5 amp limit on Beemer socket R1200R

[dhgeyer]

I tried to run my Gerbing's jacket liner off the Beemer plug socket via the adapter I bought at a BMW dealership when I bought the liner years ago. Always worked on the R850R with no problem. The R1200R is brand new, and I'm getting to know it. I run the jacket through a dual controller, as the jacket has pass through wiring to the ends of the sleeves for gloves, controlled separately. Anyway, I couldn't get it to work. I was trying to run the jacket liner only, with the glove circuit turned off. The controller would come on for a second, then power was cut.

I rode over to the dealer. The tech said that there's a 5 amp limit on the output to the socket, controlled electronically, not fused. It shuts off if any accessory is drawing more than 5 amps. I later confirmed this in my owners' manual.

My jacket liner draws over 6 amps, even without the gloves. So there seems to be no possibility of running my heated gear from the Beemer plug. I installed a Gerbing's wire right to the battery, so I do have heat, so ultimately it's not a problem.

But, frankly, I'm kind of appalled. It seems to me that one of the main purposes for having that socket on the bike is for heated clothing. Is this limitation true for other R1200 models also? Is the socket only useful for powering phone chargers and GPS units and the like? This "feature" seems like a serious defect to me.

Thoughts?

 

[kthutchinson]

Welcome to the world of ZFE (Central Chassis Electronics) controlled electrics. The ZFE module controls and monitors the flow of electricity to the entire bike (lights, horn, hand grips, accessory socket etc.) and shuts off any circuit that draws too much power. No fuzes are required.

The 5 amp limit applies to most R1200s. I believe the RT has a 10 amp limit (RT owners correct me if I'm wrong). To get around it, many owners connect a fuze box to the battery and wire the accessory socket(s) to the fuze box. A search on this site will produce plenty of posts on how to do this.

 

[Semper_Fi]

+1 on that.

Fuzebox, Centech are the most popular ones

This is where i put mine

 

[pffog]

Just buy an aftermarket socket kit. Easy as pie, just remove and unplug the OEM unit, insert the aftermarket unit (or BMW accessory kit) wire it straight to the battery with the fuse as close to the battery as possible, and you are done. Cost is about $20 and it will take 20 minutes to install.

 

[podsobinski]

Even the R1200GSA

dhgeyer, I had the exact same problem with my 08 GSA. It turned off when I had my heated liner on, no warmth! Anyway, upon investigation I found out that stupid accessory plug is only 5 amps (almost worthless). So like Semper Fi, I attached a Fuzeblock FZ-1 ($79.95). Installed it under the seat on the tool box tray (I keep all tools in my saddlebag) along with my AutoCom. Now with the liner plug, AutoCom and Satellite radio, they all work off the Fuzeblock and problem solved. I had a 06 RT and recall both the front and back BMW plug worked heated liners. Go figure sometimes one step forward and two steps back.

 

[roborider]

I also connected a Fuzeblock to my RT, right on top of the battery and direct wired both my sockets to it. There are three nice benefits. One of course is that it will work for heat! Another is that it will work when the bike is off which I like when getting gas in cold climates. Finally, you can plug in your battery tender w/o worrying about waking up the CANBUS system, etc. Just plug it in and go.

 

[RTRandy]

These guys are great and very helpful if you need advise over the phone. They make an outlet with a built in 15 amp fuse. By going directly to the battery you can also use battery tenders other than the BMW version which are designed to work with your CANbus. You'll be good to go with your jacket as well.

http://www.powerletproducts.com/

 

[dhgeyer]

Thanks everyone! You are most helpful indeed. I will look into all of these options, and probably eventually install one of them. For now I have the battery tender harness and Gerbing's harness wired to the battery. I took those off the Concours I traded in (along with my old 850) for the new R1200R. So there's no urgent need to do anything. I guess I just needed to vent.

It is gratifying to know that (1) I'm not alone in being outraged, and (2) there are very good solutions readily available when I'm ready to do some work on the bike, which probably won't be in January in an unheated garage.

 

[deilenberger]

I can't say I'm outraged.. I never planned to use the BMW plug for my Gerbing gear since I have a Heatroller hooked up and permanantly installed on the bike.. IMHO a better answer than just a connector to the BMW outlet.

I do use the BMW outlet for heat though.. I made my own heated-seat-pad, which draws less than 5A, and mounted a temporary Heatroller with some velcro and a BMW plug on the input line. Works fine, but sooner or later I'll build it in also.

BTW - it's the old engineer in me.. it's fuSe - not fuze. Just seeing it all those times was like chalk on a blackboard to me..

 

[roborider]

Don, you are seeing "fuze", certainly at least in my case, because the product "Fuzeblock" is a brand name, and that's how they spell it.

I also am not outraged. BMW branded heated clothing (I had some) works with the RT outlet, not overdrawing the circuit. And yes, it is mundanely simple to direct wire the outlets to the battery, either via a fused link or a "fuzeblock" or the ilk.

No use making a bigger deal of it than it is. A pair of wire cutters and a soldering iron and you're good to go!

The BMW outlet on the RT is extremely convenient to use for Gerbings. It is positioned nicely for it. And as mentioned, a great place to charge the battery. Go for it.

 

[Anyname]

Bypassing the CanBus system for your battery charger can be a very good thing. I used to live in an area with frequent power outages and I didn't catch that the CanBus needed to be "re-awoken". So the next spring I got to replace the battery and connect a direct lead to the battery.