New to BMW. Please explain this weird bike.

[154236]

I have owned about a dozen motorcycles but never one as strange as this 07 GS I just purchased. I was attracted to it after watching Long Way Down. So I traded a Yamaha FJR for this ugly and beautiful machine.

I have ridden a couple of hundred miles and have some questions. I would appreciate your input.

1. What are some of the common breakdowns I should be concerned about?

2. Do most of the R motors use oil or generally not?

3. When I release the throttle to shift, the bike seems to go over to the left a little, then right again on throttle. Is this normal?

4. Although it is minor, there seems to be a small surge while cruising in third between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm. (almost like a small variance in throttle position) Do R motors require injector cleaning?

5. Valves are noisey. It just had a 24K at the dealer. I think this noise is normal.

6. I wouldn't call this bike a rock on the pavement. It's kind of loose. I think this also is normal?

7. I have some mechanical skill. Can I adjust/check my own valves or must I pay the dealer hundreds of dollars to do it? I have been told that the R motor valves seldom need adjusting. Is it really necessary to check them every 6,000 miles? What are the signs of misadjusted valves?

8. What tire pressures do you run.

9 I'm 6'2". Are there any good windshield options that will not buffet my head? I tried a parabellem but couldn't find a comfortable spot.

Thanks for your comments.

Nate
Jacksonville Florida

 

[motodan]

Use of the Search tool on this site will get you answers to all nine questions and more.

 

[Paul_F]

I don't ride one of these but you are going to be inundated with answers later today.

 

[Semper_Fi]

Hi Nate - welcome to the Forum and BMW's in general - you got an awesome bike.

Will try to answer some of your questions - others I am sure will chime in

1. What are some of the common breakdowns I should be concerned about?

Final Drive and Brake Rotor warpage, EWS Failure (key ring communication to start bike) - warranty items, regarding the EWS if it hasn't by now it wont - it is/was an early life failure.

2. Do most of the R motors use oil or generally not?

Some do as the engine breaks in - usually after 15K or so there is no more consumption, my RT stopped using oil after 8K miles

3. When I release the throttle to shift, the bike seems to go over to the left a little, then right again on throttle. Is this normal?

Yes - the design of the engine - counter shafts take care of most of it but some comes out - a character thing

4. Although it is minor, there seems to be a small surge while cruising in third between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm. (almost like a small variance in throttle position) Do R motors require injector cleaning?

I did not experience that on mine - others may comment more

5. Valves are noisey. It just had a 24K at the dealer. I think this noise is normal.

Valves are a little noisy but the bike should ride smooth

6. I wouldn't call this bike a rock on the pavement. It's kind of loose. I think this also is normal?

Are you running street/dirt tires, a lot depends on tire pattern

7. I have some mechanical skill. Can I adjust/check my own valves or must I pay the dealer hundreds of dollars to do it? I have been told that the R motor valves seldom need adjusting. Is it really necessary to check them every 6,000 miles? What are the signs of misadjusted valves?

The forum has an extensive maintanance section in the Hex DIY section, see
Hex DIY Link Here

8. What tire pressures do you run.

Very open ended question but I usually run 39-41 up front and 42 to 44 in the rear, depending on load

9 I'm 6'2". Are there any good windshield options that will not buffet my head? I tried a parabellem but couldn't find a comfortable spot.

Tall windshield by BMW or check out Cee Baileys they carry windshields for various BMW's.

 

[darrylri]

BMW stands for Bikes Made Weird. You better sell it now or it will grow on you... like a fungus.

 

[talmadge_w]

As for number three, the tendency of the bike to rock side to side during throttle changes is normal - a manifestation of what is known as reactive torque. Simply put this is just a small tendency for the rest of the vehicle to rotate in the opposite direction of the torque produced in the engine (crank, flywheel, etc.). It is easily seen in single engine propeller aircraft where the airframe wants to rotate opposite to the prop and is a major reason helicopters have a tail rotor. All engines do it but the geometry of a boxer (crank parallel to vehicle axis) offers less ability to counter the force with the suspension as on a V-Twin (crank perpendicular to vehicle axis) or four wheel auto.

 

[osbornk]

BMW stands for Bikes Made Weird. You better sell it now or it will grow on you... like a fungus.

Yep. It happened to me and I think it's almost incurable.

 

[akbeemer]

Welcome Nate. It's not weird, it's special.

You've come to the right place to get your questions answered, but as you probably have already discerned, you will also get some ribbing at least and a huge ration of $%&#@ at times. Enjoy the bike and hang in there on the forum.

 

[widebmw]

Now that you have a GS you are an "Adventure Rider".
This is the link to the forum, the "G spot"
http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

 

[marchyman]

I'm just going to touch on a few thing...

