BMW Luxury Touring Community banner

2015 Battery Charging Question

20K views 48 replies 17 participants last post by  cc cruiser 
#1 ·
I put my bike on BMW's CANbus charger if I am not going to ride for a few days. Normally it will charge for a bit and then go into maintenance mode. I recently noticed it never goes out of charging mode. So this is what I know:

I have keyless ride and turned off, the bike draws about 55ma.
When hooked up to the charger, the display eventually goes to 14.4v, charging at 0.4amp and 96% charged, but no further.
Voltage at the battery is 13.06v after being on the charger overnight.

So why won't the charger kick into maintenance mode anymore? Is it the battery or the charger or the bike?

I'm charging it now off the bike to see if it gets to 100%.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I charge directly to the battery on my 2015 RT and 2015 R1200R. Neg wire to battery negative post and positive wire to the external connector (see photo). I use an SAE plug to connect the charger to the battery. I just bypass canbus system.

The plug can also work for electric vests, Veskimo, etc.
 

Attachments

#3 ·
I charge directly to the battery on my 2015 RT and 2015 R21200R. Neg wire to battery negative post and positive wire to the external connector (see photo). I use an SAE plug to connect the charger to the battery. I just bypass canbus system.

The plug can also work for electric vests, Veskimo, etc.
I have a SAE plug wired the same way. Charging with Battery Tender the other day I noticed it never changed to maintenance mode. I hooked up the Yuasa charger and it did the same thing. Not sure what is up with that.
 
#5 ·
My experience has been the opposite -- when I first started with the Deltran Battery Tender (direct to battery via pigtail like Jeff is showing), it was taking 10+ hours before switching to maintenance mode. Now, 3 months later, it switches to maintenance mode in just an hour or so. Still slower than my Bonneville, but quick enough.
 
#16 ·
Ditto. And it's been this way for each of the RTs I've owned.
 
#8 ·
Well after and additional 24 hours of the battery being hooked up directly to the charger off the bike, it finally kicked into maintenance then power saving mode. I guess the battery was much lower than I thought and the CANbus charging must be slower. Calculating my ignition off current draw, my battery could be dead in a matter of weeks. I'm assuming the keyless ride is the power drain. Best to keep the bike on a charger if you have this feature.
 
#9 ·
I don't know guys, but I use a different charger which is also CANBUS compatible, and it takes about 15 minutes or so, right after a ride, for the charger to go to idle state (no charging current), and it stays that way the whole time.

The charger that I use is BatteryDoc, and it is strictly for maintenance charging, with just 1.25 amps maximum output. I hook it up to my RT's aux. port as soon as I park the bike in the garage after every ride. I also have the keyless ride on my '15, and based on my observations, I will venture to say that the wetheads (both my '14 and '15 RTs) have much less parasitic draw on the battery than my '07 RT. With the '07, I would often see the charger flashes to maximum charge rate and then cycle down to mid-level and off in about a minute, when I happen to walk into the garage after the bike had been parked for sometimes. Never seen it doing that with neither the '14 nor the '15 RT!
 
#10 ·
Yeah I do the know either. Mine used to react just as you describe but in the last couple of weeks won't kick into maintenance or power save modes. I took the fully charged battery and reinstalled without turning anything on, hooked up the charger and it quickly went to 100% charged but is showing 0.3 amps, as if something is drawing current and preventing the charger from going into maintenance. I'll mess around tomorrow with it a bit. If anybody cares to measure their key off drain I'd like to know if my 55ma is in the same ballpark.
 
#11 ·
I have a pigtail connected to the positive of the battery. I disconnect the negative and connect a multi-stage charger to the battery in place (via the pigtail and negative battery post) so the charger isn't affected by parasitic loads on the bike when it's switched off. I found my 2015 retains all settings, except date/time. I don't worry too much because when I power back up I use GPS date/time to reset the time.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I added the pigtail yesterday to avoid the CANbus altogether as most have done. The issue I discovered was something was cycling every half second drawing 55 then 115ma, repeating back and forth, thus preventing the charger from entering maintenance mode. While taking the readings again I heard a slight click and the drain dropped to almost nothing, it is now 0.13ma and all is good. I just hope whatever wasn't right doesn't repeat. I pulled codes and it showed a previous Sirrius antenna short and a unspecified CANbus error but no active faults in any module. Keeping fingers crossed.

