Starting R1150R after 2+ years

[calrroadster]

I'll soon be able to get my hands on a 2003 R1150R that was well cared for but has been sitting there post pandemic (2+ years).

I want to do the minimum to get it started so that I can ride it to a proper service shop.
What are the steps that are must do in this case? Here's my plan of action I put together from various online sources. Critique and recommendations welcome.
 

• Disconnect and take the tank off. Dump old gas. Inspect old gas and inside of tank for sediments & flakes.
• If the gas is reasonably clear, add fresh gas + sea foam.
• Inspect fuel lines for cracks
• Install brand new battery
• Replace air filter while I'm at it.
• Assemble and attempt to start
• Replace spark plugs if it does not start

[Joe Coastie]

I would do an oil and filter change before starting it. 

Also while you have the plugs out turn the engine over a few times to circulate the oil either by the starter or by hand on the crank nut.

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

23 hours ago, calrroadster said:

I'll soon be able to get my hands on a 2003 R1150R that was well cared for but has been sitting there post pandemic (2+ years).

I want to do the minimum to get it started so that I can ride it to a proper service shop.
What are the steps that are must do in this case? Here's my plan of action I put together from various online sources. Critique and recommendations welcome.
 

• Disconnect and take the tank off. Dump old gas. Inspect old gas and inside of tank for sediments & flakes.
• If the gas is reasonably clear, add fresh gas + sea foam.
• Inspect fuel lines for cracks
• Install brand new battery
• Replace air filter while I'm at it.
• Assemble and attempt to start
• Replace spark plugs if it does not start

Morning  calrroadster

 

That is a good start but personally I would not use any  Sea Foam, from past experience that causes way more issues than it solves.

 

If you want to use anything in the fuel tank then use some Tehcron concentrate  (at recommended amount for the amount of fuel in the tank). 

 

Important: Once you install the new battery and before doing anything else, turn ignition switch ON, (do not start the engine), then fully open & close the twist grip throttle twice. (this will do a new throttle position re-learn)   

 

After sitting that long your main concern (assuming that it will start) are the brakes, the I-ABS brake system under-tank fluid reservoirs  on that motorcycle are vented to atmosphere (open to the air) so there a good chance the brake fluid has absorbed a LOT of moisture  while sitting in storage. 

 

Sniff the old fuel in the fuel tank, if it smells sour or pungent then get ALL that bad fuel out of the tank before even turning the key on with a charged battery.  

 

There is also a possibility that your fuel pump is seized up if that motorcycle was stored with alcohol containing fuel so you might need to address that & replace the in-tank fuel filter before it will even start.  If the pump is seized up then the fuel injectors might also be gummed up. 

 

If the fuel is real bad smelling then you probably should replace the in-tank high pressure submersible fuel hoses as they will probably fail  in the future & leave you stranded. 

[bajaru]

I wouldn't bother trying to get it started to ride to proper service mechanic. If it, as you say, was well maintained and ran pre-pandemic then there shouldn't be an issue. Trailer it there and ride it home after a thorough inspection and service by the mechanic. It will take a couple of goes before you find the 'right' mechanic for you, and as live with the bike  you eventually learn more of and learn to service the bike yourself. There's a wealth of knowledge out there.

[calrroadster]

A big thanks to everyone who replied to this thread and for this community in general.
This weekends was the first time I took the motorcycle to the streets and covered 50+ miles. So many things to discover and learn!
This is what I had to do to get it started and make me confident enough in it's street-readiness:
 

Removed the tank, siphoned out whatever fuel I could. Gave it a good shake. Still lots of it left in the tank, so opened the filler cap and inverted the tank over a homedepot bucket.
Inspected what came out. Surprisingly only minor sediments. Definitely no chunks/metal flakes or liner material.

So just put in 2 gal of premium fuel + injector cleaner. First start was rough, but it still started!. I had to be halfway on the throttle to keep the engine alive, but a promising start. And saw some drips on the floor, definitely gasoline. Inspected and found a cracked fuel line. Oh well, time to hunt for new hose and injection rated clamp. 5/16ID hoses work well for this purpose, so got those from a local auto store, transferred the quick disconnect and put it in.
 

Since I didn't know the condition and quantity of oil in the engine (saw nothing in the sight glass), decided to take care of all of that before the next experiment. Gathered materials and waited for the next weekend. Took friday off and replaced all of this.

