First 50 Miles - It's Like A Buckin' Horse!!

[Mad Tenor]

I have a Nov 04 12GS which recently had the software upgrade at around 10K miles when in for the other recalls and 'free brake check' (as well as yet another set of new tyres...). I have to say it is smoother than before, especially on small throttle openings, as well as getting rid of what I found to be a very slight flat spot around just under 5K. I have not experienced the surging problem discussed here either before or after the software upgrade: on the contrary, this has been the smoothest boxer engine of the six I have owned. The discrepancy between those who are experiencing this fault and those who are not suggests something is amiss. Maybe a software reload or at least a diagnostic checkover might be worth trying as well as the other mechanical possibilities which have already been suggested. There must be a logical reason why this problem exists in some bikes and not at all in others...

 

[Ken H.]

Sounds like the bike has not had the throttle range set, something the dealer should have done prior to delivery. (And it's in your manual BTW.) Try this:

Turn the key to the run position, but do not start the bike. Have everything else also in the run position. Bike in neutral, kill switch to run etc.

Rotate the throttle grip through its entire range twice. Three times won't hurt. Now start the bike.

See if that doesn't help. Don't forget to report back!

 

[araspitfire]

I've done the "throttle reset" a couple of times. (when hooking things up to my battery).... never made any difference.

I'm thinking that it's not software. Sounds like either something mechanical in the throttle linkage/sensor/stepper system..... or a difference in what people are used to...

I do know that the F650 I borrowed was so very different than my 1200. A difference like 30 degrees of throttle movement on the F650 = 5 degrees on the 1200... and of course the 1200 has sooo much more get up and go.. it just makes it all that much more err.. violent..

But as I said.. I figure it's the second option (the demo 1200 was simular to mine), and that I'm learning to deal with it and be smoother. I kind of like it that the beast steps out with such spirit.

Al...

 

[themadprofessor]

Sounds like the bike has not had the throttle range set, something the dealer should have done prior to delivery. (And it's in your manual BTW.) Try this:

Turn the key to the run position, but do not start the bike. Have everything else also in the run position. Bike in neutral, kill switch to run etc.

Rotate the throttle grip through its entire range twice. Three times won't hurt. Now start the bike.

See if that doesn't help. Don't forget to report back!

Well I did the throttle reset this morning before I went to work. It has certainly made quite a big difference to the tractability of the bike.

I can even ride it along at about 2000rpm without feathering the clutch. However I now think I may have trace of surging at about 3000rpm.

If the throttle reset had not been done at the time the dealer synced the throttles , do you think it would have effected the accuracy of the tuning procedure.

I think it should not have done - as part of that process is the disabling of the throttle stepper motors which mean that the syncing is being done on a purely mechanical basis. Any one else have any thoughts?


Chris

 

[TheJoker]

I might be wrong here... but as far as I know. The "throttle reset" procedure calibrates the throttle sensors and resets a bank of memory that's used to determine how this particular bike is being ridden and how it works. See it, perhaps, as a marginal fine tune away fromt he factory setting. Interestingly enough it keeps on learning all the time, which should mean that given long enough time the "bad" data should have been overwritten. This should also mean that after a reset the computer goes back to defaults and starts learning from scratch - logically meaning that the optimal running would we achieved several miles down the line when the computer has had a good chance to learn the bike/rider. I have been told, after the workshop has done this to my bike that it needs to learn for up to 500 miles.

And from what I remember the procedure is: Disconnect battery for about 30 minutes, reconnect, Turn ignition on, twist throttle to full, three times. Turn ignition off, proceed as normal.

On one of the K-series forums there's a looong thread about a guy experimenting with fooling the ECU by only opening the throttle to about 70%...

Corrections welcome.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

On one of the K-series forums there's a looong thread about a guy experimenting with fooling the ECU by only opening the throttle to about 70%...

Corrections welcome.

And there's ludite me always bemoaning the fact that you can't fiddle with / tweak modern bikes any more - fantastic

Andres

 

[TheJoker]

And there's ludite me always bemoaning the fact that you can't fiddle with / tweak modern bikes any more - fantastic

IMHO, he hasn't come to one unified conclusion. And needeless to say, he's not running the bike on the dyno after each fiddle either. All very subjective. Personally I'm going on the philosophy that the BMW engineers probably have been thinking about this far more than I will ever be able to and I'll just "trust" them with that

There is of course the fact that a Power commander won't work on the BMW fuel system as the ECU will detect "flaws" in the running of the engine and will correct it and thus negating the Power Commander... heh.. Quite neat actually

 

[Engineer]

Sounds like the bike has not had the throttle range set, something the dealer should have done prior to delivery. (And it's in your manual BTW.) Try this:

Turn the key to the run position, but do not start the bike. Have everything else also in the run position. Bike in neutral, kill switch to run etc.

Rotate the throttle grip through its entire range twice. Three times won't hurt. Now start the bike.

See if that doesn't help. Don't forget to report back!

I'm totally confused - what is this throttle reset procedure? - is it in the 1200GS owners manual? I haven't seen it in mine? What exactly does it do and what is its purpose? Is it intended for the user or just the dealer?

Seems like there is lots of guesswork, pseudo-science and hear-say going on here. Has anyone got all the real facts on this?

 

[Bob's yer uncle]

The Facts.

Seems like there is lots of guesswork, pseudo-science and hear-say going on here. Has anyone got all the real facts on this?

Yes
Either you like your throttle or you don't. If you don't, take it to a dealer have them work on it untill you are happy.
If you do like it and it changes after a service - take it back and have the dealer work on it untill you are happy.

These bikes have gone beyond most home garage fixes, unfortunately you have to go to bee-em, but hey that what the gaurantee is for.

My 2cents worth in any case.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I'm totally confused - what is this throttle reset procedure?

Yes, it is.

Andres

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Sorry Engineer - didn't quote you properly. What I meant was the procedure is in the manual.

Andres

 

[Engineer]

Sorry Engineer - didn't quote you properly. What I meant was the procedure is in the manual.

Andres

OK - thanks for that - I shall take another look in my manual to see if I can find it.

 

[Ken H.]

I might be wrong here... but as far as I know. The "throttle reset" procedure calibrates the throttle sensors and resets a bank of memory that's used to determine how this particular bike is being ridden and how it works. See it, perhaps, as a marginal fine tune away fromt he factory setting. Interestingly enough it keeps on learning all the time, which should mean that given long enough time the "bad" data should have been overwritten. This should also mean that after a reset the computer goes back to defaults and starts learning from scratch - logically meaning that the optimal running would we achieved several miles down the line when the computer has had a good chance to learn the bike/rider. I have been told, after the workshop has done this to my bike that it needs to learn for up to 500 miles.

And from what I remember the procedure is: Disconnect battery for about 30 minutes, reconnect, Turn ignition on, twist throttle to full, three times. Turn ignition off, proceed as normal.

On one of the K-series forums there's a looong thread about a guy experimenting with fooling the ECU by only opening the throttle to about 70%...

Corrections welcome.

Oh I don't disagree, that's the way it is suppose to work. But there has been some anecdotal evidence that when the mapping goes astray, one of the symptoms is very "on/off" throttle response, and re-training may correct it.

One of those, what's suppose to work and what does work things.