[nicobico]

Hi!

Just got an OEM BMW battery charger (CAN bus compatible).

Can I just plug it into the female socket and forget about it or should I do a specific procedure to charge the battery (eg: turn the key on, plug the charger, key off)?

I did RTFM but it is not clear about it...

 

[marc]

The reason it's not clear is that for some it works one way but for others it works another way. To make matters worse, some folks (me, for example) had it work for a while then for no apparent reason stop working.

Plug the charger into the bike. Then plug the charger into power. Wait a bit (maybe 10 minutes). Does the charger turn on the 3rd or 4th green LED? If so it is working fine. If not...

Plug the charger into the bike. Turn on the ignition. Plug the charger into the wall. Turn off the ignition. Wait a bit (about 10 minutes). Does the charger turn on the 3rd of 4th green LED? If not then...

Give up trying to charge the battery using the socket. I removed the powerlet plug from the charger and replaced it with an SAE plug to match the SAE pigtail connected directly to the battery.

 

[Scotty]

The reason it's not clear is that for some it works one way but for others it works another way. To make matters worse, some folks (me, for example) had it work for a while then for no apparent reason stop working.

Plug the charger into the bike. Then plug the charger into power. Wait a bit (maybe 10 minutes). Does the charger turn on the 3rd or 4th green LED? If so it is working fine. If not...

Plug the charger into the bike. Turn on the ignition. Plug the charger into the wall. Turn off the ignition. Wait a bit (about 10 minutes). Does the charger turn on the 3rd of 4th green LED? If not then...

Give up trying to charge the battery using the socket. I removed the powerlet plug from the charger and replaced it with an SAE plug to match the SAE pigtail connected directly to the battery.

Another option is to install another powerlet port someplace handy, like up near the cockpit, and connect that directly to the battery. I have a BMW style and a cigarette lighter style, and couldn't be happier with the convenience of having them there for a variety of uses.

 

[nicobico]

Thanks Marc!

Used "option 1". The charger leds flashed for less than a minute and then 1/3 went on. That surprised me because I used the bike a couple of days ago and tought the battery was fully charged.

But it lasted only a couple of minutes on and led 2/3 turned on and is now charging the battery.

It seems the female plug works fine. I´ll try to find out how long does it take to reach a full charge.

BTW, does any of you folks tryed to start the bike in really cold temperatures after bike stayed overnight outdoors? How cold was it? (Celsius, please. )

Scotty suggestion is interesting. I might be doing that to plug my GPS or cell phone charger.

 

[gdayjr]

Just starting to get cold here

I had the first issue yesterday in Sydney.
Not what a lot of people call cold, but down to around 10c

I have just installed a lead directly to the battery that my battery tender conects to. A simple pigy back connector which i cable tied next to the powerlet on the frame of an 04 model.

My hand held meter said 13.1 volts in the battery at night, but i do have a 12v socket, and a double usb outlet for accessories mounted just behind the widsreen, at the momment they are live all the time, but i am putting a switch in this weekend.

Battery is 3 yrs old, so i guesss i will just keep topping it up till it dies.

 

[rcliffor]

I have had the BMW charger now since 2007 and have never followed any special procedure. I just plug it in and it works fine. I leave the charger plugged into the wall and just connect to the bike when I come back from riding. My bike sits on the charger over the winter for 4 months every year with no issues.