I Have FTR 1200 Issues - Ugh!

[EllenGtrGrl]

Well, as of 2 hours ago, things aren’t going so well with my FTR1200. As you many recall, in the "What Did You Do On Your FTR1200?" I posted how I was making my first 50 mile round trip commute of the riding season, this past Tuesday morning (the commute went fine - other than me baking in the 93F temperatures on the ride home). Due to the weather (the chance of thunderstorms was pretty significant, and I hate getting soaked during my commute home from work), and my schedule (major league grocery shopping yesterday, that required me using my car) I didn’t have the opportunity to do more riding until today. That turned out to be a dud. The FTR wouldn’t start. Oh yeah, and the battery voltage on the multi-function display read only 8.4 volts – way below the voltage needed to start the motorcycle. There is no way that much battery discharge should have happened in the space of only 3 days. In short, something’s going on. Not only is the battery dead, but when I was riding home on Tuesday during my work commute, the Frame Failure warning light flickered off and on a couple of times (once when I forgot to shift into first gear, while revving the engine, to take off from a stop at a traffic light, and the other time, when I was braking). That’s odd. Also, vibration seems kind of excessive at times around 3000 rpm – so much so, that my right hand has wound up being numb after a few rides.

The Indian dealer is going to have to pick up the bike. It is non-running, and I shouldn’t have to pull the battery again (especially since the root of the problem may be something else altogether). As of now, I am treating this as a warranty issue.

A Thoroughly Frustrated Ellen

 

[Max Kool]

You recently bought yours, did you? Odds are the battery has been neglected for a year in storage/showroom and is dead now.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

You recently bought yours, did you? Odds are the battery has been neglected for a year in storage/showroom and is dead now.

The thing is, I took the battery out, and took it to the dealer the last time it was dead (this past March), and they told (and showed me the slip with the test results), that the battery was still good. What raises the flag for me, is the "frame failure" warning light flckering off and on a few times. That makes me wonder if there are electrical gremlins. I'm not going though the hassle of pulling the battery again. The dealer can do so, and check out other things to boot. That thing vibrates more than the 360 degree vertical twin that was in my old Thruxton (which also used to give me numb hands). I'm not a happy camper.

Ellen

 

[Max Kool]

I understand your frustrations and I would feel the same if it were my bike. I do know that running with a poor battery can lead to multiple unrelated error codes on modern bikes.

** thoughts and prayers **

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

Yeah, here's to hoping for the best result.

Ellen

 

[edgelett]

man that's a bummer. I can say I've never had that issue but if I dont ride for more than 2 weeks I use my battery charger.

it sucks yours is dead

 

[mark.lb]

I agree with Max Kool - With all the computer controlled electronics on a modern bike or car it is critical that the battery shows them the correct voltage. Off the top of my head it should be up around 12.6 volts. (most batteries have 6 cells at 2.2 volts per cell.) You probably have 2 dead cells in your battery. 12.6–4.4=8.2 volts. Get a new battery. If the dealer won’t give you one then BUY one. Although the bike typically runs on the alternator and the voltage regulator shows the electrical system 13.5–14.5 volts when running, the battery still powers some of the computers that regulate the ECU and electronics that display engine codes. The alternator keeps a good battery charged during regulnar use but not a battery with one or two dead cells.
Get a new battery - Keep it on a tender when not in use. (I know you live in a apartment with a parking garage and this is difficult)

 

[Scarecrow]

The thing is, I took the battery out, and took it to the dealer the last time it was dead (this past March), and they told (and showed me the slip with the test results), that the battery was still good. What raises the flag for me, is the "frame failure" warning light flckering off and on a few times. That makes me wonder if there are electrical gremlins. I'm not going though the hassle of pulling the battery again. The dealer can do so, and check out other things to boot. That thing vibrates more than the 360 vertical twin that was in my old Thruxton (which also used to give me numb hands). I'm not a happy camper.

Ellen

Agree with the above posts. I had an issue last year where my cars battery would die if sat for more than 3-4 days. After 2 days would start but crank noticeably slower. But battery would test good on my tester and the stores tester after it was charged up.
The car only had a 0.05 Amp draw. Store wouldn’t warranty the battery on good faith since it keeps testing good.
Bought a new battery and have had no problems since.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

At 8.4 volts, the battery is shot. Once a battery gets below 10 volts, it's no good. I learned the hard way years ago, that it was best to go out for a ride at least once a week (even if I really wasn't in the mood to go for a ride, due to the weather being iffy, or a long day at work), to help keep a charge in the battery. Normally, because I do so many 50 mile work commutes on my motorcycle, this is not an issue. I was told when I took the battery in last time, that if it gave me problems again, it would be replaced. The dealer opens at 9 am. I sent an e-mail to the dealer last night (they were closed by the time I found out my bettery was dead [about 6:15 pm]), informing them about the issue, but to get things rolling, I'm going to the dealership in the next hour or two.

