BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Recently bought 04 RR with 1800 miles, so it has been sitting a lot. Ran reasonably well first two short rides. Filled with premium gas, rode 2 miles home, and the next ride and each since has been pure hell. Starts and idles fine, but I get about a mile down the road and as I try to get above 4k rpm it starts cutting out. From there i have to nurse it back home. Sometimes the engine dies completely. But it restarts, and I can get enough rpm and momentum to get going again. I have to keep the throttle pretty wide open, and sometimes the engine catches and surges (bucks really), but then it dies and bucks again and again -- this can get pretty hairy in lower gears. I have noticed that when the motor seems to be dying and I pull it the clutch lever to try to keep the revs up, the motor immediately revs very high, as if taking the load off also fixes the problem (one of these stick coils I've been reading about?) Maddeningly, as I idle into the yard and stop, the motor seems to be running pretty well again.
My first suspicion was bad fuel. 4 oz of Heet didn't help. I haven't had the courage or time to tacke the fuel filter yet.
BTW, where is the stick coil?
Anyone with ideas and willing to help, I would be very grateful.

In order of priority

1) Bad stick coils, they are on the primary plugs (the top plugs).

2) The other possibility is that the TB's (Throtle bodies) are way out of adjustment

Good luck

That is not a typo...1800 miles?

If that is so, I think you are on the right path with the gas idea. You could really have a whole bunch of water in the tank. A little Heet might not be able to deal with it that much water. I would like to tell you to use more Heet and just ride the water out, but that may be dangerous if it is running as poorly as you describe. But, if you can get it in 5th to 6th gear and keep it running... and can ride 175-200 miles... that would be the easiest way to clear water out of the bike.

If that is not possible, I would drain the tank. If you don't have extra quick disconnects and hoses, that will be a royal pain in the butt, for sure. I realize the bike is new to you. I have replaced my disconnects with metal ones, and have the originals (with hoses) that you could borrow (if you would return them to me, of course ). The stock quick disconnects are plastic and prone to breakage, and many people have replaced them. This is a good idea, no matter what. Send me a PM if you would like to try and drain the tank.

Like Boxermania said the stick coils have been a common failure. I just have doubts about that, with only 1800 miles. And with most stick coil failures (since there are secondary spark plugs) ...the bike will run "fairly" just not "perfectly". Your bike sounds like it is running "like total crap". It sounds like your problem is far more dramatic than a stick coil failure.

This is assuming that everything on the bike is basically like new, which it almost is. You mentioned the fuel filter...1800 miles is only about 9 or 10 full tanks of gas. Myself, I would get 100% fresh gas in the tank before I start replacing parts on a bike that is virtually unused. Even with completely fresh fuel in the tank, it might take a few miles of riding to clear any water that might be in the fuel filter and plumbing.

From what you have discribed, it sounds like you have lose crap in the fuel tank which is plugging the fuel sock on the bottom of the fuel pump ( all inside the fuel tank). After the bike sits for awhile does it start up and run ok? If so, this would require removing the tank, an easy job. And dump the fuel and remove the fuel pump assembly to replace the sock ( strainer) and fuel filter. Rinse out tank to remove the junk and reinstall. The fuel quick disconnects, if they are plastic need to be replaced at that point.

It would be best to hook up a fuel pressure gauge and ride to see if you are really losing fuel pressure. Before tearing apart anything.

Anyway, this is just a suggestion, it may not be fuel related at all, but look real good inside the tank with a LED flashlight to see if there is anything floating around on the bottom of the tank. You will have to remove the fuel filler restrictor to see inside...

The factory stick coils are junk, if not the cause, they should be on your short list of things to replace.

John

Since your problem seems to have started after you put gas in it,
it may be that stirred up water that before had been laying on the
bottom and now has been mixed in with the rest of the gas in the
tank (most likely), or something else laying on the bottom, as has
been suggested.

I would strongly suspect that before starting to replace any parts.

Personally, I'd remove the gas tank and dump it out and then put some
fresh gas in there and slosh it around and dump that out, do that a
couple times. Watch what comes out to see if you see any particles
or anything that doesn't belong in there just in case.

As also previously mentioned, it would be best if you got a set of
the metal quick disconnects before you even start - they are
pretty fragile. Even if you succeed in disconnecting and reconnecting
them, they can suddenly fail at any time anyway.

You can get them at http://www.beemerboneyard.com

And you need the big O ring that seals that assembly to the tank.
One would think the existing O ring could be reused, but everything
I've read indicates it has to be replaced in order to get a good seal.

And the little bolts that mount that assembly to the tank have to be
very carefully tightened so as to not overtighten them as I've also
read they can fail if over tightened.

I bought an 04 in summer of 08, my first BMW with no previous BMW
experience at all, and have gone thru the learning curve on the
peculiarities of these particular bikes. After you solve this particular
problem it should run pretty well for awhile being virtually new, although
the factory tune-up tolerances can be improved upon. Particularly the rocker
arm end play, the valve lash, and the throttle body synchronization.

The last job I tackled on mine, and that was just this summer, was the
fuel filter. As designed, the tank has to be removed and the pump / strainer /
filter assembly removed from the tank. I had read a number of posts about
how much of a job that can be, and about an option to remove and bypass
the in-tank filter and mount an external filter instead. Of course, that's a
non-recommended procedure from BMW and doing that you take on the
responsibility should anything bad happen as a result.

As I really didn't want to go thru that hassle with the in-tank filter again,
I took the plunge, and am glad I did.

For reference, here are some part #'s:
The big O ring for the sender assembly 1 16 14 1 341 008
the strainer 16 14 1 341 233
the filter 16 14 1 325 859

There are some hose clamps you'll also need to replace. The stock ones are the
crimp together type which are not only difficult to remove but you have to have
a special tool to install new ones. You might want to consider getting efi hose
clamps from an auto parts store which are the type with the screw to tighten.

I used those when I installed my external filter and have had no problem. The
fuel pressure in the bike is no higher than that on a typical efi car and those type
clamps are used on cars routinely.

Just in case you're interested, here's a link to a BMW parts fiche for the r1150r
http://www.ascycles.com/Illustrated_cat ... meset.html

And here's a link to my external filter installation
http://www.mediafire.com/?dj2jjdyjlm0
Like I said, all the usual disclaimers apply - only attempt this if you're
fairly well experienced working on vehicles

There's a lot of good information available in this forum and on the internet in general.
IF you're like me, and many other forum members and riders, you'll be interested in
learning about these bikes and what it takes to maintain them. Just ask.

Good luck!

PS - even with the low miles, you might want to change the engine oil, the transmission
oil, and the final drive oil. That much is pretty simple. Also to totally bleed the brake system
and replace the fluid, and the hydraulic clutch too.

If you have the ABS brakes version, you'll probly want a dealer to do the brakes at least the first time.
But be prepared - ask how much they'll charge before you OK the work. The ABS system is
pretty complicated and can cause problems if not done right. All the info is available but be
sure to read and understand and be comfortable with it before you tackle that one.

There was a recall on twin spark 1150 R's. I had a problem with mine that it would suddenly cut out and I put a post here about the recall a while ago.
Here's the link. The problem was for 2003 models (2004 USA)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12082&hilit=+recall

Check to make sure your battery cables are clean and tight as well.

First of all, thanks for everyone's help! If you can stand more, here goes.
I siphoned most of the gas and replaced with fresh, then coaxed several more rides out of her, about 30 miles total, with these observations:
Starts easily, runs well first couple of miles, just to the point I'm thinking it's cured. Then, with a steady throttle, I start losing rpm. Rolling the throttle open just produces a bwaaaa , hollow sound. If I back off the throttle and make like a farmer on a Sunday drive; 2nd gear, from idle to 3k, it runs smoothly. If I try to coax it above 4k, I get bwaaaa, and then if the engine does catch, it immediately drops, so I get surging and bucking.
THE EXCEPTION: From a standstill, if I slip the clutch enough to get rolling with the tach above 5k, and keep it there, the engine pulls strong through the gears until I'm doing over 70 mph in 4th, and I've kept it there for a couple of miles. But if I shift into 5th and let the rpms slip below 5k, the engine will start cutting out.
So I seem to have a dead zone between 3k and 5k when the engine has warmed up.
I read somewhere about the CPU unit in the fuse box. Mine is gone, evidently already tossed.
If these details shed any new light for anyone, I will be grateful.

I would have to refer back to my post, hook up a fuel pressure gauge. This will tell you if its fuel related or not. The first part of your last post sounds like fuel problem all the way, the last part sounds like ignition ( hall effect, bad plugs)

Just for giggles, do you have a clear air intake? ( I'm thinking a plugged air filter, mouse, K&N with something other then filter oil, sucked up plastic bag( seen it), etc...)

I too had gremlins when I bought my 1150, but the bike is worth the trouble to sort them out...

I would suggest that you take the vacuum hose off of the TB and plug the fitting with a rubber cap plug. This will eliminate the evap can part of a vacuum leak. No needto plug the hose, you can remove the can and hoses later. The electrical/ignition problems are usually assoicated with heat and higher mileage, except the battery connections. I think your fuel tank is coming off. Before you pull the primary plugs disconnect the wire going to the stick coil. Check post by lionlady.