1150 rt sounding like a scooter

[tonyla]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

[Ken H.]

Please clarify "sounds like a scooter." Scooters sound like a lot of different things.

[flat_twin]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

 

You say that like it's a bad thing!

[tonyla]

under powered would be the best way to describe it.

tony

[Mr_Ed]

under powered would be the best way to describe it.

 

So you're saying it sounds under powered or are you saying that is actually feels under powered?

 

If it's just the sound removing the baffles appears to work for the Harley crowd

[tonyla]

just sound, it runs great 110mph Sunday then I realized I was still in 5th.

 

tony

[Mr_Ed]

just sound, it runs great 110mph Sunday then I realized I was still in 5th.

 

Me thinks you crave a Remus. Go on...do it... ya know you wanna.

 

On the "scooter sound" comment... My wife has a 2007 400cc Burgman Scooter. When she's next to me at a light I better be paying attention... she's surprised more than once. I've learned not to judge a bike by it's bark (or lack there of).

[Nevets]

Does the "scooter sound" go away after starting? Could it be you are describing a starter problem? ...like a sticking starter or something similar? Does a scooter happen to always ride past when you are starting the bike?

 

Seriously, it's too bad you can't attach a wav or mp3 sound file that you have recorded..... I wonder if anyone here has ever posted a link to a sound file when describing a problem like this. Hmmm…

[kiwiaudio]

"Does a scooter happen to always ride past when you are starting the bike?"

 

OH - I don't care who you are - That is funny ..

[Rider1200RT]

Please define scooter...

 

Sorry, but what kind of noise(s) are you hearing??

Most oilheads make a rattling sound at start up and as oil pressure builds, this noise dissipates into a rumble. That's about it really.

[tonyla]

the best way is putt putt putt It is not a starting problem

I believe. I just thought of something I wonder if the tank bag I put is changing the sound I hear coming from the engine. It is BMW bag so it really isn't covering anything that isn't already covered.

[tobyzusa]

Put some playing cards on the wheels like you did when you were a kid

[tonyla]

would but they don't sell clothes pins anymore! plus with my luck if I bought a pack of cards there wouldn't be any gum and all the cards would be Barry Bonds.

[567guy]

My 02 1150 RTP sounds like kucugg-wheeze--kucugg==whezze==rhummmmmmmmmmmm' I don't have any schooter in this area to compare to ,but that is about the sound I would say it makes. It is definetly not highyly pleasurable.if it is cold and usually is in Canada it will make one extr kuchugg.

[Hermes]

My 02 1150 RTP sounds like kucugg-wheeze--kucugg==whezze==rhummmmmmmmmmmm'

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by the sounds of that, it hasn't been all that cold in Saskatchewan yet.....

[MAT2CHI]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

 

I thought they stopped making the R1150RT in 2004. If you have an 05' then it's a R1200RT, right? My 2004 R1150RT sounds a little like a scooter when I first take off, but that's the way they sound with the stock exhaust. Rather than spend a small fortune on an after market exhaust to make that sound go away, I just got used to it.

[NonComp]

When I first got my r1100 the intake snorkel was not connected to the airbox (it just sat beside it). After the clutch job, and reassembled it properly and noticed that it makes more of a putt-putt sound through the intake.

[Roninfla1]

Hey...I take that personally as I once owned a 06 Burgman 650 scooter. Blow the pants off many so called motorcycles. Presently ride a nice R1100RT but still admire that put put scooter

[Huzband]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

 

I thought they stopped making the R1150RT in 2004. If you have an 05' then it's a R1200RT, right?

 

Wrong. Euros & others got early '05 1150RT's & GS's.

 

Not so in the states, though.

 

BTW, I always thought my RT sounded kinda like a scooter.

 

Heck, one time, a guy even asked me what kind of scooter it was.

[MAT2CHI]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

 

I thought they stopped making the R1150RT in 2004. If you have an 05' then it's a R1200RT, right?

 

Wrong. Euros & others got early '05 1150RT's & GS's.

 

Not so in the states, though.

 

BTW, I always thought my RT sounded kinda like a scooter.

 

Heck, one time, a guy even asked me what kind of scooter it was.

 

 

He lives in the states so why would he own a Euro bike?

I've owned an obnoxiously loud bike before so I enjoy the cuff-cuff quiet of my RT.

