Battery charging

[Colin47]

Hi All Just bought a BMW r1250r sport 2021 model ,question is I have a optimate 5 charger , I know I can charge if I take the battery off the bike,
but can I charge the battery when it is on the bike , because of the electronics, do I need to get a special bmw charger, I have charged bikes in situ , with this trickle charger ,before,
Also is there a Charging point on this model,
Many thanks
Colin

[Duckbubbles]

If you remove the right side cover below the riders seat you can charge the battery with the post under the red cap which is the positive and you can see the ground connection on the battery.

Frank

[fr8dogjoe]

I use a Battery Tender that I have had for several years. As mentioned by Duckbubbles, I too, remove the side cover to charge. I do not hook up the charger until the day before my planned ride, especially if it has been several weeks in between rides.

[Grumpy Goat]

Hi All Just bought a BMW r1250r sport 2021 model ,question is I have a optimate 5 charger , I know I can charge if I take the battery off the bike,
but can I charge the battery when it is on the bike , because of the electronics, do I need to get a special bmw charger, I have charged bikes in situ , with this trickle charger ,before,
Also is there a Charging point on this model,
Many thanks
Colin

There is no built-in charging point on this motorcycle (or any motorcycle I know of; if any, all are added by the dealer). No need to get a BMW charger.

I have a pigtail attached directly to my battery, enabling me to use my Deltran Battery Tender charger as / when needed, without removing the battery cover. My arrangement is shown below. The negative end of the pigtail will be attached to the terminal shown, while the positive end should be attached directly to the positive terminal (not shown; inboard end of the top of the battery) as opposed to the remote / aux. positive terminal. I have the free end clipped to the bracket for my rear brake reservoir.

   

Your Optimate 5 charger should have come with a fused pigtail (see on the right side of the Optimate photo below). I have had no issues with my setup over 52k miles / 6 years.

   

[runnerhiker]

I do what Grumpy Goat does, a pigtail hooked up to the battery. I use a Deltran Battery Tender and I leave it hooked up to the bike all the time. I have been doing this for about 15 years now. My last RS battery lasted 5 years, doing what I said, the Battery Tender hooked up whenever the bike is in the garage.

It's important to note that a battery tender is NOT a trickle charger, the battery tender will take the amps to zero and keep voltage on the battery. A trickle charger NEVER lowers the amps to zero and will damage a battery if left hooked up all the time. The Optimate and the Deltran are battery tenders.

[Ray]

I do what Grumpy Goat does, a pigtail hooked up to the battery. I use a Deltran Battery Tender and I leave it hooked up to the bike all the time. I have been doing this for about 15 years now. My last RS battery lasted 5 years, doing what I said, the Battery Tender hooked up whenever the bike is in the garage.

It's important to note that a battery tender is NOT a trickle charger, the battery tender will take the amps to zero and keep voltage on the battery. A trickle charger NEVER lowers the amps to zero and will damage a battery if left hooked up all the time. The Optimate and the Deltran are battery tenders.

Right. What they say.

For what it's worth, I got suckered by marketing into buying the Optimate 4 CAN bus version.... It now does duty on my emergency generator battery while the motorcycle remains happy (5 y and counting) on a C-tek smart charger hooked to the same plug attached directly to the battery that was used by the dealership to keep their floor models charged. In the end, I saw no reason to keep my CAN bus in the loop.

[Lee]

There is no built-in charging point on this motorcycle (or any motorcycle I know of; if any, all are added by the dealer). No need to get a BMW charger.

On the right side below the passenger seat is a outlet for charging. There's a small round spring cover.
To use this you need a can bus charger and a DIN plug.
Since this outlet will not power heated gear like earlier BMWs I charge through my heated gear pigtail connected to the battery.

   

[Grumpy Goat]

On the right side below the passenger seat is a outlet for charging. There's a small round spring cover.
To use this you need a can bus charger and a DIN plug.
Since this outlet will not power heated gear like earlier BMWs I charge through my heated gear pigtail connected to the battery.

Yeah, I always thought that was an outlet (as opposed to an "inlet") but I suppose any socket will charge as well as power. But as you pointed out, charging through this outlet goes through the CAN-BUS and requires a dedicated (read expensive) charger. The direct connection to the battery is best, in my experience. I do not want to mess with the CAN-BUS, because that can lead to some other sob-story.

[Lee]

I do not want to mess with the CAN-BUS, because that can lead to some other sob-story.

