Worried about sudden battery death

[Michael Hart]

Going on a long trip, 5 days(2500 miles) I have an 09 with 9000 miles, I bought it new 15 months ago. should I replace the battery or will I be OK. It seems to be starting fine but I do notice it doesn't crank as fast as it used to. it could be my imagination because its in the back of my mine. ANY THOUGHTS ?
Mike

[mogu83]

It most likely would have went by now and it seems the earlier ones had the most problems. BUT - if it will cause you to worry about it and thereby decrease the enjoyment of your trip - well then replace it. Why ruin a trip you planned for the cost of a battery. It will cost around $100 and that will break down to about $20 per day, about the cost of a tank of gas and less than a decent meal and adding $100 onto the cost of a five day 2500 mile trip is insignificant in the long run.

Naturally IMHO

[dav]

Mate, you are better of replacing it before your trip otherwise it will be on the back of your mind throughtout the trip.

I just replaced mine because i 'felt' it was time too, & thats with 35k's & 2yrs old.

Have a great trip & post some pics when you return

[jkhomes]

When the 12 year old battery on my old RT starting going out, I just parked near the top of a hill. It push started easily. I know Harley guys that have to carry jumper cables.

[RT-Mike]

Get a Battery Tender and keep it plugged in at all times when the bike is idle,your battery will thank you with many years of trouble free performance.

[rockbottom]

Get a Battery Tender and keep it plugged in at all times when the bike is idle,your battery will thank you with many years of trouble free performance.

I hope you're right but.... My R is less than 11 months old. I ride it year 'round and leave it on the Battery Tender probably 90% of the time. Twice when its been parked for a couple of days off the tender (including yesterday) the battery was dead and it wouldn't charge until I put it back on the tender.

I'm a bit worried because I'm planning a three day trip next weekend but I figure if it goes bad, I'll just call roadside assistance. I plan on doing what I did with my previous bike--an F800ST. When the BMW OEM battery is out of warranty, I'm replacing it with a different brand.

[RT-Mike]

Get a Battery Tender and keep it plugged in at all times when the bike is idle,your battery will thank you with many years of trouble free performance.

I hope you're right but.... My R is less than 11 months old. I ride it year 'round and leave it on the Battery Tender probably 90% of the time. Twice when its been parked for a couple of days off the tender (including yesterday) the battery was dead and it wouldn't charge until I put it back on the tender.

I'm a bit worried because I'm planning a three day trip next weekend but I figure if it goes bad, I'll just call roadside assistance. I plan on doing what I did with my previous bike--an F800ST. When the BMW OEM battery is out of warranty, I'm replacing it with a different brand.

Wow,Have you added any additional electrical farkles? My former RT was six years old when I sold it,still had original battery and was still very strong...always tended...I'd say your batt. must be a p.o.s. I'd look into Odyssey for a replacement,they are a stellar battery.

[jkhomes]

In that case I would replace the battery. It shouldn't be dead if you keep it on a Tender.

[ErikM]

Just replace it. Having it die at some rest stop in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday afternoon is Not a fun experience. Apart from losing the bikes key, having a battery go dead is a sure way to stop your ride.

[roger l]

Coming home from work today I was in stop and go traffic on the freeway for about 10 to 15 minutes. After sitting and idling for a few minutes I let out the clutch and the bike stalled. I went to press the start button and nothing. I looked down and the computer screen was blank. I turned off the key and turned it back on again and still nothing. I was lucky to be on a little down grade so I coasted over to the side of the freeway. Now I am sitting on the side of the freeway with a totally dead bike. I called my BMW dealer and the service manager told me to cycle the key switch 3 times fast. I did this and the screen came back on. I pressed the start button and a little grunt from the starter and the screen went blank again. Service manager said looks like you have a junk, bad, battery. Bring the bike in and we will fix it. The bike is a 2008 still under warranty.
I called BMW roadside service and was told I would have a 2.5 hour wait. I called my wife and she brought the trailer and we towed the bike to the dealer. This is my first bike that has ever left me stranded and I am not happy about it. First it was the fuel strip now the battery. Now I am wishing I still had my Suzuki M50.
After my experience I would say get the new battery!!!

Roger L

[towerworker]

Replace it. Easy now............be a hell of a lot harder later.

