bmw riders) on how to jump start an r1100rt. it states that jump starting an r1100rt seems to be almost impossible. the battery is buried under the fuel tank, and the terminals are not available to clip on to. It goes on to say how to pop off a plastic cover over the starter on the left hand side of bike and to run one of your booster cables (positive side) onto the upper solenoid terminal, then ground your negative on frame. This makes sense to me. What's missing? I don't see how you can do this without taking off the whole left fairing, and nowhere in the article does it mention this. 1)Do you guys agree that the left fairing has to come off to access the starter solenoid? I asked a mechanic at BMW for an easier way. He said to just take off seat and with bike sized jumper cables with little clips you can access the battery posts. I have right hand fairing off now, (dealing with rear brake flushing) and there is no way you can access that positive battery cable to clamp a booster cable onto it. It is tucked too far up in there. I was thinking- If you made up a #10 wire with a bmw plug on one end and a regular cigarette male plug on the other end, couldn't you plug the male cigarette plug into a car's lighter receptacle and then plug the male bmw plug into your bike's female receptacle and get a jump start? I have no friends with bmw's so a bmw plug/bmw plug would not work for me. I read on one electrical plug manufacturer's site that the cigarette plug in not capable of carrying high current for heated clothing, which makes me question this. 2) Has anyone rigged up some sort of quick jump start tool with special wire and special ends? 3)If this is not possible, and you are stuck on side of road and need jump- is your only option to take of left hand faring and jump onto starter solenoind or slide battery out halfways and clamp onto the positive post? Thanks for your help. Michael

[bmwmick]

Michael,

Go read this article I started last November.

http://tinyurl.com/4hzvh

 

Mick

[wolcott]

Mick: Thanks for the tip and the part numbers. I definitely will put this on my bike. Regards, Michael

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

You can do the same thing, if not a bit less elegant by going to the hardware store. I bought some copper wire, #8 maybe? (I'm in my fuzzy slippers and don't want to go to the garage...) The wire has a red sheath over it. So that's $1. The I bought a copper connector for about $5. And for the now exposed end of wire under my seat I used a wire nut to cap it off. Total cash? $6. Works great!

[chrisz]

Where does one pick up a reliable ground connection on an earlier model of an RT (2002)?

[Ken H.]

Connect to ground anywhere. Ue a long screw driver as a "jumper extenstion to get to the right hand postive battery terminal from under the seat.