[Boldface Type]

Per dealer, it is likely the starter gears binding slightly in some positions. They have seen the problem before. Gear replacement is a large job, likely approved under warranty if it is caught on video or if it can be replicated by the dealer.

 

[Frico]

Got the same problem here...
38k km 2013 Classic.
Interesting read. Mine started doing this in 2019.
It felt like the engine had to much compression, and the starter did not get enough "juice" fom the battery to keep cranking the engine...
It would be worse in fill ups too, but I am very sure it´s unrelated to fuel. Much more related to the engine being hot!...
It went on to the point that when I started her, the dashboard would turn off when the hesitation came, when she turned over and started, the dash would reset and do the whole check and go to normal.
I bought a new Yuasa YTX14H-BS for the 240 CCA, and it all went away...
Around October she started doing it again and is now needing a new battery....

 

[Gerineldo]

I had the ‘hesitant start‘ syndrome on my 2014 R1200R for the last year or so. It now has 45000 km on the odo, so the symptom started around the 35000 km mark. On a recent trip in northern Argentina it finally gave up and the rotor in the starter motor wouldn’t even spin.
I checked the battery, OK.
Checked the starter switch, OK.
Fuel pump, OK.
Turns out the brushes in the starter motor were completely worn and too short to make contact with the rotor. The shop which checked my bike changed the individual brushes (the entire brush holder wasn’t available) and replaced them with chinese made brushes. Worked well and my bike start action became its old self; strong, decisive. The shop recommended I go back to genuine brushes once back home.
In case anyone else needs a bike shop while in Carlos Paz, Argentina, don’t hesitate to look for Sebastian Gatti at MOTOCARCANO. A solid professional who knows his bikes. Took care of my bike between 9 and 12 am, charged me 20 dollars.

 

[Wickkid810]

Hi. This may not be in the right post , but I've had a starting issue . I have a 2009 R1200R. It has always started flawlessly until the last couple years. It has 14,000k miles. I discovered that my trickle charger wasn't doing any good because the fuse in the line was blown. With the fuse replaced, and battery fully charged it won't turn the starter, but there is an audible loud 'click' when the ignition button is depressed while the key is 'on'. I can feel the click coming in the solenoid / starter.
I have a 7 month old battery which carries 12.9 v.
but I have load tested the battery, however, and the testing device tells me the battery is "good". I have removed the starter and bench tested it with a separate 12v car battery that had 12.3 volts. The solenoid engages and the starter motor spins normally. Without the starter attached, there's no click noise , but a very slight 'hum' in the rectangular relay under the seat. I'm very confused about the starter turning, but may not be strong enough to engage the fly wheel because maybe a coil is broken in the starter motor. Any ideas? Thanks for any help.

 

[Luma46]

I had a while ago starting problem on my 2008 gs, mostly it would start, but sometimes just a click and nothing. No error code on GS911. The cause was pretty mean, it was a loose battery connection on + post. However the post bolt was fully tightened (checked that first thing) BUT, the bolt was too long! Even when fully tightened, it hit the bottom of the battery post leaving the connecting wires partially loose.

 

[pello22]

Hello all,
I'm wondering if I have a unique problem here or if anyone else ever has experienced a similar starting issue immediately after refuelling? The bike otherwise (before and after, eventually) running normally and fault-free…if so did you establish the cause of why a ‘fails to start’ event should happen after simply filling it up with fuel? I've experienced this 3 times now over the past few months.
Any ideas and or suggestions as to the possible cause/fault is most welcome...
MTIA

 

[pello22]

Hi. I've been having a strange starting problem with my 2012 r1200r.
Over the past few months it has begun to behave as if the starter motor is going. There is a pause of about half a second or more before it coughs and turns over, but then it tends to start. It's been in the garage three times, had had the starter motor checked, which I'm assured is fine, and has had a new battery.
The problem is made far worse by filling it with petrol, such that the last few fills, it won't start at all afterwards. I use premium unleaded. The engine has usually been run for 15 minutes so is hot. It seems worse in winter.
After changing the battery (even though the old battery was only 18 months old) it seemed a bit better under normal conditions, but again last night, I filled it up on the way home, and the starter motor turned albeit with a pause, and then slowly, but the engine wouldn't fire.
I tried it about six times over ten minutes, and the battery went flat (it seemed to do this too quickly for a brand new battery). It had had a similar performance the previous three times I filled it with petrol with the old battery.
I had to wheel it round the corner and borrow a plug socket, and leave it on charge for 15 mins at the carwash (where an absolute gentleman stayed behind 15 minutes after work in the cold and dark on a Friday night to help me out)
It started eventually, and as always, ran flawlessly.
When I got home about 15 mins later, it started pretty well three times in succession.
To my mind it seems to be due to cold petrol and hot engine,or even the weight of the tank causing a problem, but I have no idea.
It's going back to the garage on Monday for a tank remove and general fiddle with.
Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this?
It's 2012 and has done about 35k miles and is used most days.
Thanks for looking.dan

