After my first failure on the 1200GSA last week (fuel pump controller), I am currently experiencing a second showstopper failure. Possibly something to do with the ignition or battery.

I was mapping new (to me) tracks in the Rif and stopped to chat to some farmers and when I came to restart the engine everything was dead, no signs of life in the display area. After several minutes of faffing around checking things, taking out the key, putting it back, etc., the ignition came on, but when I tried to start the engine I got a thud sound which sounded like a flat battery.

I was on a very gentle slope and tried bump starting but the loose surface of the piste meant the wheel just skidded. After some time, though, the engine started on the key. I was 35km from tarmac and all the way was experiencing a stuttering on the throttle. I kept the revs up and made the main road just south of Ketama when five miles later the bike died on me with a totally dead display.

It was getting dark and as "luck" would have it I pulled in next to two obnoxious youths who after trying to sell me some dope and get me to drink from their bottle of vodka, were determined to get me to leave the bike and go and stay at their house. Earlier in the day the front bulb had failed so I replaced that (just in case). Fortunately I always carry a head torch with me. Then I tightened the battery terminals and had a general poke around. By this time the display was lighting up, but still a thud when I tried to start the engine. So I pushed the bike back up the hill, rolled back down and managed to bump start it.

Again I had the stuttering of the engine, but worse. Then after only three miles it failed again. By now it was totally dark but I was next to a bus halt with a seat. Over the next few hours I tried various things, then decided to settle down and get some sleep. I had an emergency space foil thingy in my accident first aid kit which was amazing when it unfolded, but was very glittery in car headlights and I was woken three times by drivers stopping their cars to offer me to sleep in their house, but they had all been drinking, one could hardly stand up. In any case I thought I should stay with the bike. I woke roughly every hour and did exercises to get some warmth. It started light rain at one point so I put my helmet on. The temperature fell to 7c which isn't that low but after 29c during the day it felt freezing.

In the daylight I could see better and pushed the bike half a mile to the top of a big hill then bump started it. This time the engine ran smoothly and at the top of another big hill I tried killing the engine and restarting off the button and everything was fine.

Then it died on me again and I rolled to a halt next to a truckstop. Eventually the display came back to life but I got the thud from the starter, so after a while I got someone to take me and the bike the 80km back to Fez (400 dh but I was a captive customer and it included free coffee, arabic lessons and a minor bung to the police).

The manual does say that a discharged battery can cause the engine to die suddenly, "You can continue to ride until the battery is discharged. Bear in mind that the engine could cut out suddenly and that the battery could discharge until completely flat in which case it might have suffered irreparable damage."

However there wasn't a warning about insufficient battery charging or any other warnings when running other than the defective front bulb.

My level of technical knowledge isn't good. I don't understand why, according to the above quote from the BMW manual, a knackered/flat battery could cause the bike to suddenly stop--after all, some bikes don't even have a battery.

And if I can manage to locate some jump leads tomorrow, would these enable me to start the bike even if the battery is knackered? I'll take the battery out in the morning and see if I can get it tested/charged.

I would very much appreciate anyone's ideas on what's wrong!

I have a thread on this running on UKGSers as well at
HELP NEEDED: electrical problem in Morocco - ::. UKGS'er.com .::

Tim

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
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my experience of a knackered battery is that (depending on knacker-age) connecting up to another battery will bring about smooth running, but on disconnecting you'll be back to square one. But at least you know more.

I imagine on the GS the engine management requires a certain level of battery charge, otherwise it fails the entire 'running' process. As opposed to something like an enfield which doesn't have any notable electrics (or brains like the GS) and therefore runs without a battery, on mechanics. Brains need power to do their calculations on how much fuel to dump in, etc, etc.

Having read your post Tim and scratching my head along the way, I go with Dougies' thoughts: I also had a battery problem recently (not a Beemer) and the bike would start easily with jump cables or by bump starting using a slope and/or pushing. No way would the bike circuitry charge the bike battery however.

Also, as Dougie says, the bikes that run without batteries have completely different electrical circuits with no electric starter of course: oh those days were so much simpler! (Only last year actually, when I owned a kicker TT600R!).

I also agree with you: try a replacement battery, assuming that all of the relevant connections are in good condition, no corrosion, well earthed etc.
Even if you cannot get the "right" Amp-hrs to suit the bike, borrowing one that is more or less right may prove the problem diagnostics.

Good luck,

ps Yes, modern "electronic" bikes need a small amount of power in the battery to activate the various circuits/electronic brains. That's why they will start by pushing etc: when the starter motor is not drawing current from the battery.

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Dave

Tim,

I can't add much here, but I would definitely post this on ADVRider.com as well, in the GSpot forum--people are pretty quick with GS-specific diagnosis there.

Good luck!

Thanks for the replies, guys. I think I understand the problem better, and have cross posted on AdvRider as well.

I'm going to try to find a replacement battery.

1. Has to be 12v
2. Has to fit in battery tray
3. The manual says 14Ah, so is it OK if I try for 10Ah or better?
4. Does it matter if it is unsealed and has to be filled with acid and then charged?

Anything else I need to be aware of?

Tim

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Yes check if your Reg/Rec is what has caused the problem and over charged (Boiled) your battery.

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As mentioned, the regulator/rectifier may be stuffed - this can give a smell of bad eggs from the battery as the latter is cooked by over-charging, but the reg/rec may be under charging so that the battery simply goes flat.
In any case the smell thing may not be relevant with todays sealed batteries! (I am not sure about that one).

Nevertheless, IMO, trying a different battery is well worth doing; so many problems in the electrics start with a duff battery.
I was "hoping" that you could borrow another battery, ideally, or use the jump leads as an alternative to test the starting side of things.

Borrowing a batt is preferable IMO (for fault finding), because once you add the acid to the batt in the way you mention, it it "activated" and, therefore, sold (in any UK dealer anyway). Once you prove the problem source, then you could buy the battery.
Yes to the 12V.
Battery tray fit, yes, if you want to ride with it rather than just test the starter etc at a standstill.
Capacity: well 14 Ah would be much better, but it may be worth a go, provided that those fancy electronics on the bike do not "object". With lower capacity you would get a shorter time to the battery being discharged when running with lots of gadgets, lights ablaze, heated clothing etc etc. Also it would turn over the starter motor for less time before being flat.
Doesn't matter if it is an unsealed version: just an earlier technology.

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Dave

Hi Tim,

If it were any other bike, I'd say it was a regulator/rectifier issue, not charging the battery.

Does the GSA have servo brakes, like the standard 1200 does? If this is the case, then having a discharged battery would cause your engine to stall (as a safety measure).

Otherwise, could it be a ring on its way out?

blown bulbs dont usually cause any offense to batteries, as the canbus is meant to stop any power to any deffective bit?

Certainly sounds like you've had a good time though!

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