I am curious as to how difficult it is to get to the battery. Unfortunately, I can't charge my battery the easy way b/c they say my Battery Tender Plus is no good for the gell batteries. I will probably get the proper BMW one and get ripped of but if it's for the good of my baby then fine. So, if it gets really cold, I am thinking of taking the battery out and storing indoors just as I did with my previous bike. On the previous bike(1999 ZX-6R) the battery went in and out in a flash so it was easy to throw it in and start her up on a nice day. How difficult is the removal and reinstalation on the R. Haven't messed around with the bike enough so I need some input.
TIA...Vinny
Getting to the battery?
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bimmer83is
- Basic User
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- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 6:14 pm
- Location: Long Island,NY
I think I'd opt for the correct Tender before I'd try to keep it out and handy for a ride.
It's not that difficult to get to, but it does take some time and removal of the tank, gas lines, oil coolers from the tank, etc. PITA except for an occasional check of the battery and air filter.
You probably can find the correct Battery Tender on ebay or check the IBMWR ads.
It's not that difficult to get to, but it does take some time and removal of the tank, gas lines, oil coolers from the tank, etc. PITA except for an occasional check of the battery and air filter.
You probably can find the correct Battery Tender on ebay or check the IBMWR ads.
charge
Bimmer,
I recommend that you get the accessory outlet installed if you don't already have it and then use the Battery Tender to charge the battery through that. Getting the tank off is a royal pain and one of the most problematic design elements of the RR regarding battery exchange or maintenance. If you're not careful you could scratch the paint or so many other things you don't want to do. If you want to be extra sure, get the Tender made specifically for the gel battery but the others should also work.
NCRoaster
I recommend that you get the accessory outlet installed if you don't already have it and then use the Battery Tender to charge the battery through that. Getting the tank off is a royal pain and one of the most problematic design elements of the RR regarding battery exchange or maintenance. If you're not careful you could scratch the paint or so many other things you don't want to do. If you want to be extra sure, get the Tender made specifically for the gel battery but the others should also work.
NCRoaster
Special Battery Tender
The BMW Gel battery 'supposedly' has a different charging pattern/cycle and the regular battery tenders are not programmed for the pattern. BMW suggests you buy theirs. Deltran even mentions it in their literature.Oilhead wrote:Why in the world would charging a gel battery be any different from charging a regular battery? I have a gel battery and I use my Tender Jr. and it charges it fine.
Re: Special Battery Tender
Now how would the voltage regulator in the R1150R charge the gel battery any differently? 12Volts is 12volts isn't it? 1 amp is 1 amp. I'm not trying to be a wiseguy, I really don't understand!pjbmw wrote:The BMW Gel battery 'supposedly' has a different charging pattern/cycle and the regular battery tenders are not programmed for the pattern. BMW suggests you buy theirs. Deltran even mentions it in their literature.Oilhead wrote:Why in the world would charging a gel battery be any different from charging a regular battery? I have a gel battery and I use my Tender Jr. and it charges it fine.
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The Kurch Man
- Basic User
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- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:44 am
- Location: Metro Detroit - Michigan
The folks at BMW Detroit did tell me that my Battery Tender would work just fine for my bike - that was a couple of years ago. I have done nothing to change the orig battery and have not had a problem with the standard battery tender. I can not speak to other BMW models and their charging systems/batteries, but for my 1150r it's been fine.
BMW would rather we buy theirs - that I am sure of and my guess is, that it is just a tad bit more money.
BMW would rather we buy theirs - that I am sure of and my guess is, that it is just a tad bit more money.
Dennis
2004 R1150R
2004 R1150R
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boxermania
- Quadruple Lifer
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- Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 6:37 pm
- Location: Baton Rouge, LA.....aproaching retirement
bimmer83s........getting to the BMW battery is the equivalent of an edema, literally a pain in the arse.
Automotive type bateries are storage devices, irregardless of the type. When depleted they recharge by applying a controlled voltage over a fixed period of time.
The difference between the gel and the lead acid is touted to be that the gel has a "deeper charge cycle". I have yet to find a person that can describe that phenomena, let along how the charging system on the bikes recognize and adjusts for the difference as Oilhead so aptly points out.
Garden variety battery chargers with 1, 2, 10 amp or other charging rates can't support those rates, as a matter of fact they charge at 25% to 30% of that rate. The issue here is with the transformer....but I digress.
The best way that I have found is to charge the battery at the slowest rate for a long time. When I need to charge a typical 12AH, 12 amps/hour I set my charger at the 2 amp scale and set the timer for 12 hours (the max in my charger), then I come back the following day and check the battery voltage, if I see 12.5 to 12.7 volts - for my area of the country I let it go, otherwise I will charge for an additional 3 to 6 hours, always checking the voltage.
A fast charge will heat up the battery and boil off some of the water (in the lead acid batteries)
For the non believers I have the stock battery in both my bikes a 98 Suzuki Bandit, going on 7 years now and a 02 R1150R, going on 4 years. The BMW battery will not last like the YUASA on the Bandit because of the larger amp draw by the two large pistons and the associated mass but I should get 5 years. I do ride both bikes every weekend, barring when the weather is really bad.
In closing the point is.....you can use any charger out there as long as the charge time is sufficient to replenish the battery.
Automotive type bateries are storage devices, irregardless of the type. When depleted they recharge by applying a controlled voltage over a fixed period of time.
The difference between the gel and the lead acid is touted to be that the gel has a "deeper charge cycle". I have yet to find a person that can describe that phenomena, let along how the charging system on the bikes recognize and adjusts for the difference as Oilhead so aptly points out.
Garden variety battery chargers with 1, 2, 10 amp or other charging rates can't support those rates, as a matter of fact they charge at 25% to 30% of that rate. The issue here is with the transformer....but I digress.
The best way that I have found is to charge the battery at the slowest rate for a long time. When I need to charge a typical 12AH, 12 amps/hour I set my charger at the 2 amp scale and set the timer for 12 hours (the max in my charger), then I come back the following day and check the battery voltage, if I see 12.5 to 12.7 volts - for my area of the country I let it go, otherwise I will charge for an additional 3 to 6 hours, always checking the voltage.
A fast charge will heat up the battery and boil off some of the water (in the lead acid batteries)
For the non believers I have the stock battery in both my bikes a 98 Suzuki Bandit, going on 7 years now and a 02 R1150R, going on 4 years. The BMW battery will not last like the YUASA on the Bandit because of the larger amp draw by the two large pistons and the associated mass but I should get 5 years. I do ride both bikes every weekend, barring when the weather is really bad.
In closing the point is.....you can use any charger out there as long as the charge time is sufficient to replenish the battery.
Member #312
06 Suzuki Burgman 650 "state of flux"
79 CBX
06 Suzuki Burgman 650 "state of flux"
79 CBX
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Leno
I would say that the socket is a good addition but of course you need to buy and fix the plug as well. Or if you live life on the edge like me you could just shove the wires up under the tank. If you have small clips it's possible to fix them on the teminals just make sure the positive is insulated. Oh and you don't have to charge the battery to the full all the time. Just keep in topped up with enough to start the bike will be fine. After all what do you want it at max for?