[steve b in sd]

I stopped to get gas, after filling up, turned the key &.... click, click, click.... crap!

Wouldn't start.

Ok, guess it's time for a new battery!

Looked in the manual to get the part number for the battery, and in typical BMW fashion, no part number listed.

The manual says simply 12V, 14AH.

Um, a part number would be helpful!! That makes it easy to cross reference between manufacturers, and get the proper case size. I could have ordered the battery and when it arrived just do a one shot remove/install & be done with it. Doing research on the internet for 2012 R1200R battery yielded a few different results, nothing definitive enough to make me order one without looking at the existing battery first, I didn't want to have to return it.

Oh well....go take out the battery just to make sure.

The battery that was in there was a 12V 10AH, 180CCA! I guess the dealer I bought the bike from replaced it and decided to go cheap. What a shock! No wonder it always seemed to struggle a bit to start. The odd part is the battery looked as though it fit properly, and the hold down strap fit properly as well.

Yuasa lists a YTX14BS as the proper battery for the R1200R, but it's just over 1/2 inch taller than the battery I took out. hmm, that's odd, will it fit? There are two bolt holes for the hold down strap, I guess to accommodate different height batteries.

Anyway, after doing some research, turns out Yuasa makes a high performance battery -- GYZ16H, which is 16.8AH with 240CCA in the same case as the 14AH/220CCA battery they list for the R1200R. I had to do just a little 'adjustment' of the bracket to hold it down properly using the same hole as before, but otherwise it fit just fine. And, the engine cranks over & starts with ease!

Just some info in case anyone is looking for battery options.

 

[slowpoke]

Battery

Thanks Steve for the heads up about the battery. I have a 2011 and will need a battery soon. Now I don't have to do the research because I think the Yuasa is a quality battery. Enjoy the riding season and "keep the shiny side up". Oops! See you are in San Diego so your riding season is year round and you have such great places to ride. Thanks again Steve.

 

[mcmonkey mcbean]

Thanks Steve….interesting what you find out when looking under the seat!

I use a Yuasa brand as well, not sure if it is high performance one, but its lasted well so far.

 

[steve b in sd]

Since I bought the bike, it always seemed to 'struggle' just a bit to start-- but, always started no problem. So, I just figured that's just the nature of the beast, as they say, and didn't worry about it. When I checked voltage and put it on the maintenance charger, all seemed fine as well. I never bothered to disconnect the battery and remove it to see what it was, I made the bold assumption that it had the proper battery (14ah) in it.

After all, the bike only had 600 miles on it when I bought it, so I made the dumb assumption that it had the original battery.

Now it has a new battery, higher capacity than what is specified by BMW, so it should be good for a few years! Chalk it up to sh*t happens.

 

[Pete In The 'Couv]

Just installed the Yuausa GYZ16H. Simple 15 minute job. It replaced the OEM battery that was made by Exide. It was 5 years old and probably would have lased through the summer, but I am leaving on a 3 week trip to Texas in a couple of weeks and I wanted a fresh battery.

 

[dbyker]

I replaced my stock '09 battery with a BMW AGM unit a year or two ago, only a bit more but seems like money well spent.

 

[BoxerTwinAtLast]

Since I bought the bike, it always seemed to 'struggle' just a bit to start-- but, always started no problem. So, I just figured that's just the nature of the beast, as they say, and didn't worry about it. When I checked voltage and put it on the maintenance charger, all seemed fine as well. I never bothered to disconnect the battery and remove it to see what it was, I made the bold assumption that it had the proper battery (14ah) in it.

After all, the bike only had 600 miles on it when I bought it, so I made the dumb assumption that it had the original battery.

Now it has a new battery, higher capacity than what is specified by BMW, so it should be good for a few years! Chalk it up to sh*t happens.

My Dark White has that same ,,,,struggle..at start up . The battery in mine is a Yuasa YTX14-BS and was in Acey
when I bought him a year ago .

Anyone else have that ...struggle..at start up ?

