First BMW (maybe) need advice

[slartidbartfast]

Sounds like the cylinders are badly out of balance. Probably needs a TB sync or it has a sticky injector.

You are probably over-thinking things. My R80RT had not run for five years. Once it was running, I took it out and rode it for a few miles, changed the fluids - and that was that. The only issues I came across that were probably related to the amount of time it had sat were perished carb diaphragms and a slight leak from the fuel hoses. That was five years and 20,000 miles ago.

My GTS had sat for two years and all I did to it was flush the brakes and put injector cleaner in the first couple of tankfulls. It had an oil change right before going into (climate controlled) storage so I didn't even bother changing it.

As long as the brakes are ok, go and burn a tank of gas through it. See how it runs then.

[TurkeyRun]

Originally Posted by slartidbartfast

Sounds like it's only running on one side. Probably needs a TB sync.

You are probably over-thinking things. My R80RT had not run for five years. Once it was running, I took it out and rode it for a few miles, changed the fluids - and that was that. The only issues I came across that were probably related to the amount of time it had sat were perished carb diaphragms and a slight leak from the fuel hoses. That was five years and 20,000 miles ago.

Good to know!

Yea, I'm probably being paranoid, but I don't know these bikes and I'm kinda fuzzy on the history of this thing so I'm trying to be gentile.

Now to look up how to the the TB sync business!

Thanks!

[Django]

Originally Posted by TurkeyRun

Now to look up how to the the TB sync business!

Thanks!

Paging Dr. Baden.

Dr. Jim Von Baden to the white courtesy phone.

http://www.jimvonbaden.com/

[TurkeyRun]

Originally Posted by Django

Paging Dr. Baden.

Dr. Jim Von Baden to the white courtesy phone.

http://www.jimvonbaden.com/

Yup - just ordered 2x DVDs

[Gezerbike]

The 1100 / 1150's do not have a choke ( fuel injection ). The lever you are moving is just a fast idle adjustment. Now that you have had it running, you ought to do a quick oil and filter change. Add just 3-1/2 quarts of your favorite oil. After that, I'd go for flushing out the brake system with new fluid. Lines can wait. Once you have the brake fluid swapped out, you can now ride it a little, so you can swap out the trans fluid and final drive oil ( same fluid for now ). This will also allow you to run the motor a little more, moving clean gas thru it. A fuel additive might not be a bad idea.......

[TurkeyRun]

Originally Posted by Gezerbike

The 1100 / 1150's do not have a choke ( fuel injection ). The lever you are moving is just a fast idle adjustment.

Yea, well that's what the Rider's Manual calls it so I thought I'd play along. Maybe it was a BMW thing like the kickstand, what BMW calls the sidestand, HD calls a "jiffy stand" - no idea why.

Did you get a listen to the motor in my vid? Does it sound healthy enough to ride to you?

Really appreciate all you folks replying here - I'm such a BMW n00b, it really helps.

[RetrogradE]

You might search the Hall of Wisdom on this site, too. Most of it applies to BMWs and will be a big help.

There are a lot of "free" videos on YouTube that might help as well.

When I was doing maintenance on my 1150GSA, I built my own manometer for $3 to sync my throttle bodies and it worked just fine. No need for a TwinMax IMO.

Anyway, good luck. You'll be empowered if you learn to work on your own bike--and it'll serve you well in "the field" when you might need it most.

[Gezerbike]

Originally Posted by TurkeyRun

Yea, well that's what the Rider's Manual calls it so I thought I'd play along. Maybe it was a BMW thing like the kickstand, what BMW calls the sidestand, HD calls a "jiffy stand" - no idea why.

Did you get a listen to the motor in my vid? Does it sound healthy enough to ride to you?

Really appreciate all you folks replying here - I'm such a BMW n00b, it really helps.

It didn't sound great, but I don't think running it will hurt it. THey are pretty tough motors. But I would get the old oil out. You mentioned you had to put a quart of oil in it. These motors are hard to check the oil on unless you know the secret code. Too much oil in them will get them running rough, so since you are going to change it out anyhow, now is a good time. Putting 3-1/2 qts in will be adequate. Now that you have that covered, properly, move on to the next step. Pulling the plugs might not be a bad idea. Same with the air filter...mice love them. The idea though is to get the bike running to the point you can ride it around the neighborhood running clean fluids thru it. Boxer motors do not like to be idled for long periods of time, hence getting it moving. Once you have clean fluids everywhere, have run some cleaner, energized gas thru it, you will then have a better starting points ( base line ) as to what needs to be done to the bike. We are not talking days here....most of this can be accomplished in a good afternoon.

[tagesk]

Originally Posted by TurkeyRun

It didn't want to start at first, then when it did, I got this strange squeaky/whistling noise when it fired.

Squeaky sound?
Well, Sir, scroll to the bottom of this page, press the (hard to find) link that says AHll og Wisdom. There you find a document named "Squeaky starter". It explains how to get rid of that, well, squeaky sound at start up.
Summary: Not dangerous but will wear out your starter and flywheel if not fixed.

Then on to the general noise: Remember that on the GS everything sticks out in ta air. The mechanical noise can be overwhelming..

Check out the GSpot FAQ on how to check how much oil there is. If everything is OK, ride it for a while.

Remember this: Unless you ride with plugs in your ear you will worry to death about all the sounds you hear.

{TaSK]

[TurkeyRun]

Great advice guys, thanks!