Actually I think the bike is telling me I need to ride it more. Upper 90s and high humidity streak is making it tough.
 
#23 ·
Well, I can report that in the 7 months since I was having the issue, my battery has always performed well (i.e., starts bike strong and runs fine) despite sitting for up to 3 weeks not on a charger. So you are correct the keyless does not drain the system. But, for a few weeks, something on my bike was sticking on and cycling on/off every second or so draining the battery faster than normal, but it has stopped and has not recurred.
 
#24 ·
It might be one of the farkles that you added?

I don't use the BT that you do. I use BatteryDoc, which is a straight CANBUS compatible maintenance charger with no other capabilities. It is always plugged into my RT as soon as the bike is parked in my garage. There are 3 colors that the LED on this charger will show: green = battery fully charged, and the charger is inactive; yellow = low level charging occurring; and red = battery is being charged at full output amperage (1.25 amps).

I had expected that the keyless feature of my '15 RT would draw more power from the battery, while the bike is parked also, but that definitely is not the case, based on my observation of the BatteryDoc LED. What I observed was that, when that charger was connected to my (prior) '07 RT, I sometimes would see the charger's LED cycle from green to red, for about a minute, and then quickly to yellow and green. It tells me that the charger was replenishing the battery as the battery was losing power to parasitic drain. Now, with my previous '14 RT as well as the present '15 RT, I have yet to catch the charger cycle off the steady green at all, and that's about 2 years of use on one or the other of the wetheads now. Yes, the charger is working, because every times that I plug it in, the LED would show red until the battery is brought to fully charged, and it will go solid green. Also, after the bike had been sitting for a while, and I open the top box (the inside light would go on, regardless of whether the bike is turned on or off), the BatteryDoc LED would go yellow to replenish the battery. There is surprisingly very little parasitic drain from the electronics of the wethead RTs!
 
#25 ·
Well, my battery apparently has bit the dust. It's 18 months old, always on the battery tender when it's in my garage. Tonight, when I went to start it (I have keyless start), it went through it's pre-check cycle, then when I pressed the starter, everything went black. No fire, no attempt to start, nothing. I plugged in my voltmeter into the pigtail -- 10.3 volts!

Now, can someone tell me what battery will fit (other than the BMW battery)?

Thanks!
 
#26 ·
This westco battery is only for 2005 through 2011:
2005-2011
It looks like you may have to read the owners manual to get the battery specs and then actually measure the battery and make sure which side the positive and negative terminals are located, then go from there.
 
#27 ·
This westco battery is only for 2005 through 2011:
2005-2011
It looks like you may have to read the owners manual to get the battery specs and then actually measure the battery and make sure which side the positive and negative terminals are located, then go from there.
I believe that the Westco is a gel type battery, which BMW had dropped in favor of the glass-mat type that are in the wetheads.

18 months is very short life for a battery! If that was mine, I would be wondering if there was anything that had caused the battery to fail, or if it was just a defective battery.....wait....is the bike still under warranty?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mtrevelino
#31 ·
Just called my dealer. Of course they didn't have the battery in stock, nor did the parts guy know what the warranty was. Battery is dated 3-15 on the side (initial charge date). The case is a size that's hard to find, too. Anyway, I have a BMW-branded Exide battery on order now. I'll continue the warranty question when the battery arrives, hopefully mid-week!
 
#32 ·
Two weeks later, my dealer finally received my new battery. Of course, when I tried to get them to warranty the old battery, I was told in no uncertain terms that it wasn't going to happen unless I put the old battery back into my RT and somehow got the bike to them so they could check out the charging system first. Two weeks prior to the battery failing, they had done the 6000-mile service for me, where they checked the charging system and the battery. At that time, the battery and charging system checked out fine! This was per their own records, on their service computer. The service department wouldn't budge, even tho' their own records showed the charging system was working. I asked them "How in the h--- was I supposed to get a non-running motorcycle to them?" I don't own a trailer, nor do any of my close friends. The RT was completely dead, not even able to jump it started (not that I tried too hard on the jumpstart). They'd gladly come get it from my garage -- for a fee. I told them what I thought of that plan, took my lumps, picked up my new battery, and went home.

