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

So I got the battery and ignition problems sorted so I took my 2003 R1150R out for a quick run to get fresh gas (not riding too much lately because of weather and battery problems). Started up nicely and off I went to the gas station. When I tried to restart, I got some really nasty clunks and the starter then sort of whirrs when you hit the starter button. Sometime it will try to engage sometimes not. Something similiar happened a few years ago and the BMW shop said I needed a new starter. Whatever they did seemed to fix the problem.

It does not appear too tough to take the starter off so I'm going to try that and see if there is a gear on the end that has a problem. I would imagine that it engages some sort of flywheel? that turns the engine which I would imagine would be a huge repair if that had a problem.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Eric

It is not likely the flywheel.

Starters have three problems - gunked up (readily solved with a good cleaning), bad internals (replace or repair), gremlins (sometimes they just do that, then stop).

There are some past threads (check the FAQ) at http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17110

Disconnect the negative battery lead, then pull the starter off and take it to your local run of the mill starter/alternator rebuild shop and have them test it on the bench. They will tell you whats wrong with it, and if its a reputable shop they will rebuild it good as new at a much reduced cost than BMW.

Take off the negative battery lead? - aaarrrggghhh - I just put that all back together again with a maintenance free battery so I'd never have to take that tank off again. Oh, well - better safe than sorry.

Yes! It has been done without disconnecting the battery, but its a big risk. That power connection on the starter is straight to the battery and HOT! If you accidentally ground that wire while taking it off, the consequences are dire. And its good practice taking the tank off. :-)

Envision the term "meltdown" and add to that 5 gallons of extremely volatile fuel sitting inches away.

Not a pretty scenario.

Good Luck!

Wayne

I pulled the starter off (after disconnecting the battery!) and the teeth on the gear are worn down. Worse though is that the flywheel teeth are somewhat buggered up. I'll see If I can post some pictures or some links to pictures I'll put online somewhere. I'm going to have a chat with the local BMW dealer tomorrow. I can't wait to see how much it will cost to change the flywheel. Maybe if its not too bad the flywheel can be cleaned up with a file. This is really weird because I don't ride too much and this bike only has 4000 miles.

Eric

Ouch!!
You weren't kidding about the nasty clunking! Unfortunately for you, MikeCam was uncharacteristically wrong.

I was checking the great FAQ entry on cleaning the starter so that should be helpful (if I can actually save this one) - thanks! I'm wondering how hard it would be to replace the pinion - according to the parts info on the A&S website, that part is about $134. The question is how hard it will be to take off and put on the new one.

Didn't see this until late, but would have almost bet that it was the flywheel (ring-gear) from your description. It's a fairly common problem, and just replacing a starter after getting symptoms is not the answer unless you do the flywheel as well, as you have now discovered. This involves stripping the bike down, so have a close look at things like the clutch plates, gearbox bearings and paralever bushes while it's pulled down. I had all that done while mine was in bits. Not a pretty sight!


This is what happens when you drown the bike in a floodway and have to crank water out of the plug holes! Have a close look at the teeth at the top - Sorry that I photographed it from the wrong side, but a few are missing! Now that makes some noise!


Good luck with the rebuild.

The big question is can I manage to do that myself. MIXR's bike looked pretty well stripped down. I'm pretty comfortable tearing apart my old GPZ550 whenever it needs repairs but this seems a bit more complicated.

"I'm pretty comfortable tearing apart my old GPZ550 whenever it needs repairs but this seems a bit more complicated."

Actually, it's not. The R1150R has a very basic automotive type construction to it. It's just many little things that need to be disconnected or unbolted until you get to your damaged parts. With guidance from those that have done it before, 2 days free time, a big helping of patience and careful methodical disassembly you can do it too. It really is not that difficult when the logical sequence of operations is followed.

Add my spline lube disassembly pics to your education:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-00.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-24.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-25.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-01.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-02.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-03.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-15.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-16.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-14.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-28.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... be-23a.jpg
http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... be-23B.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-23.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-26.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-27.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-29.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r87/ ... ube-31.jpg

You can pull the entire transmission, swingarm, final drive, rear wheel assembly off as a single unit (with 2 helpers) and save a lot of time. Just be sure to remove the clutch slave and the clutch pushrod before that so the pushrod doesn't get bent. To remove the pivot bearing locknuts and bolts, above the standard tools you'll need 1 or 2 (1,100DegF) heatguns, a handheld infrared thermometer to confirm 100DegC, a torquewrench for reassembly and some big 1/2" drive Metric sockets.

After I did it, I was relieved that it was less difficult than I thought, surprised at how much more time it took to do everything required plus my extras, impressed with the quality of each individual component and disappointed that I put it off for so long.

Go for it.

.