It's been a couple weekends now, and here's what I've gotten done:

• Watched a bunch of the DVDs, found a Maintanance and Repair manual in PDF, visited the dealer that originaly sold the bike, got printouts of the service records from 2002-2006
• Installed a new Westco Battery from BeemerBoneyard
• Motor oil change
• Trans fluid change
• FD fluid change
• plugs change (gads - ya should have seen the rust on those things!)
• valve adjustment
• idle/TB sync
• hydraulic fluid check (needs changing, but I'm getting to that...)
• Title transferred
• North Carolina state safety inspection (it passed)
• Insurance/license plate
• Windshield mounted
• Right side plastic ordered/purchased/installed
• About 90 miles on it zipping up and down the country roads out by where I live

w00t! This thing is FUN! It sounds much better with the above work done on it than it did on that video from the first weekend. Thank you, thank you, all for the pointers and links. I've been sucking up this BMW info like a sponge. They seller's brother works where I do, and has been a great help too.


I do have something weird going on, and yes - I've searched, but can't seem to find anything. It's regarding battery tenders.....


I'm a bit anal about putting your standard run-of-the-mill Battery Tender Junior (wall-wart) on all my bikes. I ran out and got one for this bike. I use the pigtails direct to the battery and zip-tie the cord end to the frame. Never, ever had an issue using this method on a Harley, Honda, Yamaha, or Kaw that I've owned.



Is there an issue with a Battery Tender Jr, directly connected to the battery leads, and some kind of BMW circuit I don't know about? It seems the tender worked when I first wired it up, but now will only go into charging mode if the battery is disconnected from the bike. Here is the story:

• Had the new Westco on the new Battery Tender Jr. before I installed it in the bike - all good
• Wired it up per above
• Plugged in wall-wart, went from blinking red (not charging) to blinking green (charging) - happy!
• Ran the bike a bit as I was working on the above items and to be honest, not sure if the tender was connected or not as I did, but I've done that with other bikes and not had a problem.
• At some point, not sure when, I went into the garage and noticed the wall-wart blinking red, like it was disconnected, but it was in fact, plugged in
• Swapped with another wall-wart from one of the other bikes that was in a steady green (monitoring) state - same blinking red from that tender too
• Assumed the fuse on the pigtail, checked, no such luck
• Plugged the wall-wart from the BMW onto one of the other bikes, went to green (happy mode)
• OK, so...... lifted the tank, and put the battery clip pigtail on the terminals, hooked up the wall-wart, still blinking red like it was disconnected from the battery
• Bottom line: no fault found in the pigtail or the tender itself by swapping with other bikes, and continuity testing both the pigtail and its fuse
• I noticed when I started the bike up today that the starter motor wasn't as "perkey" as it was day one, so after a short (30 mile?) ride, I tried the wall-wart again, still blinking red. Time for deeper surgery....
• Lifted the tank, disconnected the battery from the pigtail and leads to the bike (standalone battery)
• Connected the clip pigtail, plugged in and..... blinking green, charging mode!

I'm certainly willing to plead ignorance with all things BMW. I did some searching here and on the general Interwebs, and found nothing to indicate that there was any kind of incompatibility between the Westco battery, the Battery tender Jr, or the R1150GS bikes.


What am I missing?

[slartidbartfast]

Westco battery is not really a vehicle battery. It is a gelled electrolyte battery with slightly different chemistry. As such, it has a higher resting voltage than a conventional wet-cell battery. The charging system on the bike probably operates at higher voltage than that from the battery tender so will be able to fully charge it. After running the engine for a bit, I expect the battery voltage is higher than the maintenance voltage of the tender. This is what produces the unexpected behavior you are seeing.

Leave the bike for a few days or turn the lights on for a while and I'll bet the expected behavior returns. You should really try to get a maintainer for the Westco battery but I don't think it will hurt to use what you've got.

[TurkeyRun]

Originally Posted by slartidbartfast

Westco battery is not really a vehicle battery. It is a gelled electrolyte battery with slightly different chemistry. As such, it has a higher resting voltage than a conventional wet-cell battery. The charging system on the bike probably operates at higher voltage than that from the battery tender so will be able to fully charge it. After running the engine for a bit, I expect the battery voltage is higher than the maintenance voltage of the tender. This is what produces the unexpected behavior you are seeing.

Leave the bike for a few days or turn the lights on for a while and I'll bet the expected behavior returns. You should really try to get a maintainer for the Westco battery but I don't think it will hurt to use what you've got.

OK, thanks

I'd probably be more likely to get a different battery than a different charger. I've had real good luck with the Battery Tender Jr. and I like having standardized stuff in the garage ;-)

[slartidbartfast]

Originally Posted by TurkeyRun

OK, thanks

I'd probably be more likely to get a different battery than a different charger. I've had real good luck with the Battery Tender Jr. and I like having standardized stuff in the garage ;-)

In the worst case, you will be maintaining the Westco battery at less than full charge. Not ideal but probably not a deal breaker either. I have had a Westco in my 1100GS since I got it and although I rarely, if ever, bother with a battery tender, my old Schumacher trickle charger/maintainer will top up the battery if necessary but will not fully charge it.

[TurkeyRun]

Originally Posted by slartidbartfast

In the worst case, you will be maintaining the Westco battery at less than full charge. Not ideal but probably not a deal breaker either. I have had a Westco in my 1100GS since I got it and although I rarely, if ever, bother with a battery tender, my old Schumacher trickle charger/maintainer will top up the battery if necessary but will not fully charge it.

I won't sweat it then. It's just weird that the tender blinks red as if it isn't even plugged in if the battery is connected to the leads on the bike. If I isolate the battery from the bike, the tender blinks green (charging), and in a couple hours goes solid green (monitoring).

[TurkeyRun]

So, here is how my "Project GS" is looking now. Still got well less than $3K into it.

Next up, brakes and tires.