Lifetime of BMW battery?

[jviss]

I got a new BMW battery for my '01 'RT about 5 years ago. I usually keep it on a Battery Tender when I'm not riding. It seems O.K.

 

Just wondering, what's the lifetime of one of these?

 

Is there a good test of it that doesn't require expensive test equipment?

 

Thanks,

 

jv

 

[MT Wallet]

I'd pull the battery and take it to a local auto parts store and have it load tested. Slight Hijack here-but what was the orientation of your battery? When I changed mine in a 2000, R1100RT it was laying on its end and didn't seeme to have room to be upright.

[jviss]

Lying on its end? that sounds crazy. Mine was straight up, normal, and exactly fi the space; terminal side towards the rear, I think the positive is on the starboard side.

 

 

[dirtrider]

Morning JV

 

Wow, predicting the life of a motorcycle battery is like predicting how long someone will live.

 

You say BMW battery but what type of battery --Gel. AGM, or conventional lead acid?

 

The battery type can make a difference, especially on how suddenly it can die when the time comes. Conditions it is stored & used under also plays a big part in longevity.

 

In my years of experience a BWM branded battery can die anytime after 2 years. 3 years of usage is good, 4 years of use is great & 5 years if just flat out fantastic.

 

You can have the battery load tested at most motorcycle dealers or boat dealers but that is like a stress test in a human can't really predict the future.

 

[BFish]

the oem in my 2004RT lasted until 2010. in hindsight it was slowly crapping out before then. never used a tender. from my experience, if signs of a slow death begin don't milk it, just replace it.

 

do use a tender now...hooked it up the old battery, but it was terminal so switched it over when battery replaced. a bad battery can be such a PITA.

[moshe_levy]

John, to add to what DR said, whether it's VRLA or Gel, likely it's an Exide battery. These batteries are rated to typical industry standard which is 3-5 years expectancy at a constant +25C on a ground fixed application. That's about as useless as tits on a bull here because you're not at a constant temperature nor is this a ground fixed application. So the rule of thumb is if you got to 5 years, you're on borrowed time. If it's a gel the failure will be sudden and final - you will not get much advanced warning. Come springtime, if I were you, I would be shopping for a new battery. See my previous posts in the electric car thread re Enersys when pondering a replacement.

 

-MKL

[Alfred02]

The only true test is a load test or even better a double cycle test. Unfortunately you will not find a double cycle test in your "car charger".

In my hobby we use some very advanced chargers that can charge/discharge any kind of battery and measure their total true capacity.

A load tester via your local Auto electrician is fine and will give 95% accuracy.

Battery life is 5 years or less.

When Users say they get more then 5 years the true reasons are any of or all the below reasons.

 

1) Bike starts really easy (almost instant), so it's up and running even before the battery can collapse under the load.

 

2) Mild temperature country/state or started in a warm garage. This gives maximum capacity of the battery at ideal condition.

 

3) High density/low resistant battery. Due to it's far higher initial capacity it appears to last longer as even when it is down to 50% capacity, that's still as much as 75% ~ 80% capacity of your "average" bike battery.

 

 

 

[jviss]

I should have looked yesterday when I had the tank off to do the shocks, but I know its an Exide batter. Whatever the BMW cycle dealer was selling as a replacement for this bike is what I got. It was about $100.

 

 

[dirtrider]

Afternoon John

 

Does your battery have removable caps & a vent hose? Or is it sealed with no vent hose.

 

Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to how long it lasts but it could effect how suddenly it dies.

 

[jviss]

Afternoon John

 

Does your battery have removable caps & a vent hose? Or is it sealed with no vent hose.

 

Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to how long it lasts but it could effect how suddenly it dies.

 

I'll check tonight.

[moshe_levy]

Right, DR. John, if it's a "wetcell" it will give you warning before it croaks. If not, it won't. Chances are very high that it is NOT a wetcell as BMW standardized on Exide's sealed VRLA and Gel years ago.

 

-MKL

[Guest Kakugo]

Agreed.

The longest serving batteries I had were a sealed Yuasa and a lead/acid Exide. The Yuasa lasted five years before starting to leak, while the Exide lasted a whooping seven years.

Granted, the Exide was fitted to an old Honda which had absolutely nothing in the way of sophisticated electronics, but remarkable nonetheless.

 

Last week I changed the OE battery on the RT. It was exactly 28 months old but it was starting to give warnings of its impending demise. My battery belonged to the "well-maintained" category: bike always garaged and hooked up to a battery tender once every two/three months.

According to the dealer I was lucky since these batteries tend to die all of a sudden (ask my brother) so I decided not to push my luck any further and bought a replacement.

I suggest you do the same: in five years you had your money's worth out of the battery.

[RockBottom]

It was exactly 28 months old but it was starting to give warnings of its impending demise.

