Advice on Minor (hopefully) Issues - 2000 R1100RS

I recently bought a 2000 R1100RS with 61,000 miles on it. In general, it seems to be running well. After riding it for about 500 miles, I've noticed a few things that I think are concerns but wanted to ask the community. I don't want to worry about what I don't need to worry about...

1. It seems to not like starting in the morning. I'll hit the starter and give it a bit of gas and after three or four seconds it will fire up. It typically triggers the anti-lock brake warning to kick in. I'll let it run for a minute or so, turn it off to reset the brakes, and fire it back up (which it does much easier the second time around). I've used and not used the choke and there doesn't seem to be a difference. The temps have been around 65 F in the mornings. After running for a while and I turn it off, it starts up immediately.

2. I feel like I can hear the engine "miss" ever so slightly. It seems to have good power but I do notice something slightly off when idling - like a super fast silence and then everything back to normal.

3. The engine seems to "pop" when I'm decelerating (clutch not engaged) - almost like a small backfire.

Again, I'm not sure what to be concerned about and what to let go. This is my first BMW and would love to make it last for a long while. It rides great and is a real pleasure to drive. Thanks in advance for the advice.

#1 is a cranking voltage issue. Either the battery is a little tired or maybe starter drag is causing the voltage to drop. It is a classic symptom of a less than perfect battery.

#2 and #3 could be less than good spark plugs. Check/change them would be my advice.

Congrats on the bike and welcome to the fold!

You really shouldn't need to "turn it off to reset the brakes" - that's Normal, and the computer will (should...) clear the ABS lights after rolling about 15 or 20 feet. Starting pulls a lot of current, and the ABS pulls a lot of current when you're getting on it, so you're just straining your battery. If the lights don't clear after you pull out, then either the battery is low or there may actually be an ABS issue (or you may actually have a bad tail or brake light - check each VERY closely).

At the first cold start of the day, if the starter has a squeal to it, it's got dirt buildup inside the nose (Bendix gear area) and can be disassembled and cleaned & re-greased; if it's slow with a known-good battery, some of these have had things coming apart inside.

The "Fast Idle" lever (not really a choke for fuel injection) should increase the idle RPM a little - if it doesn't, the cables need to be touched up a bit (or replaced).

The "miss" may be plugs, plug wires, or the ignition coil; hard to diagnose by long-distance forum... If it gets significantly worse in the rain, or after a wash, it may be the HES (ignition trigger assembly).

A small pop is fairly common, due to the extreme leanness of the fuel mix as mandated by the EPA... be anal-retentive about the valve settings (I like very slightly looser than spec) and throttle body balance, and this can be reduced.

Mhallman,

If you have an AGM (Absorptive Glass Mat) type battery like a Westco, Odyssey PC680, or Yuasa, and have a cheapo battery charger (BatteryTinder), you are NOT fully charging the battery. AGM's need 14.7v to fully charge and your alternator/voltage regulator and the BatteryTinder put out about 14.2v. and the fuel injection (Motronic) system NEEDS a very good charge on the battery. I'm not saying it will fix everything but my bike sure runs much better now with these. It was making my '99 R1100S act kinda weird, slow starting or just not doing anything.

You can get a charger made for AGM's, like BatteryMINDER, "BatteryMINDer Charger-Desulfator - 12 Volt, AGM Batteries, Model# 2012-AGM" on Amazon for about $60 a year ago, but they have gone up. Check Ebay.

Read more about AGM's here:

http://www.batteryminders.com/agm-battery-info/

The "desulfation cycle" works, too. I had thought my battery was bad, it was d-e-a-d after days on the 'TINDER, and so I bought a new 680, then read about AGM's charging needs and bought the BatteryMINDER (and put the BatteryTinder on the lawn mower). A few weeks later just for the heck of it I put the 'MINDER on the dead 680. Several days later it was showing 100%. It now lives in a friends R80 and doing well.

These bikes were designed and built for flooded cell batteries, before AGM's were popular, and have the lower voltage regulator. I replaced mine with a 14.7v from EME for about $40. Easy if you already have the tank off.

http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/product-p/edl-voltreg924.htm

I'm not affiliated with any of the above manufacturers, just a very satisfied customer of BatteryMINDER.

You can change the battery and you can spend a ton more money.

Me? I would start with a check of all the fuses, grounds, battery connections. Then I would do a draw test on the battery. If in doubt, I would change it.

The thing of it is, if you change the battery, you could just as easily repair a bad connection, loose cables/etc. and if changing the battery makes no difference, you just wasted your money when a bit of time to determine you had a loose connection was the real problem.

There is also a rule of thumb about gas engines, from your chainsaw, lawnmower, family ride or these bikes, hard to start, cranks above 150 RPM, change the spark plug/s. It's just a rule of thumb and since it's the cheapest part in the system and can't be tested, easiest place to start.