Hi mate,
I've only just found your post on this very odd issue after posting my own recent experience with virtually the same fault!
I have a 2018 R1200RS Sport SE which has a full dealer service history and relatively low miles (<10K) that I've had for 3 years now. But I'm now experiencing a similar 'failure to start' problem as you by the sounds of it when I'm at a petrol pump having just filled it up. It's happened 3 times so far, the first couple of times the bike started again ok after waiting for a few seconds but last weekend it wouldn't 'play ball' at all and I flattened the battery trying!
Luckily, after about 20 minutes some guy came over and offered to help me as he was a garage owner with his workshop just around the corner. He went and fetched his portable 12v charger for me and the bike fired into life again using that. Once running again I then took it for a long ride, keeping it running for about 2 hours continuously, and as usual it performed faultlessly!!!
The 1st time this happened to me was in April this year and about a month later I happened to call Cotswold Motorrad to book it in for it's annual service and MOT so I mentioned this to the 'Service Manager' there and he told me that he'd heard of this fault happening to a few bikes of this type and that it was down to fuel temperature!
He reckoned that due to the input of cold fuel into a warm/hot fuel system there is a sensor that can be sensitive to the thermal change and this prevents the bike from starting. I've spoken to them again this week and they have been consistent in their response on this and suggest that I take it in for some investigation and a sensor recalibration or possible replacement to rectify the problem.
Well, that's my next move when I take it in for it's 12k valve clearance service. Have you resolved your 'starting issue' yet?
good luck...

 

[ammolab]

Hello all,
I'm wondering if I have a unique problem here or if anyone else ever has experienced a similar starting issue immediately after refuelling? The bike otherwise (before and after, eventually) running normally and fault-free…if so did you establish the cause of why a ‘fails to start’ event should happen after simply filling it up with fuel? I've experienced this 3 times now over the past few months.
Any ideas and or suggestions as to the possible cause/fault is most welcome...
MTIA

It may not be the fueling that makes your starting difficult..but the extra effort to crank a hot engine. Yes, a hot engine may be hard to start as the compression is better when pistons / rings and the cylinder are at proper dimensions at operational temperature.

Try stopping after a good ride…wait 5 minutes (no fueling) and see if you have difficulty starting. If so, your starter or current supplied isn’t up to the task.

 

[pello22]

It may not be the fueling that makes your starting difficult..but the extra effort to crank a hot engine. Yes, a hot engine may be hard to start as the compression is better when pistons / rings and the cylinder are at proper dimensions at operational temperature.

Try stopping after a good ride…wait 5 minutes (no fueling) and see if you have difficulty starting. If so, your starter or current supplied isn’t up to the task.

Thanks for the suggestion and yes I have experimented with different starts and waiting times with no problems encountered.
It definitely only happens after refuelling so there must be a causal connection there. To me it looks like a sensor located within either the starting or fuel systems is the most likely cause of the fault, which is BMW's idea also. So, it needs investigating to find out which sensor is at fault and if it's possible to recalibrate it then great...otherwise it'll need replacing.

 

[JHG67]

Just chiming in on this issue.
I am experiencing the same issue as many of you are on my 2011 R1200R. Hit the button the engine rolls over once then it's as if the starter disengages, the clocks reset, I hit the button again and she rolls over a couple of revolutions, then starts.
I seem to have narrowed it down to ambient temperatures. It only seems to happen when temps drop below 45 degrees f. Above that she starts normally, albeit slowly. This may just be a BMW thing as this is my first BMW?
I purchased mine in April of 2021 from the second owner with just over 5000 miles on the clock and now have about 11000 miles on her.
The battery is a lithium ion of unknown age. So I plan on picking up a new battery in the spring and see where this goes.

 

[Panzermann]

Try turning the ignition, headlight and heated grips on while you don your helmet and gloves, @JHG67. This will get some heat into the battery and improve cranking power.

 

[pello22]

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas guys, much appreciated; however, I'm now beginning to think that it's related to 'overfilling' rather than the fuel temperature. I also think it's more likely to be a 'signal fault' (e.g. a too low voltage input) to the starter and not a 'mechanical issue' in the system. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have experienced similar when not actually refuelling it. Since the last time it happened the bike has been serviced and checked (i.e. 12K service and valve clearances reset) with no problems found. The bike is running really well but it does like a 'battery boost' every few weeks now I've noticed; I use an Optimate 4 Dual Program charger and after about 6+ hours on charge (usually left overnight) the bike "leaps into life" when next started, which suggests it's time to fit a new battery!
Exactly how this relates to my starting mishaps on refilling the fuel tank I'm not sure but I will continue to monitor it and let you know if I have further problems and/or discoveries...

 

[JHG67]

Panzermann, I have heard that said when using Lithium ion batteries in order to "wake them up"
I have tried that a few times but it hasn't seemed to make a difference. As I said, I'm not sure how old this particular battery is and not being familiar with the typical lifespan of lithium ion batteries, I'll more than likely just replace it in the spring for peace of mind. I haven't decided as to whether it will be with another lithium (I do love how light it is) or just go with what I know and get a good lead acid/maintenance free, sealed Yuasa and be done.
If it's the starter after all, I know that in the past with many other bikes, I have had success with pulling the starter apart and cleaning the armature and brush holder. Many times there is dust and grit built up from the brushes wearing against the armature and that can foul up the holder where the brushes slide up and down in as well as grit stuck to the surface of the armature where the brushes make contact.
That may be worth the time and it's free. Just a thought.
.

 

[mikeS]

I've had a similar issue on two R12R models (camhead & LC) not while refuelling tho’. On the camhead, I replaced the OEM with an aftermarket Motobatt lithium - lots of head scratching to pinpoint the issue but in the end out of frustration I replaced the Motobatt with a Yuasa AGM battery. On my LC issue ended up being a faulty (damaged ) side stand cutout switch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk