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02 R1150RT Will not start


rick56

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I have an 2002 R1150RT with just over 17,000 on it. I bought it last March and literally two weeks after I bought it I was riding it home from a BMW dealer and my transmission spline shaft sheared off and I had to pay over $4000 for a clutch and transmission. A BMW car guy told me that is a common problem with these bikes?

The bike ran fine, for awhile. I kept it on a battery tender all the time. But even though the tender indicates a fully charged battery. When I try to start it even with it connected to the tender. All I get is a loud fast clicking noise? Now the engine does not even crank over? I suspect the starter or a relay. I have not checked the battery because it is up under the tank which I can't remove unless I take the fairing off? Lousy stupid design! Putting the battery up under the tank where you can't get at it? Sorry for being a bit wordy but I would appreciate advice? I am not inclined to take my bike to the dealer as they have a notorious history of overcharging customers here in my area. I am fairly good with tools but I lack the special ones for taking apart the trans or engine. Is it possible to get volt meter leads to the battery to check its charge level without pulling the body work off or taking off the fuel tank? As for the starter its on the left I believe, so I'll have to pull off the left side fairing to check or replace the starter. Anyone know if they can be rebuilt of repaired? Or do I need to buy a new one? I'm a little confused that my bike only shows just over 17,000 miles on it and I'm having all these problems? I also suspect some dishonest person may have replaced the speedometer and the bike has more mileage then indicated? Thanks again for any help in advance. This is the only BMW I have ever owned, sorry to say but my 1974 Honda CB750K4 with 30,000 on it is way more reliable. I love how the RT rides, but seriously? It is not reliable. Oh one more weird thing? When I try to start it and all I hear is the relay switch clicking quickly and I turn off the key. My stereo turns on by itself? I have to open the compartment and push in the knob to shut off the radio? It always turns on a Hispanic music station? Weird? Thanks.

 

Rick

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I have an 2002 R1150RT with just over 17,000 on it. I bought it last March and literally two weeks after I bought it I was riding it home from a BMW dealer and my transmission spline shaft sheared off and I had to pay over $4000 for a clutch and transmission. A BMW car guy told me that is a common problem with these bikes?

The bike ran fine, for awhile. I kept it on a battery tender all the time. But even though the tender indicates a fully charged battery. When I try to start it even with it connected to the tender. All I get is a loud fast clicking noise? Now the engine does not even crank over? I suspect the starter or a relay. I have not checked the battery because it is up under the tank which I can't remove unless I take the fairing off? Lousy stupid design! Putting the battery up under the tank where you can't get at it? Sorry for being a bit wordy but I would appreciate advice? I am not inclined to take my bike to the dealer as they have a notorious history of overcharging customers here in my area. I am fairly good with tools but I lack the special ones for taking apart the trans or engine. Is it possible to get volt meter leads to the battery to check its charge level without pulling the body work off or taking off the fuel tank? As for the starter its on the left I believe, so I'll have to pull off the left side fairing to check or replace the starter. Anyone know if they can be rebuilt of repaired? Or do I need to buy a new one? I'm a little confused that my bike only shows just over 17,000 miles on it and I'm having all these problems? I also suspect some dishonest person may have replaced the speedometer and the bike has more mileage then indicated? Thanks again for any help in advance. This is the only BMW I have ever owned, sorry to say but my 1974 Honda CB750K4 with 30,000 on it is way more reliable. I love how the RT rides, but seriously? It is not reliable. Oh one more weird thing? When I try to start it and all I hear is the relay switch clicking quickly and I turn off the key. My stereo turns on by itself? I have to open the compartment and push in the knob to shut off the radio? It always turns on a Hispanic music station? Weird? Thanks.

 

Rick

 

Afternoon Rick

 

It REALLY sounds like a bad battery. Just because the tender indicates it is charged means nothing as it can have 12.8 volts but almost no cranking amps available.

 

You can sort of get into the battery (+ post) from afar using a long screwdriver with the jumper cable hooked to that. You can hook the ground to a clean spot on the engine.

