Deezalman Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 So I decided to start the scooter today and was greeted with dim lights and what sounded like the starter relay 'clicking' on/off. Granted, trickle charger hadn't been on since the holidays because I have quite a few batteries to maintain so I move the (2) trickle chargers I have between vehicles/machines. That said, I was kinda surprised to see the battery depleted after 45 days of inactivity.. Ok fine, charge up the battery and try again. Lights are no longer dim but starter/relay still clicking, no engine cranking. Ok fine, hook up jumper cables to the two 800 CCA batteries on my diesel truck. Same results! Comments no longer rated PG!! Battery charger switched to 'float' mode quickly, which confirms the voltage level. Not good enough, so I removed the battery and tested voltage (12.89v). Question 1: Where do I go next?? I've never removed the Tupperware on the RT. Don't know how, nor was I intending to learn how.. Question 2: Has anyone ever done the old 'pop the clutch' jump start trick on an RT? I'm thinking a 1200 fuel injected motor is a little different to jump than a little dirt bike from days gone by!! Not the end of the world if I have to trailer into the dealer.. but riding in is so much better!! Thoughts, Suggestions, ideas? Link to comment
dirtrider Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Afternoon Deezalman Headlight should go out during engine cranking. It sounds like one of your on-board computers is confused by the voltage spikes. SO try disconnecting your battery for about 30 minutes, then make darn sure your trans in in neutral, clutch lever pulled in, & kill switch is ON. You can push it off to start it as long as you have enough battery voltage to run the fuel injection & fuel pump. Personally I wouldn't do that UNTIL you verify that the engine isn't seized up or you have a cylinder full of oil or gasoline. Link to comment
Deezalman Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 @dirtrider: Confirmed all is well with the internals. Managed to get the bike running and up to temperature. Unfortunately it appears the battery has a dead cell or something causing the battery to charge and appear normal (voltage) but unable to produce the rated cranking amps. I used an external battery to test my theory and sure enough the bike started. Warmed up the scooter and tried restarting with the original battery, and it wouldnt start. Lucky for me, a good friend works at a local battery manufacturing plant (Deka) and offered to take it in to load test the cells. Will know more tomorrow but all indications suggest the battery has given its last breathe. I'm relieved because replacing a battery is an easy fix..compared to the list of other things it could have been! Link to comment
dirtrider Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Ok fine, hook up jumper cables to the two 800 CCA batteries on my diesel truck. Same results! Comments no longer rated PG!! Morning Deezalman The bad battery explains the cause of the original no-crank issue but doesn't explain the no-crank with 1600 CCA hooked up as that 1600 CCA jump should have spun your 1200 engine like no tomorrow even with a bad battery in the mix. Sometimes a low battery will pull down & confuse the bike's electronics, then when the battery is disconnected to replace it that re-sets the electronics. No doubt you have a bad battery as those OEM Gel battery's have a habit of dying suddenly. Link to comment
Deezalman Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 I thought the same thing dirtrider! To be honest, the jumpers hooked to the truck is what caused me to be concerned. I was completely baffled when the meter indicated the battery was fully charged but wouldn't start the bike even with jumper cables hooked to my truck! Ironically, my buddy called a few minutes ago and said the battery went flat as soon as they applied a load. So I think you are spot on, the battery must have a shorted cell or something which caused as you say..confusion in the electronics. So now the question is, do I buy the BMW OEM gel, Yuasa sealed lead acid ($79) or??? Hermy's doesn't open till 9:00am so I'll have to wait to see what they charge for the BMW OEM Gel. Link to comment
Firenailer Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Deez, My 2012 went dead seemingly overnight as well last summer. I replaced it with the factory BMW replacement as I didn't have time to fool around making an after market fit. When I fired mine up this Spring ( after being on the BMW proper charger) it barely cranked and volts drop to 9 when hitting the starter button. If they don't replace it im going aftermarket this time. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I thought the same thing dirtrider! To be honest, the jumpers hooked to the truck is what caused me to be concerned. I was completely baffled when the meter indicated the battery was fully charged but wouldn't start the bike even with jumper cables hooked to my truck! Ironically, my buddy called a few minutes ago and said the battery went flat as soon as they applied a load. So I think you are spot on, the battery must have a shorted cell or something which caused as you say..confusion in the electronics. So now the question is, do I buy the BMW OEM gel, Yuasa sealed lead acid ($79) or??? Morning Deezalman That no start even with a jump is somewhat common as the dead battery can initially confuse the computer systems. On the showing fully charged but won't start is quite common on failing BMW Gel batteries as they hold a surface charge but have no amperage capacity behind it. BMW Gel batteries are known for short life's & sudden failures. Another (expensive) BMW battery is usually not money well spent & failures are common. You can try a number of batteries like Yuasa or the like & some riders have had OK experience with them. For my money it is the Odyssey PC 680 that gives LOTS or starting power, they don't die suddenly, & live a very long life. So far the Odyssey has given, me personally, the best life for the money when you figure battery cost per month of ownership. Not the cheapest battery (still lower then the BMW battery) but cost per month of battery life is very difficult to beat. (if you shop around on the internet (like Amazon.com) you can usually find a PC 680 for around $105.00-$110.00)with free shipping & delivery in less than a week. Not a straight bolt-in but very little needed to install the PC 680 (search in the archives here) Link to comment
cris nitro Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I thought the same thing dirtrider! To be honest, the jumpers hooked to the truck is what caused me to be concerned. I was completely baffled when the meter indicated the battery was fully charged but wouldn't start the bike even with jumper cables hooked to my truck! Ironically, my buddy called a few minutes ago and said the battery went flat as soon as they applied a load. So I think you are spot on, the battery must have a shorted cell or something which caused as you say..confusion in the electronics. So now the question is, do I buy the BMW OEM gel, Yuasa sealed lead acid ($79) or??? Hermy's doesn't open till 9:00am so I'll have to wait to see what they charge for the BMW OEM Gel. If you can wait a few days, buy it online. the guys at Hermeys are great, but their battery pricing is thru the roof. DAMHIK. Cris Link to comment
Deezalman Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 I looked at the Odyssey (PC 680), Yuasa's direct replacement (YT19BL-BS) as well as their sealed lead acid (51913). Long story short I went with the lead acid for $80 because as I mentioned.. my buddy works at Deka Battery and was able to pull the Yuasa off the shelf, fill, charge and hand delivered to my house that afternoon. Of course the delivery fee did cost me a beer come to think of it!! Knowing what I now now.. it wouldn't have been my first choice but I'm sure it will be fine. When it dies, I'll switch to the Odyssey. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Afternoon Deezalman When you say lead-acid I sure hope you are talking about a sealed battery & not the old lead-acid vented battery? If a vented battery then make darn sure you get a vent hose on it & route that away from painted & alloy surfaces. Link to comment
Deezalman Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 @dirtrider: the battery is considered sealed but ironically has a 'breather' vent on the one side and includes a 90 degree plug that appears to be able to connect a drain tube. I'm thinking for $1.50 I should connect a drain tube even if it never leaks. Cheap insurance. In hindsight I wish I had said no to my buddy and bought the battery you have.. Link to comment
Deezalman Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 I thought I would provide an update on the new sealed lead acid battery I recently installed in the 1200. Functionally the battery works just fine and maybe its my imagination but compared to the OEM battery, the Yuasa lead acid battery seems to lack a few CCA's when engaging the starter. Don't get me wrong, it's fine for the moment but I question it's longevity. Given the opportunity to press the reset button, I would likely purchase an Odyssey instead. So I'll keep this one as long as it continues to perform but I don't intend to take it the distance. My two cents. Link to comment
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