Newbie battery question

[cleking]

Hi All. I just bought a 2009 GS with 4000 miles. The battery seems suspect, it hesitates sometimes when I start it. I've been riding Airheads for 16 years and have used Odyssey batteries with good success but I don't see a direct replacment for my GS. Shorai sells their lithium unit for my bike. This is may be an old thread but it's new to me! Which battery do most of you guys use?

Curtis in Santa Barbara
2009 GS
1992 R100RS
1966 Triumph TR6

[pdxrmccgs]

Hi welcome to the forum. I have same bike as yours since Oct 08.

Tons of battery threads on this forum. Most guys have a preference...I
buy what the dealer is selling. And I buy one every two and one-half years
period. And I keep hooked to a BMW Can-Bus charger.

Odyssey has a following and mods are on the forums. Shorai getting some
negative but what doesn't.

In my opinion the big twins represent a sea change from the old time
"just a battery" to maybe the most important piece of equipment on the bike.
It shows up in a lot of "just quit" or "won't start" forum threads. Forum
gossip has it that the ECU checks battery condition and won't start if
below eco clean start standards and does not throw a fault code.

09 is by far the best bike I have owned.

Insist on a load test on any new battery you are buying from a BMW dealer.

[OMalley44]

You could try these guys, GBat BMW R1200GS - GBats (Customized Batteries) - GMan Industries, LTD.

The mods are already done for you. I haven't purchased from them but looking to replace my current battery before the spring and was thinking of going with them possibly....

[rcliffor]

I bought a replacement battery at the local Honda dealer for $79. If in doubt, just replace the battery....you ride an $18,000 bike, why worry about spending a few bucks on a new battery.

[huntly2]

For what it's worth:

Before I owned my GS, I owned an ST1300 and a KLR650. The KLR (used) came with an Odyssey Battery and was 2 years old when I got it. Sitting outside under a tarp during winter, the Odysey never needed a charge at all. The battery when tested maintained a 12.8 voltage. The motor would start with just a jab at the start button. On the other hand, the ST with a Yuasa Battery always lost voltage from week to week and was charged weekly. I will not hesitate to go with an Odyssey Battery for my GS.

[mikec]

If you're after an Odyssey, I ordered a PC535, trimmed the fins off with box cutter and dropped it in my '09 GSA. I also straightened the OEM battery strap and re-bent to fit the Odyssey.

I've used Odyssey batteries for many years and have been very pleased with their quality and endurance. I had one in an '01 Harley FLHTC for nine years before it got a little "iffy." That's pretty good service.

Mike

[marc]

Originally Posted by huntly2

Before I owned my GS, I owned an ST1300 and a KLR650. The KLR (used) came with an Odyssey Battery and was 2 years old when I got it. Sitting outside under a tarp during winter, the Odysey never needed a charge at all. The battery when tested maintained a 12.8 voltage. The motor would start with just a jab at the start button. On the other hand, the ST with a Yuasa Battery always lost voltage from week to week and was charged weekly.

That story is not about the battery, it's about the bike. Measure the key off current. It may be zero on the KLR. It won't be zero on the ST1300 (or just about any other modern bike). That is called parasitic drain and it is what causes batteries to go dead when the bike sits long enough.

On my GS if the bike sits longer than 3 weeks (it's happened once in 7 years) there may not be enough juice left to turn the starter depending upon temperature. The solution is to put the bike on a maintenance charger if you're not going to be riding for a couple of weeks or more.

Oh... the same battery that was iffy after 3 weeks in the bike has nearly a full charge after 4 months sitting on my work bench. The difference is that there is no parasitic draw. As to why I changed a perfectly good battery.... Clutch switch

[cleking]

I went the easy way out and bought an exact fit Honda battery (made in Vietnam). When I removed the BMW/Exide battery it was leaking battery acid and it burned my finger. So much for maintenance free/permanently sealed batteries! The Honda battery should give a couple of years service and then I'll switch to whatever is the latest and greatest.

Curtis

[roamingbeemer]

I have not been on the forum recently but catching up now. I like the new topics. With the gizmos on these new bikes always takinga few micro amps I even top off my batteries when I am actively riding my bikes.The shut down voltage on my bike is less than my charger and the bikes take a second to shut all systems down after turning the key off. This means the battery can still take some charge after a ride. This is anal retentive but I frequently top the batteries off even after finishing a ride to keep the full potential in the battery. Of course batteries are cheap compared to the cost of these bikes.

[kennif]

Originally Posted by marc

On my GS if the bike sits longer than 3 weeks (it's happened once in 7 years) there may not be enough juice left to turn the starter depending upon temperature. The solution is to put the bike on a maintenance charger if you're not going to be riding for a couple of weeks or more.

How does the maintenance charger work? Do you plug it into the socket down by the seat or do you have to remove the seat and clip it on? Are they expensive? Is there a specific BMW one or others available?
Thanks in advance,
Kennif