[sondey]

If you have some time before your trip you might want to get this "Argus BB-SBM12-PS Battery Bug Battery Monitor for Motorcycles". It is a voltmeter that also gives you a battery health reading. I installed it a couple of months ago and it gives me peace of mind as far as the battery goes. Instead of using the connectors it comes with, I bought a couple of battery extension cables and wired that to the battery so I could disconnect it when the bike sits for long periods. Plus I can install it on my second bike which has the other extension installed.

I won't describe it. You can look it up at amazon where it gives you the data. Check out the reviews also. Cost is $50.

If anyone else has used this how has it worked out for you?

[towerworker]

That device looks interesting. I would like to see some real world testing results.

[famousperson]

Get a Battery Tender and keep it plugged in at all times when the bike is idle,your battery will thank you with many years of trouble free performance.

On the other hand, the battery on my 2007, lasted 3 years and was *never* on a battery tender. Always started right up on the first nice day in Spring, too--until this year when it went phyfffft (I knew I was on very thin ice with three years on a battery famous for not lasting even one season, but just couldn't help tempting fate). My point is, I'm not convinced that a battery tender does squat to extend battery life. An urban myth?

Having said that, in your case I would definitely get a new battery. Why take the chance of ruining your trip!

[mogu83]

If you have some time before your trip you might want to get this "Argus BB-SBM12-PS Battery Bug Battery Monitor for Motorcycles". It is a voltmeter that also gives you a battery health reading.I won't describe it. You can look it up at amazon where it gives you the data. Check out the reviews also. Cost is $50.
If anyone else has used this how has it worked out for you?

I have one (must be a Jersey thing) just because I like to know my battery voltage. The reserve feature seems to work as promised. My three year old Beemer battery showed 27% reserve when I started the engine (no issues the battery was performing well - it was just time for it to go) when I put in an Odyssey it now shows 58% reserve when I start the bike.

Naturally like most highly skilled motorcycle tinkers, I never read the instructions. Last week while working on another bike I kept hearing five short beeps (like a quiet alarm clock) I figured it was something in my camping gear. A couple of days later I noticed the beep was coming four minutes apart and started to search. It was the Battery Bug, seems their is a feature that gives an alarm when the battery voltage falls to 12 volts (still plenty strong enough to start the bike). I hadn't used the R1200R for a few weeks and hadn't hooked up the Battery Tender, a short time on the tender stopped the alarm and brought the battery back up. I really have to start reading owners manuals, maybe next winter I'll read the GPS manual.

Here's a link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Argus-BB-SBM12-PS ... B0029VY4G4
I got mine for $34 but forgot where, search the net to save a few bucks.

[PhilSB]

My 07 bike didn't seem quite as lively on the starter motor so I asked the dealer to chek it when he serviced it. He said it's OK so I'm carrying on with it this year (or until it packs up in the middle of nowhere).

Phil

[Jedi5150]

I had a BMW factory battery die on my 2007 R1200GS several times on my way from Monterey to visit my brother in Utah. It completely died while riding the off-ramp in Battle Mountain, NV. By a miracle it started again after about 20 minutes and died again while fueling up in Wendover on the NV/ UT state line. I coasted into my brother's driveway in Tooele and changed it the next day. That was a stressful ride to say the least. If I were the least bit concerned I'd change it in a heartbeat....I-80 in Nevada is not a fun place to have a battery die.

[M249Joe]

I did this viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18938&p=182177&hilit=pc535

Odyssey batteries don't have sudden death.

[r12gecko]

I installed a Datel voltmeter last summer.




It's wired into the sidelight circuit so that it comes on as soon as I turn the key. I can see the voltage while the engine is stopped, cranking and when running.

And the first thing I did when I got the '07 bike in '10 was replace the Exide stock battery...

[Michael Hart]

I decided not to change the battery, and I just put it out of my mind. 2350 miles in 4 days and no issues( well maybe 1 Tornado warning) . Left Ct Friday afternoon slept in WV. Nashville Saturday. Slept in Cadz, Ky. Decided not to go to St. Louis went to Deals gap instead. Stayed in Hickory NC then back to Ct on Monday. I still can't get over how these bikes just eat up the miles.