GS1200 GSA Surging

dredgetall

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Any advice please
I have just purchased a 2016 1200 GSA in last week with 4000 miles on the clock, at low cruising speed and going through traffic the bike seams to surge like my old single spark GS.
What’s needed
Thanks in advance
 
dredgetall said:
Any advice please
I have just purchased a 2016 1200 GSA in last week with 4000 miles on the clock, at low cruising speed and going through traffic the bike seams to surge like my old single spark GS.
What’s needed
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

For sure the 2017 Euro 4s are the same. Feels horrible driving too high in first gear yet surges at 20 mph when driving through traffic/town. As I understand it, they all do that Sir, and I have to say that the 1250's smooth running in low gears is as great a revelation as the additional ooomph.

Sorry, I know that's not particularly helpful.
 
I don't recall my '15' plate gsa surging at low revs, traded it with 35k mls on clock and was silky smooth. A 5 year old bike with very low mileage has probably missed a service or two by BMW dealership and is maybe missing a software update. Might be worth having a word with your local BMW dealer and find out if all recalls have been done too.,..
 
hairysteve said:
I don't recall my '15' plate gsa surging at low revs, traded it with 35k mls on clock and was silky smooth. A 5 year old bike with very low mileage has probably missed a service or two by BMW dealership and is maybe missing a software update. Might be worth having a word with your local BMW dealer and find out if all recalls have been done too.,..
Click to expand...

15 plate would be E3, not E4. Not sure whether it affected pre-E4's as much though others have reported the issue on earlier bikes as well.

https://www.r1200rsforum.com/t479f7-Weird-lurching-stuttering-hard-to-describe-1.html

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-424275.html
 
This is not a plug of hilltop so keep your hair on.
Some Euro 3 bikes have awful fueling.
My '14 GS would not hold a steady throttle. At first I thought it was me and an over sensitive throttle. Then I found it would not hold steady even when on cruise control.
The dealer just shrugged their shoulders. I was going to get rid of the bike it was so bad.
I read about Hilltop on here so decided to get my bike done. The difference after was night and day, the bike was as it should have been from the factory.
The before dyno graph showed the AFI going up and down like a roller coaster with the torque reading following it. The after readout was nice smooth lines.
So, a 'remap' should smooth things out.
Shame the bike then developed the 4th gear thrumming so badly I chopped it in.
 
Surging is fuelling - nothing else.
Bikes run lean at a certain point where they are measured and can be seen in dyno graphs. EU4 more prominent and noticeable when in traffic, town centres etc.

Some bikes are more noticeable than others, some ride their bike at slightly higher revs so by default it does not show so often.

Axfied is the way to go - no one who has purchased has been disappointed!.

Common sense tells you that a lean running bike is not a happy engine.

Also a correctly fuelled bike should in theory last a little longer with less chance of blowing a piston
 
Last edited:
Hilltop provide a service which cannot be seen - not commenting whether good or bad
Axfied proved a physical device which is configurable by the user and can be sold on.

Tried both and prefer the axfied solution.
 
malcopopolo said:
Hilltop provide a service which cannot be seen - not commenting whether good or bad
Axfied proved a physical device which is configurable by the user and can be sold on.

Tried both and prefer the axfied solution.
Click to expand...


Must agree af-xied is super, but I always get last update software from BMW also, with 2017 E4 bike very easy, and maybe just bad map so better try map update 1st, very good read below.

https://advrider.com/f/threads/2004-r1150rt-wideband-o2-sensor-project-and-af-xied-for-bmw.749080/page-74#post-26741298
 
Strange how some bikes suffer from this, and others of the same age and emissions compliance don't. Both my early 2016 GS and current mid 2018 GSA was/is smooth as silk in their throttle response.
 
Victor c said:
Strange how some bikes suffer from this, and others of the same age and emissions compliance don't. Both my early 2016 GS and current mid 2018 GSA was/is smooth as silk in their throttle response.
Click to expand...

Simple masse product effect, like TV,s some perfect for many years other die in weeks
 
I suspect it's more to do with how they are ridden, as malcopopolo has said.
 
CPJS said:
Explain 'how they are ridden ridden' if the bike surges whilst on cruise control.
Click to expand...

Eh? I'm not sure what you mean or are getting at? For one, mine didn't surge whilst on cruise control but then I don't use cruise control at 20 mph. At the same time, doing 20 mph on the 1200 in first gear meant you were either moving into the shrill 4k band or splurtting along in second gear when holding the throttle constant. Possibly others revved higher in first or were constantly changing gears, dunno.

Either way, looks like the OP has some options.
 
malcopopolo said:
The surging is felt typically in 3rd gear around 30 mph. if you drop to 2nd then your revs increase and it improves.
Click to expand...

sounds about right, easy to forget the exact parameters.
 
Maybe running too lean, get down to hilltop, they will sort it out for you.
 
Get a GS911 and do all the adaptations including mixture . It’s transformed my bike
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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