[Murray]

in reply to: Spoke tension??? #8356

When is enough enough on the tension of spokes??Washed bike and found one spoke a bit loose.  The manual or service manual showed nothing,Is there a torque setting for that?

Tharon, the wheels use the BMW patented cross-spoke design that allows the fitment of radial tires. They are assembled on a very expensive CNC machine in the BMW motorcycle production plant, Spandau in Berlin. Fine tuning is carried out by a craftsman using a sophisticated diagnostic tool. The cross-spoke design means that you cannot pull a R11GS rim left and right by adjusting spoke tension as you can with a normal spoked wheel.As explained in the handbook, spoke tension can be assessed by gently striking them with a metal object, like a screwdriver. If they all have the same tension, they sound the same (or at least similar) notes. Spokes that are tighter have a higher note; loose spokes lower.If you find a tight/loose/missing spoke, adjustment/replacement is beyond your dealer who will normally suggest replacement (not cheap). However, if there are less than four spokes affected you may try some home DIY, but given the sophistication of the construction process, if four or more spokes are affected a new wheel or expert rebuild is definitely required.Tim (Bondo) Bond is a BMW-GS listmember as well as a professional wheelbuilder. Here are his instructions on spoke replacement on a GS cross-spoke wheel. Get the spoke, nipple and grubscrew (setscrew). Put it in until just tight. Ring some of the spokes with a wrench and torque the new one until it sounds like the others. Install the setscrew. DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST ANY OTHER SPOKES or you'll be sending the wheel to someone else for a big bill. The tubeless wheels don't adjust like any other wheel so please don't try it. CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Scott was right – a very special weekend #8286

Alex we can make it happen.CheersJG

Please let me know when the next opportunity is, hopefully during a term break or long weekend. I have had this one on my list for a while now.Alex

You can put my name in to the pot as well. It over time for an adventure ride.Dean

Guys, 30 Nov - 2 Dec is a weekend ride being planned by same crew to take in Awakino and Raglan sleepovers. JG and Linda quite keen, Jo and I might make it happen as well. Would be good to see you then.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Just the two of us – Sunday afternoon #8301

Gidday Mate what time did you leave Rimutaka as I didnt catch You up perhaps we were ahead.cheers Pete.

About 10 past 10 Pete, sorry to miss you. We got down to Caltex, heaps of roadies waiting around for something or other, so we bailed as soon as we'd gassed up.Catch up with you soon.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: K&N Air filter in an F650GS?? #8287

Is it ok to run a K&N air filter in the F650GS? Nothing adverse will happen, or nothing I need to change?

There have been several problems fitting K&N air filters on dual spark models (2004 onwards) but I'm not aware of problems with the K&N on earlier 650s. Have you checked out the chaingang?Great ride in the weekend, liked your photos too.Cheers,Garry

[Murray]

in reply to: basic multimeter tuition wanted #8262

Is there anyone prepared to teach this North Shore Auckland dumb-bunny how to use a multimeter for simple diagnostic work on the bike?  I'm familiar with Ohm's Law, but have been limited to using the multimeter solely for determining battery voltage.  There must be other worthwhile uses!   If there are other dumb-bunnies with similar needs perhaps group tuition could be an option?  Practical hands-on tuition would be appreciated. 

Rip into any autoelectrical workshop or electrical retailer close by. I'm sure there will be someone who'll show you how to use a multimeter.A multimeter just combines the functions of an ammeter, a voltmeter and an ohmeter (possibly some additional functions too). An ammeter measures current, a voltmeter measures the potential difference (voltage) between two points, and an ohmeter measures resistance.Think about the changes you would have to make to a practical circuit in order to include the ammeter. To start with, you need to break the circuit so that an ammeter can be connected in series. All the current flowing in the circuit must pass through the ammeter. Meters are not supposed to alter the behaviour of the circuit, or at least not significantly, and it follows that an ammeter must have a very low resistance.With voltmeters however, you do not need to break the circuit. The voltmeter is connected in parallel between the two points where the measurement is to be made. Since the voltmeter provides a parallel pathway, it should take as little current as possible. In other words, a voltmeter should have a very high resistance.Which measurement are you thinking might be the more useful? In my experience, voltage measurements are used much more often than current measurements.The processing of electronic signals is usually thought of in voltage terms. It is an added advantage that a voltage measurement is easier to make. The orginal circuit does not need to be changed. Often, the meter probes are connected simply by touching them to the points of interest.An ohmmeter does not function with a circuit connected to a power supply. If you want to measure the resistance of a particular component, you must take it out of the circuit altogether and test it separately. Ohmmeters work by passing a small current through the component and measuring the voltage produced. If you try this with the component connected into a circuit with a power supply, hopefully the fuse installed in the multimeter will do its job.Have funGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Engine Rattle and back-firing #8239

Can anyone help me out.I've been away for the past two months, started up and found my 1150GS back firing and trying to shake itself to bits.  The engine noise is coming from the either the cylinders or just to the rear in the gearbox.Does anyone have an answer??

