The Official RT Thread

[Lomax]

I finally found the RT thread. Thanks Hondo.

I have a sickness for these things.

RT#1





RT#2



The R80 is slow and reliable and fun to ride. The R1150 is a cruiser and a canyon carver.



Marc

[Hondo]

Hey Marc!

A mod on the RT today-

Yanked the seats -



Pulled all of the plastics (I'm getting good at this) -



Let's get this canister otta there -



Can is loose, time to disconnect the hoses -



Used these vacuum caps (from Checker Auto) to cap the nipples on the throttle bodies -



The hoses from the fuel tank -



What I removed -



I put all of the removed items into a bag in case I ever want to reinstall it.

[Lomax]

Let me know if it solves the problem. I have no issues on mine yet but you never know. This might be a good future idea.

Marc

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by Lomax

Let me know if it solves the problem. I have no issues on mine yet but you never know. This might be a good future idea.

Marc

I did some constant rpm slow riding (1st and 2nd gear) and it is still surging, but not as bad.

I need to set the valves and sync the TBs, and if it still persists then I'll try new plugs and go from there.

I've read so much on how to solve the surging issue ......

[Kinsman]

Originally Posted by fyrfytr

The Twinmax I ordered arrived yesterday, so the rough idle is sorted.

I need to get one of those too; I've never done the TB sync. How did that go?

[fyrfytr]

Originally Posted by Kinsman

I need to get one of those too; I've never done the TB sync. How did that go?

The idle is much smoother now, since it is right around 1100 rpm. It was about 900 rpm. I ended up adjusting the throttle cables but I still want to tinker with the brass screws. At idle the needle is even, but when you increase the throttle, the needle pulls to the right. Meaning that the right cylinder is pulling more vacuum. There is a write up in the wisdom section at the bottom of the page to explain the whole procedure. Also, sixth gear no longer shakes the bike like it did before.

[fyrfytr]

Can someone tell me the location of the headlamp fuse and/or relay? I know, under the seat, wiseguys. The headlamp failed to operate on the way home from work today, so I used the fog lights again. Please tell me where in the fuse box/relay block they might be found. And if someone's got a spare owners manual, I'd pay a fair price for one.

[cpallen]

Originally Posted by fyrfytr

The idle is much smoother now, since it is right around 1100 rpm. It was about 900 rpm. I ended up adjusting the throttle cables but I still want to tinker with the brass screws. At idle the needle is even, but when you increase the throttle, the needle pulls to the right. Meaning that the right cylinder is pulling more vacuum. There is a write up in the wisdom section at the bottom of the page to explain the whole procedure. Also, sixth gear no longer shakes the bike like it did before.

Maybe someone else has mentioned this or you are otherwise already aware of it but IIRC there is a coding plug that programs the ECU for various motors and octanes. This also affects surging.

Here's a thread on that:
http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32933

[Lomax]

So make me a recommendation on a wind screen.

Mine only has one thing that I don't like about it. When it is up high enough to block the actual wind, the flow comes around and hits me in the back of the neck.

I usually like it down but for cruising it would be nice to be able to actually hide.

I am 5"10" and use a Corbin seat in the mid position if that makes any difference.

Marc

[fyrfytr]

I believe that I've found out the cause of my headlight woes. After searching online a bit last night, I found on BMWsporttour.com (I think) an owner with the same problem. Turns out that the ground for the headlight bulbs is insufficient, heats up, causing resistance to increase, and eventually causes an open circuit. When I applied ground directly to the headlight bulb, it lit up. I'll post some photos tomorrow with my fix. The folks on the site mentioned above made it seem like a common problem, and BMW's solution was to replace the whole headlight assembly (same crap, not an improved design) with a $1000 price tag.

[Hondo]

I have the tall BMW touring shield installed, and when it is all the way up, the airflow hits me in the back of the helmet too.

I may experiment with some home made laminar lips-

[cpallen]

Originally Posted by Hondo

I have the tall BMW touring shield installed, and when it is all the way up, the airflow hits me in the back of the helmet too.

I may experiment with some home made laminar lips-

The effect you are experiencing is caused by a low-pressure area (vacuum) formed behind windshield. It's similar to the lift effect created by an airplane wing.

The solution is to provide a vent of some kind - google 'naca vent wind screen' and do a little reading.

Or you could read this thread:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41152

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by cpallen

The effect you are experiencing is caused by a low-pressure area (vacuum) formed behind windshield. It's similar to the lift effect created by an airplane wing.

The solution is to provide a vent of some kind - google 'naca vent wind screen' and do a little reading.

Or you could read this thread:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41152

Good info.

But the R1150RT windscreens are already vented, though not using NACA vents.

And it's not low pressure- it's a burble or "the bottom of a wake vortex" created by the windscreen (similar to the vortex that resides in the bed of a pickup truck at speed).

The low pressure is actually created above the windscreen as the air moves over it's upper surface (Bernoulli's Principle).

[Hondo]

One of the amber front turn signal lenses on my 2003 R1150RT cracked, so I went looking for a replacement online.

After finding that a single lens was approx $25 from a BMW OEM supplier, I looked at A&S BMW and found these two lens replacement kits for only $35 -

Clear replacements - http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=43700

Smoke replacements - http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=43697

Both kits come with 2 lenses and 2 amber bulbs.

I bought the smoke lens kit.

Here is what I received-



My cracked lens -



Installation was very easy.

First, remove the mirror assemblies -



Then separate the 2 halves of the mirrors by removing these 3 Torx head screws-



Then remove the single screw holding the lens assy to the housing -



The lenses pop onto the lense holders with 4 small tabs- gently use a small flat blade screwdriver to remove the lenses.

Before -



After -



Then assemble in the reverse sequence (replace the clear turn signal bulbs with the new amber bulbs).

Here's a pic of the signal lit up -

[hoagy]

So I recently bought a 1996 r1100rt. 79,000mi. Well I went to pass someone, downshifted to 4, grabbed some throttle, and she just revved up and didn't go any faster:(
So what do u think? This is my first bmw. I am pretty handy with a wrench, where do I look? Should I just adjust something? Or just replace the clutch and pressure plate(or springs)?
I am still waiting on my service manual to come in, the dealer had to order one.

Hoagy