My assessment of the situation: They don't fully charge the batteries upon setting up the bikes. The battery instructions clearly states that the battery, while charged at EXIDE, should be fully charged before installation. The battery was never fully optimized, hence the slow charging times I've commented on since day 1! The new battery charged up to 13.5v, and I installed it. At the 6000mi service, they stress-tested the battery, and this marked the beginning of the end (I've had similar experiences over the years w/car batteries nearing the end of their life and then failing soon after a stress test).

I wouldn't have been quite so upset if they had told me that I needed to bring the bike in, with the dead battery, at the time I place the new battery on order. Somehow I would have got it there, but I wasn't willing to go another week w/o my RT, and to pay them a transportation fee to do it! When I mentioned warranty on the battery at the time I placed it on order, I was told I had to bring in the battery. No mention was made at that time to bring in the bike, too!

Live and learn!
 
#33 ·
My understanding has been that a free tow for a non-running bike via BMW Roadside Assistance was a part of the warranty. The online warranty info only shows this:
j) Towing: Limited towing
assistance, however, is available
through the BMW Motorcycle
Roadside Assistance Program.

I cannot tell from that if it would have helped in your situation, probably too late now, anyway.
 
#35 ·
Let's just say that the service department was less than willing to go that extra mile to keep a customer satisfied and leave it at that. My RT's back on the road, and for that I'm happy! Just glad the battery didn't crap out while I was on my trip to Burlington, VT last month!
 
#36 ·
So other than learning another Dealer "shot himself in the foot" over something that should have been a easy score on customer service, while still getting money to keep his business running:(

Did anyone learn what battery will fit the 14 and up RT LC ?
 
#37 ·
It's an Exide battery that measures only 3 1/4" wide, 6 1/2" tall, and 6" long! I couldn't find any usable number on the battery except BMW's part no. The positive post is on the right front corner, negative on left front corner. It's specs are 12 volts/16AH/200CCA.

I searched & searched for an alternative to the BMW battery and couldn't find one that would fit. There is no extra room in the battery box for anything wider than 3.25" If someone can find anything that is the appropriate size/specs, we would all appreciate it.

Later,
Jack
 
#39 ·
Well heres one for you........My bike (2016 R1200gs) has been on a BMW charger for 5 weeks......When connected, light was red, then went to flashing green and finally solid green.......Unplugged the charger, and got ready to ride....keyless ignition.....pressed the button and the cycle did not start...BMW Nav V did not power up and had a black screen......

Turned off ignition.....tried again and Nav V still showed black screen but finally booted up...Started the bike then turned off.....turned on ignition and started again.... the Nav V booted up fine and I now had good presentation.....

However, my clearwater lights were not on...they would intermittently come on (flicker) ......so I rode down the road to the BMW dealer ~5 miles. When I got there, they took it and looked at it...Said they determined it to be the clearwater relay.......I had doubts about that because a relay just turns on and off.....Well they called clearwater and was told based on the description of the problem it was more than likely the can opener......

After two weeks there, they finally got a new harness and can opener....they put on the can opener first and everything worked fine.....Since I purchased the lights from BMW and they installed them, I had 1 year warranty on lights and labor......had to fight for labor though.....

So, out of curiosity, when I went to pick it up, I took my BMW Charger that states, works with all BMW batteries......I have my battery connected directly to the battery using an SAE connector.......not the canbus.....I wanted to make sure that this charger was ok to use...I was told by the service manager that BMW came out with a bulletin (years ago) that some of their battery chargers were no good and should not be used anymore.....they could not find the exact part number but told me I need to get a new charger to insure warranty....even though I connect it directly to the battery, by-passing the canbus.

