[Bonkorama]

fast forward three years and time for a new battery.
two things i find helpful when the dead battery strikes. And it will. Like the grimm reaper.
1) powerall jumpstarter ($100 bucks, but good grief worth every penny)
2) a roll of fiber tape (so you dont have to completely remove the tank )

my Powerall i keep in a red tool bag clearly marked 'BATTERY' in a place my wife can easily find in the garage.
(I keep that red bag right next to the other red bag marked 'TIRES' - yup, i make it that easy for her)
A phone call gets her in the car (mumbling and cursing my name im pretty sure ) with the red battery bag, and blammo, even before her tail lights have disappeared ( no she doesnt wait for me )- im on my way home in an instant.

The roll of fiber tape i use to hold my tank in place ( the tank is resting on the cylinder on the left side ) and the long piece of fiber tape keeps it in place nicely. If you have a wife WHO HATES TO HOLD TANKS, EXHAUSTS, HEADERS ETC while you thread bolts or pop quick release hoses then you should get to be very very very good friends with different kinds of tape.

Heres what both look like.
oh, btw the Powerall will jumpstart 20 cars before it needs a charge. ( no kidding ), and it only needs to be topped up every 3 months.

One thing to note about the Powerall, I have pigtails on all my bikes and car (with an sae plug ) for use with a battery tender. I made ( although im sure you can purchase) and sae plug-to-alligator clips ( +/-) attachment that i use to connect to the powerall. The connector on the powerall is a proprietary plug, but i didn't even bother looking on their site to see if they had any adapters etc, as i had some alligator clips and a spare sae plug). I just clip red to red, black to black. Simple ( and was free).

 

[maddmike]

My bike just turned 3 too so I'm watching it closely.

 

[Bonkorama]

I got zero warning btw. The morning i left all i had for a warning was just a single lazy crankover stroke and it fired up. For the last time.
Save yourself a few hundred dollars and dont go OEM ( i got my battery at O'Reillys, the platinum, 220 cranking amps for $122.00 out the door ) and install yourself.

 

[BaldyDave]

Hey Mr. Bonk, glad to see you can still remember how to post, even though you managed to put it in the wrong section, hehe... I've moved it for ya!

Good post though, mate! Great to see you back in the land of the living!

 

[Bonkorama]

Thanks bossman. I'm rusty. Ill wear my pointy hat for an hour or so.

 

[rkevwill]

Good to hear from you again Bonk! How many miles you have on that beauty now?

 

[Kenko]

Great photo Bonk, my bike is 3 years old now so after your experience I'll keep my eye on the battery which I keep on a trickle charger....

 

[George Spencer]

My R nineT is getting old enough to worry about the battery. I didn't realize what a pain in the butt it was to change the battery. Thanks for posting that.

Friday I rode my Triumph Scrambler over to the Triumph dealership to look at a new Triumph Bobber. After I finished looking at the Bobber I tried to start my Scrambler and head home. The battery was deader than a door nail. The service department helped me jump the battery and get my Scrambler running. After I got the Scrambler home I tried to charge the battery. No luck. I came back to the dealership in my car and picked up a new battery. Everything is fine now but I hate it when you have to buy a new battery just before a possible trade. Just my luck.
:|

 

[rkevwill]

Not sure if I can handle the mental picture of George on a bobber. Next he will be putting ape hangers on it!

 

[Bonkorama]

Hey RK!

Good to hear from you again Bonk! How many miles you have on that beauty now?

With 3 motorcycles to keep on the road, the R9T has only 10,000 on it (2014).
But its running so sweetly. I really really do love this bike.
If i park anywhere near a coffeeshop or someplace where some motorheads are hanging, I always come out to a couple of guys walking around the thing.
It really is a keeper.

Hows things been here on the forum?
I lost a year ( heavy business year )....
but its great to be back.

 

[Bonkorama]

@Georgespencer , its not super hard to do really - and complete tank removal (meaning the quick release hoses and the two underneath electrical plugs don't have to be disconnected) isn't necessary. Theres a electrical connection thats attached to the tank (underneath the seat right at the crotch) that is just a pinch-release plug ( and a cable tie to be cut ).
But im sure its expensive to have the dealer do ( ching ching ching $$$ for the dealer battery and ching ching $$ on the dealer labor )...
Just do it your self. Go slow. Get some fiber tape.
its an easy DIY.

good luck.

 

[bertsdirt]

I just replaced my battery also. My bike will be 3 years old in August. Cranking was getting sluggish and I was getting nervous when starting it if it was cold outside. I picked up a battery at Batteries Plus for about $90. 10% off if you order online and pick up in person.