 

Engine Oil change	Castrol GTX 20W-50 Conventional Motor Oil (4 quart)	Dino oil for this bike.
Transmission oil change	Valvoline 75W-90 Gear Oil
Final drive oil change	Valvoline 75W-90 Gear Oil
Air filter replacement	Hiflofiltro HFA7910
Oil filter replacement	MAHLE OC 91 Oil Filter
Battery replacement	Yuasa YT19BL-BS Sealed Battery	OEM battery was dead. The Yuasa looks solid.
Brake fluid change, Front & Rear	Prestone Fluid Dot4	Bled from the calipers & topped up the master cylinders.
Clutch fluid top-up	Prestone Fluid Dot4	Removed slightly dark fluid from master cylinder and topped up with new fluid.

 

Oh what a difference all of this makes!

 

Engaged the fast throttle lever and gave it another start, it was alive and idling! Took for a short ride around the block and returned with the widest smile I have on record.

[taylor1]

Thats great!  Now a pic. of your new ride

[calrroadster]

Had a fantastic Friday evening ride. Here she is in all her glory

[calrroadster]

Although the bike is fun to ride, it drives home the point why it's called an oilhead. After each session I see new oil on parts :-P
I kid, but need some sanity check if these are normal.
1. The front fork stanchions are oily. It's not so much oil that it drips down the forks, but the dust seal and stanchions definitely get oily.
2. Yesterday, after the bike was parked overnight I found one oil drop on the floor. On inspecting, it's coming from around the lowest bolt of the valve cover.The area right above the bolt head is completely dry, so I strongly suspect it's coming from the bolt hole(marked in the image).
 

[Lowndes]

Calrroadster - 

 

You might want to remove that valve cover and look for cracks around that bolt from the inside.   Looks like there was a little mishap there.   Just remove the plastic sparkplug cover (says "4VALVE"), the sparkplug wire, and those 4 Allen screws.  A little oil may spill out (a tablespoon or two) so have a pan ready.  The rubber seals are all reuseable unless they are damaged from the mishap.  The screws are bottoming in the head to prevent over-tightening so 9 Nm or 80 in lb torque is ALL that is needed or advised when reassembling.  

 

It might be something very simple like cleaning the seals and reassembling.  Any small cracks might be sealed with a silicone or similar sealant.  You should not be having any leaks or even seeps here.

 

You could cover the dings and maybe prevent another episode with some inexpensive, low profile head guards.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/325660444458?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1LcNWK8LHSducFVrZnzbwzw0&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-166974-028196-7&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=325660444458&targetid=2166458347906&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9010799&poi=&campaignid=20380455540&mkgroupid=151360380613&rlsatarget=pla-2166458347906&abcId=9316612&merchantid=101707516&gclid=CjwKCAjwxaanBhBQEiwA84TVXFI2Dk3tTs3Gf6GaXV7EAk1Rg8HKsdDPCnlUrC9CUlo1TO6V8bj8kRoCOWUQAvD_BwE

 

 

Get a Clymer manual M503-3 as it will come in VERY handy if you do anything yourself on the bike (finding a shop that knows anything about oilheads AND will work on them is getting more difficult).  

 

Let us know what you find.  Your photos are GOOD.

 

Inside of the valve cover showing the sparkplug seal and captive screws:

 

 

 

Left side head with seal:

 

 

 

 

[calrroadster]

Thanks @Lowndes, I finally opened up the valve covers, adjusted the valves and also replaced the rubber seal for good measure. While I was in there, I replaced the original spark plugs(NGK) with Autolite platinums.

 

Initially I did not notice much of a difference in the way the engine was running, maybe felt a tad bit rougher. So went ahead and did a throttle body synchronisation.

Me being a frugal guy, did not think it was worth spending $100+ to buy a carb sync tool. So I followed @dirtrider's recommendation and made a diy balancer.

Bought 20-foot of 3/16" ID vinyl hose($6), small bottle of walmart 2 stroke oil ($1.5), and mounted it on a scrap board of wood($0). At under $8, I had a balancer that was guaranteed by physics to be every bit as accurate as the expensive ones. It worked beautifully! Set the idle at 1.2k and balanced at 3k. The first ride after, the engine was at it's smoothest since I got this bike.

[Skywagon]

DR’s manometer is more accurate than the electronic one. 
 

Lowndes wasn’t kidding about not over tightening those valve cover bolts. There have been many here who have asked for help to repair after adding just a bit more Armstrong. 
 

After you cleaned it all up, any more drips?