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Starter motor or alternator !!

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:59 pm
by Gruffalo
Now hear is an interesting question ( I know I know the aw sre )
Just out on the R11 and stoped off for a coffee on the motorway ,
Jumped on the old girl pressed the start button and all I got was a click and the lights dimming !!!! Arrrrrr 70 miles from home.
After pushing it up and down the service area a decent chap on a R1 gave me a push yay fired straight up ( joy )
I decided to head towards Hereford as thought I must have left park lights on or battery discharged some how .
Any how 10 miles later fuel light came on so pulled over for fuel paid jumped on and Click same as before , people in the garage probably thought I was suffering from a condition starting with Tourette's
any how a nice mane wandered over from trying to sell his yellow van membership and was trying to convince me it's the alternator, because the lights dimmed when I push the button ..
Now I drove 80 miles back home and the bike ran fine no warning light,
Got home turned it off went to start it and click , MOther blar blar !!
But I can put all the lights hazards heated grips toot the horn all at the same time ,
so I think the very nice man is a dimlow or my ride is well Nackerd I've cleaned the connections to the starter and no change,
So my questions are any one else had this ? How was it remedied ? Is it a sticky starter And if not where is the best place to get one don't say BMW lol

Starting

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:14 pm
by andy griff
Sounds like starter motor, situated just above gear linkage inside a plastic housing which is secured by a nut facing backwards that is a joy (not) to remove. These go fairly often and cost about £80 new. easy fix. Generally it is the brushes that you can do yourself if minded to.


http://www.motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Shop/ ... 20ELC06700

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:51 pm
by tanneman
Can be the battery. The volts may be ok but you're missing the amps meaning the cells have oxidated. Also check the battery connections, it has been known to vibrate loose causing the same symptoms.

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:07 pm
by Blackal
Hook up your car battery in parallel with jump leads - try again....


No start - its the starter.

Does start - its the battery.


Al

A warm thanks to you all

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:54 pm
by Gruffalo
Well striping her down to look at battery, as new one fitted about 2months ago day before I got it .
Will connect up battery as well try that one
So a big warm thanks to you all

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:57 pm
by Gruffalo
Any of you chaps fitted these are they any good ?

Anlasser Starter BMW R850 R1150 R1100 R1200 C CL S RT RS R GS ABS Motorrad

http://bit.ly/1ee45VU

Not a bad price and new

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 3:26 pm
by dave the german
look in boxerbanter - big rob has just put a link in for starters. Seem a good price. Genuine BM starters are over £300 :shock: Ask me how I know

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:49 pm
by Gruffalo
Ummmm let me guess how you know lol
That looks like a good price , will order one

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:12 pm
by Boxermed69
Sorry to cloud the issue but I suffered almost identical probs and it turned out to be the battery at fault. As has been said, voltage was ok but it just couldn't muster the current to push those two gert buckets up and down the bores. New battery - sorted.

Mike :)

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:40 am
by Gruffalo
Hi Boxermed i looked at the battery yesterday,
It was new about 2months ago, connected it to the oxford charger it was showing 13.5v and 79amp is that where it should be ?

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 7:11 am
by Blackal
13.5 after disconnection from charger?

Where are you getting the 79A reading from?

Open-circuit voltage means little, unless it is showing <11.0v after charging.

Hook up car battery to bike and crank it over.

Al

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:49 am
by Gruffalo
Hi the reading I was getting was when I connect it to the oxford optimiser,
I'll put the starter back in and connect to a car

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:34 am
by ianbcr
I had this a few years back, rode all the way to scrabster for the ferry, waited in the terminal, got called on first and click nothing, now for people who know about scrabster its a little drive from the terminal to the ferry and half way there pushing I decided to try the start button and hey presto it fired up, that turned out to be the battery. worth checking the tightness of the earth to frame :oops:

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 4:42 pm
by oyster
I had this too. Less than a year old, cheap battery. Bike fired up after a two month, winter lay up, drove fine for 20 miles, stopped, only gave a relay click when trying to return home. Jump start from a good battery then got me home. Optimate recharge did recover the battery for a couple of weeks, but it was obviously weak. Odyssey battery went in at that point, many years of trouble free riding since.

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:20 pm
by dave1100s
oyster wrote:Odyssey battery went in at that point, many years of trouble free riding since.
+1 My money is on the battery.