'Mechanical' smell after riding at speed

[Eunuch]

The bikes only a couple of months old and already had a new clutch, so I'm already edgey and the bike has got to earn its stripes again.

Coming back from the Ardeche and riding probably no more than 30 miles for one particular stretch of motorway at 100-110mph before coming straight off and into the hotel I was a little concerned of the very hot mechanical smell coming from the bike the moment I stopped. Up to that point I'd ridden 80-90mph in the UK. The bike did use around 200ml of oil over the 2000 mile trip (filled up at home back to 3/4 full of sightglass) but at that time this happened the bike already had 2.5K miles on the clock and had oil just under the mid-way point of the eyeglass after standing for 10 mins on the centre stand. And yes, I was in 6th gear on the motorway, the bike had been used for the whole day (around 350 miles not on motorway beforehand), the temperature was around 15C and had been no rain.

Now I know the 1200 is supposed to top out just over 130 and I'd hoped by having 2.5K miles on the clock its kinda run in enough to ride at 100mph for a good few miles without getting off and smelling like a bag of heated nails. I've not yet redlined it (you're making good progress 6-7K revs), generally shortshift and haven't let the engine labour much below 3K revs.

I don't advocate riding in the UK above 100mph (should I in France?), so I'm not going to get much chance to ride for any distance at that speed until I go abroad again next year to check if it was a one-off.

Anyone else noticed/had the smelly speed thing going on or is it a dealer question?

Worried owner.

 

[newman7096]

I did my first track day with 1100 miles on the clock, bounced it off the rev limiter in every gear all day long and generally thrashed the hell out of it but I never noticed any bad smells.....appart from down below!

 

[minkyhead]

sounds like there may be oil on the clutch to me blown seals are quite common and smell very hot

 

[Vern]

But the clutch ain't doing much when you're doing 110mph,unless it's slipping of course!

Probably just crap getting warm on the engine or something,just carry on riding it and see what happens.If you haven't done that before,it might do it everytime and go on forever.

Failing that,rub some garlic under your nose everytime you give it a thrashing,that way you won't smell it,so you won't worry about it

 

[Straypuss]

Saw this over on AdvRider

 

[Phil Clarke]

you've clearly never ridden an old British bike!
Being air-cooled - a GS will have some pretty hot metal bits after such a thrashing - as the man above says dinnae worry boot it.

 

[Engineer]

The bikes only a couple of months old and already had a new clutch, so I'm already edgey and the bike has got to earn its stripes again.

Coming back from the Ardeche and riding probably no more than 30 miles for one particular stretch of motorway at 100-110mph before coming straight off and into the hotel I was a little concerned of the very hot mechanical smell coming from the bike the moment I stopped. Up to that point I'd ridden 80-90mph in the UK. The bike did use around 200ml of oil over the 2000 mile trip (filled up at home back to 3/4 full of sightglass) but at that time this happened the bike already had 2.5K miles on the clock and had oil just under the mid-way point of the eyeglass after standing for 10 mins on the centre stand. And yes, I was in 6th gear on the motorway, the bike had been used for the whole day (around 350 miles not on motorway beforehand), the temperature was around 15C and had been no rain.

Now I know the 1200 is supposed to top out just over 130 and I'd hoped by having 2.5K miles on the clock its kinda run in enough to ride at 100mph for a good few miles without getting off and smelling like a bag of heated nails. I've not yet redlined it (you're making good progress 6-7K revs), generally shortshift and haven't let the engine labour much below 3K revs.

I don't advocate riding in the UK above 100mph (should I in France?), so I'm not going to get much chance to ride for any distance at that speed until I go abroad again next year to check if it was a one-off.

Anyone else noticed/had the smelly speed thing going on or is it a dealer question?

Worried owner.

Better check that rear wheel bearing

 

[GS TRV]

Saw this over on AdvRider

That's what I call a burn-out

 

[birdseye]

Grief - what a load of doom mongers.

Most probably, all you have smelled is a really hot engine. Its a nice smell second only to the smell of cowshit on a hot exhaust. At that mileage it will still be pretty tight and running at that speed it will have got pretty hot. After all, the throttle will be well open, you will be pumping a fair amount of pertrol per minute into the engine, and most of that petrol energy gets wasted as heat in any engine. So your bike will be pumping out lots of heat, and there will be a lot of thermal lag too. Normally a few minutes at a slower speed would have allowed things to cool down ( and is always recommended if you have made an engine work) but as you describe it, the bike didnt get chance.

And dont forget you have a catalyst which will get to white heat internally.

personally I wouldnt have run it that fast so early. But you've probably done no harm at all - have you had any funny problems (with the bike that is) since then?

P.S. It pays not to ask about your bike symptoms on here - you will come in with the biking equivalent of a runny nose and leave convinced you are dying.

 

[Eunuch]

P.S. It pays not to ask about your bike symptoms on here - you will come in with the biking equivalent of a runny nose and leave convinced you are dying.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me! Know what you mean. I love the bike - its great. Just feel unlucky/slight snivel now and again.

have you had any funny problems (with the bike that is) since then?

No. Its been a real peach since then - still loving every ride. Its only that I've been thinking about it that & wanted 2nd opinions. None of my Jap bikes every had that kind of wiff but I never bought one new either.

Guess I'll just carry on enjoying riding it.

Thanks for general feedback and burning hub photo!

 

[birdseye]

None of my Jap bikes every had that kind of wiff but I never bought one new either.

And probably never had one with a cat either. The more I think about it, the more likely the smell came from that.