 

Or just bite the bullet & remove the battery & have it load tested (probably sulfated anyhow)

 

You can also check the battery voltage (especially during engine cranking) at the accessory power port.

 

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Thanks I will take a look at the battery with my DVM. Question? the meter will tell me the voltage but not amps? How can I check cranking amps on a bike that wont even turn over? Sorry electrical issues are not my strong point.

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Second vote for a bad battery (sounds exactly like mine when the battery is toast). Just boost your bike (direct battery connection if you can) to prove the bad theory.

 

To test the battery under load, you need a load tester to do it properly.

 

You can get a sense of the voltage dip if your meter has a min/max function (shows the lowest dip in voltage) while starting. Generally something that dips below 9-ish is not enough to crank a large engine.

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I have a set of aligator jumper clamps that came with my battery tender. If I pull the 12v battery out of my Honda 750 and connect it with those jumpers to the tender hook up.

Will that work for jump starting it? The battery in the Honda is fine and cranks that bike ok. Butvsince it has a smaller engine I would not want to damage that battery as well? Thanks

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Any Information on the existing battery? Quite often the installer will write on the battery the installation date.. For a 2002 BMW, that is not much mileage. Quite often, a bike that isn't ridden much, isn't maintained much. Frankly, I've never gotten more than 7 years out of a battery for a car, motorcycle, or airplane. If you need a new battery, I'd recommend an Odyssey PC680 (About $ 115 on Amazon or Autozone.)

 

Keith

 

Yep, you do need to remove the tupperware to get to the battery.. To replace the battery, you do not need to completely remove the fuel tank. A single bolt holds it in place. As I recall, you do need to un-clip the fuel tank wiring harness to lift up the tank. Also, this last year, I needed to remove the starter because it was making a single "chirp sound" occasionally when I started the engine. I cleaned the starter and lubricated it (especially the shaft for the pinion gear). After all these years, the grease had dried-up........

Edited by Keith_A
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I have a set of aligator jumper clamps that came with my battery tender. If I pull the 12v battery out of my Honda 750 and connect it with those jumpers to the tender hook up.

Will that work for jump starting it? The battery in the Honda is fine and cranks that bike ok. Butvsince it has a smaller engine I would not want to damage that battery as well? Thanks

 

 

Morning rick56

 

No, the wire pig tail that comes with most small battery chargers is WAY too small of a gage to handle the current of starting your motorcycle. You will just fry the small wires or pop the fuse if it has one.

 

You will either need a set of automotive, or dedicated motorcycle, jumper cables or just remove the present battery & have it load tested then replace it if bad.

 

With proper gage jumper cables you can also jump from a NON -RUNNING automobile without any problems.

 

 

 

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Thanks I will take a look at the battery with my DVM. Question? the meter will tell me the voltage but not amps? How can I check cranking amps on a bike that wont even turn over? Sorry electrical issues are not my strong point.

 

Morning rick56

 

You can check the starting amps but it is somewhat difficult as you either need a shunt setup or a high amp reading meter with very large cables then install that in series with a removed battery cable.

 

Much easier to just measure the battery voltage while trying to crank (IF you can get it to crank over). It the starter is just chattering then measuring voltage during cranking is somewhat difficult. If you see the battery volatge well below 10 volts during the cranking attempt then your battery isn't doing it's job

 

 

 

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oilhead1100s1150rt

Morning rick56,

 

You should be able to pull your covers rather easily. You may want to take this experience to learn how to do it, you need to know anyway - just in case. It is not hard, grab the correct t-handle hex wrench, I start at the tank and simply work your way around. While you have them off, it is a great opportunity to check everything else. I love my '02, but it is 16 years old, show it some love. Read through the suggested maintenance on this web site and learn to do it yourself. Most all of it is very straight forward and there is plenty knowledge posted.

 

Sounds like battery issues to me as well.....

 

Dve

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I totally agree with our South East PA member's advice.

 

Bikes of this vintage are thankfully not too hard to maintain without going anywhere near a dealer. They're now making their money just fine, thank you, by constantly seeing to the recent BMW models with all their super-complicated Chinese-outsourced electronics. "Eelectronics go wrong," says the dealer, rubbing his hands.

