1150gsa running rough ,red hot headers

[fireblade770]

hi all this is my first post and after waiting a long time on sports bikes i finally bought a 2005 1150gsa with 26,000 miles on
i picked it up two weeks ago and thought it was running rough like the choke was on rich me thinks
after a service and clean ,new oil,oil filter ,fuel filter,air filter and plugs
i went to go for a long ride on sunday just gone
but the bike was running so rough i thought i better not,so i checked the plugs and coils for a spark,plugs and coils all sparking but noticed the plugs were black and sooty,so checked the cables for slack and any air leaks
one last try this evening trying to set the throttle bodies and brass screws
holding a steady 3.000 rpm and saw my headers were glowing red hot
is this normal? the bike is over fueling and rich
before i take to my local dealers in manchester could anyone shed any light on the problem.i'd rather not spend fortunes on taking it to the main dealer
it sounds a small adjustment or part gone wrong
any help would be gratefull

 

[oblertone]

Throttle cable ...

... on right hand side is unseated


Yes, headers will glow red if bike is run on the stand; it's called air cooled for a reason and has single skin header pipes unlike most jap bikes !

 

[fireblade770]

ive checked both the throttle cables for bieng unseated no problems
,how is the mixture adjusted?

 

[DrFarkoff]

lamda probe in exhaust in conjunction with air density probe in airbox lid and Throttle position sensor on left side throttle bodies

Did you move the throttle stop screws on the inside of the throttle bodies????? If you did that's Bad Doo Doo!

It's probably worthwhile doing a check on the voltage at the Throttle position doofer on left throttle body

Rearmost wire should be red / white Use a pin or needle and make contact with the copper wire inside attach the positive probe of a DECENT voltmeter to that and make sure that the negative probe is on a GOOD CLEAN EARTH

You are looking for 0.370 ish millivolts is you are near that value leave it if not you need to slacken the screws and very gently move the TPS until you get approx the value Don;t just adjust and leave it flick the throttle back to its stop and get an average value

Yosarian and I found they go like fuck when they are about 650ish but not so good on fuel

 

[fireblade770]

I've not touched the throttle screws, but I'll hava a go at the tps volt year, thanks

 

[Myke Rocks]

You had just bought the bike

Running rough and exhaust glowing.
I know the exhausts tend to glow easily on these bikes, but you may have to look a little further.

The following is not a bike related statement, just a general statement of the causes of exhausts glowing.
In past days, exhaust glowing was usually a result of severly retarded ignition.
Most unlikely on your bike.
It could also be caused by exhaust valves not seating properly. Check valve clearances and compression.
It could also be caused by mistimed cam, if previous owner had been working on it and got things wrong.
Myke

 

[Timolgra]

Stick coil.

 

[fireblade770]

I've already checked the stick coils, could the valve clearance cause this?
I've set them already but if to tight could that make a difference

 

[Steptoe]

ive checked both the throttle cables for bieng unseated no problems
,how is the mixture adjusted?

Are you sure ? do both throttle body pulleys snap shut on their stops ? feel behind them to make sure they are closing, as the cables can also get caught at the splitter box.

The headers will glow red hot if you hold the revs at 3k for any length of time, and they'll also glow red hot and run rough if the cables become unseated - the usual way to unseat them is if you've lifted the petrol tank or worked in that general area.

You can't adjust the mixture.

Was the bike running ok before you worked on it ?

 

[fireblade770]

The bike was running rough before any work carried out
That's why I gave it a full service

Both cables are on the stops underneath

 

[fatnfast]

and they are both seated correctly?


0pps, seen you have already checked this. Still, I always wanted to post that picture ;-)

 

[fireblade770]

I have just tested the tps votage and it was 0.30 so set it to 0.36 volts
It seemed to tick over better and was more responsive on throttle openings
Will try and get out for a road test if it doesn't stop raining, thanks again for all the response
I'll keep you posted

 

[Farmboy]

my mate had a similar problem a few years ago al be it on his 1100gs

On inspection i found a tiny piece of gravel from my drive stuck between the throttle cable and the housing, which made the cables and throttle openings uneven.

Took about 10 seconds to fix once we found it and the bike was instantly cured, up until then it had the same symptoms as yours.

 

[fireblade770]

been out for a ride today and all is not well
difficult to start,once on the move it feels hesitant and reluctant to accelerate straight away
and sometimes a slight misfire
as i've said before its not the cables trapped nor is it the plug caps as i have checked them all
got back and the plugs were black as the ace of spades
which suggests the bike is running very rich,to much fuel
is there anyone out there to suggest how to fix this long going problem
i'm slowly falling out with my first bmw gs after 29 years on jap bikes

 

[The smudger]

I've already checked the stick coils, could the valve clearance cause this?
I've set them already but if to tight could that make a difference

You need to step back here.

just how did you check the coils?

 

[fireblade770]

i unplugged the coils and put another plug onto it and earthed the plug out on the engine bars once started checked for a spark,how would the coils make all 4 plugs black?

 

[The smudger]

There is a possibility that both primary coils have failed?

Way to check is with it idling disconnect 1 secondary at a time. If you disconnect 1 and it stops straight away chances are its that side primary coil.

The system works as follows;

If the O2 sensor measures a rich mixture (high voltage), the ECU can fire the secondarys up to 60 degrees after top dead centre to try to reduce emissions.

If you suspect a primary then substitute one first if you know anyone who has the same bike.

 

[cornerman]

any chance

....that your choke cable is snagged. And also check the little rubber covers on the underside of the throttle bodies (which cover the vacum nipples)

good luck

 

[littleredrooster]

....that your choke cable is snagged.

It isn't a choke, only a fast-idle device. It makes no difference to the mixture.

 

[fireblade770]

I'm going over everything this Morning, tank off and checking if anything stands out
Rubber underneath the tb are ok
Ive checked fuel pipes ,throttle cables, fast idle cable, fuel filter, air filter,
Could. A faulty lambda sensor cause the rich running