Project 2003 R1200 CL Recommendations

[Fireflyer141]

New to forum and BMW Motorcycles! Recently bought a 2003 R1200CL that hasn’t been running for quite a few years! Looking forward to getting started with getting it in a road worthy condition and enjoying the bike! I want to do it right and have a great base to start with!!! I’m looking for recommendations as to where to start! Any and all suggestions are appreciated at this point! Thanks!

[wbw6cos]

https://www.chromeheads.org/    There are a lot of questions you have to ask and Chromeheads forum, most likely, will address those.

 

Welcome to the forum.   Your bike is an Oilhead, by way of forum classifications, but no biggie.   You may get better results posting in there.

 

Depending on your goals, you may want to start with the basics for a bike that has sat for so long.   

 

Battery, for one.  ABS requires good voltage for proper intialization.

 

Fresh fuel.   New fuel filter.   While in the tank, it would not hurt to replace all the fuel lines.  https://www.beemerboneyard.com/  may have what you need.

 

Pay close attention to HT leads by checking the insulation for cracking near the 90 degree bend; sort of a spot where improper use of prying to pull out the plug boots.   Cracked insulation may lead to spark leakage to the head causing performance issues.

 

Look at the rubber boots on the intakes for dry rot/cracking. Replace if necessary.  Intake vacuum nipples (below the tube near injectors) should be free of cracking.  The bikes already run lean enough and any leaks on the intake side will cause poor running.

 

....for now

 

 

[dirtrider]

12 hours ago, Fireflyer141 said:

New to forum and BMW Motorcycles! Recently bought a 2003 R1200CL that hasn’t been running for quite a few years! Looking forward to getting started with getting it in a road worthy condition and enjoying the bike! I want to do it right and have a great base to start with!!! I’m looking for recommendations as to where to start! Any and all suggestions are appreciated at this point! Thanks!

Morning  Fireflyer141

 

Typically the biggest thing to worry about, or that you will have to deal with, on a couple-of-years-stored BMW fuel injected motorcycle (especially if stored with alcohol containing gasoline)  is the  fuel system. That E-10 alcohol fuel  degrades quickly during storage so can make a rusty nasty mess inside the fuel tank.   

 

You can somewhat tell by opening the fuel filler cap & smelling what is inside, if it smells sour or pungent then you will probably have some fuel tank/fuel pump/internal hose/internal wiring  issues to deal with. Anything from a minor corrosion clean up to a full fledged internal component rebuild & rust/corrosion removal. 

 

You kind of want to address the fuel tank part first because  (IF) the insides of the fuel tank are a corroded mess then you don't want to pump that junk onto your fuel injectors as that can plug up the injector screens & plug the injectors.   

 

 

[Fireflyer141]

Thanks for responding dirtrider! I have removed the tank and emptied the fuel. It did smell bad! I’m going to remove the pump today and change the oil/filter. No idea what was used in it before so I’m thinking of going with 20w-50 Castrol / a K&N filter. Any suggestions there? Additionally, would you change the fuel filter or not?

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Fireflyer141 said:

Thanks for responding dirtrider! I have removed the tank and emptied the fuel. It did smell bad! I’m going to remove the pump today and change the oil/filter. No idea what was used in it before so I’m thinking of going with 20w-50 Castrol / a K&N filter. Any suggestions there? Additionally, would you change the fuel filter or not?

Morning  Fireflyer141

 

If the fuel system looks decent inside then that will be a BIG load off your shoulders as a skunky fuel system is a real pain in the a$$.

 

That 20w-50 Castrol is a good first choice as it should work good with minimal seal seepage.

 

Personally I'm not that fond of the K&N oil filters on the BMW boxer but it is probably much better than a will-fit automotive equivalent. I haven't found the by-pass specs on the K&N  filter but with 20w50 oil there will be a LOT of oil bypass with a cold engine until that oil warms up.  

 

 

[Fireflyer141]

Looks like the fuel sending unit / fuel pump needs to be replaced! I think the old fuel did a number on all the components in the tank! The coating seems to be in tact but that’s the only good news. Going to see if I can find the parts on line. Any recommendations for a supplier. Any tips to know?

[dirtrider]

29 minutes ago, Fireflyer141 said:

Looks like the fuel sending unit / fuel pump needs to be replaced! I think the old fuel did a number on all the components in the tank! The coating seems to be in tact but that’s the only good news. Going to see if I can find the parts on line. Any recommendations for a supplier. Any tips to know?

Morning Fireflyer141

 

E-Bay is a good place to find reasonably priced  in-tank components but you need to ask the seller a LOT of questions, ask for good all-angle closeup photos & work with a seller with a good rating. 

 

Another place to find some things is          https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/        so you might sniff around there for what you need.

 

Then there is always BeemerBoneyard         BMW motorcycle parts, BMW motorcycle, Used BMW motorcycle parts, BMW motorcycle salvage (beemerboneyard.com)

[Fireflyer141]

I’ve been looking around and can’t seem to find what I believe to be the fuel level sensor in the tank next to the fuel pump. It shares the electrical connector in the tank as well. It’s soldered in and the wires are smaller. The wires are bare in most places and have to be touching each other. If I can’t find one I assume I can do without it if necessary. 

[dirtrider]

16 minutes ago, Fireflyer141 said:

I’ve been looking around and can’t seem to find what I believe to be the fuel level sensor in the tank next to the fuel pump. It shares the electrical connector in the tank as well. It’s soldered in and the wires are smaller. The wires are bare in most places and have to be touching each other. If I can’t find one I assume I can do without it if necessary. 

Morning Fireflyer141

 

On the 1200CL that part will be more difficult to find, I'm pretty sure that it isn't available alone as it is part of the  fuel pump flange.

 

You might be able to save your original by covering the exposed wires with small diameter convoluted wire covering or soldering on new (fuel submersible) wires. 

 

If not then you will probably have to live without it & put it on your long-term "keep an eye out for"  list.

[Fireflyer141]

Thanks for the info!!! So that part is the fuel level sensor? There are numbers stamped on the plastic (2 306 772.9 >POM< and 91 015 051). Where would one find fuel submersible wire? The fuel line in the tank has a green stripe on it as well as E5 X10 stenciled on it. Is there a meaning associated with that as well? 

[dirtrider]

12 minutes ago, Fireflyer141 said:

Thanks for the info!!! So that part is the fuel level sensor? There are numbers stamped on the plastic (2 306 772.9 >POM< and 91 015 051). Where would one find fuel submersible wire? The fuel line in the tank has a green stripe on it as well as E5 X10 stenciled on it. Is there a meaning associated with that as well? 

Afternoon  Fireflyer141

 

You can find fuel submersible wire on E-Bay, or from      https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/        but a lot of places probably sell it if you search around. 

 

Obviously those number mean something to somebody but I can't decipher them for you.  The "POM" is the plastic type material  (required in a lot of countries so it can be disposed of, or re-cycled, properly).