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Battery Life

Well the one on my 08 RT seemed to barely have enough punch to run the starter system well in cold weather when the bike was still not broken in. Wouldn't be surprised if you see the same noting your location.
I've kept it on a Yuasa charger (less than $40) ever since when the weather is cold. Working OK but I think the starter system really wants more juice than the stock battery readily supplies when weather is cold. Haven't verified current draw however.
I assume you know you cannot charge using the factory provided outlets unless you buy the silly BMW charger specific for ZFE controlled outlets (about $160 IIRC). You need to connect to something that goes direct to battery to use any normal charger like a Battery Tender, Yuasa, et etc

There have been a number of premature failures reported. I'd be sure to get a decent brand replacement if it dies - there are a lot of very crap batteries sold these days, possibly due at least in part to so much lead recycling and buildup of other metals in the lead pool. Had a couple car batteries with posts that broke readily and were obviously heavily alloyed with other metals and several premature failures with the junk sold at WalMart and have stopped buying all such.

When mine dies, I will be hunting a Japanese brand as replacement or possibly a Hawker - the latter are a little quirky but have given good service in my track machinery. No Exides, etc...Interesting that the big battery tucked in the rear of my Mercedes never seems to die. I change them after 8 yrs or so because I can measure a drop in a load test but have never had even close to a failure because they never see engine heat, are well made and very large.

Do you have any unusual parasitic draws on your bike or does your bike take an extra long time to shut off a fuse panel that has a ZFE-connected trigger wire by any chance? Leaving something that needs a lot of juice like a heated jacket plugged into a ZFE -triggered fusebox after the ignition is switched off would be one way to take the zip out of a battery because the ZFE can take 20 min or more to shut off if it senses strange loads or changes. You could measure current draw wih the bike fully switched off to know for sure but its probably unlikely on a newish bike unless something is added in an unusual manner.
 
How long should the factory battery last?

If you have had no issues, and if you want to play it safe, and if you have the discretionary income, .....

....pop in a new battery after every 4 years of use.

Happy Riding!


P.S. : Battery should bear a 'date of manufacture' - that's what starts the clock ticking. The OEM that came with my '05 R1200RT was still going strong at the 4 year mark, but I replaced it out of prudence.
 
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2 years by BMW;

This is their standard warranty for the batteries. If they determine, with a few tests at the Beemer shop, the battery is faulty, they give another one, free. Better batteries are to be had, however, so shop wise. My GSA1200 battery lasted 6 months and the second one is doing fine at a year and a half old, 40000+ miles. They do not like cold, cold outside, as I found out in Texas at 15 degrees out one morning. It took a few minutes to get going, but may well have had something to do with my 20/50w oil too. Randy:thumb
 
Battery Warranty will VARY between Dealer to Dealer.

My Dealer gave me a hard time but finally replaced the less than 1 year old battery for free. They Claimed 1 year warranty only on batterys...(who really knows)...and if other than an "Approved BMW Battery Charger" was used on the battery the Warranty was VOID...( even when I proved that the DelTran Company out of Florida made the Battery Charger for BMW)..whole 'nuther story...

Supposedly for about two years..2005 through 2007 and possibly into 2008, there was a rash of badly manufactured batteries, made by ##### in Europe (I read and was told this many times).
These batterys would just fail without an type of warnings. Some Dealers would warranty these batterys up to 1 year and some up to 2 years.

There are many many different battery manufacturers out there. And many many different opinions on which battery is better or BEST for your bike...
I just went back to the standard BMW brand battery to avoid any "possible" problems or "bike warranty" issues with the Dealer.
 
Battery Warranty will VARY between Dealer to Dealer.

My Dealer gave me a hard time but finally replaced the less than 1 year old battery for free. They Claimed 1 year warranty only on batterys...(who really knows)...and if other than an "Approved BMW Battery Charger" was used on the battery the Warranty was VOID...( even when I proved that the DelTran Company out of Florida made the Battery Charger for BMW)..whole 'nuther story...
Actually - the battery warranty info is very clearly defined in the warranty booklet that came with the bike. 2 years, no mileage limitation. If the dealer quibbled, I would have simply shown him the booklet. The warranty is a contract between you and BMW-Motorad, not you and the dealer.
Supposedly for about two years..2005 through 2007 and possibly into 2008, there was a rash of badly manufactured batteries, made by ##### in Europe (I read and was told this many times).
The batteries that are giving trouble are Exide. And they fail even on 2009 models with very little to no warning. Since Exide is a division of Yuasa now, the fault that used to be fairly common on Yuasa batteries a few years ago seems to have traveled to the Exide brand. AFAIK - the bikes for the US received made in US batteries.
These batterys would just fail without an type of warnings. Some Dealers would warranty these batterys up to 1 year and some up to 2 years.
I would be calling BMW-Motorad if a dealer warrantied one for less than 2 years. Dealers can't change the terms of the warranty.
There are many many different battery manufacturers out there. And many many different opinions on which battery is better or BEST for your bike...
I just went back to the standard BMW brand battery to avoid any "possible" problems or "bike warranty" issues with the Dealer.
So - you got an Exide? Our local no-longer-in-business dealer offered Yuasa replacements. I snagged one the final day the doors were open for a good price, and am about (as soon as it goes over 30F) to replace the OEM Exide in my '07 R12R (mfg date of 10/06). It still starts every time, but it has been a tad slower lately.
 
My '06 RT still has the original battery in it, sitting in my garage with a Deltran battery tender hooked directly to it. It works fine or did when I parked it a month or so ago. :clap
 
Very clear warranty, 2 years;BUT

A lot of dealers have issues with the $Flat Rate$ guide to their pay from BMW for some jobs. I'm not sure what a battery changeout is paid, BUT I bet its an issue and a NO money maker for'em. Therefore they gripe sometimes, out of line of course, but its only human to gripe sometimes. Not good practice. I've heard it at my dealer, on other jobs and I consider my dealer first rate. I think their FR pay manuals are not consisitent. My opinion, not in stone here.
The battery W guideline is 2 years and has been for a long time, by BMW. They just make you jump through the hoops to get one! Randy
 
My 04 R-1150-RT still has the origional battery. I do run extra lights and a GPS and I keep it on a BMW charger all winter. I have never used it in the warmer weather. I am thinking that I will be replacing the battery this spring. I guess my shorth answer is 5 years +
 
Two years for my '07 'R. Dealer replaced it no questions asked. I called ahead, then threw it into my Motosport Panniers on my DR 650 to haul it over. Handed it to the parts guy and he handed me a new one. No testing what-so-ever.
 
Excepting factory defects, the two main life shorteners of lead-acid batteries are heat and deep cycling (why RV and marine batteries have short warranties). Since I started keeping a battery tender hooked up when not riding I have been getting 4 years or more.

I haven't noticed much difference between original and replacement batteries on previous bikes, but was a bit surprised to see how small the R12 battery is - all the more reason to keep it topped up.
 
It's interesting that BMW uses US made batteries, it may be some shipping issue, as one can buy Varta, and Mareg brand batteries for them in Europe. The replacement battery for my R75/6 is a German made Mareg, this machine is now 35 years old and is on it's 4th battery, 1 Varta, 3 Maregs.

I do think the load on the battery is a issue with the newer machines as the older ones had less displacement, less compression, and a 30 amp battery.

I bought a new Ducati, and it came with a Interstate battery, I'm told that Ducati uses US sorsed batteries for the machines they sell in the US as well.

Ken G.
 
I do not have a battery charger on my 2008 R1200RT. I take it for a 1.5 hour run once per month.
Am I reading here that this may cause a problem with my battery life?

I have noticed that when it is about 5 degrees celsius (about 41 F) it takes a couple of tries to get it to start and stay running. First time it turns over and starts then quits. Second or third time it will stay running with a little throttle. I live close to Vancouver BC - so Seattle type weather.

Will letting it sit for four weeks without any battery charger cause a huge drain?

The local dealer said if I take it out once each month everything should be good.

Comments? Suggestions?
 
The battery on my '07 RT (purchased in '06) is the original. It always works just fine. Whenever I am not riding, I keep it plugged in to the appropriate Battery Tender, which is designed for these batteries, in an extra socket I wired directly to the battery.

blue-rt.jpg
 
While it's nice to hear all the people using battery chargers of various sorts having good luck with their batteries.. it won't help if you have one of the wonky(tech-term) Exide batteries.

There is a small group of R1200R enthusiasts who meet on another forum, and the subject of battery failure was pretty intensely discussed since it seemed to happen to about 50% of the owners (which by default are from '07-'09). The discussion finally resolved:

100% of the failures were with Exide batteries - sourced by BMW in the USA (mine says "Made in the USA" right on the side of it next to the BMW/Exide logo.)

The use of chargers didn't help, OR make things worse (there was speculation that use of the wrong charger was damaging the battery - doesn't seem to be the case..)

The failures were sudden - very little warning. Typical failure - bike cranked once a bit slower than usual - person leaves on a ride, stops bike, goes to start it, and while the lights briefly come on - the starter does absolutely nothing. One or two people had the bike shut down while riding it - apparently there is a system threshold voltage where the electronics shut down to protect themselves.

Given the age of the bikes - almost ALL the failures were warrantied. One or two people experienced an early failure with the replacement battery.

This sort of failure indicates a construction failure inside the battery. About 4-5 years ago, there were several articles in Motorcycle Consumer News relating the same sort of early failures on Yuasa batteries. I don't recall what the outcome was or if there was any resolution. Of note is - your Exide USA battery is manufactured by Yuasa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GS_Yuasa#Yuasa.27s_history_in_the_U.S._only http://www.qxiu.com/PA/137864-yuasaexide,_incorporated.htm

This sort of failure is different from a "lifetime" failure. The life of a battery can be extended by keeping it charged unless there is a structural failure internal to the battery.

Really a case of YMMV..
 
