Oilhead misc parts

As you’ve probably seen already, parts directly from BMW are expensive and there’s a delay between the moment when you need it and the moment when you have it. Therefore the guys at bmwsporttouring.com established a coprehensive list of alternate or original parts that will work on your bike, be it for regular maintenance or emergency repairs.

http://oldsaltweb.com/R%20Bike%20Parts%20List2.xls

Requires a spread sheet (Excel type) viewer.

Motronic 2.2 DIY diagnostic tester

This is one of the best tutorials I’ve ever put my hands on. You see, all BMW injected bikes have a diagnostic plug. The catch is that a proper tester is about 600E. But you’re far away from civilization, far away from any BMW dealer, you don’t have the tester at hand and your bike just quit going without any warning. You still have to push it to the nearest repair shop, but, at least, you have a clue on what might be wrong with it. The solution is very simple as you’re supposed to carry a multimeter with you at all times, just in case.

http://www.largiader.com/articles/motronic.html

I’ve already tried it on my R11. The tutorial works for all Motronic 2.1, 2.2 and mechanical injection bikes. Should also work on Motronic 2.4, but I might need your feedback on it.

Changing the rear drive oil

Yet another “R” tutorial 😀 Well, it’s understandable from my point of view, I really love the R engine. As I see it, I would recomend changing it while you do the engine oil change, just to be on the safe side, but most people do it at every other oil change. But if you’re already soacked in oil, why not do it? It’s only about 20E/liter. Just basic maintenance procedure.

http://www.r1200gs.info/howto/reardrive.html

Image Copyright: carbibles.com

Bleeding the Integral ABS

A very detailed tutorial about bleeding the servo integral ABS brakes. It should work on all R 1150 and R 1200 bikes.

What happens:

– brake overheats during extensive heavy braking (like going fast on twisties or on the race track)

– brake levers feel spongy

– brake loses power

When happens:

– brake fluid too old (recomended change every 1 year, to be on the safe side)

– riding for prolonged periods of time in rain or wet environement, like in UK (brake fluid absorbs 2% moisture per year through hoses/brake reservoir; when it reaches 8%, it will overheat)

– problems with old o-rings or brake lines

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/service_abs3.pdf

Image Copyright: motorcycleinfo.co.uk

Fuel Economy – Injection fueled engines

This is a collection of tips to drive further on the same amount of fuel. And it’s my article 🙂

The most important fuel economy tip that can be given is getting yourself a bicycle. On the other hand, you may not be fit for it and the distance that needs to be covered might be greater than 10km. Also, on a regular motorbike, you may not be too concerned about it, but BMWs are made for touring, not for doing stunts and making times. And if you’re in the middle of Africa, not knowing when the next gas opportunity may arise, you have to get into economy mode. This even applies to cages. 🙂

It is important to find a confortable speed that gives you the best fuel economy. For a car, that usually is between 80 and 100km/h. From what I’ve seen, a bike’s economy speed is closer to 80km/h than 100km/h, probably because of it’s poorer aerodynamics. So these are the tips:

– slow accelerations, quick changes of gears

– not very high revs

– coast in the highest gear, the bike will have 0.0% fuel consumption, unless you’re lower than 1500 rpm

– use engine braking as much as possible

– careful at useless consumers: heated grips or saddle on the summer, aux lights when not needed, GPS on a known road

– inflate the tires at their maximum pressure on road

– get rid of the useless items that you’re carrying (like, I don’t know… an annoying pillion? :D)

– loose some weight

– reduce the windshield height

– lower yourself on top of the fuel tank

Just try not to run your engine without any gas as it might damage the injectors. And for 1100 and 1150GS you’ve got another 3 liters in the tank if you’ve been running on a flat straight. Keep the bike on the right side (brake pedal) so that the remaining fuel in the left lobe passes to the fuel pump.

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Fitting a GS Adventure tank on a basic R 1200 GS

Going to Africa or Siberia? Maybe planning an iron butt ride? Or just wanting to cover many km without the hassle of stopping to get gas at every 300km? Well, if you’ve got a R12GS and some money to spend, this is one solution. Just get yourself a GSA tank, some tools and a few hours of work and you’re done. This Adventure, 33 litre tank is going to give you between 450 and 600km of range, depending on speed and style.

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/R1200GSTankConversion.pdf

Image Copyright: Dale Brown

Setting the throttle position sensor (TPS) on oilheads

This is a maintenance procedure for all oilheads. If it’s locked securely into place, it shouldn’t budge, but, from time to time, you could just check it. On the other hand, I don’t know why would anyone want another position apart from the factory standards.

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/tps3.1.pdf

R1150 Timing Adjustment

I’ve found this very interesting timing adjustment tutorial. Might work on all oilheads, but I’m not sure for the moment (I’ll verify that). This might not be necesary for day to day use, unless your timing is way off, but if you plan on going to Africa or Siberia, apart from removing the catalyst, you could prepare your bike to take less than perfect gasoline without the risk of knocking.

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/Oilhead%20Timing%20The%20Easy%20Way.html

Note: for non-USA bikes, there’s no need to disconnect the headlight.

Image Copyright: Crazy-Jokes.com

R 1100/1150 ABS Reset

Maybe your ABS doesn’t start in the morning. Or maybe you’ve just taken a spill and the least you want now, with all the adrenalin running through the vains, is not to trust yourself in the braking of your motorbike. But it’s a quick and easy way to restore your confidence. Use this to troubleshoot rather than find the solution as the ABS not working (and flashing it’s annoying lights) may come from other problems, like an old battery or different-from-the-book ABS sensor gap.

What happens:

– dashboard flashes alternatively the ABS lights when running

– wheel locks under heavy braking (try the back wheel so you don’t crash)

When happens:

– when taking a spill

The ABS resetting procedure can be found here:

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/ABSResetProcedurev1.0.pdf

Image Copyright: howstuffworks.com

Oilhead Fork Replacement

So you smashed another fork seal… Not a problem. Just try not to do so much wheelies or trail riding behind another motobike. Oh, and it doesn’t affect the damping as all suspension is carried out by the shock, it’s only used to lubricate. Make sure the oil doesn’t get on the brakes.

What happens:

– one of the forks leak

When happens:

– riding a dusty forrest road; it’s exacerbated if you’re not the first rider in the pack, but, obviously, a Bimmer is always the first ( 😀 )

– doing wheelies

– running bad tarmac roads for long periods of time

So there’s the tutorial:

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/Oilhead%20Fork%20Seal%20Replacement.html

Image Copyright: BMW