 

What exactly were the warnings? The OEM battery in my R1200R is less than two years old but has over 30K miles on it. Starting is noticeably less robust than it was a few months ago. Should I be worried?

[dirtrider]

The OEM battery in my R1200R is less than two years old but has over 30K miles on it. Starting is noticeably less robust than it was a few months ago. Should I be worried?

 

Morning RockBottom

 

Lets see:

 

BMW OEM battery -

Over 2 years old -

Less Robust starting -

 

Yep, one of these times it is going to take a few more revolutions to get it started & the battery will just give up & quit. When is the $64,000 question.

 

 

 

[RockBottom]

Over 2 years old -

Less Robust starting -

 

Yep, one of these times it is going to take a few more revolutions to get it started & the battery will just give up & quit. When is the $64,000 question.

 

 

 

Of course, that also describes me as well.

[Guest Kakugo]

It was exactly 28 months old but it was starting to give warnings of its impending demise.

 

What exactly were the warnings? The OEM battery in my R1200R is less than two years old but has over 30K miles on it. Starting is noticeably less robust than it was a few months ago. Should I be worried?

 

That was one of the symptoms, which is especially worrisome when you need to ride home from a small village in Provence. It also started to throw "false alerts" at start up, like ESA or EWS which weren't stored in the diagnostic system.

[Dave39]

If it were me I'd replace it ASAP. I've had two of these BMW Exide gel batteries (on different bikes) die prematurely with no warning. The first on on my 1100RT quit after about a year. The last one died completely at a shopping center on my current 1200RT and left me stranded. There was no warning. The bike started fine at home.

[ChrisC]

Just wondering, what's the lifetime of one of these?

About 5 years out of a BMW-Exide battery.

 

I get 8 years out of a BMW-Mareg battery, but that one is a flooded lead acid "conventional" type.

 

Battery life is dependent on battery quality and battery charging, both on and off the motorcycle.

[ChrisC]

...whether it's VRLA or Gel...

 

A Gel is a VRLA battery; so is an AGM battery.

 

A Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery comes in Gel or Absorbed Glass Mat. They both have their advantages and also disadvantages. I do not use them given the choice.

[Jaguar]

Many years ago, a mechanic friend of mine recommended replacing a battery in any vehicle every 3 years, weather it's good or not. He called it "insurance".

Last month, I went to my garage one morning to ride. I mounted my '07 R1200R, pushed the starter button and nothing. I can't say I remember any pre-failure signs of trouble, but the battery had just died overnight. I'm thankful I was in my garage with my truck in the driveway, which a new battery was installed in a few hours, instead of on the road, loaded to the gils on a cross country trip, somewhere far from everything.

[RockBottom]

Why is there so little discussion of Shorai here?

[dirtrider]

Why is there so little discussion of Shorai here?

 

Morning RockBottom

 

Mainly because Lithium Iron batteries are new technology for motorcycle usage.

 

Lithium Iron hasn't entirely proven itself out yet for motorcycle usage. Still some basic teething problems like lack of very cold starting power & the inability to get to a completely full equalized charge without a special battery charger that hooks individually to each cell.

 

The Lithium Iron battery's strong suit is it's light weight & ability to remain charged & dormant for a long shelf life.

 

I know a couple of guys running the Lithium Iron battery's in their off road bikes (mainly for a weight savings) but so far not long enough to see if there are any side issues like extremes cold starting, or heat related, or even off-road durability issues (one guy with a DRZ is on his 2nd regulator since installing the Lithium Iron battery but those are hard on regulators anyhow so might not be battery related).

 

[ChrisC]

I can't say I remember any pre-failure signs of trouble, but the battery had just died overnight.

 

Now you know why I prefer not to use VRLA type batteries.

 

They cannot be overcharged and if you live where it gets hot, they are likely being overcharged by an alternator or battery maintainer that does not temperature compensate very well...if at all.

[moshe_levy]

A Gel is a VRLA battery; so is an AGM battery.

 

A Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery comes in Gel or Absorbed Glass Mat. They both have their advantages and also disadvantages. I do not use them given the choice.

 

True. Bad wording on my part.

 

I would however disagree that AGMs are a bad choice for bikes. A good one like Enersys can get you double digit years. My wife's and my controller's at work were each over 10 years old before requiring replacement. Ain't nothing wrong with them.

 

DR, we've been using LIFEPO4 batteries in our UPSs for a few years now. They will outperform all but the best VRLAs in high heat situations. However we noted that they do not like to charge below -10C. A good VRLA can charge down to -40C. I'm not sure how much of a concern that is to the average motorcyclist. Shelf life is excellent - 2 years @ +25C, again equivalent to the very best VRLAs. Shock and vibe tests at Boeing passed with flying colors. 1/3 the weight, 2x the run time in the same volume pack, and MUCH more expensive! That about summarizes it.

