Would you like to OPT OUT of these newsletters? Send an email to parts@ironhorsemotorcycles.com and ask to be removed from distribution.
I hope everyone had a great holiday season. We want to thank
all of you for your support this past year. 2005 looks to be one of the best years ever for BMW motorcycles. The new
R1200RT and K1200S should hopefully be here by April. Look for our new model introduction parties in the newsletters.
We are expecting daughter number two in less than a month, and Jennifer is not able to be in the office as much, so
please call her at 520-271-2399 or call Evan at 520-327-0773xt16 for Arizona Motorcycle Insurance for quotes. You can also simply fill out the secure forms at Jen's
website Arizona
Motorcycle Insurance.We wish all of you and your families a very safe and happy
New Year.
John, Jennifer, Laine and soon to be Ella.
Adventure for all
Anyone can ride a GS on the street, thousands do every day, but YOU can be different.
The BMW GS is the most versatile “Adventure Bike” on the planet; it was designed and engineered to conquer the world.
You are the limiting factor in the equation of “Adventure”. Your skills, your knowledge of terrain, and your understanding of what the GS can do are the deciding factors in whether your GS is the key to a whole new world of adventure, or just an unusual looking bike for your daily commute.
It is harder than it used to be to find excitement in today’s world, look beyond where the pavement ends… It’s a whole new game and a great deal of fun.
See any of
our sales staff for information about how you can expand your horizons on your GS by taking part in a
RawHyde Adventures’ GS Adventure
camp. Learn how to do things you thought were impossible on your GS, tackle challenges with some of the world’s most elite off-road riders and racers, and do it all with
comfort and
style. Ask us about special offers and groups from Iron Horse participating in upcoming RawHyde Adventure Camps.
Rain
in Arizona? Most people are aware of our awesome monsoon season,
but we don't often think about the rainy winter storms. It's been a
rainy new year and more moisture is predicted, so be prepared with the Frogg
Togg rainsuit. The PRO ACTION SUIT features a full-zip jacket with button down
storm flap, elastic waist and cuffs, and hood with barrel pull drawstring that stores in zippered collar. Pants have
elastic waist with barrel pull drawstring, pass through pockets, and elastic ankles with zippers.
Suit prices start at $63.95.
The Art of the Motorcycle -- You know your motorcycle is a work of art, but how about
other bikes? The Art of the Motorcycle begins with a serious preface by Guggenheim director Thomas Krens, who calls
the motorcycle "a quintessential symbol of the insecurity and optimism of our time."
At 411 pages long, it is a hefty compendium of motorcycle history, culture, design, and science.
$65.50
Sport Riding Techniques -- This book is loaded with excellent tips and techniques that can help make you a better rider on the street and track.
It has excellent photographs and a logical and easy to understand format.
Starting out with the basics ("Braking and Steering"), it continues with track and street riding techniques that can make your ride more fun and safer at the same time.
$24.95
Motorcycle Batteries Part 2:
Oh Batteries – How You Light Up My Life
Brief Summary of Motorcycle Batteries Part 1:
The battery as well as the electrical system has its limits as to output, capacity, and life (of the battery). Batteries in motorcycles live a hard life, dealing with vibration, in some cases lack of use,
along with design, size and weight limitations. Additionally, hot and cold temperatures affect the function of the battery. Please review the image in Part 1 which shows very basically how the electric system works in terms of capacity (water in the tank) and the size/speed of the
alternator/ generator (water pump) required to fill up the battery (water tank). The flow of
electrical current (water) must be able to move with little resistance, meaning that all
connections must be kept corrosion free at all times.
CAUTION:
Always wear protective gear such as gloves, eye protection, protective clothing when working around and or replacing batteries on any type of vehicle. Never charge a frozen battery. Never expose a naked flame/sparks near a battery, especially those being charged, due to the risk of explosion from hydrogen gas being emitted from the vent tube/cell vents during the charging process.
CAUTION:
Please take the time to read your Maintenance Instructions Booklet as supplied with your bike before starting any work with the battery or electrical system, since it will contain particular instructions (e.g. to resynchronize electronic components etc.) pertaining to your model of BMW motorcycle. Or you can call us for assistance via the telephone.
Batteries – Get ‘em Going
Lead Acid “Flooded Battery”
Lead acid batteries are activated by adding sulfuric acid to each battery cell via the cell cap. Usually this is performed by the selling dealership. The important thing is to fill each cell to the upper mark, usually indicated on the battery case. Do not over fill. An acid fluid level over 1mm above the lead plates usually finds its way out via the vent tube. Messy. Never add battery acid to a battery which has been in use.
Very Important for battery life: After filling, allow battery to sit for at least 1 hour before connecting the battery charger to the battery terminals. Why? Notice that the battery case will feel quite warm because of the chemical reaction going on. Excessive heat generated by connecting the battery charger right after filling battery with acid will shorten the overall life of the battery.
Gel Cell Battery
These batteries can be connected to the charger right away, since they are filled with acid in a
Jello-like goo.
Important: Please ensure the use of the correct battery charger for this type of battery.
This type of battery requires a lower charging current, otherwise you will burn “voids” into the gel thus reducing the capacity of the batter overall. We have the correct battery chargers for the battery in your BMW Motorcycle, so please contact our parts dept.
Battery Discharge and Charging – What Happens Here?
