Slow Starter Motor / 04 R1150R 3800 miles

[landers sevier]

New to the forum!

Just purchased an 04 R1150R with 3800 miles. Original owner let bike sit idle for over a year (in the weather no less - under a shed and out of rain, but not in a climate controlled space). I purchased bike without hearing it run. I replaced the competely dead battery (with new Yuasa brand conventional battery - not a gel cell, or maintence free type) and changed oil and filter. When attempting to start the bike, the engine turns over very slowly, and only for a few revolutions before the starter solenoid begins to "clickity click"...as if the starter motor were very weak or the battery were very weak. But the new battery has 12.4 volts and will hold this voltage overnight.

Even with spark plugs REMOVED the engine turns over very slowly (far slower than i am used to on other twin clinder and four cylinder bikes) and after maybe 10 revolutions with the plugs out, the starter stops turning the engine altogether.

I removed the starter to clean it and bench test. The bendix jumps out, as normal, and the starter DOES spin when 12v is applied to solenoid....but the starter motor begins to turn slower and slower after a few seconds. And from my experience the starter SHOULD typically produce enough torque to jump out of your hand when 12V is apllied (hard to hold). This starter does not...it can be held quite easily.

Last bit of info....immediately after i changed the oil and installed the new battery, I was able to get the bike to fire and run for a few minutes. At that time, the starter turned over "normally" and fired the bike to my surprise within just a few revolutions..the bike stumbled for a minute then cleared up and ran fine. I killed the motor (happy knowing the bike does in fact run), then proceeded to WASH the bike entirely (with fuel tank, seat, etc removed). I blew it dry with compressed air, went to refire the bike and this is the point that I noticed the starter turning very slowly. I removed spark plugs (to ensure no liquid in cylinder) and to see if starter turned engine over more freely with plugs out. But it made no real difference having sparks out.

Is this a typical problem - or is it common place on BMW (Bosch or Valeo) starters?
Do the symptoms I describe point solely to a bad starter...or is there something else entirely that I should be looking for on this bike?


Just seems odd. 3800 miles. Starter cranked the bike seemingly normal after bike had been sitting idle for a year or more (after new battery). Then all of a sudden it pooped out after washing the bike?

anybody got any ideas? Is it my starter? or something else?

No experience with BMW and have been told by service tech at dealer that BMW bikes do not like to sit idle and will incur all sorts of electrical oddities. (like the fact my ABS waning light is flashing - meaning my ABS is not working?) This will be another question to follow later.

Thanks!! Landers

[combustor777]

RE: flashing ABS. It flashes slowly (~1 hz?) until the wheelspeed is above 3mph and completes the self test. If it is flashing after you are above this speed then you have a problem.

Did you charge the battery before hooking it up and cranking? You said it has 12.4 volts, but that is nearly inconsequential when you are talking about the amount of current required to turn a starter motor. It could show 12.4 volts and only have a fraction of an Ah of juice left, and when the starter pulls its load of dozens of amps the batt voltage would then plummet as the last bit of juice is sucked out. Test the voltage as the starter is engaged or charge battery overnight if you haven't done this. If this has been ruled out then you can then suspect the starter is bad. I don't recall much discussion about them dying nor have I had a problem with mine in 25k miles, but with anything mechanical it can malfunction.

[jcridge]

Sounds like you have excessive draw on the battery, did you leave something on while you were cleaning? Also check the battery cable connections. Many people complain about slow cranking on later model R's. This is almost always due to the battery low state of charge, even if it's a new battery.
Charge the battery off the bike to a full state. Reinstall on the bike and check amperage draw with the key in your hand.

Your ABS issue is most likely due to the low battery voltage.

Once you have this sorted out, don't wash, ride it. When you hit 4K miles replace the stick coils...( inquire about this when you get the battery straightened out)

[boxermania]

Adding to the previous posts.....

Assuming the battery is good and fully charged and all conections are tight, including the battery ground I would proceed as follows.

Measure the no load battery voltage and record......12.4 vdc is a very good starting point.
Keep the voltmeter hooked up and proceed to start the engine while noting the voltmeter reading....if the meter gets to 11 vdc or less and the engine slows while cranking you have one or two problems.

Either the battery or the starter are defective, remove and take to the auto parts store, have the battery load tested and the starter tested as well.

Usually the BMW starters are not a problem, other than dirt accumulation over extended use, which can be easily cleaned by removing the starter. Several DIY threads have been posted.

Good luck and keep us posted

[R4R&R]

Last bit of info....immediately after i changed the oil and installed the new battery, I was able to get the bike to fire and run for a few minutes. At that time, the starter turned over "normally" and fired the bike to my surprise within just a few revolutions..the bike stumbled for a minute then cleared up and ran fine. I killed the motor (happy knowing the bike does in fact run), then proceeded to WASH the bike entirely (with fuel tank, seat, etc removed). I blew it dry with compressed air, went to refire the bike and this is the point that I noticed the starter turning very slowly. I removed spark plugs (to ensure no liquid in cylinder) and to see if starter turned engine over more freely with plugs out. But it made no real difference having sparks out.

This sounds like a battery issue. The battery is good for only a couple starts before needing a good recharge. Let me understand this; you started it and only let it run for a very short time then turned it off for a washing, then tried to start it again? Was the ambient temp under 50f? The battery has limited capacity for turning over the big twin and it get's much harder as the temp goes down. Once the bike starts, it should be ridden to re-charge the battery back up. I would say a good 30 minute ride with some highway speeds should do it. For now, put the battery on a charger for a while (something like a 2 amp charge for about 20 minutes?) and try again. It sounds like you're getting close!

[towerworker]

I tend to believe it's an antifreeze and radiator issue.

[R4R&R]

I tend to believe it's an antifreeze and radiator issue.

Wayne's correct - a small, but important area we overlooked. As we all know, as anti-freeze sits, it becomes seperated. Seperated into two parts - good and bad antifreeze (kind of like in Spiderman 3, where there was a good and bad Spiderman battling each other). As the seperated antifreeze sits in the radiator, the bad antifreeze rises to the top and supresses the good antifreeze. This is where it affects the starting. When you try to start the bike with seperated antifreeze, the antifreeze pump (don't confuse this with the water pump,oil pump, or bilge pump) gets clogged with the bad antifreeze (since the pump is located at the top of the radiator) and causes more internal fiction within the engine, and in turn, wears the battery down at an accelerated rate.

So CHECK THE ANTIFREEZE!

[DMM]

I tend to believe it's an antifreeze and radiator issue.

Wayne's correct - [this] causes more internal fiction within the engine, and in turn, wears the battery down at an accelerated rate.

So CHECK THE ANTIFREEZE!

+1 on checking the antifreeze. I respect Towerworker's judgment on these matters. However, it is also likely to be an issue with the battery. It may be too late to return the battery, but I'd recommend getting one with the most cold-cranking Amps possible.

[towerworker]

It just does my heart good to hear you young fellas speak with respect of us older and gray headed old farts.


"what's not turning gray is turning loose"

Wayne

[Sunbeemer]

Welcome aboard landers sevier! And Happy New Year!

This sounds more like you might have corroded connections then an antifreeze problem ( ) since it started after a thorough washing...
I'd check the big wire connections (both hot and ground) at the battery and at the starter, and the engine-case ground. If they they have any whitish powder around them, remove them and clean with a brass wire brush or fine emory cloth and a rag and maybe a squirt of contact cleaner.

Be sure the battery is topped up on a charger and see how it goes.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.