Accessory Socket Question - Bobby?
 

So on my new r1200s I have had the battery tender plugged into the accessory socket that comes built in to the bike. Just like my old one.

On this bike however the Battery Tender never stops blinking.

Is the socket disabled when the ignition is off? The manual says it is active only when ignition is on for using your equipment, so is this also true for charging?

If you have a meter, check for voltage at the socketd with the ignition off. If you have zero volts then indeed the socket is isolated from the battery via the ignition and you cannot charge it without the key switch on......

I'm taking an educated guess here, but I think the accessory socket is now part of the ECU system bus and needs a charger that is recognized by the system, similar to the R12GS. I think you can bypass the socket and hook the charger directly to the battery by way of a good ground and the (+)plus post on the left side, but like I said, just a guess and you may want to get more details before frying something.

Sounds similar to the canbus "issues" they had with the 12gs when it first hit the showroom floors.

http://www.powerletproducts.com/products/bmw_ican_harness.php
Fits: 2005 and newer BMW Motorcycles, all models that possess the CANbus system
Including: K, R, F, L, LT, GS, RS etc.



Compatible With Existing BMW Motorcycle Sockets Wired Through CANbus Systems
Bypass The Stock BMW Motorcycle Socket To Power Appliances Direct Off The Vehicles Battery


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1150678050.jpg

As previously posted, the acc outlet is managed by the ECU (BMS-K) and needs to be plugged into the fancy new BMW BMS-K compliant tender or you need to hard wire a pigtail to the battery. The circuit will stay alive for like 30 sec after shutting down the bike, once is sees no activity it will shut of. You could plug your battery tender into the acc outlet and then cycle the ignition on and off, that will wake up the circuit and allow the connection to the tender, however as soon as the tender goes to idle once battery is charged, the BMS-K will shut down the circuit again and the tender will not be able to monitor or re-charge.

Just hook up a pigtail and be done with it, it will be good for your heated gear if you ever run any.

Already done.. One good thing is the battery is righ there (sort of) under the baboon.

I just wanted to make sure.

Had one of these spares.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1150688874.jpg

Or you could just ride the bike and not worry about a friggen tender! :)

+1

I don't know if my '02 has the orginal battery or not but I've never had it on a charger in the 2 years I've owned it.
Jim

Irrelevant really.

Socket comes with the bike, the Battery Tender is sitting there waiting for a home. It wants to get plugged in. The question is does it work or not? I don't want to get stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere for 6 hours as happened once before because I "think" the battery is OK. I like the real (Or imagined) sense of security having a green light when I leave.

If you have other problems you might want to look at this post seems to be a problem at least on the GS models with overly sensitive control units that would shut down from BMW's own GPS
the fix was a new and improved unit also a lot of stuff about the battery being sucked dry because of a software issue on a different thread

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132795&page=2



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barnacle bill wrote " Ok dealer checked with BMW for the 100th time and finally got someone that said try replacing the Control Unit with one not on the parts list and just out of Germany. They put it in and the problem went away, the Navigator 2 stays on after you start the bike and the accessory plug stays on, 200 miles and about 20 stop and starts with no problem. For those of you with this problem here is the part no. 61357702043 description Control Unit, good luck"

And it works like a champ. But... you have to do the "batter tender dance" to get it work properly.

1. Turn on bike's ignition
2. plug BMW tender into accessory socket
3. Once the tender's LED's indcate that the battery has been found, turn off ignition and remove the key.

Even if you ride the bike a couple times a week, a battery tender is good to have plugged it. It can as much as double or triple the life of the battery depending on how often and regularly the bike is ridden.

Bobby
Can you provide a scientific explanation for increased battery life for 'tendered' batteries?
My experence has batteries as fickle creatures, no two are identical.
In the dark ages one year was about it but lately I've had multiple years of battery service on bikes bought used with batteries of undetermined age. If one of mine starts needing the charger to fire up either I haven't been riding it often enough (NOT) or it's time for a new battery.
Jim

If a Battery sets at a low state of charge it will sulfate. Normal riding (once a week) will keep a battery at a sufficient level to prevent sulfation... Keeping a battery on a tender if you are not riding very often, will help prevent sulfation because the charge level is kept at 100%. For many people riding weekly is not always possible especially if you have a Harem of bikes all needing a little lovin.

Keeping a battery on a charger however can also allow an older battery to start your bike at home in the garage, but may mask the fact that the battery is getting weak. If a battery is getting tired, I would rather find out at home in the garage, when I am getting ready to go.... Than have it start fine when pulled off the charger.... but not start the next morning at a campsite... If it won't spin the engine over quickly, after setting a week, without cooking on a charger in my garage .... It gets replaced. New Sealed batteries can be had for $40 Panasonic with an Interstate Batteries sticker marketed by Interstate... I plan to replace every 3 to 4 years anyhow as normal maintenance, not worth the trouble of being stranded


Here is a link to Yuasa's site for a better explanation.

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/motor_battery.asp

ahhh...the newfound bliss of owning a canbus-equipped motorcycle. troubleshooting and modification now at a level-of-magnitude more difficulty.
I wonder if they'll ever have a commercially-available code reader for the BMW K cpu. I admit the reports of the 12S's engine prowess sound wonderful but the downside is 'black box' electonics. As quirky as a motronic 2.4 is, BMW K elevates electical esotrica to a new level.
CK, I'm not slamming your new ride. But there's a reason I never buy a first model of anything....

I saw on another board that some Heated clothing would not work in the accessory plug due to incompatable current draw.. and you need to buy BMW brand clothing... or add your own acc. plug.

In time, perhaps aftermarket software scripts will be available to help with plug and play Jony.... But also mean people might be able to send your bike a worm virus :)

Easier to just replace the bike before the battery.

Only lasts 60K anyhow....