Assuming it was running fine before you left, only things that could have changed since you've been away 2 months is a bit of drain on battery or your fuel has gone off and gummed things up a bit.Since it actually started , can't imagine any electircal problem, unless you've got rats in your garage and they've chewed wires (it's happened I kid you not).Any time you leave a machine sitting for long duration without proper set-up for storage, you end up with fuel residue that gums up the works. Drain the tank, run some new gas through it and see what happens.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Around Both Islands #8227

Thanks Garry, that will be great.Is there any one in the south island that has some great spots where to ride!CheersHendo

Pretty much anywhere in the South Island is a great spot to ride  😀 I'll lend you my motorcycle atlas when you get here  😥

[Murray]

in reply to: Gull force 10 or E10 #8212

I believe that BMW design their engines to run on any fuel and oil because as a global touring bike they are subject the a vast variation in product.Pete.

Almost there Pete, BMW design their engines not so much to run on any fuel but to run even on the poorest quality fuel, their recommendation is still to run the most appropriate octane rating available for optimal performance. The new engine generation of both the new flat twin and the transverse inline engine have a knock control system. This system has sensors which identify uncontrolled combustion in each cylinder, with the electronic management system then adjusting ignition timing accordingly. This is what avoids potential damage due to the fuel having a lower octane rating. As a result, the flat twin engine designed for use with premium fuel can also be run on fuels of lesser quality, that might commonly be available in distant countries. The HP is a good example, runs best on higher octane 95/98 but will run on 91 albiet slightly less than optimal performance.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Gull force 10 or E10 #8210

And the question is this,,,,  so you will still be able to do 100km/h with the high octane as with 91. 😕 😕

No, no, no. The question ought to be “should I be using Gull Force 10 at all”? Gull Force 10 has an octane rating of 98 and this doesn’t come along every day. If it’s best for your bike, and you are of a bent to consider the environment as well, then why wouldn’t you use it, assuming price is not an issue?The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When petrol ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plugs, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like our "regular" 91) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting. The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you should be using in your bike. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel. The advantage of a high compression ratio is that it gives your engine a higher horsepower rating for a given engine weight -- that is what makes the engine "high performance." The disadvantage is that you’re petrol  costs you more per litre. If you’re running an octane rating higher than your engine needs you’re basically wasting your money, there is no real performance gain for the extra dollars.Pure ethanol — made from renewable plant sources like corn, wheat and sugarcane — has an octane rating of 113, compared with 107 for methanol (another potential mixer for bio-fuel) and 91 to 95 for our domestic petrol.If your bike is fuel injected (waste of time, and potentially destructive, using Gull Force 10 if you’ve got carbs), has a high compression ratio and 98 octane is the best fuel to run it on, why wouldn’t you opt for it?

[Murray]

in reply to: Around Both Islands #8225

I am from Perth Western Australia (BMW MCC WA) and I will be touring NZ from 21st Dec. to 3rd Jan.Any rides and or rallies on at this time of year.Cheers Hendo

Hi Mike, yep, the Wellington bods will look after you, just let me know the days you're actually in town.Wellington bods - Aslan, Jim, Ken, Pete, Pablo, Gerard (and anyone else interested) I reckon it'd just be rude not to show Mike the Pram Track and the Gladstone pub (via Hinakura) depending on how long he's got here. I have offered him a room so might get a couple of days.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Rain-X or similiar, does it work? #5645

Is it OK to use pledge on a K1100LT windscreen? 

Yep, use the multi-purpose one with a sof t cloth. Don't mix it with other products.

[Murray]

in reply to: Faulty coolant temperature reading on K1100 #8199

The needle on the Coolant temperature gauge on my newly acquired K1100LT [1997] jumps off the scale when the ignition is switched on even though the engine is stone cold.  It will return when tapped after ignition switched off.   How can I determine where the fault is - sensor or gauge or in between?  Any helpful comment appreciated by this new member.

Have a shot at testing the sensor unit resistance. The resistance should decrease as the temperature rises. This can be measured by pulling the black wire off the sensor unit at the coolant drain location and measuring the resistance from the middle of the sending unit to the engine block. Normal reading at operating temperature should be around 40 ohms. If it's a lot higher than this, you might need a new sensor unit but not too expensive and can be changed pretty easily without losing too much coolant.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: Hello from Hamilton #8196

Good looking bike  😎 Welcome to the madhouse  😉

[Murray]

in reply to: intro #8130

What these guys said Nick. It's good to hear from you. I recall the year I joined the register, it was 1995 and I'd just bought my 86 R80RT. I thought it was just the bee's knees. Now I ride an HP2, but only because it's what floats my boat at the moment. I don't give a monkeys what people ride or how old or new it might be. The thing I like about the Regisiter is that diversity is there, even if your not looking for it. I remember all the help and friendly advice I got from the likes of yourself and Walter, amongst many others in the Register, when I joined, and in many ways that continues. It's just great to have such knowledge on all things BMW pretty much on tap. Isn't that pretty much what it's all about?Anyhow, good to hear from you. Look us up if you're down around Wellington some time.CheersGarry

[Murray]

in reply to: The Pram (again) #8124

Great report, great ride, ist class riding companions, we need to get some pics of Garry.

Stephen and Jim got some  😀

[Author]

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