1150 engine advice needed!

[how much for a service!]

Hi
I am at the moment in Medillin Columbia on route to Argentina on my 05 1150 ADV and have noticed over the last couple of thousand miles that when when the engine has warmed up I am getting a knocking noise from the right hand side of the motor.
most noticable at 2000 to 3000 rpm and ever louder when engine it Hot!
I have been using 20/50 oil all the way down from alaska.
I have a horrible feeling I know what it is but any advice welcome
thanks guys

 

[(RIP) Bin Ridin]

Hi,
What is bike mileage?
What is ambient temperature there in day?
Is noise there when you start the engine cold? hot?
Is the noise less or more at higher rpm?
How loud? Are people turning around to look because of it as you ride past?

I had a fair clatter coming from mine and changed the LHS cam-chain tensioner to later design (no spring).

If bad, immediate action is to change the oil and check for shrapnel on the drain plug or in the oil. No shrapnel - good news and vice versa.

More advice will arrive according as the sun moves around the earth (or is it the other way round...) and the UK lot awake.

Bin

 

[how much for a service!]

knocking 1150

Hi
Milage 46000
noise worse at low revs 2000/3000
yes my mate can hear it at tick over with his earplugs in!
the hotter it gets the worse it is
It is now 24deg c but has been mostly 35-40 deg
have found a bmw dealers in Medellin so off there in a min
have done about 3500 miles since last oil and filter change
so will change oil here as you suggest
thanks for your help
keep it coming

 

[sproggy]

Could be one of those 3-part pushrods that's come loose? Easy to change to a later, solid one if the parts are available.

 

[MMC]

Sorry - not wildly helpful, but my 1100 has the same thing. It's had the same symptom for the past 1500 miles with no ill-effects. I'm guessing you'll have checked basic stuff like valve clearances and rocker end-float. I've replaced the pushrods on the RH pot too. Noise still there. Given up on it and waiting until it goes bang now

How's mpg and power delivery looking - any changes?

 

[DrFarkoff]

Try not to use fully synth but get good old fashined 20/50 or 15 40 mineral the thicker viscosity usually calms down noisy Boxers

One poor bugger I know ran fully synth in a 1200 (that BM are now recommending?) and it sounded like 2 b'stards in there with hammers!

Checking the sump plug is a good call

Possibly a worn right hand big end bearing after a spell of "spirited" riding while low on oil???

I have my mates R1100S engine with the big end TOTALLY hammered out of it and lying in the sump in bits and pieces, it vibrated that hard it vibrated the crank bolt loose and the timing disc fell off

He didn't know what happened as he was playing with a blade and it just stopped? I fitted the disc again and started it it was like stonebreaker but it ran and it out the oil light out! I drained the oil and found a grand total in there of 1500cc and No oil leaks about the block or whatever

You probably won't be able to feel the stroke difference but maybe a compression test and see if there's a big difference that may answer the question > If you're still not happy then pull the head off and check manually

Sorry to point out the "Possible" worst case scenario but, Better that than the bugger falling assunder in the desert!

 

[motoscot]

engine noise

on these engines the right hand big end bearing is the first to suffer from lack of oil normaly due to running with low oil level when very hot
possible big end bearings require replacement
good luck

Steve onyack

 

[MrIFan]

Is it a knocking or a rattle?

Bit of a daft one but I had a horrendous sounding noise and vibration from my GSA last year. Called into a BM dealer in Germany and they couldn't work it out. Took it easy back to ferry and home, took off tank to start stripping bike and found the GSA crash bars had snapped at top mount!!! Blob of weld and engine was all better again!!!

Hope it's as easy for you

Good luck

 

[KMD]

You could also try eliminating the right side throttle body out of the equation. Warm the engine, clamp your hand round the throttle body and see if that stops or reduces the noise.

 

[daveg]

You could also try eliminating the right side throttle body out of the equation. Warm the engine, clamp your hand round the throttle body and see if that stops or reduces the noise.

I agree, that's the cause of my rattle! Happy to live with it now I know what it is.

 

[DrFarkoff]

It's off the tickover guys

The clacky sound is usually the worn shaft allowing the throttle quadrant to bounce off the stop on tickover

 

[how much for a service!]

knocking 1150

Thanks for all the advice guys
Found a great BM dealers in Medillin looked at it straight away, rekons it was play in the camshaft?(to be honest I have no idea!) seems ok after test ride
Heading towards Bogata tomorrow so will see how it goes.
Yes I also had top mounting of crash bars break just before I left england!
And it was a deep knocking noise witch you could feel through the bars and footrests.
More soon
Cheers

 

[(RIP) Bin Ridin]

Hope it is solved!

 

[ELIMINATOR]

Probably meant too much clearance on the rocker shaft float.

 

[how much for a service!]

on the way home!

Well Unfortunatly the knocking noise is still there so am waiting for the
bike to be shipped home from Equador.
Thanks for all the advice guys I think I will Ask Steptoe to have a look
at it when it gets back in mid ñovember.
More Later

 

[techno]

Hi Tony.
Hire a local "man with a van" for a few dollars a day. Get him to take you to your destination and continue your trip to the cheapest exit point. Sure someone on the HUBB can sort you out - I would.

Already thinking about snow chains so don't be too long getting it back and fixed!

Nice ñ by the way.

 

[monkeyboy]

Probably not this but... I dropped my GSA once in the garage... well... I knocked it over when I brushed past it when it had no wheels on. I didn't think I'd done any damage (except dent the silencer) but quite a while later I was getting a hideous rattle at certain revs from the left side and couldn't locate it. Turns out the engine bar had fractured then broken through close to the frame bolt. The rest of the bolts were keeping the bars in place but at certain times the engine harmonics would cause it to rattle across the fracture. You've got a GSA? give the engine bars a tug just to see if they're slightly loose anywhere just in case.

 

[how much for a service!]

Hi
Will double check but had one fracture before and the knocking only starts once the engine has warmed up so i fear the worst!!
Thanks Again
And Techno might have to be a Ural for the Elefantentreffen!!

 

[monkeyboy]

Hi
Will double check but had one fracture before and the knocking only starts once the engine has warmed up so i fear the worst!!
Thanks Again
And Techno might have to be a Ural for the Elefantentreffen!!

What's the quality of the fuel like in Columbia? Couldn't be related? I rode to Timbuktu and some of the fuel down there was weaker than my piss. Certainly affected the bike. I'll be going through Columbia on my GSA next year hopefully - are you having to wear one of those lovely vests with your number plate details on?

 

[how much for a service!]

Hi
Quality of fuel is supposed to be good has not affected the 1200s
And no silly vests for tourists, locals only.
columbia was the best will have to go back!
cheers