Author Archives: Rick Nelson

Forums area on this website

Jim Brown has done it again. He’s added a forum section to our club website. It’s pretty straight forward stuff, you can start a new topic, reply to someone else’s topic, and scroll through what others have written, maybe learning some good stuff along the way.

Look over to the right side of the page or scroll down below the latest posts if you’re viewing this on your mobile phone and under Forums click on General or Maintenance or any of the latest topic entries below that. Have some fun with this.

If you have ideas for general subject areas let Jim Brown or Rick Nelson know. We can add things beyond the General and the Maintenance areas as folks think they are needed. I’m thinking maybe a Ride section, for both rides we’ve taken or rides we’re thinking about and wonder if anyone else has already done, what do you folks think?

This is a great addition to our site. Soon we’ll be on the forefront of MOA Chartered clubs with a great website as well as the best members…

Many thanks Jim for your continuing hard work on behalf of our club – and for dragging us whining and crying into the 21st century.

Rick Nelson

Battery Update

I had a situation yesterday and thought I’d add to my battery story. I parked about 5:45 last evening, and four hours of fun and excitement later, I returned. Imagine my dismay while approaching from the rear to observe the tail lights illuminated.  I checked the front end to find sure enough I had somehow left all the lights on ! Greatly concerned and not in a good time or place to obtain knowledgable assistance, I decided the best course would be to try a start up anyway. Four hours with the lights on definitely creates a major test for any battery, especially in cold temps. I’ve been there before, trying desperately to coax a depleted battery into providing just enough umph to turn over that engine and get a spark going to light up the fuel. Many of us have heard that slow disappointing grinding sound, that click -click – click, that wruau, wrau, wrau, aaahhhh that turns into nothing. We’ve pled with, prayed with, maybe even used language that our mom would be very unhappy with, to persuade that persnickety Pb-in-the ass power producer to provide a push to the piston. Continue reading →

Building a better Battery

I love my 2012 G650 GS Sertao. Many of you know I traded my GS Adventure to downsize a bit, and was unexpectedly suprised how close the ergonomics are to my old 1200 GSA.

One issue reared it’s ugly head however. Several times in the last 20,000 miles I had battery trouble. Usually the Sertao started without problems, but it’s those not so usual times, which seemed to be getting less rare, that had me worried. I took the battery in twice to be tested, and both times the result returned saying “Battery Good”. No complaint here about the service department, their hands are tied by BMW Corporate when it comes to how to test things and what the results indicate, but I still didn’t trust the battery. In my thinking, how can it be good if it won’t start the bike? Not wanting to continue to take chances, as a non-start deep in the boonies would be trouble, I figured it was time to replace the lead lined little sucker. Continue reading →