 

For this bad-battery problem on your old bike, it's advisable to read up from this and other forums on the process for removing the tank. If you're thinking the bike is a keeper, you definitely need to know how to do the job for future maintenance.

 

It's basically an afternoon's work the first time you do it : -

 

Tupperware off [ maybe ten or more fixings, see the Maintenance handbook ];

2 fuel hose Quick Disconnects separated;

2 fuel vent hoses separated;

electrical plug revealed under the right-hand edge near the rear of the tank, the feed for the fuel pump, disconnected;

and the large hex- or Torx-head bolt at the back right-hand side removed.

 

Take care not to lose the large grommets here as you withdraw that big bolt. And when launching the tank back on the bike, with Her Indoors peering back into the bike from the front so as to guide you into the two rubber supporting bungs, make sure you don't disturb the throttle Bowden cable ferrules sitting in the free-play adjuster cups for the throttle bodies, one each side of the bike.

 

To remove, just lift the tank backwards and up off its two rubber supporting bungs located behind the headstock and park it somewhere nice, so that the dangling hoses don't get squished.

 

As to doing the half-job - I used to worry about the danger of a short-circuit when just lifting the back end of the tank up, propped there with a thick chunk of wood, or ferkling around under the back edge to access the battery terminals. A car-type 12V battery, even a BMW bike battery of indeterminate vintage, can weld metal with comparative ease when short-circuited. Or at least cause a flame-up.

 

So bite the bullet and lift off the tank - Buena suerte.

 

Sorry to say that you really were ripped off for that spline job. It can be done in 2 days and the parts are admittedly costly - a new clutch pack and a new gearbox-input shaft. The latter involving a complicated gearbox strip-down and rebuild necessary to install the new shaft, which is a job well within the capabilities of a reputable BMW Motorrad dealer. But the charge shouldn't have been that steep....

 

Still, look at it this way, you now have a robust, durable vehicle with ridiculously-low mileage on its clock, with plenty of power for pleasurable whizzing-about on, and for 2-up touring - one that shouldn't be at all costly to continuously maintain. Clutch slave-cylinder hydraulic fluid refreshment is the only job I would regard as an immediate one, seeing as how the bike has clearly been stood standing for years.

 

AL in s.e. Spain

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Morning__

 

I don't understand all the lift the tank or fuel tank removal talk.

 

I don't remove or loosen the fuel tank,in fact I usually doesn't even completely remove the lower belly plastic & certainly don't remove the R/H tupperware.

 

I usually just remove the belly plastic screws on the left side and let it hang on the R/H side.

 

Remove the seat remove L/H mirror & remove L/H tupperware panel, then loosen the two screws on the air filter cover & remove cover, then remove the screw holding the air intake (snorkel) tube, then remove the air snorkel tube. This will then allow you to slide the battery out the L/H side. Disconnect the battery cables as they become accessible.

 

 

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I finally got my battery out. Only took me about an hour taking my time photographing every fastener BEFORE I took it apart. I used the Clymer manuel excellent book. I did not remove the tank. Just raised it one inch to get at the positive connector. Used a plastic plug adapter to hold it up. Why mess with the fuel lines? The two hoses flex just fine. Any way my battery reads 12.6 volts. Odessy PC680. I'm off to have it load tested at a battery store. Funny how people call the body work tupperware? Some previous owner snaped off the small connector just inboard of the right exhaust. And I found an allen screw that is not stock on the left side? Either some dip lost it or a mechanic lost it and threw in a different screw?

One question? If the battery is ok then most likely my starter solenoid is bad. Can you find rebuilt ones like for cars? I'd hate to have to buy a new one from the BMW dealer? They are rip offs over charge for everything. Thanks for all who helped me with advice. Its really not that hard to work on the R1150RT. I just take my time. I organized all my fasteners and labled them on a shop rag. Also taking extra photos helps to prevent me from forgetting how it was connected before I took it apart. I don't just toss every screw in a bowl. They are different lenghts. Thanks again.

