R1250GS Rattling noise

Before my 2021 GS I owned two Suzuki's DL1000. The first one was 2014 and the second one 2017.

The 2014 one didn't have any rattling noise
The 2017 had the same rattling noise as described for GS (and it had no shiftcam).
My 2021 GS has a load of that rattling noise on throttle opening but nothing on steady throttle.

I will see next January as it will have its first service not done by BMW dealer and I will use the oil that made a lot of engines on my previous bikes much quieter. It's worth a try.

There is a theory that the noise comes from intake flaps that rattle. Some of them rattle, some of them don't. I don't know if that may be the case because I'm tired of this issue and of many others on my bike.
I'm seriously thinking of selling my GS next year and going back to japanese bikes.
 
Before my 2021 GS I owned two Suzuki's DL1000. The first one was 2014 and the second one 2017.

The 2014 one didn't have any rattling noise
The 2017 had the same rattling noise as described for GS (and it had no shiftcam).
My 2021 GS has a load of that rattling noise on throttle opening but nothing on steady throttle.

I will see next January as it will have its first service not done by BMW dealer and I will use the oil that made a lot of engines on my previous bikes much quieter. It's worth a try.

There is a theory that the noise comes from intake flaps that rattle. Some of them rattle, some of them don't. I don't know if that may be the case because I'm tired of this issue and of many others on my bike.
I'm seriously thinking of selling my GS next year and going back to japanese bikes.
Completely different the butterfly noise. Also the noises from your previous bikes, don't be sure that are same. GS noise is very close to pinking noise but is not. I have made all the possible tests and measurements.
 
Completely different the butterfly noise. Also the noises from your previous bikes, don't be sure that are same. GS noise is very close to pinking noise but is not. I have made all the possible tests and measurements.
Funny, BMW asked me ‘what fuel are you using’ and I said there is NO way that my city is getting poor fuel quality in 2024…

I can get my bike to make the rattle noise while revving in neutral, so that’s what makes me really confused at the cause.
 
Funny, BMW asked me ‘what fuel are you using’ and I said there is NO way that my city is getting poor fuel quality in 2024…

I can get my bike to make the rattle noise while revving in neutral, so that’s what makes me really confused at the cause.
I have even tried racing fuel so I removed pinging noise from my list. I have also reprogrammed my bike with richer afr. All the engineers that cannot prove that is something else, they say that is pinging noise. 😂😂
 
Completely different the butterfly noise. Also the noises from your previous bikes, don't be sure that are same. GS noise is very close to pinking noise but is not. I have made all the possible tests and measurements.
Mine is pinking.
 
Hello. I’ve been following this thread for a while now, as my 2019 GS is noisy. I’ve been out of town for long periods and decided to connect my battery to a tender. When I got home and rode the bike, it was noticeably less noisy (actually, it sounded great) - even the shift-cam “pop” was quieter/smoother. Could a stronger battery benefit the shift-cam solenoid?
 
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Hello. I’ve been following this thread for a while now, as my 2019 GS is noisy. I’ve been out of town for long periods and decided to connect my battery to a tender. When I got home and rode the bike, it was noticeably less noisy - even the shift-cam “pop” was quieter. Could the stronger battery impact the shift-cam solenoid for the better?
And you are experiencing the same rattle as the videos in this thread? If the vehicle has enough battery to start then there should be no reason for poor performance once the engine is running
 
Do they offer replacement knock sensors?
Not to me, no.Mines a 2019 and it went in numerous times under warranty.No fault found.Ive recently changed to cooler plugs, which improved it but its still there two up with luggage.
 
Not to me, no.Mines a 2019 and it went in numerous times under warranty.No fault found.Ive recently changed to cooler plugs, which improved it but its still there two up with luggage.
I agree that the noise definitely happens more when the bike is heavily laden or really on the throttle.
 
