The G650 GS Thread

[matloik]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

Hummm, my '10 model went from a quick start (like maybe 1 revolution of the crank) to totally dead; three times. I never had a time when the starter was working hard. That's not to discount the 'decompression lever' issue but the OEM batteries have been an issue for at least 10 years, the lever...not so long. Full disclosure: I have upgraded the ground wire from battery to engine case because that is a critical part of the electrical system and appeared to me to be too small.

Yes, agreed, the OEM battery is not the best. But those replacing it with a stronger battery should be aware that that stronger battery MAY be hiding an underlying issue that should get resolved, if in fact they are also experiencing the "hot start issue". Coincidentally my '08 KTM EXCR also has a known issue with a faulty decompression mechanism, that is on the cam. The '09 cam fixes this. I have not fixed this (yet), but am getting by for now with a better battery that has more oomph to get past compressed TDC. But kickstarting is very difficult--that is what your battery/starter is working against, and may be the reason an OEM battery degrades quicker--and then when you bring it into BMW they replace the battery because it tests bad.

[dazz]

So my old quad's battery went South. I wish I had a glass mat battery in the 2012 G650GS. I think they are the same size. New in the BMW, standard lead acid in the quad. OK idea? Can anyone suggest a particular make and model that is the correct fit for the BMW? I don't want a gel battery. I don't want the newest technology, Shoae? A sealed battery that does not need maintenance and will last a few years. Glass mat is what I think they are called. Make, model, size, source, etc.
Thank you.

[pyoungbl]

Dazz, I believe that almost any battery will be better than the lead acid battery that comes with your bike. You will be limited by the space available for a replacement. As a start, take your battery out and measure it. That's the maximum size that will fit. Then shop for something that is no larger. I'd recommend a sealed battery. Glass mat is one choice. The Shori (sp) is much smaller but will give the same energy but a higher cost. It will also hold a charge for a very long time, maybe as long as a year. If you store your bike for a long time that might be important. I went with a gel cell because I can keep it on a charger when not in use.

[Evenflo76]

The Shorai battery comes with foam padding that can be cut to size to fit the battery box.
MOTOUSA did a review on their long term KLR.
Search YouTube for "motousa klr" to see.

[dazz]

Originally Posted by Evenflo76

The Shorai battery comes with foam padding that can be cut to size to fit the battery box.
MOTOUSA did a review on their long term KLR.
Search YouTube for "motousa klr" to see.

Sorry but I'm not buying into the Shorai yet. I hear it's not good in the cold. Gel batteries when they go bad do so very quick. A glass mat (AGM) is what I am searching for. Really I was asking if anyone had experience with one that fit properly. Odyssey, Westco or maybe even Yuasa make glass mat batteries. I wanted to rely on the experience of someone that really installed the battery rather than a size chart. I used Odyssey batteries in my airheads and liked them. They seemed to last long enough under my conditions. And of course the bigger, the better.

[dazz]

$57.96 for this one:
http://www.batterymart.com/p-ut12cl-...-650cc-battery
Or $180 for the Shorae?

It looks like this is correct?
line up the AGM batteries on the shelf for that price.

Anyone replace your lead-acid with an AGM? Which one?

[dazz]

Originally Posted by dazz

$57.96 for this one:
http://www.batterymart.com/p-ut12cl-...-650cc-battery
Or $180 for the Shorae?

It looks like this is correct?
line up the AGM batteries on the shelf for that price.

Anyone replace your lead-acid with an AGM? Which one?

After further investigation on another forum I found that a Scorpion yt12cl fits right in and costs $63 to your door. The MagnaPower ETX15 Dekka costs $77 and is a tight fit. This information from folks who have done it. That batterymart UT12cl does indeed cost $57.96 but with shipping comes to about $71.

[entr0py]

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction with an issue I am having with my 2011 G 650GS.

The bike turns off at random intervals. It has happened while riding the bike and it's happened when idling, standing still (neutral). Needless to say that the bike's electrics turning off completely (no hazards, no indicators, nothing) is rather dangerous when travelling at speed on busy roads with no way of being able to indicate that I am slowing and will need to turn.

Had the bike checked was told that due to the computer having reset there were no codes to get off and no indicators what caused it to reset.There were no obvious faults or problems with insulation of wires. Apparently.

Things I have noticed:

1. Riding along at a stable speed, 4th gear @ approx. 3-4000RPM the RPM display will (sometimes) jump and stay at 7000 or 8000 RPM (rev alert indicator comes on), however the bike's definitely not revving at max RPM. What's required is to shift up or down a gear which brings the rev counter back to actual.

2. The stalling issue described above. Riding along the bikes electrics and engine turn off. The electrics sometimes come back on immediately. At one stage I called roadside to have the bike jumped. The bike started but without revving the engine to above 3k, it won't stay on. The alternator works and I've had both alternator and battery checked.

3. Not starting at all. Key in the ignition. Self checks on the display are ok. Bike in neutral, kill switch off...simply won't turn over. The computer will turn off completely and IGN OFF will be displayed. If I am lucky the computer then resets and I can try again. Other days (not so lucky) there will be no power at all and the display will be completely blank.

While riding in the wet (completely saturated) the bike seems to perform fine, however I have experienced these issues twice after having ridden in the rain and the bike having been turned off for a 24 hours.

I do still have warranty on the bike so I guess the next stop is me negotiating with BMW to have whatever the problem is fixed under warranty.

Any thoughts or quick tests anyone can think of are appreciated.

[pyoungbl]

EntrOpy, the kind of problems you are having may well be a loose connection to the battery. I'd check both the battery terminals and the ground connection on the engine. If any of them are loose, that's likely to be your problem.

