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Why am I getting only 25mpg?

Yeah, that's the stuff.
I'd recommend getting a volt/ohm meter at some point because it becomes a good tool for just about anything electrical around the house.
Roger is recommending an analog one because they respond immediately - the digital ones often blank the display and "give it a think" before showing the new number. They're still handy (and rugged) but for some things analog is best.
I'd go online for a good one, or if I had to have it today I'd go to Radio Shack or Sears.

If you want a winky light instead:
Radio Shack has a 12V LED - several actually, this is the cheapest at $2, which is about 200% of actual value - but anyway you only need one.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062567#tabsetBasic
It is meant to replace a red light bulb in a switch-monitor type application. It is polarized, but the back of the blister pack should have a picture so you can identify which lead is which. The LED will draw almost no current compared to a light bulb, which seems best to me.
There are other applications on the bike where it can be handy as well.
 
Sweet

Glad you found the cause - equally glad it was more incomptence on the dealer's part, not an actual problem with the bike, just the nut you allowed to wrench on it. To a lesser extent, glad I was right, but sorry it cost you so much time and $ to get it fixed. Anwho, having stainless lines is a good thing and hopefully the new mechanic is a keeper.

Don't fret over the fuel mileage and go ride a bunch. If it looks like you are back into the 30's and it seems to be running well, go have fun. There will be plenty of time for throwing more money at it when the snow starts to fly. Maybe you can swing a deal with your new mechanic where he stores it and works on it over the winter so you have it how you want it in the spring. For now, go ride!
 
rxcrider said:
Sweet, Glad you found the cause - equally glad it was more incomptence on the dealer's part, not an actual problem with the bike, just the nut you allowed to wrench on it. To a lesser extent, glad I was right, but sorry it cost you so much time and $ to get it fixed. Anwho, having stainless lines is a good thing and hopefully the new mechanic is a keeper.
Click to expand...


Thanks! I have no problem with the fact that I put new SS brake lines on nor do mind the new master cylinder or the new pads...brakes are the most important part of the bike. Eats me alive how many hundreds of dollars Bergen BMW bled me for their sloppy work and misdiagnosis.

The new mechanic is good and honest but I don't think he will be able to work with the codes...but that's getting ahead of myself. The real test will be two or three tanks of gas and as I'm doing about a tank a week it looks like it we be about two weeks till I can report back if the mileage improved noticeably.
 
wineguyd said:
How would that impact mileage (I must have missed your earlier post)?
Click to expand...

I never looked at how the oil temperature probe is wired into an oilhead but if it is read by the Motronic, then it uses that info to determine engine temperature. That info is then used for fuel metering.
 
"That info is then used for fuel metering"
Correct. There are several threads running about that report bad mpg because the temp sensor was bad.
 
wineguyd said:
How would that impact mileage( I must have missed your earlier post)?
Click to expand...

Now that you have found and fixed your sticking brakes problem it probably has no impact at all. An oil temp sensor going bad would be filed under extremely rare. As in bikes with over 200,000 miles still have the original one.

Some of these troubleshooting ideas are just that and don't need to be chased down until you _know_ there is a problem. If that sensor has failed it _will_ generate a fault. Fast way to check is go to the dealer and have them read your fault codes using their handy dandy computer. Homebrew way is to use a mutli meter at the diagnostics connector under your seat and count the pulses which equal a code number.

Using a meter you connect negative to ground (frame) and positive to pin 1 of the diagnostic connector. Set it to VDC, 24 VDC range. Start the bike, voltage will rise and fall then pause between numbers. Count the negative pulses. Should equal a four digit number such as 4 4 4 4 which is the happy code. No faults found. :p
 
MPG update: Good news...not great news!

Today I finished my second tank of gas since the last wrench visit...I've averaged 40mpg over two tanks of gas, much better than the 25mpg I got after Bergen BMW worked on the bike and screwed up the brakes and a tad better than the 35mpg I got on the bike before giving it to Bergen BMW in the first place. But I think the bike should still be doing better. BMW specs say 45mpg, many R1100R riders report 45-55mpg.

Any suggestions as to where to start looking now?

Just a recap for those who did not follow my thread from the beginning:

1996 Rll00R purchased three months ago with 17,000 miles, two previous owners(both verified) and all scheduled maintenance performed by a BMW dealership up to 12k.

Bergen BMW given the bike and told to check everything, fix everything, tune everything.
-replaced front brake master cylinder(new), brake brake lines F/R with HEL stainless steel braided, front brake pads
-replaced plugs, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter, V-belt
-replaced/flushed all fluids
-tuned/sync TB
-tires are almost new Conti Road Attacks

Bike is totally naked, I weigh 200 lbs and ride a mix of highway and local...no racing.

A few guys have mentioned the 02 sensor, I'm thinking of remapping the chip....any suggestions?
 
A - go ride and be happy

B - send the fuel injectors out to be cleaned and make sure they match

C - while the injectors are out, do you trust the valve lash adjustment done by the dealer? I'd at at least verify it and make sure everything was tightened properly.

D- once you have known good injectors - how much do you trust the throttle synch done by the dealer.

