• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

Neglected R100GS/PD

podsobinski

New member
Just purchased a 1995 R100GS/PD Classic. It only has 6,366 miles on it but has been sitting in a garage for 10 years or so. Of course the previous owner did not drain gas or do anything to it other than park it and cover it up. Working on it, I am interested in a battery. . .any comments on lithium or suitable replacement. Also, a gas tank bag and rear trunk. The back rack is chrome but has a lip on it. Not sure if there is a after market trunk for that model. I am sure you guys would know. Thanks for the help and anything I might over look besides the obvious fluids to replace on this fine model to bring it back to life.
 
You'll get various replies on preferences for battery type, but I would get a flooded lead acid.
 
You'll get various replies on preferences for battery type, but I would get a flooded lead acid.

My Dakar spends a lot of time on it's side...I opted for a sealed gel battery so I don't have to worry about battery acid.

i-qqBPwrC-M.jpg
 
GEL MAT...but the battery is just the start, You'll need a carb rebuild, steering head bearing re-greasing or replace, throttle mechanism grease, all the fluids changed, possible master cylinder replacement, check tires for date of manufacturing - air will need to be replaced, check electrical connections for corrosion, make sure rear brake shoes aren't frozen, check air filter for mouse nest....and then you can start with a standard tune up.




kidding about the air ;-))
 
Do not neglect the wheel bearings. When I purchased a "well maintained" bike, the front bearing was totally dry! Cost me dearly!

After weighing all the options, my top two choices were ones either from Advance Auto (guaranteeed 1 year) or Batteries Plus or AutoZone.

the others were expensive and not worth the extra cash in my opinion.

Also there are zillions of AutoZone's/Advance Auto stores no matter where you travel.
 
My battery preference generally for ALL my bikes is AGM - Absorbed Glass Mat. Westco has a full line and batteries for almost all BMWs. Discharge rate is very slow and they can be installed in any position. The advantage over Gel batteries are: AGMs are slightly less expensive and they do not need a special charger. Disadvantage over conventional wet batteries are: AGMs are slightly more expensive (which is more than compensated by longer life) and they do not tolerate a deep discharge. I have a Westco AGM in my 77 R100S, my 90 K1 and my 99 R1100RT. My K1600GT still has the factory Gel but will get an AGM as soon as it needs a new battery
 
GEL MAT...but the battery is just the start, You'll need a carb rebuild, steering head bearing re-greasing or replace, throttle mechanism grease, all the fluids changed, possible master cylinder replacement, check tires for date of manufacturing - air will need to be replaced, check electrical connections for corrosion, make sure rear brake shoes aren't frozen, check air filter for mouse nest....and then you can start with a standard tune up. kidding about the air ;-))

++ on the airbox...I bought an R100 that lived on a farm and there was a mouse nest in the tail cowl; mud daubers nests behind the side covers, and the air box intakes were choked with bird feathers!
 
Working on it, I am interested in a battery. . .any comments on lithium or suitable replacement.

I just brought my R100 GS out of hibernation. It has been parked since 2002 and it needed a battery.

I usually go for the factory BMW Mareg batteries, but cost and a direct fit replacement had me try a YUASA 53030. I hope it lasts as long as the factory BMW batteries that I always got 9 years out of. These are plain old flooded lead acid batteries that can be maintained, which is why they last.

Other battery types such as AGM, GEL and Lithium are too finicky. They do not do well in hot climates because the charging system generally overcharges them.
 
I Other battery types such as AGM, GEL and Lithium are too finicky. They do not do well in hot climates because the charging system generally overcharges them.

That is a general statement, which lumps ALL OTHER TYPES into one category. AGMs use the exact same chargers as wet cell batteries. After all, they ARE lead acid batteries.
 
That is a general statement, which lumps ALL OTHER TYPES into one category. AGMs use the exact same chargers as wet cell batteries.

Not quite; there are slight differences. But that isn't what matters.


After all, they ARE lead acid batteries.

True, but what matters is that they cannot be overcharged and in the process of doing so, they cannot be topped up when necessary.

I can overcharge my FLA every now and then to equalize the cells. And I can top them up as desired.

My original FLA in my car will soon be in its 15th year operating under very wide temperature extremes (-30C to +34C).
 
Don't understand that sentence at all.

You do know that charge voltage is temperature and battery type dependent.

You do know if you overcharge a battery, it gases...even an AGM.

When it gases, it loses fluid.

You cannot readily add fluid to an AGM.