[entr0py]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

EntrOpy, the kind of problems you are having may well be a loose connection to the battery. I'd check both the battery terminals and the ground connection on the engine. If any of them are loose, that's likely to be your problem.

Thanks Pyoungbl! I did see a few posts relating to battery terminals causing issues and how to resolve these, which I have checked and they are solid. Ground connector...that's something I haven't looked at. Def worth a try!

[andcesaro]

Hi!

I am having same problem on my GS650G. The bike will suddenly switch off while riding. Computer will switch off. Nothing turns on at all. Connection to the battery seem ok, although on negative there is a little of white corrosion building up.
Could it be the solenoid? How to check for engine ground cable?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Andrea

[seniordirtdog]

I had the same problem and the dealer replaced the battery. So far that seems to have solved all the problems.

Originally Posted by entr0py

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction with an issue I am having with my 2011 G 650GS.

The bike turns off at random intervals. It has happened while riding the bike and it's happened when idling, standing still (neutral). Needless to say that the bike's electrics turning off completely (no hazards, no indicators, nothing) is rather dangerous when travelling at speed on busy roads with no way of being able to indicate that I am slowing and will need to turn.

Had the bike checked was told that due to the computer having reset there were no codes to get off and no indicators what caused it to reset.There were no obvious faults or problems with insulation of wires. Apparently.

Things I have noticed:

1. Riding along at a stable speed, 4th gear @ approx. 3-4000RPM the RPM display will (sometimes) jump and stay at 7000 or 8000 RPM (rev alert indicator comes on), however the bike's definitely not revving at max RPM. What's required is to shift up or down a gear which brings the rev counter back to actual.

2. The stalling issue described above. Riding along the bikes electrics and engine turn off. The electrics sometimes come back on immediately. At one stage I called roadside to have the bike jumped. The bike started but without revving the engine to above 3k, it won't stay on. The alternator works and I've had both alternator and battery checked.

3. Not starting at all. Key in the ignition. Self checks on the display are ok. Bike in neutral, kill switch off...simply won't turn over. The computer will turn off completely and IGN OFF will be displayed. If I am lucky the computer then resets and I can try again. Other days (not so lucky) there will be no power at all and the display will be completely blank.

While riding in the wet (completely saturated) the bike seems to perform fine, however I have experienced these issues twice after having ridden in the rain and the bike having been turned off for a 24 hours.

I do still have warranty on the bike so I guess the next stop is me negotiating with BMW to have whatever the problem is fixed under warranty.

Any thoughts or quick tests anyone can think of are appreciated.

[entr0py]

Originally Posted by seniordirtdog

I had the same problem and the dealer replaced the battery. So far that seems to have solved all the problems.

Hey seniordirtdog. Did you have exactly the same problems or a similar isolated incident? 6 weeks ago I rode the bike for about 30mins. Parked it and came back 5 hours later only to not be able to get the bike started. Went to the local parts shop and got a bike battery. Not a BMW certified one but close enough (I'll get flamed for this ;) ). The result; The bike behaved exactly the same way as with the BMW battery. Subsequently I had the bike towed, the dealer put the old battery back in and I've been riding around with it for 6 weeks without issues.

[Backwardsit]

Hi there, newbie here. At age 52 I decided to learn to ride a motorbike. After 9 months on a little 250, last Friday I took delivery of my 2013 G650GS. I am loving it.
Have a question for the experienced riders on this forum.
Has anyone used a touratech screen adjuster fitted to the standard screen on the G650GS. I get the wind off the screen just in under my neck and figured being able to push the screen out a bit would cure this.
Any hints or tips welcome.

[dazz]

Originally Posted by entr0py

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction with an issue I am having with my 2011 G 650GS.

The bike turns off at random intervals. It has happened while riding the bike and it's happened when idling, standing still (neutral). Needless to say that the bike's electrics turning off completely (no hazards, no indicators, nothing) is rather dangerous when travelling at speed on busy roads with no way of being able to indicate that I am slowing and will need to turn.

Had the bike checked was told that due to the computer having reset there were no codes to get off and no indicators what caused it to reset.There were no obvious faults or problems with insulation of wires. Apparently.

Things I have noticed:

1. Riding along at a stable speed, 4th gear @ approx. 3-4000RPM the RPM display will (sometimes) jump and stay at 7000 or 8000 RPM (rev alert indicator comes on), however the bike's definitely not revving at max RPM. What's required is to shift up or down a gear which brings the rev counter back to actual.

2. The stalling issue described above. Riding along the bikes electrics and engine turn off. The electrics sometimes come back on immediately. At one stage I called roadside to have the bike jumped. The bike started but without revving the engine to above 3k, it won't stay on. The alternator works and I've had both alternator and battery checked.

3. Not starting at all. Key in the ignition. Self checks on the display are ok. Bike in neutral, kill switch off...simply won't turn over. The computer will turn off completely and IGN OFF will be displayed. If I am lucky the computer then resets and I can try again. Other days (not so lucky) there will be no power at all and the display will be completely blank.

While riding in the wet (completely saturated) the bike seems to perform fine, however I have experienced these issues twice after having ridden in the rain and the bike having been turned off for a 24 hours.

I do still have warranty on the bike so I guess the next stop is me negotiating with BMW to have whatever the problem is fixed under warranty.

Any thoughts or quick tests anyone can think of are appreciated.

That IGN OFF display shows up when you reconnect the battery. SO it looks to me like you are losing total power somehow. The solenoid idea does not hold water because it is in the starting circuit, not ignition.
Let us know what you find.