Genuine BMW Gel Battery

[Trav1150]

Can anyone advise what lifespan I should expect out of a BMW Gel battery? I have had the battery in my R1150RT for well over five years and for much of that time the battery has been connected to a trickle charger when the bike has not been ridden. For a variety of reasons I don't do many kilometres in a year, however before the end of the year I will be making two long trips and don't want to have the inconvenience of a dead battery whilst away. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[Paul Mihalka]

You are way past the average expected life of a battery. I would definitely replace it before any long ride.

[snod]

I have had 3 BMW branded gel batteries. Not one of them made it through five seasons. I agree with Paul, replace yours before the trip.

[boatzo]

I think replacing that battery before a long trip would be a very prudent move.

 

IMHO, replace it with a AGM battery, much better than a GEL.

[RichEdwards]

I'm with the others. Get a new battery.

[JayW]

I don't disagree with the advice you have been given, but for what it's worth, my OEM GEL battery is well over 5 years old and still starts the bike as well as it ever did. I never use a maintenance charger but ride every week. It has never been deep discharged and I thoroughly clean and brighten the battery connections every couple of years. I have decided to keep using it and carry a small set of jumper cables just in case it fails unexpectedly.

 

I would not risk it if I were riding in areas of isolation though.

 

Jay

[longjohn]

I don't disagree with the advice you have been given, but for what it's worth, my OEM GEL battery is well over 5 years old and still starts the bike as well as it ever did. I never use a maintenance charger but ride every week. It has never been deep discharged and I thoroughly clean and brighten the battery connections every couple of years. I have decided to keep using it and carry a small set of jumper cables just in case it fails unexpectedly.

 

I would not risk it if I were riding in areas of isolation though.

 

Jay

 

How well does it start on 32 degree or colder mornings? That's when I noticed mine was almost finished.

[moshe_levy]

The BMW battery (likely a garden variety rebadged Exide Gel) will give you an average life of 4-5 years measured at +25C constant. The enemy of battery life is heat, so those in cooler climates can get a little more time out of them, while those that live in hot climates a little less. When they die, like all gels, they do very suddenly, usually at the most inconvenient time. Yours has given you more than your money's worth - replace it before the big trip.

 

-MKL

[racer7]

5 yrs is quite a while for the stocker and most would say you are due for a new one. However, new ones can sometimes be crap so I'd be darn sure to do it a while before I hit the road, just to be sure I didn't buy a clunker that will get me stuck on the road.

 

There is only 1 objective way to test a battery that is worth the time to do it and that is a load tester that shows how many amps the battery can deliver into a starting load.

If it tests good re load, it is good, so there is no reason to discard it.

Checking by voltage measurement is of no utility.

[Trav1150]

Thanks for your responses everyone. It looks like a new battery is in order. Removing the tupperware to access the battery by the side of the road is no joy, particularly when your mates are keen to keep touring.

[jslyter]

My 1150RT, purchased new in early August 04 still has the OEM battery in it, so it is over 6 years old (currently has about 35K miles on it and gets rotated onto a tender every couple of weeks in the winter). I considered replacing it before a trip up to Canada in June, but it seemed to still be cranking strong so I went with the OEM. It was in the back of my mind the whole trip though, especially some of the colder mornings. I'll probably get an AGM in the next month, so I don't have to think about it anymore. Peace of mind is a good thing, especially when you are far from home.