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Hello - 2004 R1150RT problem

K

Kitty

Guest
Just wanted to introduce myself and say thank you in advance for the advice, knowledge, understanding and camaraderie that this forum and seeing you out on the road will bring. I just bought a 2004 R1150RT-P and have made several long distance rides between Los Angeles and San Francisco and I'm loving this machine!!

I got the RTP mainly because the price was hard to beat and it had a long history of service records, but I'm dealing with the knowledge that the bike was probably abused and the previous owner flopped the bike over a few times before selling it to me (scuff marks on the valve covers, and chrome police frame)

So, here I am in San Francisco, miles from home and the bike just won't start, lights come on strong, starter clicks in, but barely turns over. I replaced the battery with a fresh one when I bought the bike, and for a while the bike would start every time. Now, it's just dead. I'm thinking alternator? slow drain on the battery because of all the police stuff that got yanked out. there's a brown wire running from the lighting tree up front to the fuse tray that looks like it heated up and melted the plastic off of.
And to add to it, when the key is in the ignition, and turned to the on position, the horn blares until I turn the key off and remove the horn fuse, then I can attempt to start the bike.

ha, is this just the gremlins getting back at the bike for all those speeding tickets it gave out during it's life in police service??
 
Hi Kitty:

Welcome, and sorry your second post is full of grief.

First the good news:
This bike can again be all it ever was.

Now the bad news:
You have a serious electrical issue that needs to be resolved before you try to start the bike again. These bikes have un-fused circuits in them that sometimes cause melted wiring, which you have.
Since you're far from home this is going to be a bit of a problem.

Wait for others to chime in, I have no knowledge of the RT-P.
Hopefully I'm all wet.
 
The devil is in the person who removed the police wiring.....
They need to know what they are doing.
Not always the case...............
Find someone who has done it more than once.
 
Mike is absolutely right. Don't make the problem worse than it is. There is obviously already a short to the horn circuit and it is probably related to the melted wires you have already spotted. Sorry to hear this but electrical issues on RTP bikes are not uncommon.

It is a shame you are not closer to Ozzie's BMW in Chico because they service and repair all the RTPs for Sacramento and points north including Chico. Best BMW shop in Northern California in my opinion which is worth the price of admission. But they are 215 miles away from you. You might want to call them anyway. 530-345-4462 Ozzies has been known to go to extraordinary lengths for stranded bikers! Perhaps they can steer you to the right shop near where you are at least.
 
update

so, the horn only goes off once per key cycle. Ie. I turn the key off, then back on, there's no blaring horn. Or, as I was driving it to City Cycle Werks (good reviews on Yelp), it died once on a hill, and as it died, the horn started blaring. Upon turning the key off, then back on, no horn, and I could push start it to ride it to the shop. Also the clock, fuel gauge meter, oil pressure panel resets, and shows 00:00 on the clock when this happens.
It appears that this happens only when the battery is really low or when the motor dies.

Question: if the battery was low/dead I wouldn't be able to push start it, because it needs battery to run the fuel injectors. correct?

I hear you about fixing the gremlins before I start riding again. I'm looking around for a replacement wiring harness without the police stuff, but since I'm a long way from home, doing the work on a side street seems a bit sketchy.

As far as the starter is concerned, will a starter fail outright, or work but not be powerful enough to turn the engine over.

Thanks again.
 
Kitty, when the battery is disconnected or discharged, it is normal for the clock to go to 00:00. It then needs to be reset, but that is the least of your worries at this time!

Do you have an "Owners Anonymous" book? That is usually a good resourse for some on the road help!

Ken
 
Question: if the battery was low/dead I wouldn't be able to push start it, because it needs battery to run the fuel injectors. correct?
Yes, you need enough battery to run the fuel injection system or the bike won't start.

I hear you about fixing the gremlins before I start riding again. I'm looking around for a replacement wiring harness without the police stuff, but since I'm a long way from home, doing the work on a side street seems a bit sketchy.

