what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

General discussion of the BMW R1200RT/R1250RT
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ds99
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what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by ds99 »

2007 R1200RT


what happens if i take the battery off the bike for a few months? (to keep it indoors on trickle charge)


will this affect the bike electrics at all?
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milleplod
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by milleplod »

I can't imagine it will do anything more than lose the clock settings, plus anything stored in the computer....average mpg, that sort of thing perhaps. It certainly won't have an adverse effect on anything - my 1200ST's battery was quite often off the bike over winter, no issues at all.
Pete
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David.
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by David. »

ds99 wrote:Will this affect the bike electrics at all?
No, the Haynes manual recommends, "Switch the ignition ON. Fully open and close the throttle a couple of times - this allows the engine control unit to register the throttle butterfly positions via the sensor. Reset the clock."

I recently asked a BMW independent workshop about the throttle position sensors, his reply was that it's not necessary to go through the re-setting procedure.
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milleplod
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by milleplod »

Good old Haynes - sometimes, so useful....at others, not!  :)

OT, I know, but I fitted some new front discs to my ST a few years ago. A quick look at Haynes to see if there were any 'do's' or 'dont's'....there weren't, but I checked my BMW-issue workshop CD ROM, just in case. Good job I did - the threadlock used on the disc bolts is stronger than the metal the bolts screw into, and needs plenty of heat before attempting to remove the bolts -there's a risk of stripping the threads in the alloy wheel otherwise!

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bandytales
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by bandytales »

David. wrote: I recently asked a BMW independent workshop about the throttle position sensors, his reply was that it's not necessary to go through the re-setting procedure.

I think he is wrong. I think the Haynes manual is correct. On the 1150 and the 1200's (up to but NOT including the Wethead), the re-learn will result in a quicker adaptation and running than if you don't do it.
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David.
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by David. »

milleplod wrote:The threadlock used on the disc bolts is stronger than the metal the bolts screw into, and needs plenty of heat before attempting to remove the bolts -there's a risk of stripping the threads in the alloy wheel otherwise!
Had a similar experience recently, had reason to remove the plastic cover that runs on top of the rear paralver arm over the brake hose & ABS sensor wire. When the two M6 bolts were removed, the resulting thread looked a bit tatty with evidence of blue thread lock. Ran an M6 tap through to clean up the threads, needless to say, I didn't apply any locking compound, seems a bit OTT for this application.
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milleplod
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Re: what happens if you leave battery disconnected?

Post by milleplod »

David. wrote: Had a similar experience recently, had reason to remove the plastic cover that runs on top of the rear paralver arm over the brake hose & ABS sensor wire. When the two M6 bolts were removed, the resulting thread looked a bit tatty with evidence of blue thread lock. Ran an M6 tap through to clean up the threads, needless to say, I didn't apply any locking compound, seems a bit OTT for this application.
BMW do seem to like using it.....but not necessarily where it's needed! I lost 2 screen screws from the RT, doubtless due to vibration - a dab of blue threadlock would've prevented it. I fitted longer ones - with a dab! - as the originals seem to be too short for the job.
Pete
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