When a battery discharges, both good and bad chemical reactions occur. The lead, lead oxides and acid convert into free electrons, which is good, and produce water also good. The bad stuff is lead sulfates, which look white in color and coat the lead battery plates. Batteries that have been discharged for a long period of time may have a large amount of sulfates on the plates. Usually these sulfates cannot be removed from the plates. During the recharging process, the chemical reaction mentioned above is reversed. The tricky part is to recharge the battery in such a way to eliminate the sulfates by recombining with the water (which is mixed with sulfuric acid) to re-form into acid without losing the hydrogen and oxygen gasses that make up the water. Both oxygen and hydrogen gas will be released at charging voltages of 13.8 to 14.2 volts. Some gassing is normal, and battery cases may be designed to minimize oxygen and hydrogen loss.
Battery Chargers – They Know What’s Going On Inside the Battery
Battery chargers control the voltage/current that is being applied to the battery. Basically, voltage will flow from high (battery charger) to low (battery).
Note: Voltage can be seen as the “flow” of electricity and current (amps) as the “pressure” behind the “flow”.
CAUTION:
Take extreme care when connecting the battery charger to the battery. The positive (red) cable must be connected only to the positive terminal, usually marked with a + on the battery case. The negative cable should be connected to a good ground (e.g. an engine fin). Never connect cables backwards: positive to negative terminal.
Initially, battery chargers will charge the battery at bulk charging current, with voltage/current increases until the battery enters the absorption stage. In the absorption stage, the battery charging voltage is held constant until the battery reaches the storage or float stage, then the voltage is held constant to maintain the battery. Attaining the final stage may take hours of charging time, based on the age, condition, state of discharge and how many cycles (1 cycle = 1 charge and 1 discharge cycle) of the battery. Simply put, the battery charger controls the voltage/current applied to the battery and depending on the level of sophistication of the technology within the battery charger, the timing of multiple voltage/current levels required to charge the battery.
Important Note: Please carefully read all of the instructions as supplied with any battery charger before connecting same to the battery to be recharged. Do not over charge the battery in order to get it fully charged faster, as this will overheat the battery and create warped lead plates, voids, and excessive gassing. Ensure that the area around the battery is well ventilated to prevent the build-up of gasses.
Battery Maintenance – Keeping Batteries Alive For Your Next Ride – So Important
As indicated in part 1, batteries release free electrons constantly, thus they discharge over time. This is especially true if the top of the battery is wet.
How you take care of the battery will in most cases determine its ultimate lifespan.
The following are some pointers regarding battery maintenance:
1. When not riding, charge the battery, trickle chargers will only maintain what charge there is in the battery. You may have to charge up the battery first, using the proper battery charger. Batteries like to be recharged in due time, meaning that they will usually tolerate more cycles of charging/discharging, especially if the amount of recharge is only 20% rather then recharging a dead battery which would be 100%. Ultimately, any battery (even NiCads) will tolerate only so many cycles before giving up its service life.
2. If your bike has a lead acid battery, be sure to check the water level in each cell frequently via visual inspection, especially in the hot weather. Never add battery acid to a in-service battery!
3. Gel Cell Battery: this battery is generally maintenance free and does not have to be refilled with water.
4. Check the battery terminals for corrosion and tight connections. Corrosion due to acid leaking past the terminal seal can be neutralized and removed with a wire brush and some baking soda mixed with water in a small cup, just disconnect the battery cables first. As stated before, electrical current must flow with little resistance from the battery back to the alternator/generator and ultimately back to the battery. Hint: you can check the output in volts directly at the alternator and compare that with the voltage as measured at the battery terminals to see overall if there a resistance problem. Could be that there is corrosion inside the negative cable which may not seen. The negative cable should not show resistance If so, it may indicated corrosion hidden within the cable. Never run the bike with the battery removed from the electrical system, since the battery acts as a filter. Any resulting voltage spikes could destroy voltage sensitive control modules, etc.
5. When replacing a battery, install it correctly. Follow the instructions, when removing the battery, disconnect the negative cable first then the positive cable. When installing a battery, hook up the positive cable first then the negative cable. This minimizes the chance of touching the engine or frame with the "hot" positive cable which will cause arcing…dangerous.
Battery Load Test – Its like A Stress Test For Your Heart
Batteries may show a good voltage reading, but will not crank the engine fast enough for starting. Using a load tester, you can determine the ability of the battery to provide enough voltage to crank the engine over fast enough plus provide enough voltage for strong sparks at the spark plugs. We can load test your battery only after it is fully charged first via the test sheet we have produced for this reason.
Hint: If you have a digital volt/ohm meter you can perform a basic load test yourself. Just connect the meter to the battery terminals (watch the connections positive/negative), read and note the voltage reading, then start the engine using the starter button. The voltage reading seen on the meter when the starter is initially being rotated, is very important, since you have just used the starter and a cold engine to “load” the battery, like a load tester used in the shop. The reading you should see for this “load” voltage must be at/above 10 volts, indicating that there are enough volts left over to provide current for the control modules etc. Anything below 10 volts is not enough, thus consider replacing the battery.
/5, /6, /7, Charging Systems
Older airhead bikes have a marginal charging system. Battery maintenance and care of the entire charging/electrical system on these bikes is very critical. The charging system must produce at least 13.5 volts at 4,000 rpm to keep the battery alive.