Battery life

I work in the motorcycle industry - here's what I have gleaned happened with the Yuasa battery failure story. Why it failed; hairline cracks developed in one or more of the metal connectors between cells / plates. When the battery was cold the cracks 'made' electrically, when the battery warmed up (after some time riding) the cracks opened just enough to break the connection, intermittently and/or permanently. This first happened on Harley D bikes and the thinking at the time was the vibration of the V twin motor caused these links to fail. H-D changed OE battery suppliers as a result (now use East-Penn Manuf'). Seems clear now the links themselves were of poor quality. Yuasa batteries are of the better quality batteries on the market. They have two types: YTX -> dealer prepared and activated as well as YTZ -> factory activated. Main problems with YTX: Dealers dump the acid into the battery and fit it to the bike uncharged. Result? Short life span as the first action the battery sees is a massive discharge (cranking) which damages the sections of plates that have been activated. Batteries should be fully charged prior to usage to activate the full surface of each plate. Main problems with YTZ or any factory activated AGM battery -> extended storage in climatically uncontrolled warehouses of battery manufacturer, then distributor, then the dealer gets it in a state of partial sulfation / discharge. Dealer is told the battery is good as long as it measures above 12,4V. Here's a fact you can find on any of the battery manufacturer websites - An AGM battery is around 50% and less charged at that voltage. That does not sound too bad, but here's what you won't find on any battery manufacturers' site: a discharged battery will start sulfating (sulfate crystals develop) almost immediately. The sulfate don't adhere to the plates immediately though, so if it is recharged within a short enough time no damage results. It takes a little time for hard sulfation to form and it depends very much on the temperature (the hotter the quicker it happens), but once it starts affecting the battery's ability to accept charge, you need a special charger to bring it back to 100%. The longer you leave it the less chance you have of regaining full capacity. So, your dealer, I have to stress mostly none the wiser, puts the 'new' battery in your bike during PDI, delivers it to you and 6-12 months later you're back for a new one. He reluctantly ('cause it means he must prove to the motorcycle OE why it failed, kind of difficult) gives you another 'new' (but partially discharged) battery and 6-12 months later you're back again ... so all that happens is we all believe these new batteries don't last, but it is lack of information from the battery manufacturer that is the reason for the problem. AGM batteries can work for 5-7years without any issues, if maintained properly. Here's a fact, the OE / BMW in this case, pays for the replacement batteries, they get an allowance from the manufacturer that does not cover all the failures. So, it costs them. ask any motorcycle manufacturer, battery warranty issues cost them huge bucks.
 
Martin, (dunno your actual name - so that's a guess..)

Good information. The point I was trying to make - apparently not clearly is:

The BMW/Exide battery is the same as the Yuasa battery, and it appears to share the same flaw.

I did look carefully at the two when I had them side by side (my old Exide AGM and the new Yuasa AGM).. the only difference visible was the color of the housing (the Yuasa has a semi-opaque "tank" the Exide has a black "tank") - the lettering cast into the parts is IDENTICAL in all respects. The physical dimensions are IDENTICAL. The charge instructions (Volts and Amps) were IDENTICAL. The only other minor difference was - the post design had been very slightly changed on the Yuasa - where it used a stepped-square-insert to screw the bolt into instead of the plain square-insert the Exide had. I'm guessing this is to make the binding post slightly stronger. In any case - either is a better design than the old loose nut that most bike batteries use.

The sudden-death syndrome the Exide batteries exhibit isn't one of a weak battery that sulfated up. It's of a battery that suffered an internal connector failure... just like the Yuasa had a number of years ago.

And I'll agree - while some dealers don't prep a battery correctly - the dealer I got the Yuasa from (who was going out of business) - had a special battery room with a multi-connector 10-station Deltran BatteryTender where he kept a number of the most popular batteries continually "on-float" and ready to go. Another dealer in NJ has the same sort of setup.. so at least some dealers were trying to do it right.
 
I do not have a battery charger on my 2008 R1200RT. I take it for a 1.5 hour run once per month.
Am I reading here that this may cause a problem with my battery life?

I have noticed that when it is about 5 degrees celsius (about 41 F) it takes a couple of tries to get it to start and stay running. First time it turns over and starts then quits. Second or third time it will stay running with a little throttle. I live close to Vancouver BC - so Seattle type weather.

Will letting it sit for four weeks without any battery charger cause a huge drain?

The local dealer said if I take it out once each month everything should be good.

Comments? Suggestions?

Don or Martin - any comments on my approach above re: battery life/maintenance?
 
Don or Martin - any comments on my approach above re: battery life/maintenance?

I don't normally use a charger on my bike. I do try to ride it once a week, and ride it long enough that the battery at least regains the capacity lost in starting it.

So - it depends. If you can get it out and do a good high-speed/RPM run for 30 minutes or so, without too many heated garments and extra lights turned on, that may be all that's needed.

If not - or if it was sitting for 4 weeks, I'd consider using a float-charger like my AccuMate or a BatteryTender on it.
 
I agree with an early comment that these batteries are not strong enough as-new. I had starting trouble in cold weather, even with a Battery Tender direct-to-battery connection overnight. Had my dealer check for a toasted battery and they claim it passed the load test. Must be wimpy.
 
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