I was dreading removing the tank and all that, but it wasn't too bad. The fuel lines disconnect easily as do the 2 electrical connectors. Bonus that you can't mix them up, they are all unique connectors so it is easy to figure out what to connect them back up to.

 

[rkevwill]

My R nineT is getting old enough to worry about the battery. I didn't realize what a pain in the butt it was to change the battery. Thanks for posting that.

Friday I rode my Triumph Scrambler over to the Triumph dealership to look at a new Triumph Bobber. After I finished looking at the Bobber I tried to start my Scrambler and head home. The battery was deader than a door nail. The service department helped me jump the battery and get my Scrambler running. After I got the Scrambler home I tried to charge the battery. No luck. I came back to the dealership in my car and picked up a new battery. Everything is fine now but I hate it when you have to buy a new battery just before a possible trade. Just my luck.
:|

George, I think we all have an itch when we see something new. I rode my Bonnie down to the dealer saturday, to leave it there for its yearly service. A week or so ago, I sat on a lowered R1200GS and was shocked I could flat foot in loafers. I tried it again this saturday, to again whet my whistle, and found an issue. On the NineT my feet rest on the ground behind the peg. And, I am quite comfortable at stoplights. I noticed on the GS, the peg rests right on my ankle bone AKA medial malleolus. Not very comfortable. Still looking for a slightly used NINET, or maybe a new pure with cast wheels. Sure would miss that lovely black and silver tank though, and the dual clocks. Maybe an R200R? I dunno, more I look, more I want another NineT.

 

[roadrunner]

Lithium, lithium, lithium

 

[bertsdirt]

I was really interested in going with Lithium, but then I started reading stories about Lithium batteries having issues in cold weather. Cold weather (well, cold for San Diego) is when my bike had a harder than normal time starting. When in my relatively warm garage overnight, the bike started up just fine for my commute. But after the day of sitting outside (mid 40's Fahrenheit), it would make me nervous trying to start it. My new AGM battery does just fine, but I really did want to switch to Lithium. Have you had any issues in cooler weather?

 

[Gambo916]

I made ( although im sure you can purchase) and sae plug-to-alligator clips ( +/-) attachment that i use to connect to the powerall................................as i had some alligator clips and a spare sae plug). I just clip red to red, black to black. Simple ( and was free).

Forgive me if I'm missing or have misread summat here Mr Bonky.....but why not just use the Positive (+) post at the rear of the fuel tank, and a suitable Earth (-) to connect the Powerall (or any other brand of battery booster) via the croc clips......why the need to connect it via pigtail leads? :confused2:


Nice dodge using the tape instead of the Missus!

 

[BillB]

Forgive me if I'm missing or have misread summat here Mr Bonky.....but why not just use the Positive (+) post at the rear of the fuel tank, and a suitable Earth (-) to connect the Powerall (or any other brand of battery booster) via the croc clips......why the need to connect it via pigtail leads? :confused2:

Not to presume to answer for Bonky, but I'm lazy. That's why I add a pigtail; so I don't need to remove the seat/hump or anything. I just need to uncap a pigtail and plug it in.

 

[Bonkorama]

BillB you beat me to it. But Gambo I already have a pigtail on everything so it couldn't be easier. However your way would work perfectly as well.

And the tape is a life saver. Last year I cracked the cat on the headers, and without tape I'd still be riding around without pipes of any kind, bike naked as a jay bird ( as mom mom used to say. God rest her pistol toting soul )!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gambo916]

Fair enough y'all. :cool2:

 

[BlueBrick]

@Georgespencer , its not super hard to do really - and complete tank removal (meaning the quick release hoses and the two underneath electrical plugs don't have to be disconnected) isn't necessary. Theres a electrical connection thats attached to the tank (underneath the seat right at the crotch) that is just a pinch-release plug ( and a cable tie to be cut ).
But im sure its expensive to have the dealer do ( ching ching ching $$$ for the dealer battery and ching ching $$ on the dealer labor )...
Just do it your self. Go slow. Get some fiber tape.
its an easy DIY.

good luck.

Why do BMW dealers charge so much to replace a battery? --Because it's worth it.

That Battery is in the most ridiculous place on the bike. It takes removal of at least 16 screws/bolts with multiple sizes of Torx wrenches to access.
As I am in the US, there are hoses that are attached to the fuel overflow and carbon canister.

The battery that came with the bike is a joke! Not even 12 amp when the specifications for the bike specify 14 amp.

It takes real attention to take off that tank and avoid scratching or denting it.

Finally got it accomplished. :3tens: