The shop manual specifies a freeplay setting for the fast idle lever, but that's not the optimal setting, especially when there is the normal wear in all the individual plastic parts involved. Even with zero cable freeplay some additional start lever movement is needed before a hot engine idle will increase. Try it on your hot engine OilHead and see how much start lever movement is doing nothing. That ineffective additional start lever movement is a waste, so lets adjust almost all of it away. I talking 1,500+ RPM on a freezing engine. To reveal very tiny throttle applications of start lever misadjustment, it is best performed at a very warm or almost hot engine operating temp. Here's how:
1--Grab onto the start lever cable's rubber cover, where it attaches to the left handgrip's switchgear and slide it away, down the cable outer until it's out of the way. That reveals the cable's freeplay adjuster.
2--Loosen the adjuster lock nut, then turn the adjuster the other way a few turns (lengthening the cable outer) until you just feel the freeplay go away. That happens when it gets a little harder to turn.
3--Start the engine and turn the steering to the left and right steering locks. The engine idle should not increase. If it does increase RPMs, go to step 5.
4--If the idle RPM did not increase in step 3, turn the adjuster out so it effectively lengthens the outer cable, until the idle speed just increases. You may also find that one steering stop increases the RPM while the other one does not and that is normal.
5--Slowly reverse the freeplay adjustment until normal idle speed happens while trying both full steering lock stops, then go one turn additional (toward more freeplay) and tighten the locknut. Work the start lever slowly to ensure the idle returns to normal while at each of both the steering stops.
6--Move the hot engine start lever all-the-way to the max stop (step 2). Say WOW when the hot engine RPMs go over 2,400.
What this procedure does is compensate for wear of the fast idle ramps and wear slop inside the throttle cable junction box, located under the battery box.
When adjusted like this procedure says there will be negative freeplay at the start lever, but just enough to prevent the fast idle ramp from actually advancing the throttle. It is a good idea to occasionally try the steering stop positions with the hot engine idling to reveal if a readjustment is needed to eliminate an RPM increase on a clutch out steering lock U-turn. This RPM increase can also happen if something new tugs on the entire length of the start lever cable, so check out its routing as best you can while moving the steering stop-2-stop.
The R1200R and my F800ST only have amazingly consistent, fast acting computer controlled idle control motors, but I do remember having to use that OilHead start lever . . . and when to turn it off.
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