computer battery dies in two rides

[bryanaverill]

OK, I went riding and I still have a problem. I did some diagnosis and found the following:

There is nothing wrong with any part of my bike wiring. I checked it very carefully.

The current draw on the 3 volt internal meter battery (no 12 volt connection):
On with backlight on: 0.0045 Amp
On with backlight off: 0.0095 Amp
Sleep mode: 0.0001 Amp

The current draw on the 12 volt connection (with 3 volt battery installed):
On with backlight on: 0.0140 Amp
On with backlight off: 0.0095 Amp
Sleep mode: 0.0075 Amp

The current draw on the 3 volt internal meter battery with the 12 volt plug powered is zero in all modes.

The 3 volt internal meter battery is a CR2032 which has a capacity of about 0.2 amp/hr. Therefore, it will be dead after the bike sits for 83 days. I experienced two dead batteries in 3 months including the OEM battery which was on the dealer floor for about a month.

The 12 volt bike battery has a capacity of about 5 amp/hr. If the bike was permanently powered by the bike battery, it would be dead after the bike sits for 28 days.

Unfortunately, I don’t see a good solution to this problem. I can either replace the meter battery every two months and reset the clock each time or rewire the bike to permanently power the meter and keep it on a battery tender. Either solution is a bad one in my opinion.

The only other option I can think of is that my meter is defective somehow and has excessively high sleep mode current draw. It should draw about 1/10 the current that it does and the 3 volt internal battery should last about two years instead of two months.

This is extremely disappointing and I think it is a defect or poor design.

[bryanaverill]

That was too complicated.
The draw on the internal battery is 0.0001 Amp when the bike is not running. Therefore, the battery will die in 75 to 100 days depending on the brand of battery. This is exactly what I have experienced. Very poor design. IMO

[Volfy]

First thing I do when a new bike joins my garage is to add a battery tender lead. It's good practice regardless. I have multiple bikes and prefer to have them all battery tendered and ready to go at any time.

I power the Voyager off the 12 batt, so it too is always topped off ready to ride. Street bike have far higher parasitic draws, so these trail techs are not all that bad.

[Leon_RR250]

Hi!

I have had the same problem with my 2016 300. Now the bike has about 30 hours of use and I have replaced 5 batteries including the oem one. 4 of them during the last 12 hours after the temps dropped below 0 C. I have used plenty of CRC in the 3-wire connector and for the last 3 rides I have disconnected the sensor cable for when the bike is just pushed around with the engine off. It seems that during the ride the 12V red wire stops powering the meter and then only the internal battery is used. Faulty connector? During the last ride of 1,5 hours total the meter was working as it was supposed to work but I think the issue still remains and it will come back.

I think it is an issue that should be addressed by Beta since many of us have it.

Leon

[mlstevens]

I have put my own earth wire in and soldered the three wires. When the engine is not running and push a button the back light only stays on for 5 seconds, With the engine running it starts up and the back light stays on all the time.So this tells me it is now powered from the bike electrics. I have now also soldered the 4 wires that are for the diagnostic light. I believe all my problems were the block connectors. Doug Lampkin the UK importer did say if it needs it he would replace the computer under warranty, but hopefully now it is sorted. Time will tell.

[bryanaverill]

Last time I rode, I was riding for 15 minutes and got a LO indication on the dash. Once that happens, the dash does nothing when the bike is running or not. All I get is LO and nothing else. No oil system lights, which is not good. This was a battery that tested good. If I remove the internal battery, it will work with the bike running only but resets when the bike is shut off. I've checked my wiring and connectors and everything is good. Visiting the dealer soon. I hope it's a defect that can be repaired.

[Knox Enduro]

The Beta trip meters have been flawless for years '13 and '14 and most of '15 Seems like some issues are now arising and I am sure they will get it figured out. We warrantied one from a XT that quit working and was showing the low battery sign, and so far the replacement is working fine.

[bryanaverill]

After reflecting on my experiences and reading posts of similar problems, I think the problem may be related to temperature. Every time I've had the problem it was below 40F/4C. I've never been able to reproduce the problem in my garage except one time when it was close to freezing temps. So, now I'm going to stick the meter in the freezer and see what happens. I really want to be able to show the dealer something. Otherwise, I may get the "looks like it works just fine" routine and I'm stuck with it. I hope that doesn't happen.

[Angustoyou]

Mine doesn't seem to be temperature dependent. My dealer suggested removing the internal battery and running the bike. If the clocks then work and keep working, the unit must be faulty, in that it continues to use its own internal battery despite power being available from the bike. He'll happily replace it in that case, despite it being out of warranty, which is thoroughly decent. If of course the unit doesn't start and work with no internal battery fitted, then we have a problem with the power supply from the bike. Connectors would be the first check in that case, given that eliminating them has seemed to work for the guy who has soldered his up. So, it's my understanding that we should only ever see the lo indication on the dash if the engine is not running and the units internal battery is low. Garage to me tomorrow then!

[bryanaverill]

I just talked to my dealer who had some intel. He said some people have experienced the battery losing contact with the PCB terminal while riding the bike. Once the battery loses contact momentarily, the LO indicator comes on. He asked me to put a small piece of foam on the battery holder to press the batter down more firmly and give it a try. If that doesn't work, he's definitely replacing it under Bata warranty.

BTW, once the LO indicator comes on, it doesn't matter if the bike is running or not. It stays on until the battery is removed. Once removed, the meter will run on bike power. You can run the bike this way (without an internal battery) but it resets the clock and trip every time the bike is shut off.