So, I bought a bought a Optimate 4 (~$85 out the door) and went home and tried to decipher the instructions...Since this was canbus ready by default, all I had to do was plug into the Din connector then power it up. The service people told me to initiate the keyless ignition and let it go thru its cycle, turn off ignition then power up the Optimate 4.......the sales guys told me to just plug into din connector and let it do its thing....now I am really confused and the directions/instructions are not very good.....It seemed to charge the battery ok...lights were solid green with .8amps being given to battery......after 45min, yellow charge light went out and solid green light came on....30 min later, green light started flashing and the yellow .2amps light came on indication charging again......I called Tecmate and confirmed my suspicions that everything was operating correctly.....they told me to attach charger to din plug first, then add power to the charger......in that order. All is fine and working well. I measured the voltage at the battery when green light was solid and it was 13.6v......

Now the point to my story........I wanted to update my Nav V tonight....with the Optimate4 plugged into the bike accessory din plug connector and a solid green light on, I removed the Nav V and went inside..... I update the nav V and went back to put it back on the bike...I noticed all the lights on the Optimate were out except for the power green light......Hmmm.....I plugged the Nav V into its holder and the Optimate lights can on and indicated charging with yellow 2.amp light on ......Is that normal? Does the Nav V have an electrical circuit that would interrupt charging? I don't know....anyone else experience this with a canbus bike and Optimate 4 charger using the din plug connector?

Thanks in advance
 
#40 ·
Not sure as I have a older Optimate with their plug direct to the battery. They(mine)goes into a test mode every 1/2 hour I think. It throws juice at the battery to see it it retains it and if I remember it vary s the amount of juice. Maybe you caught that cycle?

I can not see with a bike off, how it could draw from the bike since it has it's own battery. However I am not sure if the GPS cradle is hot all the time? I did not think it was.

I think you just were seeing the normal test mode, at the set time, going off.
 
#43 ·
Final followup on my battery saga w/my local BMW dealership. On Monday (the day they're closed), I took the time to send an e-mail to their designated "Customer Service" specialist and to the salesman who sold me my RT. I took the time to carefully and respectfully tell my story from my point of view, explaining how I felt about how I was treated, and ending with some suggestions, including asking the CS rep to share my e-mail with the owner of the dealership and all the pertinent people. On Tuesday I received two telephone calls from the dealership, one from the service manager and one from my salesman. We had 2 very cordial conversations, and, in the end, I was asked to bring my (now running) BMW to them so they could do another check of its charging system, and also so they could check out my original battery (which I had left with the dealership when I purchased my replacement battery). Long story short -- I visited the dealership today, and the service department checked out the charging system and the old battery. As I knew from my analysis of the bike and battery, the charging system was fine, and the battery was toast! The dealership issued me a full refund for the $$ I spent on the replacement battery, and salvaged our relationship. I was very grateful for their followup, as this was what I had originally expected from them. All is well once more!
 
#44 ·
Nice to see a dealer step up.

Great job by them, and you, in clearly stating to them why you were not satisfied as a customer.
 
#47 ·
Yep....and especially a very big kudo to BamaBiker for giving that dealer a second chance in the right manner! They should have stepped up in the first place, and BamaBiker was cool enough to tackle the matter in the proper way! :)
 
#45 ·
Hello BamaBiker,

It is a shame you had to join Cirque Du Soliel to get your situation rectified. I'm happy to hear you locked on with Pitbull determination to reach a happy resolution. Hopefully the dealer won't need as much prodding to do the right thing for the next customer. Consider this positive "biker karma and paying it forward to the next biker. Well done.
 
#46 ·
P.S. Also, thank you for coming full circle to finish the story and share the final positive outcome from the dealer. Sometimes it feels like I'm waiting on Netflix to bring me the next season after a full season binge when the OP goes MIA.
 
#48 ·
#49 ·
Thank you Jeff. Your pic was very helpful. I went out and purchased a Beltran trickle charger from the Carquest Auto Parts
store I work at. They're only about $30.00. It had the necessary pigtail in the the kit. It was easy to install and works perfectly.Right at first a red light came on showing it was below 80% charged. After only 5 minutes a blinking green light came on showing it was charging above the 80% level and within maybe 15 minutes it had a solid green light. I found that the wiring terminal could be held against post with my finger when I removed the hold down screws from the battery and that allowed the battery to stay connected and I didn't have reset anything. Very easy.
Thanks for your post.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top