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Odyssey Oddity

ADulay

ADulay

NRA Instructor
Sorry. That's as clever as I can get for the time being.

Anyway, it's coming up time for a replacement battery for the 2014 R1200RT sitting in the garage which, as we speak, is trying to figure out the next perfect time to blow a low beam on the road.

I had a replacement Odyssey in my 2006 that would still be working today except for the mini-van that took us out.

But I digress.

I went to the Odyssey site to check for the appropriate battery and nothing came up for the 2014 model.

Hmm, what to do? Obviously the answer was to come here and look like a total "noob" and ask in a new battery type thread!

Thanks.

AD (drone batteries are expensive too but at least I can find those)
 
:wave Hi ADulay

No Odyssey intel, just wondering why a battery in Florida is suspect after only two years:scratch

And must be an RT thing...my antique 05 played games as well with three bulbs. If you only change one...well, you know the deal:laugh
 
The 200cca or the 16ah seems anemic?

Have you measured to verify?

The R series have used a few different size batteries the past few generations between models. Had a Wethead GS here the other day, should have taken a look under the cover.

Yuasa absorbed the Exide name years ago...you should see a Yuasa label these days.
The polarity layout isn't the problem, but, the length is. The Yuasa site let me find a 2014 BMW, however only K16 as a choice...and it's in the 7" zone. Even the pricey lithium one I saw was 7".
 
LFarling said:
I did not personally measure it but the person who was replacing his battery did and I am sure he got it right as he was after a aftermarket since he was having a issue with dealer service.

Well I thought the 16 ah seemed anemic but after thinking about it and looking at battery's I have used in the past it seems right in line. Yes the 7" is what was found aftermarket and mentioned and that it is just too long.

I hope we can find one to cross over to. It is principle for me, I hate being locked to a BMW dealer for a "generic" replacement part.

You would think all but three years would be enough time for a battery to be made available aftermarket. Although OEM battery's usually last me in the 5 year range here in PA so maybe more time is needed for aftermarket to get caught up?
Click to expand...

According to the Hornig website, the Yuasa replacement for the R1200RT LC is the YTX20CH battery

https://www.amazon.com/Yuasa-YUAM6220C-YTX20CH-BS-Battery/dp/B000WJX3R6

For the other R1200 LC models it's the YTX14H battery

https://www.amazon.com/Deka-Sports-Power-ETX14-Battery/dp/B0026H81CO

Is this info correct? You'll have to ask the folks at Hornig.

Based on the Westco & Yuasa sites, the following info is available

Yuasa ID......Westco ID......L........W.........H.......AH/CCA.......Polarity
51913..........12V20P.........178.......76......165.....20/275........-... +
53030..........12V30...........165.....124......175.....30/350........-... +
YTX14H........WCP15..........134......90......166.....14/220(w)....-... +
....................................................................12/---(y)
YTX20CH......------...........150......87......162......18/---(y)....-... +

(w) - Westco rating
(y) - Yuasa rating

IIRC - the Westco platinum series is a Deka product. Yuasa owns the old Exide facility. Both are located in the Reading, PA area.
 
Last edited:
LFarling;1067732Also living in PA the bike may sit in the winter depending on road conditions.[/QUOTE said:
When parked for days at a stretch, my bike and car are connected to an Accumate / Battery Tender or CTEK trickle charger. I have a 14-yo OEM battery in my car and a westco 12V20P was still working fine in my R11RS after 10-yrs.
Click to expand...
 
LFarling said:
I am sure we will figure it out but it may be that BMW has once again done "only we have the part" thing right now.

.
Click to expand...

It would be hard to believe BMW spec'd a stand alone Yuasa battery just for one model. I know there were NGK plugs that you could not find anywhere but a dealer, but that is not the case anymore if you spend some time searching.

The GS battery they list in Yuasa chart is a 6 X 3 7/16 X3 11/16... however the pos term in on the left -YTZ14S . With 230 cca rating

General Battery in PA became Exide/Yuasa. They still building batteries in that plant? It's in your backyard 36:dunno
 
LFarling said:
I only tend my bike on a Optimate charger around 1 time a month in winter. I do try to ride it as much as possible. The bikes get to live in the garage.

My cars I may tend them 2 times a year just for grins and giggles. The cars live in the driveway. I look for the cars to have issues or low voltage before worrying about changing them

Good for you on your longevity of battery's. My life does not run that way with luck.

I see a battery as a replacement part at 3-5 years. I really do not look for issues other than resting voltage after a charge or very low voltage on a start. Not a big deal for me to budget 20 to 25 bucks a year for a battery. Not worth it to me to have it fail and all that entails if on the road.

Of course that R11RS is a lot easier on a battery than my R 1200RT LC :)
Click to expand...

Life is grand with a detached garage. It's the primary reason I bought this house. The second floor man-cave, which I added, is my true secret to a reasonably happy wife. After 17-yrs in a townhouse with a one-car garage, I knew what I wanted in a house. A small, well-built house, with a garage for my stuff. I'm spoiled, and I know it.

