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New to R1200RT


coopeh1305

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coopeh1305

This my first BMW. Recently purchased 2008 with 18,000 miles. Bike seems to be run OK, but I have no experience with hexheads.  I can cruise at any legal or slightly above speeds with minimal vibration.  When I aggressively accelerate there is quite a bit of vibration, but once I maintain the speed there is minimal vibration.  Question:  Is this normal?  Also, the bike seems to prefer to run best at 3,000 rpm and above. Rarely get above 5th gear on country roads with 50 mph limit. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.  Love the bike.

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22 hours ago, coopeh1305 said:

This my first BMW. Recently purchased 2008 with 18,000 miles. Bike seems to be run OK, but I have no experience with hexheads.  I can cruise at any legal or slightly above speeds with minimal vibration.  When I aggressively accelerate there is quite a bit of vibration, but once I maintain the speed there is minimal vibration.  Question:  Is this normal?  Also, the bike seems to prefer to run best at 3,000 rpm and above. Rarely get above 5th gear on country roads with 50 mph limit. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.  Love the bike.

Morning   coopeh1305

 

Difficult to tell you over the internet if you have the normal BMW Boxer Buzz or if you have an outlier that is indicating an issue.

 

Your 1200 BMW boxer is an inherently balanced engine but there are some operating areas that do produce a notable buzz (usually a higher frequency buzz rather than a lower frequency wheel shake or drive line induced vibration).

 

Even though your Boxer engine is basically a balanced design (both side pistons go out then back in together) they are large pistons that completely come to a stop then restart in the opposite direction twice per revolution. This is compounded by the fact that the pistons are on their own crankshaft  journals so are not directly across from each other.

 

This offset piston design of a Boxer engine causes what is called a rocking couple (kind of a rotational shake or yaw). 

 

BMW did add a SINGLE balance shaft to the 1200 hexhead engine but a single balance shaft really can't remove the higher RPM buzz, it just splits it into smaller disturbance periods that still remain in the upper RPM riding range.  

 

The 1200  hexhead engine is pretty mild when under 3800 RPM's, up in the mid 4000 RPM range they can get a fairly noticeable buzz (enough to blur the mirrors & cause a handlebar tingle). This gets even worse as you add heavy acceleration as the engine is then producing more power as well as the cylinder firing pressures go up.

 

The BMW hexhead  Boxer engine is also solid mounted (no rubber isolation mounting) so the engine disturbances are transferred directly into the chassis as a direct path.  

 

In most cases riders quickly get used to the normal Boxer buzz (some not so much though). In fact after riding a large piston Boxer motorcycle for a while they actually miss the reassuring Boxer buzz.   

 

That 3000> RPM sweet spot is a good choice at under 50 mph & a lot of 1200 hexhead owners try to keep the engine at or above 3000 RPM's when possible. It will pull nicely down to 2500 but 3000 definitely feels better & smoother.     

 

Once you get used to that large piston Boxer engine, if the Boxer buzz  still bothers you, then come back here & tell us about it. If the buzz is felt mostly in the handlebars & seen in the mirrors we can help you change that a little by adding heavier handlebar end weights & modifying the handlebar attachment area slightly to lower the felt handlebar/grip area buzz.

 

You can also add things like " Grip Puppies " as those remove some of the transferred buzz energy from the grips to your hands but that is at the expense of a larger diameter grip area (personally I hate large grips but some don't seem to mind them as much).

 

Your Boxer buzz might also become less of a problem as you get more used to that new-to-you motorcycle and stop gripping the handlebars so tightly.   

 

 

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Coopeh....in addition to what DR said....if you think it is not in normal state on acceleration, if you can find someone in your area with the same bike, have them ride it and see what they say.  The map on this app will show you where a lot of us are, or you can ask if anyone with a camhead lives near......  As DR said...Grip Puppies are your friend.

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MichiganBob

Good Evening,

 

DR is spot on with his feedback. I've been riding BMW twins since 1971. The vibration, buzz, inertia and pull of a horizontal rotation feels like home, like a warm cinnamon bun with Vermont maple syrup. It feels weird to ride a bike with no buzz like a lot of the four cylinder motors, gold wings, ST's, etc. I don't feel those motors are talking to me, working with me, in tune with me.

 

Eventually, out neuropathways get forged, and what is, starts to feel normal. Of course, that takes a while as you do not have a baseline, and yes, it's possible that the buzz is not the usual Beemer buzz.

 

What were your past rides? This might shed some light on your expectations.

 

I agree on the grip puppies. Also like a boot or riding shoe that is a little more spongy to absorb those sweet vibrations.

 

Wishing you good health and fortune with your new ride.

 

MichiganBob 

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5th gear and 50mph? That would be lugging it. Step down a gear or two. The engine likes to live between 4-6k rpm. 

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10 hours ago, Ponch said:

5th gear and 50mph? That would be lugging it. Step down a gear or two. The engine likes to live between 4-6k rpm. 

I was thinking the same thing.

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coopeh1305

Thanks to everyone who responded with a wealth of information.

 have adjusted my shifting patterns and try to keep above 3K rpms.

FYI My previous "bike" was a 2017 Suzuki Burgman 650.  If you are not familiar with the bike it is a giant scooter on steroids. Very comfortable cruising at 70 mph, automatic CTV transmission. Loved the Burgman but wanted more power and more bike feel.  Previously have driven various  Kawasaki 650's, Honda 750's and the odd Yamaha1300 - all manual transmission.


I liked the suggestion about finding someone else with a similar bike, but as I live in Muskoka (Ontario, Canada) there don't seem to be many 1200s about.  Have made an appointment with the nearest BMW dealer (1 hour away) to get an opinion and give the bike the once over.  Couldn't get an appointment until late June. Still looking for mechanic who is more local and has BMW experience.

Burgman.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got my RT just a year ago and there was issues for me at higher speeds even tho kinda pricey I tried these ( bad end weights )  and it improved the overall feel of the bike , I had already had the TBs synced and checked everything else first but I have to say these helped me , changed the nature of the vibes to be more pleasant all all RPMS for me. 

No its not glass smooth its a twin after all But I like it better and its worth the $$$ 

http://www.hvmp.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BMW-BAR-ENDS

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