2. Do most of the R motors use oil or generally not?

Some do, some don't. It might have something to do with break in... or not. BMW states anything up to 1 liter/1000Km is "normal". My '05 GS used about 1 liter betwen the 600 mile change and 3K miles. Then it started using less. At 50K miles I use about 500 ml / service interval. My previous bike (R1150RT) burned about 1.5 liter/service interval until it hit over 20,000 miles.

5. Valves are noisey. It just had a 24K at the dealer. I think this noise is normal.

Sometimes valve noise is due to rocker end float. The spec is quite wide (0.05 mm to 0.40 mm) and valves at the large end of the spec will be noisier than those at the low end. My bike got a bit quieter when I set the end float to about 0.10mm for all rockers.

6. I wouldn't call this bike a rock on the pavement. It's kind of loose. I think this also is normal?

How's your suspension set up? If the front end is on the low side and the rear end is on the high side the bike might feel a bit loose.

7. I have some mechanical skill. Can I adjust/check my own valves or must I pay the dealer hundreds of dollars to do it? I have been told that the R motor valves seldom need adjusting. Is it really necessary to check them every 6,000 miles? What are the signs of misadjusted valves?

You may do the work yourself. Checking and adjusting valves is quick and easy. The ride will be smoother when done correctly. Keep in mind that there is no way on the hexheads to adjust the idle balance save by adjusting the valves. Matching the valves side-to-side as well as making sure both intake or both exhaust valves on a side are exactly the same will give you the smoothest ride. This is especially an area where do-it-yourself might get better results than a do-it-quickly dealer.

8. What tire pressures do you run.

Since I don't know jack about tires I tend to follow the tire manufactures recommendations for the bike I'm riding. I know this goes against the feelings of most folks who like to run them higher for one reason or another. I'm currently using conti tires and conti recommends 32 front, 36 rear for the GS. That's what I use. And no, I don't care that the tires might last an extra 2,000 miles if I jack up the pressure.

9 I'm 6'2". Are there any good windshield options that will not buffet my head? I tried a parabellem but couldn't find a comfortable spot.

Smaller is better. http://www.snafu.org/pics/r1200gs/windscreen/

 

[154236]

I should have been more clear on a couple of things. I bought the bike used, from a BMW dealer, with 24,800 miles. On the ride home, 100 miles, I noticed a pulsation when applying the front brakes. The dealer has ordered new rotors and will install them at no charge. I think I'm going to buy pads and have them put on at the same time.

It's still under warranty until December 28th. Should I consider the 24 month / unlimited mile, zero deductable, extended warranty for $650?

It's got nearly new Metzler Tourance tires. The suspension is set to the lowest setting (first notch) in front and somewhere near 13 clicks in at the rear.

I'm 6'2", 240lbs. Should I, as a norm, set the front suspension a little firmer?

The book calls for 97? octane. I noticed the premium gas has 10% ethanol. Is this OK?

Thanks for your comments. I have very little time for research so it takes me a while to search the forums.

Nate, Jacksonville Florida

 

[154236]

Sorry, one more question. I traded an FJR1300. On the FJRowners.com site, there is a fixed thread that lists all the facts about the bike. It also contains helpful suggestions like; put thread lock on the screws holding the lock for the side cases because they are known to come off while riding, how to set the clock, what suspension settings are recommended by other riders, etc. Is there anything like that here?

 

[marchyman]

The dealer has ordered new rotors and will install them at no charge. I think I'm going to buy pads and have them put on at the same time.

New rotors should always get new pads, IMHO.

It's got nearly new Metzler Tourance tires. The suspension is set to the lowest setting (first notch) in front and somewhere near 13 clicks in at the rear.

I'm 6'2", 240lbs. Should I, as a norm, set the front suspension a little firmer?

Best would be to measure sag and set appropriately. Anything else is just guesswork. On a standard GS I like about 60 mm (30%) sag on the rear and about 48mm (25%) sag on the front. The settings needed to get that sag will depend on the condition of the shocks in addition to your weight. Measure and see what you have. This could cause the twitchiness you mentioned above. Or not.

The book calls for 97? octane. I noticed the premium gas has 10% ethanol. Is this OK?

That's 97 RON wich is closer to 91 or 92 AKI (anti-knock index, what we call octane in the US). I don't remember what the book says for my '05, but there are two stickers on the tank, one saying premium, the other around the gas tank flap specifying 89 AKI. That's what I tend to use.

 

[marchyman]

Sorry, one more question. I traded an FJR1300. On the FJRowners.com site, there is a fixed thread that lists all the facts about the bike. It also contains helpful suggestions like; put thread lock on the screws holding the lock for the side cases because they are known to come off while riding, how to set the clock, what suspension settings are recommended by other riders, etc. Is there anything like that here?

Not quite what you are talking about, but check out the GSpot FAQ at advrider.com: link.