Might be a coincidence or just wishful thinking, but after recently replacing my knackered OE battery for a Motobatt Hybrid, I noticed my bikes voltage is always much higher AND as an aside, I could swear it sounds quieter in the rpm range where it was previously very noisy (2000-3000 rpm part-throttle).
 
And you are experiencing the same rattle as the videos in this thread? If the vehicle has enough battery to start then there should be no reason for poor performance once the engine is running
I’m responding to the idea that the shift-cam may be the source of your noises. The shift-cam is electrically operated via solenoid. The shift-cam noises on my bike were lessened after the battery had become fully charged via tender. However, correlation does not always equal causation.
 
BMW have fully dissasembled the engine and are currently ‘rebuilding it’ whatever that means.

BMW UK told me they contacted BMW Germany for advice, as they didn’t know how to fix the rattle noise. It has been in their workshop for 7 weeks and they STILL can’t fix it. Luckily I’m under warranty, but this is ridiculous.

I asked them to just please put a new engine, but they want to spend 40+ hrs taking the engine apart…

I’m really hoping to have an answer from BMW, so I can share it with you.
Any update from your dealer?
 
I thought my 1250 engine was very noisy prior to its latest service at 21k (24k major service), but whatever they did has quietened it down and smoothed it out beautifully. Fitting a new Hybrid battery seemed to help but that could have been a placebo effect.

Its had the big service with all filters, valves and plugs changed so I suspect they reset the valve clearances and cam timing. The service desk guy couldn't see what exactly was done on his screen but whatever they did I am pleased with the result. It just glides along smoothly at low RPM whereas it would lurch unhappily previously.

I was unsure about this bike at first, but now it just keeps on getting better and better. I was so glad to hand back the 1300 loaner and get back aboard my GSA.
 
I thought my 1250 engine was very noisy prior to its latest service at 21k (24k major service), but whatever they did has quietened it down and smoothed it out beautifully. Fitting a new Hybrid battery seemed to help but that could have been a placebo effect.

Its had the big service with all filters, valves and plugs changed so I suspect they reset the valve clearances and cam timing. The service desk guy couldn't see what exactly was done on his screen but whatever they did I am pleased with the result. It just glides along smoothly at low RPM whereas it would lurch unhappily previously.

I was unsure about this bike at first, but now it just keeps on getting better and better. I was so glad to hand back the 1300 loaner and get back aboard my GSA.
I felt the same after my 12k service, only lasts a short while before you acclimatise to it. My courtesy 1250 is approaching the 6k service and it’s definitely running rougher/less smooth.
 
I thought my 1250 engine was very noisy prior to its latest service at 21k (24k major service), but whatever they did has quietened it down and smoothed it out beautifully. Fitting a new Hybrid battery seemed to help but that could have been a placebo effect.

Its had the big service with all filters, valves and plugs changed so I suspect they reset the valve clearances and cam timing. The service desk guy couldn't see what exactly was done on his screen but whatever they did I am pleased with the result. It just glides along smoothly at low RPM whereas it would lurch unhappily previously.

I was unsure about this bike at first, but now it just keeps on getting better and better. I was so glad to hand back the 1300 loaner and get back aboard my GSA.
Cam timing and valve clearance adjustment close to minimum limit quietens down the engine a lot. Which hybrid battery? Motobatt? Are you happy with it?
 
I’m calling them tomorrow, since they told me ‘early next week’ last week… I will update you soon.
^^I reckon you have dropped a coin down the front of the seat and it`s now rattling around on top of the engine.
BMW have spent 80 hours on this and tied up the technicians for weeks costing tens of thousands in lost revenue to retrieve a 10p piece.
Cam timing and valve clearance adjustment close to minimum limit quietens down the engine a lot.
I notice that the valve clearances on the 1250 are 0.1 to 0.17 (inlet) and 0.34 to 0.41 for the exhaust.
Thirteen to sixteen thou for the exhaust? That`s a fecking huge gap, why so big?
No wonder they`re so bloody rattly...
 


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