As far as the starter is concerned, will a starter fail outright, or work but not be powerful enough to turn the engine over.
My starter began drawing excessive current as well as turning more slowly. It always started the bike but it got close near the end.
A new starter fixed that problem. YMMV

I know you're in a bit of a pickle, if you end up riding the bike back home you might want to invest in a fire extinguisher.
Did you try Beemerboneyard for the harness?

Good luck.
 
My bike blew the horn and maybe half volume any time the ignition was on, but the bike was not running. When I replaced the battery, that stopped (I don't run a second battery on my 2004 R1150RTP). I have had excellent service out of mine, but I did have a worn igntion wire that caused intermittent cutoffs, and that took Paul Glaves to diagnose (thanks Paul). During that diagnostic process, I went ahead and had a very worn alternator belt replaced. I bought my 04 with 32K, and I'm closing on 11,000 miles of excellent riding. I'd buy it again. The worn out ignition lead/switch is about the only electrical issue I've had (if you dont' count the horn bleat with the old battery), and I'm running all original wiring.

Just wanted to introduce myself and say thank you in advance for the advice, knowledge, understanding and camaraderie that this forum and seeing you out on the road will bring. I just bought a 2004 R1150RT-P and have made several long distance rides between Los Angeles and San Francisco and I'm loving this machine!!

I got the RTP mainly because the price was hard to beat and it had a long history of service records, but I'm dealing with the knowledge that the bike was probably abused and the previous owner flopped the bike over a few times before selling it to me (scuff marks on the valve covers, and chrome police frame)

So, here I am in San Francisco, miles from home and the bike just won't start, lights come on strong, starter clicks in, but barely turns over. I replaced the battery with a fresh one when I bought the bike, and for a while the bike would start every time. Now, it's just dead. I'm thinking alternator? slow drain on the battery because of all the police stuff that got yanked out. there's a brown wire running from the lighting tree up front to the fuse tray that looks like it heated up and melted the plastic off of.
And to add to it, when the key is in the ignition, and turned to the on position, the horn blares until I turn the key off and remove the horn fuse, then I can attempt to start the bike.

ha, is this just the gremlins getting back at the bike for all those speeding tickets it gave out during it's life in police service??
 
Update - Starter - Enduralast/DB Electrical??

Ok, it turns out it was the starter. Ordered a new one, the Enduralast, from EuroMotoElectrics (www.euromotoelectrics.com) on a two-day Fedex. I found DB Electrical has one closer, but couldn't find any information on that one other than they sell a lot on Ebay.

I also found a 2004 Wiring harness in decent shape from Ebay and having that shipped to me as well.
 
Curious to know how the starter was diagnosed as the problem. Was a short circuit found in it?

You won't go wrong with Euromotoelectrics. John is a great guy and offers good products at great prices. Congrats on making great progress in just a day!
 
Kitty in SF.

My sis lives on the hill, in Berkeley, CA, and her house has an ample garage if you need safe haven for work, top of Albany St Exit, contact me off list, jsoque@hotmail.com.

Happy Wanderer is all knowing, follow his lead.

Fascinated by your delema, as I was inquiring in an earlier post (last month) about the possibility of installing a second battery in my '04 RT just to run all my gadgets, and now, I see that the opposite 'gremlin' can be a pittfall.

Does your lady have the second battery still installed in her? Check that by taking off the left crashbar, and all the tuperware. It should just show the second battery leads out of the box. Lots of times, the wires just get yanked out of this area with little regard. Though, your report of a fried brown 'jumper' wire from the f box, was probably causing a ground, larger out put in high RPM's, and an ultimate frying of that connection.

Also, if the problem lies in the alternator you have to research a higher KW alternator for her. There are two different ones for the RT, vs. the RT-P.

I used a Bosch Starter as my replacement one.

I went through 3 models of 12 volt - voltmeter brands, bf I found one I really liked.

Best of luck, and post photo of the fried wiring next visit.

Jim S
(Long Island, NY)
 
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Also, if the problem lies in the alternator you have to research a higher KW alternator for her. There are two different ones for the RT, vs. the RT-P.



Jim S
(Long Island, NY)


The RT-P already comes with the bigger alternator.
 
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