chadb Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 My 1999 R1100RT has a lot of miles on it. I bought it used in 2005 with 72K. It's around 80K now. My only real complaint with performance is that it tends to buck and pull at low speeds. Fortunately, I don't ride at low speeds much. But when I have to (parking lots, motorcycle gatherings,etc) it's annoying and somewhat embarrassing to have a bike that makes me look like I'm riding a mechanical bull. I've read that these aftermarket fuel mixture gadgets can help with this condition. Does anyone have any real world experience with them? I'd like to get a thumbs up from an oilhead rider before I shell out the $200 plus. Many thanks, Chad Link to comment
chadb Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 Sorry, forgot to include a link to the site I'm talking about. http://www.dobeckperformance.com/ http://secure.dobeckperformance.com/shopping550/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=2&cat=BMW Link to comment
Fugu Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Friend of mine who is a pretty good wrench put one on a 35k mile 2002 RT he got recently. He says it was like night and day, best money he ever spent, etc. etc. Link to comment
smiller Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 The first thing you should try is a careful throttle body sync and general tuneup to see if you can't minimize the issue, but the fact remains that the stock EFI map is calibrated too lean for optimum performance and the Techlusion/Dobeck and Power Commander tuning modules are popular and effective fixes. Do a search and I think you'll find far more positive reviews than negative, if you can even find a negative review. Link to comment
Silver Surfer/AKAButters Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Installed a Power Commander III on my 02RT. Completely tamed the beast, although if you do search on,"surging" there are some much cheaper options like "cat plugs" that people claim work wonders as well. I can only speak from experience to the PC III. Link to comment
smiller Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Yes that point's worth mentioning, another option is to try removing the cat code plug which is the yellow (on US-spec 1100 bikes) plug-in module in the center of the fuse box which will disable closed-loop operation and cause the bike to default to a slightly richer base map. I personally found this to be somewhat helpful but it wasn't the complete answer I was looking for (the Power Commander ended up providing that), but removing the CCP often does provide some improvement and you can't beat the cost (free.) Link to comment
R1100RSpurist Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 what if your CAT plug is pink? and what about catalytic converter damage? Link to comment
smiller Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 what if your CAT plug is pink? and what about catalytic converter damage? Pulling the CCP will have pretty much the same effect on any 1100, although I'll let those more familiar with the 1150 comment on that series. I don't believe that there is danger of any physical damage to the cat converter merely as a result of pulling the CCP or adding a properly-adjusted fueling box. Link to comment
Scotty Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 I've got the 1031 on my RT. Simple to install. Worth every penny. Link to comment
chadb Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll probably give the techlusion/dobeck a shot. Looks to be a good plug'n'play solution. But first I'll take a peek and see what's already going on in there. I had the bike in for service at 75K, and if anything it ran worse after spending the $1000+ (with new rear tire) at the dealership. Seemed more likely to stall when cold, and there's sometimes a hard "clunk" that stops the engine...but only when it's idling and cold. The guy who had the bike before me was a bit of a modder I think. It's got some non-stock stuff that I'm still trying to figure out. There's an LED that flickers red, yellow or green depending on the current voltage. Useful for gaging drain from plug in accessories, etc. That's pretty self-explanatory. Then he's got the 3 position euro switch installed, but I don't know if he monkeyed with the wiring to add driving lights. There aren't any lights or mounts that I can see. I'll have to investigate that as well. Driving lights are on my agenda. The one that I really don't get is a round switch like a potentiometer with a click in the "off" position, no markings. Don't know what it's connected to but it has a tiny red LED next to it that flashes at about 2 sec intervals when it's not in the OFF position. Mounted on the left side dash near the accessory outlets. Fake alarm? Who knows. The stock radio was gone when I bought it, so maybe he had a fake alarm to protect his upgraded stereo? Ah, the joys of purchasing a used vehicle. Link to comment
Stan Walker Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Then he's got the 3 position euro switch installed, Turns off the headlights OR turns off both the headlights and parking lights. On my bike the Euro switch has been modified to turn off the driving lights all the time, or only use the driving light when the high beam is on, or turn on the driving lights all the time. The one that I really don't get is a round switch like a potentiometer with a click in the "off" position, no markings. Don't know what it's connected to but it has a tiny red LED next to it that flashes at about 2 sec intervals when it's not in the OFF position. Thermostat for heated clothing would be my guess. The ON time of the blink should get longer as you rotate the knob. Stan Link to comment
Scotty Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Chad: Now that you've updated your profile, I see that you're in Kitsap County. I live in West Seattle, just up from the ferry dock. As a welcome to our little community here, I'd be happy to take a look at your bike. I know the R engine pretty well, and I have all the diagnostic tools. Let me know if you're interested. Link to comment
chadb Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 Thermostat for heated clothing would be my guess. The ON time of the blink should get longer as you rotate the knob. Bingo! Thanks! I'll add it to my notes for the next owner. As for the euro switch. Mine currently operates as: Headlight, Parking lights, Lights off (getaway driver mode?). I saw the link in the FAQ for a suggested configuration with driving lights. I'll refer back to that when I do my modification. I like the Ezy-mount look for minimal interference with the stock lines of the bike. Link to comment
chadb Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 Scotty, Thanks! That sounds great! I could use a little orientation with the bike. I've been letting the shop down in Fife handle it, but I miss doing a bit of my own work. My last bike was a dead simple '83 Yamaha Virago 750, so the BMW has me scratching my head most of the time. I'll send you a PM with my info, so as not to post personal info here. Link to comment
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