After riding five days in pouring rain, and the bike sitting outside during the night, this morning the bike was utterly dead. Not even the RID comes on. I might as well have waved the keys in front of the bike. Removed the tank. Battery is fine. Where do I start? [TaSK]
Check the wiring to the ignition switch and maybe spray some water repelling stuff into the switch. Take a look at the connector to the wiring harness.
What did you do to determine the battery is ok? If you haven't done the obvious: Check your kill switch. Check the side stand switch. Pull spark pug covers, remove wires and blow out excess water. dcool
Just for drill, check BOTH ends of both battery cables for tightness/corrosion. Also, check your fuses. Then start wiggling the wiring harness (With the key on) around the steering head. And try operating the sidestand and clutch switches with the key on. If all else fails, try swapping around the relays under the seat......It could possibly be the load shed relay is full of water. That is all I got, from a distance.
First thing I'd do it let it sit in the sun or somewhere it can dry out real good and see if it works then. If I wanted to start troubleshooting I'd trace power and ground to something that should work, like the horn, headlight, tail light, or whatever. If everything on the bike is dead then tracing any of them should lead to your problem. Here's a link to the wiring diagrams: http://www.bmwgsclub.nl/schematics/R1150GS schematic.pdf I've never read through the diagrams so I don't actually know how it's hooked up, but if everything is dead then I'd do something like trace 12V to the ignition switch and out to the relay K9120 then to the horn fuse. And of course a ground connection can be the culprit just as much as a +12V connection.
The only thing that is really 'different' from your normal rides is likely the water ... so that is where I would start - "What could water do to kill the electrical system?" : I too have a 2000 1150GS. With time I noticed that the "clamps" that hold the fuse box lid down tend to become worn and not really work too well. When I ride without the pillion seat on and use just the tool cover I found (after riding for a few weeks in really bad BC rain) that there was a small amount of water in the fusebox. Perhaps you have enough in there to short out the fuses and thus kill the system. Of course the basic checks are in order: sidestand kill switch water in ignotion system (WD40 in a pinch works well to get rid of this crap) Good luck, and worst case, just off the bike a little Campari - make it nice and hungry for a ride! Good luck!! Richard
Did you check the GSpot FAQ? The guy who runs that does a really good job. A bad ground has stumped many good mechanics. :eek1
In local parlance: Vorrei una svoglia con ricotta, ben riscaldata, e' un capuccino. Per favore. I had that. It didn't work. I told him (the bike): I warn you. The '08 model Adventure, with ABS but without servo, is now only about 10.000 euro at moto.it. That didn't work either. It's been sitting dry all day, with no go. The battery has 12V over the poles, and a bulb shines nicely on it. That should be enough to turn the RID on. I'll start at the ignition switch tomorrow and work my way. I'll keep you posted as I start to take things apart. Thank you. Thankfully: The next vacation on the bike is several month away. [TaSK]
RID won't come on if the bike is in gear with the sidestand down. Do you not get a battery and oil light when you turn the key on?
Start in a couple of days! You'll just get frustrated in the mean time. Water in some connection under the tank. I'd start there with the main wiring harness.
battery can still be bad, if you have dead cell it will still show 12 volts but may not turn the thing over. Maybe try a jump start.
First things first. Attach voltmeter right across battery. Turn on Ignition....what voltage do you read?
A bad battery might show 12 volts, but not under load. Turn on the ignition, and if the RID doesn't light up then measure the voltage over the battery: 12 volts means it's not (only) the battery that's broken. Below 12 volts means that either the battery is dead or there's a short somewhere (and something somewhere must be running very hot...)
Good 2nd post. As for the RID depending on the sidestand switch? I don't think so. It's been a couple years since I owned an 1150, but I used to park in gear with sidestand down all the time, and I'm pretty sure the RID would come on with the key.
You should get something with 12 volts at the battery. It sounds like the ignition wiring, or switch. Since the switch itself usually doesn't go bad, check the wiring off the switch. Jim PS Someone made a great FAQ on ADV somewhere for GS.
