Word of warning for twin cam owners

[oddshapedballs]

Not (necessarily) superior, but how could you possibly determine that running at a 4° tilt on the sidestand would cause oil starvation of the main bearing. Makes no sense at all. Low oil, overheated, sure, but a small tilt kills a motor? If that were true we would see hundreds, or thousands, of cases of this. The very small sample is statistically insignificant! Believe whatever you like, but try to make the story believable.

Jim

Makes sense to me, this whole thread was starting to bore the shit out of me. What next, don't park on a hill, don't go out in the rain or ride your bike unless the fucking moon's in a certain phase

 

[(RIP) Miff]

We never seem to hear about failures on the left hand barrel....

 

[Beemerman59]

We never seem to hear about failures on the left hand barrel....

Because that's where all the oil is.......

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[st247]

Given the likely capacity of the cylinder head 'pool' and the difference between a full and a low sump level ...

 

[WindyChuffer]

Been covered many times before.

It's utter bollocks that the sidestand is the cause.

Btw - The HP2 (boxer engine) never had a centre stand.

 

[MattW]

Been covered many times before.

It's utter bollocks that the sidestand is the cause.

Btw - The HP2 (boxer engine) never had a centre stand.

Great to get input from someone who knows so much about this issue.

If you know with such certainty that right hand head problems and the original problem in this thread is nothing to do with idling on the side stand then I'm sure we'd all be delighted to hear what the real problem is.

How do you know that both the people who bought HP2's let them idle on their side stands?

 

[Bendy toy]

I'm sure idling on the side stand isn't an issue. Oil is pumped around the engine so a few inches additional height wont matter a fig. However, cold starting my bike on the side side definitely makes more clatter from the right cylinder head than starting it while I'm sat on the bike.

• Maybe oil drains into the LH rocker cover while parked damps the dry cam clatter or even keeps it lubed.
• Maybe the RH side takes a fraction longer to get its oil pressure - left first then right.

Either way, I only start it while sat on the bike. Hot or cold.

 

[(RIP) Miff]

I suggested idling on the sidestand was the cause of RH cylinder failures ages back when I was a new member on here. I was laughed out of town, and made to scrub the yacht's decks for a week for suggesting it.

Nobody has ever come up with another reason for the RH cylinder failures since. I'm not saying I'm right, but where's the other explanations??

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.................... I'm not saying I'm right, but where's the other explanations??

Fairies

Andres

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Fairies

Andres

Would they be the Fuck Up Fairies???

 

[JerseyNeil]

Are they at home to Mr cock up?
(A quote from the Young Ones not a euphemism).

 

[Fanum]

Do the Hexheads puff a bit of oil on start up after being sat on their side stands for a while like the 11xx models?

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Do the Hexheads puff a bit of oil on start up after being sat on their side stands for a while like the 11xx models?

Mine never did

Andres

 

[Bendy toy]

I'm sure it's a start up issue. Oil on the left collects in the cam cover so it's all nice and slippy next time the starter kicks off. RHS has drained out so has to wait for the oil pump.
Solution - fit a pre start priming pump or put a stand on the other side of the bike.

 

[MattW]

Posts 11 and 12 this thread - bike left idling on its sidestand, owner returns to find it rattling and oil pressure light flickering.

And there is no problem with idling a 1200 on its side stand?...

 

[Fanum]

I'm sure it's a start up issue. Oil on the left collects in the cam cover so it's all nice and slippy next time the starter kicks off. RHS has drained out so has to wait for the oil pump.

The cam chain tighteners are hydraulic as well.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Posts 11 and 12 this thread - bike left idling on its sidestand, owner returns to find it rattling and oil pressure light flickering.

And there is no problem with idling a 1200 on its side stand?...

The problem is stupid owners walking away from the bike idling for long periods, not a sidestand issue. You would get the same on the centerstand. Until someone shows more than incidental speculation, it is a BS assertion!

Jim

 

[Richie N]

Seems ridiculous that you shouldn't start it on the side stand - does the BMW manual mention it?

I know that Porsche advise with old 911's not to let it sit idling once started from cold - perhaps a boxer/dry sump thing? They can also suffer from a puff of smoke on start up from oil that has made its way into cylinder heads.

 

[facom]

Jeeeeez, we're all used to Engineer talking delusional bollox on here but now you are too, it must be catching

Anyway, I've corrected your post above. No need to thank me, all done FOC

Andres

Before I bought my BM I considered a KTM Adventure but the dealer told me there were issues with oil starvation due to the oil filter collapsing and the rear cylinder running dry !!! Glad I listened love my hex head

 

[tanneman]

If you want a dependable and easy to fix machine for extended travels not having to bother to carry a lot of spares then a four stroke air cooled motor makes sense (think more like Honda XR not BMW boxer, not bashing the bike or creating preference) However, there is the problem of cooling. All dandy when working as advertised but when the fins are clogged the ability to disperse heat is impaired, one of a few scenarios. Oil when it heats up has a lower viscosity, this enables it to flow into nooks and crannies more easily and the pump has an easier life getting the stuff to where it needs to go. The downside is that the oil chain (the strings of carbon) is more easily broken down when the oil is overheated and so loses the lubrication properties. The oil gets the warmest in the head, small end bearing and oil ring. So hot in fact that some of it are burned, another reason not to skip on oil changes unless the bike is British . Idling an air cooled motor for long periods at standstill cannot be good for it. The reliance on dissipating heat through radiation to little or no airflow will rise the temperature significantly with the subsequent breakdown of the oil. I suspect that what has been referred to is that some engines have been running regularly for long periods of time at standstill hence the problem with lubrication at the bearings. If you instruct for 5 hours a day, how many of those hours are spend in urban traffic or at standstill or how often is the instructor off the bike leaving it running whilst speaking to the student? It all adds up in between the 6000 mile service interval.

Some of the best advice I had as a current oilhead and previous hexhead owner is to start the bike, wait for the oil pressure to build (gives you enough time to put on your gloves) and ride off giving the engine time to warm up under load before giving it the beans.

Just for info, the worst damage you can do to an engine is to rev it with no load. The components with in stretches far more than when it is under load placing more stress on the bearings and subsequently the thin layer of oil.