A FLA can be topped up. I take the one out of my car, clean it and top it up every two years. The voltage regulator within the alternator is spot on as well...the likely cause that the battery has lasted this long, plus the fact that it is a Panasonic car battery (only available in new cars). The last one in the other car was 18 years old when I lost track of it.
 
You do know that charge voltage is temperature and battery type dependent.

You do know if you overcharge a battery, it gases...even an AGM.

When it gases, it loses fluid.

You cannot readily add fluid to an AGM.

A FLA can be topped up. I take the one out of my car, clean it and top it up every two years. The voltage regulator within the alternator is spot on as well...the likely cause that the battery has lasted this long, plus the fact that it is a Panasonic car battery (only available in new cars). The last one in the other car was 18 years old when I lost track of it.

Yes, I know all those things.
So I guess what you meant was "True, but what matters is that they CAN be overcharged and in the process of doing so, they cannot be topped up when necessary."
 
Yes, I know all those things.
So I guess what you meant was "True, but what matters is that they CAN be overcharged and in the process of doing so, they cannot be topped up when necessary."

Semantics.

Hard to believe with all the newest i-phone and pads that everybody has, they still own and use battery chargers from the 50s.. A modern battery charger goes into a float mode when the battery reaches its "full" state.
I haven't "overcharged" any of my batteries in 10 years.
 
Hard to believe with all the newest i-phone and pads that everybody has, they still own and use battery chargers from the 50s.. A modern battery charger goes into a float mode when the battery reaches its "full" state.

Actually it should go to "float" mode after being in absorbtion mode for a few hours. Good chargers won't depend on time; instead they will switch over when charge current had decreased to a certain level and in case they don't due to a battery issue, they have a fail safe timer in the algorithm to take it to "float" mode.

And in the end, a charger that switches off and then back on is better than one going into float mode.


I haven't "overcharged" any of my batteries in 10 years.

How do you know? Do you have a voltmeter connected directly to the battery on your motorcycle? So I take it your batteries last 10...15 years?
 
How do you know? Do you have a voltmeter connected directly to the battery on your motorcycle? So I take it your batteries last 10...15 years?

Yes and no! I check the voltage in my batteries with a suitable instrument during and after charging. The batteries I remove from bikes during the 5 months of non-riding season here in Ohio, I keep on a Deltran battery tender.

My batteries do not last 10..15 years. I admire those who get 10 years out of a wet-cell lead-acid battery. I usually replace my batteries after 6-7 years when they show a sign of faster discharge. I hate to get stranded on the road with a battery that just suffered sudden-death-syndrome.
 
Last edited:
So I guess what you meant was "True, but what matters is that they CAN be overcharged and in the process of doing so, they cannot be topped up when necessary."

By "CAN", I mean unintentionally without the user even being aware of the situation.

Yes, I was thinking about the wording but didn't bother to change it.

Battery threads are almost like oil threads. The only difference is, very few if any engine failures are oil related. Short battery life is due to either owner neglect (undercharging - sulphation) or overcharging (gassing) due to an incorrectly matched or defective voltage regulator. Those batteries end up dry after a while.

But nobody cares about batteries. Hell, they're only $150 tops and easily replaced.

I had a choice between a FLA and an AGM for my 911. I purposely chose the FLA and will for my 1999 Honda CR-V if the original battery ever fails.

On another forum, a guy is going on and on ad nauseam about Lithium batteries. Yeah they have incredible energy density, but who the F cares when the old and original tech FLA battery I have starts my GS every single time for 9 years...and as an added bonus I CAN maintain it.

Here you have a field of failed 6T AGM batteries.
AGM%20Battery%20Graveyard-L.jpg


Got 5 minutes? This is a video of a Lithium battery that was penetrated. They can go to that mode of failure even if simply struck. Lithium batteries belong in cell phones and digital cameras, etc. and not in aircraft...till they sort out some of the safety issues. There is a reason why you are limited by law to Lithium batteries of 100 W-hr in portable devices on aircraft. I sure hope nobody puts them in their checked luggage.

Video: Break out the marshmallows - Lithium Battery in Action
 
I check the voltage in my batteries with a suitable instrument during and after charging.

OK, that is out of the motorcycle in the off season. You also want to check what your motorcycle's charging system is doing while riding and at various temperatures. Its why I installed a voltmeter on my motorcycle and in my car. The best piece of non-bling available. :)

I hate to get stranded on the road with a battery that just suffered sudden-death-syndrome.

TIP: forget the battery. You'll likely get stranded due to the French made Valeo starter. That is a joke...based on experience. :banghead
 
Back
Top