How much time and money is the extra 5 MPG worth? If it seems to run well, I probably wouldn't work to hard at it right now, maybe over the winter. Right now, I'd be doing A followed by C, then a bunch more of A.
 
rxcrider said:
A - go ride and be happy

B - send the fuel injectors out to be cleaned and make sure they match

C - while the injectors are out, do you trust the valve lash adjustment done by the dealer? I'd at at least verify it and make sure everything was tightened properly.

D- once you have known good injectors - how much do you trust the throttle synch done by the dealer.

How much time and money is the extra 5 MPG worth? If it seems to run well, I probably wouldn't work to hard at it right now, maybe over the winter. Right now, I'd be doing A followed by C, then a bunch more of A.
Click to expand...

It's not the cost of the fuel that bothers me. Since I've never owned/riden a Beemer/Boxer before I have no reference point as to how this bike should ride. Fuel mileage is like a heart rate or blood pressure...it's a good indicator of the health of the bike.
 
Without knowing exactly how you ride, your mileage seems fine for the year and model. Here's a guy who keeps pretty close track of his R1100RT and for mileage between 38 and 49:

attachment.php


Most likely your sensor is operating, but if you want to know if it's working properly you could get someone with an oscilloscope to watch the waveform shape. Because of the testing I've been doing on the 1150 I have a second bung welded into my exhaust and have an adapter for the R1100 sensor. If you mailed it to me I'd be happy to test it.

The other rough test you could make is to get the bike warmed up and attach an analog voltmeter to the black (+) and gray (-) . Once a second the needle should swing from about 900mV to 100mV and vice versa. That will tell you that the sensor and Closed Loop are functioning.

If you want to know about the engine's health you could test compression, and listen and feel it while you ride. It will talk to you. ;)
 
Notice that all of those high mileage entries are in locations that are high up in altitude. On an FI bike you'll always get better mileage, because the computer can sense the lower barometric pressure (thinner air) and will reduce the gas delivered in order to keep near ideal fuel to air ratios. Otherwise, your bike would run too rich. Carburetted bikes that are tuned for sea level have a hard time high up in the mountains for this reason.

I have an R1100RS with over 200k miles on it. I typically get around 39-42 mpg near sea level, depending on just how much fun I've been having.
 
darrylri said:
I have an R1100RS with over 200k miles on it. I typically get around 39-42 mpg near sea level, depending on just how much fun I've been having.
Click to expand...

How has your bike fared over 200k? What was the most expensive and/or complicated repair you've had to do to the bike over these miles?
 
wineguyd said:
Here's a guy who keeps pretty close track of his R1100RT and for mileage between 38 and 49:

attachment.php
Click to expand...

I doubt his AFR is that steady being right in the middle of working with an Electromotive Tech/GT system on a local owner's Porsche.

As for fuel consumption calculations, they are best done from a full tank (that is a given) to a nearly empty tank. Filling the gas tank with a mere 2 gallons for example, it is easy to add an extra 0.2 of a gallon while topping up (the inconsistent part) and that alone just threw your numbers off quite a bit.
 
wineguyd said:
...

Has anyone dabbled in remapping or chipping the R1100R?
Click to expand...

Are you really thinking of gutting your Motronic? if you are look at BBPowerChip and Rhinewest have chips. Here's why I'm highly skeptical of their claims:

1) They don't give a description of of how they modify the chips or what they do.

2) Unless they disable Closed Loop operation (which you can do on your own) most of the fueling is locked to the O2 sensor so even if you change the chip you end up with the same fueling in most of the map.

3) The Motronics all do a good job richening the mixture during acceleration and above 50% throttle.

4) There is an argument that spark advance could be made less conservative, to the extent it is. As a counter to that, BMW and Bosch have included a very sophisticated spark advance and dwell map.

5) You can richen the mixture by shifting the Lambda point of the O2 sensor and improve the performance without tearing into the Motronic.

But back to your question: Rhinewest and BBPowerchip.
 
Roger 04 RT said:
Are you really thinking of gutting your Motronic? if you are look at BBPowerChip and Rhinewest have chips. Here's why I'm highly skeptical of their claims:

1) They don't give a description of of how they modify the chips or what they do.

2) Unless they disable Closed Loop operation (which you can do on your own) most of the fueling is locked to the O2 sensor so even if you change the chip you end up with the same fueling in most of the map.

3) The Motronics all do a good job richening the mixture during acceleration and above 50% throttle.

4) There is an argument that spark advance could be made less conservative, to the extent it is. As a counter to that, BMW and Bosch have included a very sophisticated spark advance and dwell map.

5) You can richen the mixture by shifting the Lambda point of the O2 sensor and improve the performance without tearing into the Motronic.

But back to your question: Rhinewest and BBPowerchip.
Click to expand...

Again, I'm a novice on these matters. I've read numerous posts that claim that the factory mapping restricts a lot of the bikes potential performance, thought maybe of investing in that device that lets one download tweaked mapping from the web and install it on the Motronic while backing up the factory program. Bad idea?
 
Roger 04 RT said:
Here's why I'm highly skeptical of their claims:

They don't give a description of how they modify the chips or what they do.
Click to expand...

The one thing chip makers are very good at are making claims and then refusing to provide before and after power and torque curves for a bone stock motor, when asked for them.

I asked GIAC via e-mail once and I never got so much as a peep back. They make chips for cars. I'm not interested in changing anything, but not being the average lemming, I did want proof of their claims.
 
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