Twin Spark Question?

[londonw1]

Just about to take delivery of my new Adventure and have notice some comments on here about single/twin spark. can someone clarify when this was/is going to be introduced? My bike was built 1 week of Jan.

Thanks

 

[BBB61]

Your bike should have the twin plugged cylinder heads.

Bob

 

[londonw1]

and what advantages does this bring apart from more complexity?

 

[THE PICT]

Better combustion/burning and in theory no surging and lower emmisions.Dont know about power or MPGs yet.

 

[Richard34]

I've just collected my new GS - also a Jan build and it is a Twin Spark.

Can't tell you if it's any better or worse than a single as I've never ridden one before!! The only thing that I've discovered so far is that the Touratech lockable oil plug doesn't fit the twin spark engine without a slight modification (the wings need cutting off and filing down) - if you ride in London like I do, I think it's worth getting just for added peace of mind!!

Other than that - you'll love it.

 

[Ivanhoe]

A better burning process. It's BMW's answer to the problems some machines have when they try to run at constant rpm, for e.g. 3000 in the 4th gear. They call it "KFR" here, "Konstant-Fahr-Ruckeln".
A common problem of machines with a high capacity per cylinder and especially with flat-twins.

take care,

 

[londonw1]

Thanks very much for the info, I know the surging problem, so hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to let you know if there is any real difference.

 

[darren]

A dealer tells me that there is no other reason for the twin spark than to solve the 'surging' problem. They haven't had one to confirm the results and they say it's BMW's easy option and usual hap-hazard way of glossing over something!

Can you tell I'm biting my tongue ? Letter no.2 to them next week.

 

[pint6x]

Darren

Do keep us posted - I would be interested to see what you say to them and whether they have the balls to reply.

Cheers

6X

p.s. still think we should turn up en masse

 

[Ivanhoe]

Hi !

The Wuedo company (www.wuedo.de) also offers to upgrade the 1150 to a twin spark, by implementing an additional spark into the single spark head. The price was about EUR 950, I think.

About the surging problem: BMW says the reason for using the twin spark technique are better emission results for having the bike ready for the Euro-3 standard.
They have to say so, because they always denied the problem, hehe.

Unfortunately I haven't read any tests from the magazines about the new machine.

take care,

 

[waterhouse]

surging

I asked about surging down at the dealer today in the context of the new twin-spark I was staring at. He sucked on a lemon for a minute and then said that that the TS was nothing to do with that problem which was resolved at 600 miles by changing a relay.

What's he talking about?

 

[MikeO]

He's probably talking about changing or removing the coding plug (which , I believe, maps the fuel injection/mixture set up). But, overall, he's talking bollox. My dealer has tried every permutation of coding plugs and their removal with no appreciable affect on the surging on my Adv. What he's saying is doubly bollox because I've never heard of a GS surging in the first 600 miles, when the mixture is deliberately run rich. It is re-set at the 600 mile service, at which point your problems, if you're going to have them, start......


MikeO

 

[gavin]

Do both spark plugs of each cylinder fire at the same time, or are they timed to fire milliseconds before or after?, in effect creating a longer duration spark?

 

[waterhouse]

It is re-set at the 600 mile service, at which point your problems, if you're going to have them, start......

MikeO

That's cute, so you can't reject the bike as being unfit for purpose 'cos you've ridden it for 600 mi.

Working for a large company leans me more to the cock-up theory than the conspiracy theory, but every so often you have to think. The "road tests" in Bike otherwise known as "and I get paid for riding around on other people's new bikes" don't reflect real life. They really can't talk straight about products supplied by companies which are not only advertisers but also providers of their raw material. The refusal to invite journos from any one mag to launches or to provide test bikes would be threatening to sales, the more so given that many people buy more than one mag.

One can find real owner attitudes in a specialist forum like this from people who know what they're talking about. So where is this reflected in the "Really Useful Section"?

Still, some people have bigger problems http://www.wreckedexotics.com/truck/truck035.shtml

 

[jnrobert]

One can find real owner attitudes in a specialist forum like this from people who know what they're talking about. So where is this reflected in the "Really Useful Section"?

Well, mine doesn't surge. So what should they write?

But you're right, we do come to this forum because of real owner experience (attitudes are a bonus )