 

-MKL

[ChrisC]

I would however disagree that AGMs are a bad choice for bikes.

 

Depends.

 

AGM and GEL batteries are very particular as to how they get charged...ripple, charge and float voltages. They are far less forgiving than a FLA battery which can be maintained.

 

Having one last in a controlled environment is easy with the correct charge algorithm. Start changing ambient temperatures (like your vehicle batteries experience) with a charging system that does not compensate, and I'll say no thanks to VRLA type batteries.

 

My FLA batteries have lasted at least 18 years. Many are happy with 5 year battery life. I'm happy when they last at least 10 years.

[phonesystems]

Is "double cycle test" good to do? or just load test is enough to check the life time of battery....

[jviss]

O.K., so following up in this thread, I finally took the tank off and removed the battery. It's a BMW OEM Exide gel battery, I'm not sure exactly when I bought it, but the date code on the battery is 07/07. It isn't showing any signs of failing, works fine. It's been kept up, using a battery tender most of its life. I don't leave it plugged in always, but plug it in at least once a month, and leave it a few days.

 

I paid $100 when I bought it. Now the dealer wants $179! I searched the web for the non-BMW labeled unit, and can't find one here, 'though google finds them on U.K. sites.

 

Anyone know where I can get this Exide gel battery at a reasonable price?

 

Thanks,

 

jv

 

p.s. I might push it another year.

 

 

[moshe_levy]

Any Exide dealer - or Amazon - or Ebay. It doesn't matter if you get Exide or Yuasa or whatever. For the most part they're commodities unless you get into Odyssey or LIFEPO4 types. As I said earlier, expect prices to go only up for the near future.

 

-MKL

[jviss]

Thanks, Moshe, but you know I did search Amazon, eBay, and the web in general, and have come up with nothing, save the BMW OEM battery on Amazon from Max BMW motorcycles, for the $179 list price.

 

It's a bit puzzling.

[jviss]

Afternoon John

 

Does your battery have removable caps & a vent hose? Or is it sealed with no vent hose.

 

Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to how long it lasts but it could effect how suddenly it dies.

 

I'll check tonight.

Just following up: no, it doesn't, it's a BMW Exide sealed gel battery.

[jviss]

How about Westco batteries? I had forgotten about Beemer Boneyard and just checked. I see they have a Westco sealed AGM for $86.

 

And, on this topic, shouldn't the charger for an AGM or gel battery have different setpoints for acceptance and float? I'm just using a standard Battery Tender Plus.

 

Thanks,

 

jv

 

[Skywagon]

I am on your 6 on one Westco Battery, year 4 on another, and year 2 on my home burglar alarm...

[dba]

 

A Gel is a VRLA battery; so is an AGM battery.

 

A Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery comes in Gel or Absorbed Glass Mat. They both have their advantages and also disadvantages. I do not use them given the choice.

 

What type of battery would you choose?

[RockBottom]

How about Westco batteries? I had forgotten about Beemer Boneyard and just checked. I see they have a Westco sealed AGM for $86.

 

 

Thanks,

 

jv

 

That's what I went with. Replaced my OEM one about a month ago.

[biometrics]

I put this one in my 99 R1100RT in June.

 

http://www.batterymart.com/p-51913-dry-charged-battery.html

 

http://www.batterymart.com/images/products/mc/mar-51913-ps_lg.jpg

 

It was much less expensive that some the recommended alternatives, and I keep it topped off with a trickle charger if I am not going to ride for a couple of weeks... No complaints. I had one similar to it in my 1983 Honda Nighthawk for 2 years and that bike has a reputation for a weak charging system... I only had to charge the battery up when I first put it in, and once when I stupidly left the ignition on...

 

Even if you only get two or three years out of a battery like this, it is only half what the Oddessy battery costs, and then every three (or more years) you get a FRESH new battery... So besides the effort to install it, what is the difference if you buy this type? or spend twice as much for the expensive battery and replace it every 4 to 6 years... NADA... All these new battery technologies seem great until you hear the price. I have had a lead acid battery in every car I have ever owned and all of them lasted for at least 4 or 5 years. Some even longer...

 

Just my $0.02 Your choice will be YOUR choice... I just can't see spending the extra money and hope that the more costly battery will last longer than the standard type. I have more important things to worry about.

[dirtrider]

---How about Westco batteries?

 

Morning Jviss

 

The Westco AGM motorcycle battery used to be my battery of choice years ago but I had 2 Westco batteries die a sudden & early death. No warning just complete & very sudden (total) failures.

 

Keep in mind that Westco doesn't make their own batteries but just buys from one of the few battery manufacturers then re-badges them under the Westco name.

 

This probably means that the original supplier changes from year to year depending on who offers the cheapest deal to Westco.