My battery life is long because I can pamper them. The new service manager at the local BMW car shop can't believe that I'm running the original battery in a 13-14 yo car. But, the car isn't run between the first and last snow falls and often is parked in front of the MC during good riding weather. As such, a man needs a part-size pick-up, which is parked in the car port I had installed on the side of the detached garage. Remember, I'm spoiled. It happens with age and good looks.

Now, back to your issue. Do you have the measurements on the RT battery?
 
Last edited:
Such a hard time with batteries ...

Perhaps the first thing to consider is that BMW is a German company and has zero interest in what's available in the USA aftermarket. They have the responsibility to provide their customers with replacement parts and they do this through their parts system and do not necessarily conform to any aftermarket availabilities. There is zero reason to assume, in addition, what's available in the German aftermarket is the same as what's available in the USA. Lots of us assume "parts is parts" but his assumption is simply incorrect when comparing USA and Germany. In Germany, you may be able to find an exact replacement battery labeled Bosch, but you can take to the bank that there is almost zero connection between parts labeled Bosch in Germany and parts labeled Bosch in the USA. The "Bosch" car batteries you can buy at PepBoys are made in the USA and are not made by Bosch. I really don't think there are "group" sizes applicable to motorcycle batteries.

2nd, if a battery is not exactly the same dimensions as the OE BMW battery with the exact terminal configuration, it's not a battery made for your BMW. Aftermarket suppliers don't care about your business as much as you might think but may be happy to sell you something "close" or "generic" and let you figure it out from there--the number of BMW motorcycles on the road is pretty small and any aftermarket firms working here will put Oriental bikes and HDs first in their priorities. The fact BMW has come up with a new battery specification is not necessarily "marching orders" for any aftermarket company to jump in to supply a replacement, exact or generic and close or to even update their catalog to indicate they may already have something close.

A few things are true: your head will stop hurting when you stop banging it against as wall. You will not find a better yet cheaper battery for your BMW than those supplied by BMW. Motorcycle tires cost more than car tires. So do BMW motorcycle batteries cost more than car batteries. Last time I was in Germany a Big Mac was $8 and that was local, not shipped from the USA. Most taxicabs in Germany are Mercedes E-class. American style pricing of BMW parts is fantasy.

PS: (just for fun) replacement batteries for current BMW cars must be "registered" with the engine management system using a factory scan tool or OE-level aftermarket tool. This tells the engine management system the battery type, size, and age. The system then charges that battery accordingly. Again, BMW doesn't care much about guys in driveways installing FLAPS parts (nor are they required to) and I see no reason the bikes won't adopt something similar soon. One might consider the notion that if the battery s/he buys requires a different home charger, why does it automatically get charged correctly by your bike? It doesn't is the answer.
 
henzilla said:
:wave Hi ADulay

No Odyssey intel, just wondering why a battery in Florida is suspect after only two years:scratch
Click to expand...

Well normally I get 4 years on a battery. I ride every day and of course that helps.

However, I did install a GoPro on the front of the bike due to the "excellent drivers" here in Florida and it runs continuously until I turn it off. (Hard wired to the battery and fused).

Every now and then I get 15 hours of video of the back of the garage. You can interpret that to mean I was stupid and left it on by accident all night.

Do that a few times and the battery is now on the back side of the power curve for sure.

And that's why the 2 year old battery is soon to be replaced.

The battery location is not like earlier R1200RTs. It's kind of squeezed into a spot under the seat only accessible by lawn gnomes or something. Not much room to modify the installation.

At least I'm glad I brought this up as it appears there are (will be) a lot of guys looking for the replacement battery and guys much smarter than me are working on it!

AD
 
LFarling said:
"It's an Exide battery that measures only 3 1/4" wide, 6 1/2" tall, and 6" long! The positive post is on the right front corner, negative on left front corner. It's specs are 12 volts/16AH/200CCA."

This is from a guy who was having a dealer issue and wanted to find his own battery. He never did, but the dealer stepped up for him. He seemed very sure of his measurements. He also did some leg work and came up blank.

Yes you are a lucky man with a garage a carport and a Man Cave :)
Click to expand...

Those dimensions are within 5-mm of the YXT20CH. I would go to your local battery warehouse (typically handle Deka and Exide made products) and return it, if it doesn't work
 
lkchris said:
?..your head will stop hurting when you stop banging it against as wall. You will not find a better yet cheaper battery for your BMW than those supplied by BMW.
Click to expand...

Do you work in street clothes, or does BMW provide you with a cheerleader uniform?
 
ADulay said:
It's kind of squeezed into a spot under the seat only accessible by lawn gnomes or something.
Click to expand...

Garden Gnomes, like the guy that sits in the next office at work, have short stubby fingers, which match their height, and really big feet. Think Hobbit. Lawn Gnomes might be different.
 
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