[Outbacker]

I parked the bike on monday and it was fine, and went out today to start it and nothing. The lights came on, side kick stand was up and the kill swtich was in the center. And I mean nothing. The starter did not make a sound, the ABS winked at me but that is all the sound I got. Ideas? A fuse? aAnd please do not tell me the starter may be toast. How can I test for this. Any help would be apprecaited.

Thanks.

 

[hallzee]

Battery may be low on charge. If the battery is low, the bike will not allow the starter any current at all. I believe it cuts it out if it doesn't have at least 12.8 volts, but I could be wrong on that figure.

 

[AlaskaFish]

Reverse switch?

John

 

[Outbacker]

I will check the voltage tomorrow, though the battery is only a year old and is one of those fancy expensive ones from BMW that is suppose to keep a charge over a longer period of time.....I know. Will check. Stupid part is the bike is in a parking garage at my girlfriends place. Why can it not happen here where I have the tools and test stuff???John, I did check and the reverse switch is on the normal position, thanks for the reminder.

 

[PastorSteve]

Battery may be low on charge. If the battery is low, the bike will not allow the starter any current at all. I believe it cuts it out if it doesn't have at least 12.8 volts, but I could be wrong on that figure.

+1 on the battery check. Had the exact same thing happen to me when my battery was near/at the end of its life.

 

[zuchero]

Hi Bob,

I have the same problem from time to time. I'm not sure of the cause (I think it has to do with the flywheel position or something) but in my case I have found a solution that works every time. Try this and see if it helps: with the ignition key on, put the bike on second gear and rock it back an forth a couple of times, just enough to hear compression. Put the bike in neutral and start it.

I hope it works for you as it does for me.

Eno

 

[C-A-D]

Vote for toasted battery! Or at least decreased voltage...

 

[motorhead]

Reverser turned or got bumped ... Side stand switch the most common.
If a battery, have someone look at headlight while attempting to crank.
If a battery collapse, head light will dim or go out too.

 

[jzeiler]

If a battery collapse, head light will dim or go out too.

The head light always goes out on the LT when cranking - load shed relay!! But that is a really good test for just about any other vehicle.

On the LT it is a good test if the light stays ON as that means there is no output from the starter relay.

 

[motorhead]

The head light always goes out on the LT when cranking - load shed relay!! But that is a really good test for just about any other vehicle.

On the LT it is a good test if the light stays ON as that means there is no output from the starter relay.

Oups ... your right, that's why my HID low beam blinks at start up

Sorry ........

 

[Outbacker]

So it was the battery, I jumped the bike and managed to get it home safely (was at girlfriends place when it died). I removed the battery and took it to where I had bought it a year ago and asked them to load test it. The battery is fine and is charged up. So I asked the guy what killed the battery and he (this was a BMW dealership) asked me when I park the bike what position do I leave the key at when the bike is off. I told him I leave it at R with the ignition off and steering wheel unlocked. I leave the bike in a garage, why lock the steering wheel? He told me that is what killed to battery. The bike was not plugged into a battery tender while at GF's and the battery drained itself over the few days it was parked. I am suppose to turn the key to OFF with the steering locked as this ensures all systems are off and the battery will be fine if the bike is not plugged in for a few days. So, live and learn I guess. I figured if the key came out and the bike was not running it would be fine. Apparently not.

 

[lesn]

I have difficulty accepting that dealers explanation. I have a 4 year old battery, I never lock my bike--just turn it off and turn the key all the way to the left, the bike will sit for a couple of weeks and will still crank over just fine.

 

[mneblett]

So I asked the guy what killed the battery and he (this was a BMW dealership) asked me when I park the bike what position do I leave the key at when the bike is off. I told him I leave it at R with the ignition off and steering wheel unlocked. I leave the bike in a garage, why lock the steering wheel? He told me that is what killed to battery. The bike was not plugged into a battery tender while at GF's and the battery drained itself over the few days it was parked. I am suppose to turn the key to OFF with the steering locked as this ensures all systems are off and the battery will be fine if the bike is not plugged in for a few days.

This is how an early bike issue gets propogated and morphs into an old wive's tale.

The early LT's ('99's through maybe early '01's??) had a batch of defective radios which would not completely shut off and silently drain the battery (display would go off like it should when a properly-operating radio automatically shuts itself off after xx minutes, but the radio circuits would still be powered). BMW fixed this problem (and replaced quite a few early radios).

A dealer employee automatically espousing this as the cause of any unexplained LT battery draining is doing a disservice, as it applies a "solution" for a not-applicable problem to the wrong bike, and avoids doing the hard(er) work of figuring out what *really* caused the dead battery. There should be no reason to have to turn the key to the fork lock position on an '02 (my '02 didn't need that).

My guess -- you still have the original problem. Either (i) you have a drain or (ii) IMO, more likely, the battery is defective -- despite the fact the battery is new, examples have been known to fail within months of being put in service (usually an internal failure in one cell). The battery took a charge -- but was a *real* load test performed on it? Betcha no. One of my four LT's developed the symptoms you described within 4-5 months of purchase -- took/held a charge, usually started the bike, but sometimes the voltage was just low enough the starter relay protection circuit wouldn't let the starter relay operate. Turned out only 5 cells were on line; replaced without a moment's question by my dealer (as in, this wasn't uncommon).

 

[edmann]

I just replaced a battery that was only 14 months old. It was charged properly before installation and always on a tender. Replaced it with an odessey.That is first time in 40 years of riding a battery failed in that short time.

 

[Outbacker]

I picked up the battery this morning and it was fully charged up, but the guy was unsure if the tech did a load test on it. I will call the tech later and ask him. I recall last year when I parked in an underground parking lot I always locked the forks and never had a problem. I moved into the house with a garage and never locked the forks as it is in a secure garage. But I also plugged in a battery tender, and have had no problems. The only time I had this problem was last week when I parked the bike for 3 days with no tender and forks unlocked. Who knows, I will troubleshoot further.
I asked when I picked up the battery that bikes in my year group, the LT's, the radio does drain the battery slowly when the forks are not locked. Who knows? Anyway, the sage continues....

 

[Enduro]

Just had a BMW brand battery tested by the dealer and replaced under warranty. Same symptoms, all dash lights come on, a very faint relay click only on the 1st attempt, no sound on subsequent attempts. Voltage at the battery measured 12.8V and the lights looked fine. Thought it might be something else but when fresh from the charger it started the bike, let it sit just an hour and nothing. AutoZone tested it at 90 cranking amps and the dealer said his computer doesn't say why but as you can see it said "Replace Battery".

The date is in euro format, it is actually Aug 3.