'90 75 RT - Battery connections

[dub-bmw]

Newbie. Changed my battery today but must have the cables crossed somehow. There are 4 spade type connectors. There are one red and one black so no problem there, the other two are the issue.

One of the connectors has 3-4 wires merging and I assumed that this one went to the "+" side but when I touched it to the terminal, the bike tried to start, even with the key off.

Does anyone have a diagram or picture of the battery connections for a '90K75 RT?

Thanks.

Wayne

[mrich12000]

Same as mine what's the vin?

Get a chiltons:wave

[deilenberger]

Sounds as if some aftermarket things were wired to the battery.. the stock setup has one black wire going to the negative and one large ring connector with two wires (both red) going to the positive.

Question - was the old battery dead and had you tried starting the bike with it?

If so - you may have welded the starter relay contacts closed - in that case - whenever the battery is hooked up the starter will energize. Fixing it requires at least partial tank removal since it lives in the Ebox under the tank. It can sometimes be made to work again by a rap with a screwdriver handle.. other times it needs removal and the points burnished with a very fine file, other times - only replacement wil fix the problem.

[dub-bmw]

Don't have the VIN with me at this time. Will check and advise tonight.
[LIST]Have a Haynes manual but the pictures are so dark they are useless.:violin
There is an aftermarket CB radio that the previous owner added, could be that is the issue.

I did run the battery down by trying to start it when it was low but it only took a couple of cranks, so I hope that I don't have the issue you describe but will try that if I can get the battery connections right.:)

[PHMarvin]

Hi, Wayne,
If you did try to start your bike with the battery low and as soon as you connected the new battery, the starter began running, then you DO have the issue as described by Don. You need to lift the rear of the tank, open the relay box, and give the starter relay a good rap and maybe, just maybe, the points will break loose. If not, you may be able to take the cover off and separate and dress the points and reseal the cover. If not, it's new relay time ($).

[PGlaves]

Don E. nailed this one I think. Stuck starter relay. It is in the relay box under the back edge of the tank. If you lift the rear of the tank about 3 inches you can remove the top of the relay box. Starter relay is in the rear-right corner. You can tap it and it often unsticks.

[dub-bmw]

The screwdriver rap on the starter relay did the trick.:)

Thanks to all who answered.

DUB