Same for me, it's just easier to go direct to the battery.
Before Can Bus I always used this port for charging, heated gear and air pump but not now.

Here's a picture for the OP.

   

[Ray]

Since this outlet will not power heated gear like earlier BMWs I charge through my heated gear pigtail connected to the battery.

This is the only time of year, I get to use the old hand-knit sweaters from my mother and my old mountaineering stuff, so I have plenty of insulation.

But my second layer is a toasty BMW heated vest for when it gets below about 25 deg F..., and which seems to work fine. I guess I wasn't aware I should have problems.

How much draw does your modern heated clothes require?

In September, MSpratz patiently educated me about the limited electrical generating capacity of these bikes and his approach to limit total draw on the system.

[MrVvrroomm]

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/W...ets/271-20

[runnerhiker]

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/W...ets/271-20

I find these battery power vests and liners extremely interesting, I started looking at them about a month ago. The Gerbing is a 7V system. One of the drawbacks I've found so far is that the area covered by the heating elements is relatively small, unlike the 12V wire powered. It pays to read the users' rating in Revzilla, that's where I got the tip to looks at the heating area. Look closely to the pictures that show the heating element red hot, the red area is large, but the area showing heating elements is small. I am still tempted: in addition to the motorcycle, it would work for riding the bicycle or going for a walk.

BTW, they are out of stock at Revzilla so they are certainly popular!

[Unkgd]

Another option is to replace the Canbus DIN socket with a fused DIN socket connected to the battery.
That way you can connect it to a non Canbus charger (such as the Battery Tender) as well as use it for your heated gear when riding.

Still trying to figure out where I can put a second socket near the seat so that my wife's heated gear can be on it's own circuit. Currently using a splitter, but have a separate socket would be "cleaner" .

Bill

[Lee]

Another option is to replace the Canbus DIN socket with a fused DIN socket connected to the battery.
That way you can connect it to a non Canbus charger (such as the Battery Tender) as well as use it for your heated gear when riding.

Still trying to figure out where I can put a second socket near the seat so that my wife's heated gear can be on it's own circuit. Currently using a splitter, but have a separate socket would be "cleaner" .

Bill

My dealer did the same thing on our K1300S bikes.
I didn't do the same on the R1200RS because the socket is now on the right side of the bike and most heated gear the cord is on the left side of the garment.

[Lee]

How much draw does your modern heated clothes require?

Someone correct me if I get this wrong.
The socket has a 5 amp limit.
Our Warm N Safe jackets are 90 watts. That's 7.5 amps???
I think our Gerbing jackets were about the same.
A vest might be less than 5 amps.

I never tried the battery powered stuff because I worried they would not heat for most of the day. I think they would be great for activities off the bike that only last a couple hours.
Debbie has a sister that buy season tickets for Nebraska football and Debbie told her she should try a battery jacket for games. I don't think she ever did.

[Ray]

How much draw does your modern heated clothes require?

Someone correct me if I get this wrong.
The socket has a 5 amp limit.
Our Warm N Safe jackets are 90 watts. That's 7.5 amps???
I think our Gerbing jackets were about the same.
A vest might be less than 5 amps.

I never tried the battery powered stuff because I worried they would not heat for most of the day. I think they would be great for activities off the bike that only last a couple hours.
Debbie has a sister that buy season tickets for Nebraska football and Debbie told her she should try a battery jacket for games. I don't think she ever did.

Correct on all counts.
I(A) = P(W) / V(V)
The BMW HeatUp vest runs maximum 35 W which at 12 volts is about 3 Amps..., though strikes me that bike current while running should be around 14 V.

I pulled up my copy of the BMW press release for our bike (which also includes this line, I'd forgotten: "The new R 1200 RS can additionally be specified with an LED daytime running light positioned in the centre between the two headlight units as an ex-works option." They also list an LED option for the headlight.) - 508 W output of which 100 goes to my H7 bulb and the Darla's are up to another 24. Looks like plenty of reserve, but need to bypass the power socket for anything over 60 W.

An SAE connector might be easier if not less expensive than adding another socket.

To stay on thread - "A properly functioning charging system and battery are essential for running high-draw loads like heated gear on a motorcycle." At which point, we need to remember, when in doubt, one can also charge the bike by getting out for a ride.... (In the 50s here today.)

[MrVvrroomm]

maths are hard

[Colin47]

Thank you all for your input
Colin