[edjebuitz]

hello,
I have recently bought my first bmw, a K1200LT from 1999 with 70.000 km. It rides very well, but I've got 1 'problem'. When the engine starts the radio stops and give a sign on the display 'no radio'. I know there are a lot of bikes with radioproblems, but the problem on my bike is strange. When the engine is not running and the ignition is on the radio is playing as it should be. I've tried to reset the radio by disconnecting the battery for a few houres. That didn't help. Does anyone know what the problem is?

 

[mtrevelino]

I have a similar issue with my RT. I do not get the no radio message but the radio goes out when I start it. In my case it is being caused by the LED bulbs installed. The bulbs have a little fan which I believe is creating the interference. I have different LED bulbs which have a heat sink instead of the fan, I just have to get around to install them.
As a long shot, try unplugging the headlight and start your bike. If that does not work, I can offer no other suggestions.

 

[Munmi]

I had similar issues a few years ago with my '04 LT. It is going to be interesting to see what the gurus have to say on this. I suspect a couple of possibilities. A less-than-excellent charge on your battery or most likely, a weakness in one of the modes in the radio. From what I have been told, there are three modules in the radio system that start up after the bike starts. When you depress the starter button, power is temporarily shut off from many of the bike's systems so to provide maximum voltage for the starter. The modules in the radio are of those that get shut off temporarily. For myself, I have gotten into the habit of switching the radio off before trying to start the bike. I no longer have the problem. Hope this helps for you.

 

[jzeiler]

+1 on start the engine with the radio off, then turn it on. There are some software issues with versions of the radio head vs. the controller and if they are not matched up right it can cause this issue. Also if this works then I recommend turning the radio off before shutting down the bike or you could have a battery drain issue.

Here is the info on that sw mismatch:

To test your '99-'04 Radio/Radio Control Unit (RCU) (radio display screen in the stingray) for the software version each is running, do the following:

Turn on the radio and within 8 seconds push and hold down the "MAN" button on the stingray radio control panel. You'll see "SVOL" appear on the radio screen (controls your speed volume/rate of change and is adjustable from 1 to 4). Continue to hold down on the "MAN" button until you get an 8 character radio serial number displayed on the screen. Now release the "MAN" button.

Next, press and release the radio "SEEK" control on the handlebar. You should now see the radio software version (on the radio screen) that will look something like SV 0300, SV 0400, etc, up to SV 0700 meaning that the radio software version is 3.0, 4.0, etc.

To get the RCU software version press the "MAN" button again and you should see either BID 2.0 or BID 3.0.

If you have a RCU with version 2.0, it will work with any radio software version, and they are: 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 respectively. If you have a RCU with version 3.0, you WILL get the battery drain problem if you do not have a radio with version 7.0 software. In order to keep the battery from discharging with a RCU version 3.0 and any other radio software version except 7.0 you must use a Battery Tender or some reasonable substitute, or religiously 1)turn off the radio first, and then 2)turn the key to the fork locking position each time you park the bike for any extended period.

 

[edjebuitz]

thanks for the comments.
when I push the 'man' and seek buttons I see this:
- SVOL 2
- Y 50 12 170
- SV 07.00
- BID 3.0

When I read the comment, i conclude that there is no problem with the discharging battery.
When I measure the battery power, the power is oke.

I will soon try to sort out the other comments.

 

[jzeiler]

It was worth the time to check it and eliminate that from the equation. Hope you find a fix.