 

[pierre]

Hello, I have the same issue with my dark white (07/2014) I have to recharge the battery often.

 

[BoxerTwinAtLast]

Hello, I have the same issue with my dark white (07/2014) I have to recharge the battery often.

Pierre , the only way to improve this is to upgrade our battery with one that provides more Cold Cranking Amps
For my battery Yuasa provide alternatives ,,the YTX14H , YTX14 H-BS and the GYZ16H . All are the same size .

I am going to look into the cost of these alternatives ,

 

[pierre]

thanks you BoxerTwinAtLast,
I will buy a Yuasa, but I think it is not normal to have this issue while the motobike was less than two years old.

 

[BoxerTwinAtLast]

thanks you BoxerTwinAtLast,
I will buy a Yuasa, but I think it is not normal to have this issue while the motobike was less than two years old.

Glad to offer some help . From what I have read about the AGM design battery that our bikes need is that they like to be kept at full charge .

Some members mention their bikes have a BMW battery . I don't know whether that means it has BMW labelling .
My 2014 Dark White came with a Yuasa YTX 14-BS on it when I bought it a year ago .

I may call the dealer and ask if that battery was original equipment , or the previous owner put it in.
I hope you enjoy your bike as much as I do mine .

 

[pierre]

yes I enjoy it. I perform all the services and the battery is often under charge.

 

[BoxerTwinAtLast]

Pierre ,I have put a Yuasa GYZ16H battery into my Dark White . This is not a cheap option but it is the 14 ah that BMW list , The cranking amps
are now 240 as opposed to the 200 with the YTX14-BS .You can clearly tell the difference .

 

[pierre]

ok thank you,
I have to check the height of the battery because I have put some equipements above it

 

[johnvw]

Hi to All,
Thanks gents for the timely battery information. Went for a run yesterday, a little concerned with the initial cranking power, but well aware of being stranded away from home.
A new battery it will be.
Regards
John

 

[tonyd48]

My OEM is now 6 years old, 55k miles on the clock and being replaced tomorrow. Researching now and so far locally I can get a Gray Case AGM Duracell Ultra Battery 14-BS (whatever that is) with 220 CCA for $125; dealer wants $165 for OEM with same specs. RevZilla has the Yuasa for under $100 or $105 for the 240CCA but I'd have to also purchase a battery charger/tender which is not really that bad a thing to have. I ride year round here in WNC so I've never had a need for a tender or trickle charger. Anyone have any experience with the Duracell model?

 

[pierre]

Finally I ordered this one:

MBYZ16HD
240A
16.5 Ah

Motobatt MBYZ16HD Gel Motorcycle Battery Replacement for KMX14-BS | eBay

 

[resmonde]

240 CCA - Big Difference in starting a 2012 R1200R Classic

So, thanks to @'steve b in sd', I changed my stock issued 2012 170 CCA battery out for the Yuasa (240CCA). I did this because for the last six years I have had to hold the start button a little longer than I would like. I keep my 2012 R1200R Classic garaged and on a CANBus compatible Optimate trickle charger so voltage wise, the OEM battery is fine but after too much pondering I realized the issue and bought the 16Ah Yuasa on Amazon over the weekend. It came with a Voltage of 12.4. Put in on the Optimate for about 18 hours and the Voltage was 13.1Volts. Dropped it in and had to use a pliers to reshape the battery holder clamp a bit. No biggy but the Yuasa is a marginally different shape.

Anywho, the bike now starts with a momentary press of the Start button. No holding the Starter button required - it jumps to life instantly. Nice. I read a forum somewhere that said you should use the battery with the highest cold crank amperage. I dunno if that is a general rule but it certainly helped me this time.

See Attachment - Stock on the left, new 240 CCA Yuasa on the right:

 

[Guest]

Have anyone experience with Li-Ion (liFe based) batteries instead of of Pb technology in R1200R?

 

[pierre]

Li-ion technology allows to save weight but the dangerous side of it must be kept in minds.