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Just got back from the battery store. The voltage was fine, but as soon as they put a load on it no where near enough amps to crank.

Time for a new battery. In a way I'm relieved by that. I did not want to deal with the cost of a starter. Probably $500 from BMW?

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Glad it was just the battery. It didn't sound like a starter issue.

 

For future reference (I am now maintaining a 15+ year old bike too) beemerboneyard.com for used parts and for electrics I use euro moto electrics. Both have much more reliable and cheaper starters should you ever need one. My last resort is eBay (would rather buy something solid if I'm going to spend valuable time overhauling).

 

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Hi Rick - don't forget to investigate the possible purchase of a 'Shorai' Li-Po new-technology battery before you jump for a replacement Odyssey. The Shorai is a third of the weight and has 4-times the cranking power of an old-technology battery, plus it doesn't self discharge whilst resting, sitting on your clock and alarm, both sipping juice all the time with the key switched off.

 

I have had a Shorai on the last two boxers, plus my present one and the Honda NC in the UK. Fantastic.

 

And a general point re "dealers" if I may...

It's not the dealer himself who rips you off with horrendous spare-parts prices for BMW stuff. It's BMW AG in the Fatherland, and the suits in Berlin and Munich who charge exorbitant prices, which the dealer simply has to pass on to the customer. Be fair to dealers, provided they show a smidgeon of competence and fair-play. Like the rest of the high-street battling people like the hated non-tax-paying Amazon for their existence, they're struggling.

Edited by Alan Sykes
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BMW AG has seen its profits ballooning over the last half-decade with surprising increases in world-wide bike sales, bikes which now include major components outsourced from China.

 

They should be ashamed of the spare-parts pricing philosophy that they impose on dealers and customers. If they had a shred of self-respect they should immediately slash their parts prices by 50%.

And the other despicable trait of theirs is closing exclusive sales deals with suppliers. Like the $50 Gates Industries drive belt still used on one or two of their smaller bikes, a belt which is only available from Berlin at a staggering mark-up of 600%.

 

Here in Spain, an attitude like theirs is called "sin verguenza" - shameless.

 

Rant over - just sayin'...

 

AL in s.e. Spain

Edited by Alan Sykes
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I finally got my battery out. Only took me about an hour taking my time photographing every fastener BEFORE I took it apart. I used the Clymer manuel excellent book. I did not remove the tank. Just raised it one inch to get at the positive connector. Used a plastic plug adapter to hold it up. Why mess with the fuel lines? The two hoses flex just fine. Any way my battery reads 12.6 volts. Odessy PC680. I'm off to have it load tested at a battery store. Funny how people call the body work tupperware? Some previous owner snaped off the small connector just inboard of the right exhaust.

 

Morning rick56

 

You mention the Odyssey PC680 (does that mean that you have the PC 680 in it now?) Then, in your first posting you mention "trickle charger".

 

Any chance that you now have the Odyssey PC680 in that bike & that you used a standard trickle charger on that battery?

 

If so then a lot of (most) standard trickle chargers will kill the Odyssey PC680 over time as they just don't put out enough charging voltage, at enough current, at the correct timing to properly charge the Odyssey PC680. If a person wants to eventually kill a good PC 680 then just use a standard trickle charger on it.

 

If you plan on installing another Odyssey PC680 ($114.00/ free shipping on Amazon) then you should probably also invest in a proper battery charger to maintain it. With proper treatment the Odyssey PC680 can live a very long & productive life.

 

The BMW 1150 alternator charging voltage is also a bit on the low side for the Odyssey PC680, as far as charging voltage goes, (but that can be upped with a diode or new regulator) but a LOT of riders have used the Odyssey PC680 with great success with no alternator changes (myself included).

 

The Odyssey PC680 battery just needs a proper output charger IF a rider is going to use a small battery charger between motorcycle uses.

 

There is also a chance that your present Odyssey PC680 can be recovered by running it down to a specific voltage then re-charging using a proper rated charger, but due to the amount of work required to remove & re-install the battery in the BMW 1150RT it is probably best to just replace the battery, then IF you can recover your current battery, just use it for other projects.

 

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