I'm kind of bummed. It's a beautiful day (not a cloud in the sky), the motorcycles are out in force, and I'm stuck without a cycle to ride.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

An Update:

I stopped off at the Indian dealership I bought my FTR-1200 from (which is about 10 miles from home), and further discussed my issues. A van from the dealership stopped off about 10 minutes after I arrived back home, loaded up my FTR-1200, and took it back to the dealer for warranty evaluation (they're going to go over it from top to bottom to see if it's more than just the battery causing the issues), and any repair or replacement that's needed. I showed the service guy who came in the van the dead battery issue (he also tried starting it, and noticed it was completely dead [the low battery warning only showed 7.7 volts in the battery]). I informed him that even if the battery checked out as OK, I didn't trust it, and I wanted it replaced (even if I had to pay for the new battery), due to the current battery basically being shot, due to it being discharged so deeply.

 

[mark.lb]

Sounds like your dealer is trying to do the right thing.....Hang in there!

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

Thanks!

 

[BillyZ1200]

Good luck to you. Hopefully just a battery issue. Mine came with a battery that wasn’t holding a charge. Dealer mailed me a new battery no charge.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

My FTR1200 is back home as of yesterday afternoon. The dealer (Indian Motorcycles of Metro Milwaukee) was even nice enough to deliver it to me. I was told over the phone that battery was bad, and was replaced under warranty. When the bike was checked out, a whole bunch error codes related to having a bad battery came up on the diagnostic software. After the battery was replaced, my FTR1200 was taken for an 8 mile (13 km) test ride, and re-checked on diagnostics. It was free of errors. Today is my last Covid-19 furlough day from work. I want to take my bike for a spin, but I think I'll wait a bit before I take my FTR1200 out for a spin. Despite the fact that summer officially starts next week, it's only 60F (16C) at 1:30 in the afternoon, and tomorrow morning it's supposed get down to 44F (7C). I don't feel like having to wear extra layers of clothing to stay warm from the wind blast during a spirited back roads ride. Besides, a friend from out of state, who knew I was off today, just called me, and wants to have long chat on the phone.

 

[Greg]

16degrees at 1.30pm, that’s what we call a good summer!!

 

[edgelett]

lol that sounds like winter to me!

Glad they sorted the battery and hopefully you're back on 2 wheels soon

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

I'm hoping to take the bike out tomorrow.

 

[mark.lb]

Great news! I knew it was just the battery....

 

[Rotten Rod]

Well, as of 2 hours ago, things aren’t going so well with my FTR1200. As you many recall, in the "What Did You Do On Your FTR1200?" I posted how I was making my first 50 mile round trip commute of the riding season, this past Tuesday morning (the commute went fine - other than me baking in the 93F temperatures on the ride home). Due to the weather (the chance of thunderstorms was pretty significant, and I hate getting soaked during my commute home from work), and my schedule (major league grocery shopping yesterday, that required me using my car) I didn’t have the opportunity to do more riding until today. That turned out to be a dud. The FTR wouldn’t start. Oh yeah, and the battery voltage on the multi-function display read only 8.4 volts – way below the voltage needed to start the motorcycle. There is no way that much battery discharge should have happened in the space of only 3 days. In short, something’s going on. Not only is the battery dead, but when I was riding home on Tuesday during my work commute, the Frame Failure warning light flickered off and on a couple of times (once when I forgot to shift into first gear, while revving the engine, to take off from a stop at a traffic light, and the other time, when I was braking). That’s odd. Also, vibration seems kind of excessive at times around 3000 rpm – so much so, that my right hand has wound up being numb after a few rides.

The Indian dealer is going to have to pick up the bike. It is non-running, and I shouldn’t have to pull the battery again (especially since the root of the problem may be something else altogether). As of now, I am treating this as a warranty issue.

A Thoroughly Frustrated Ellen

Buy a new battery and ride or take it to the dealer and let him work on it for a week or two.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

Buy a new battery and ride or take it to the dealer and let him work on it for a week or two.

And that is what I did (replace the battery).