Euro 5 - did it change the characteristic of the Boxer?

[Morety]

I never found the flat spot on my 2017 GSA to be a problem at all. Noticeable? Yes, but only a minor inconvenience and not enough to want to make me consider a remap. Compared with other bikes, BMW's fuelling has always seemed to be well sorted as standard. 1250's by all accounts are good as standard.

 

[mikef]

I recently got a Kawasaki Z900RS and it's been so disappointing as the engine feels virtually binary between power on/ power off when you open/close the throttle. Euro 5 seems to be the culprit & the effect has been to turn a good looking, nice handling bike into one I just cannot get to grips with. The last straw is the way the power comes on with a thump if you add a bit whilst cornering - it just feels unsafe. I've read a bit online & there are a few articles that say the high revving sports bike are much more affected by the Euro 5 regs than twins.

Well that sounds familiar. I have a 2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports with a manual box and the snatchy on/off throttle response is the major reason I'm test riding a Ducati V4 Rally tomorrow. I did take the Honda to Hilltop for an ECU remap and initially the low speed throttle response did feel smoother but after a recent tour of Scotland, the throttle response feels as snatchy as ever. Its almost as if, as others have said, that the ECU re-learns its old ways but I'm no expert. Hilltop did confirm that all manufacturers are having difficulty meeting Euro V regs and their response is usually to run their engines leaner and advance the timing and in some cases reduce outright power.

I also have a late 2019 R1250GSA. I'm not sure whether that pre-dates Euro V but for sure the low rev throttle response is much smoother than the Honda. I wont be changing that until I know for sure the new GSA is better and the early customers have completed prototype testing for BMW

 

[knutk]

.............

I also have a late 2019 R1250GSA. I'm not sure whether that pre-dates Euro V but for sure the low rev throttle response is much smoother than the Honda. I wont be changing that until I know for sure the new GSA is better and the early customers have completed prototype testing for BMW

The 2019 is a pre-Euro 5 bike, but is still equipped with the Wideband O2 sensor. For all practical purpose, the difference between the pre-Euro 5 1250 and the Euro5 1250 is that the #3 O2 sensor that is located after the CAT is not activated. This means that the bike may have a decatted header installed without triggering a warning, even if the O2 sensor is installed....

 

[mikef]

Thanks

 

[Rosed777]

Well that sounds familiar. I have a 2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports with a manual box and the snatchy on/off throttle response is the major reason I'm test riding a Ducati V4 Rally tomorrow. I did take the Honda to Hilltop for an ECU remap and initially the low speed throttle response did feel smoother but after a recent tour of Scotland, the throttle response feels as snatchy as ever. Its almost as if, as others have said, that the ECU re-learns its old ways but I'm no expert. Hilltop did confirm that all manufacturers are having difficulty meeting Euro V regs and their response is usually to run their engines leaner and advance the timing and in some cases reduce outright power.

I also have a late 2019 R1250GSA. I'm not sure whether that pre-dates Euro V but for sure the low rev throttle response is much smoother than the Honda. I wont be changing that until I know for sure the new GSA is better and the early customers have completed prototype testing for BMW

Thanks Mikef, well the Z900 has gone and £ is in the bank but I'm going to be bloody ruthless the next time I test ride anything and be honest with myself about whether I can live with the throttle - I guess multiple test rides are the way ahead

 

[mikef]

Go and have a ride on a V4 Rally. Its great. I just ordered one

 

[sven]

I had an early 2019 R1250GS and have recently bought a 2022 R1250GSA. I had an S1000XR Gen 2 between the two for 15 months, so can’t quite make a direct comparison, but the Euro 5 GSA knocks/clatters very loudly around 2500rpm e.g. when riding in slow traffic. It almost sounds like it’s pinking. It’s quiet at a standstill even when revved, so only occurs under load. It feels very agricultural compared to the 2019 bike.

It’s getting serviced once I get back the south of France, so I’ll see what the mechanics at Allan Jefferies/Vertu BMW say….

 

[littleade]

My previous 2018 GS had the well publicised flat spot around 4k, but my 2020 1250 GS has very good fuelling. I recently test rode a 2023 1250R and 1250 RS and the fuelling on both was just the same, smooth and progressive which allows you to accelerate out of corners in full control. The 1250 engine really is a peach IMO