[Boffin]

my 05 1150rt sounds like a scooter on start up, anybody have any thoughts. I have 12000k on her with no drivetrain mods.

tony

 

I thought they stopped making the R1150RT in 2004. If you have an 05' then it's a R1200RT, right?

 

Wrong. Euros & others got early '05 1150RT's & GS's.

 

Not so in the states, though.

 

BTW, I always thought my RT sounded kinda like a scooter.

 

Heck, one time, a guy even asked me what kind of scooter it was.

 

 

He lives in the states so why would he own a Euro bike?

I've owned an obnoxiously loud bike before so I enjoy the cuff-cuff quiet of my RT.

 

There were a few '05 R1150RTs sold in the USA, IIRC they were sold at a good discount.

 

Andy

[tonyla]

that is correct on the o5' I guess the us received about a 100

I happened to buy mine while BMW had the color I wanted in an 05 but not 04 so I bought the 05'

 

tony

[MAT2CHI]

I do love my RT very much!

[tobyzusa]

There were a few '05 R1150RTs sold in the USA, IIRC they were sold at a good discount.

 

Andy

 

Don't know about the good discount part, but I can verify they were sold in the US and also in Canada. See my signature line.

[tosh41]

Have also heard this scooter tale. The worst was "sounds like a sewing machine" - about my previous R1100 R.

The fact is that I recently borrowed a friend's Ninja, and found a much higher level of awareness from cars - especially while splitting or overtaking.

Am planning to go for an aftermarket exhaust. Any tips - less on the performance issue than on the sound side. I need something with both more bass (low revs) and throatiness (mid-revs, to signal my presence to cars while splitting) - which all non-Beemers tend to do. With my stock exhaust, this is just a waste of gas.

Also has anyone come across issues with the Laser system frying sidebags and the left rear indicator light ?

 

Tosh

R1150 RS (04), R 60/7 (77)

[Ken H.]

found a much higher level of awareness from cars - especially while splitting or overtaking.

How do you know? Is the exhast on the Ninja pointed forward?

 

Any rider who relies on the hearing of others for their safety, has their reliance sadly misplaced.

[mrduck]

Also has anyone come across issues with the Laser system frying sidebags and the left rear indicator light ?

 

Tosh

R1150 RS (04), R 60/7 (77)

 

 

 

HUH???

 

 

 

[ninermatt]

found a much higher level of awareness from cars - especially while splitting or overtaking.

How do you know? Is the exhast on the Ninja pointed forward?

Any rider who relies on the hearing of others for their safety, has their reliance sadly misplaced.

Don't you know that "loud pipes save lives" or is that "lewd pipes"? I'm so confused!

[NonComp]

Any rider who relies on the hearing of others for their safety, has their reliance sadly misplaced.

+1 on this. Have you noticed that the guys most likely to cut into your lane also seem to have those ground-penetrating base amplifier setups that you can hear 10 cars back with the windows closed? I don't think exhaust note will help much. But it makes you ride faster

[UberXY]

There were a few '05 R1150RTs sold in the USA, IIRC they were sold at a good discount.

 

Andy

 

 

 

Don't know about the good discount part, but I can verify they were sold in the US and also in Canada. See my signature line.

 

I have one too. I was told about 250 were sold. I found mine used, one year old, 732 miles. Big discount.

[elkroeger]

Does it sound different right off, and then switch back to a "normal" sound? Easiest answer is low oil. Valves will be noisy without any oil (don't ask me how I know, but I didn't ruin it). when your pressure builds, it'll sound right again. The other option is a sticky starter. That's a wierd noise, and I've only heard it on my neighbor's mercedes. But that'll go for a few moments and then quit.

[dave_jo]

Two of my friends insist my 1150RT sounds like a moped next to their Harleys, and theirs are quiet ones. I'll have to ask them what it sounds like as I fly by them in 3rd or 4th gear when it's time to actually ride instead of cruise.

 

I love the fact that I can start up and pull out of my driveway at 6:15am less than 40 feet from my neighbor's house/bedroom and I make less noise than my Toyota Tacoma PU.

Honestly, I would say the 1150RT sounds "scooterish" with the stock exhaust at low RPMs. That's one of the reasons I own it. At low RPMs I can stealth my way through neighborhoods.

 

When I spoke with a longtime friend about my reasons for buying the BMW instead of another brand he said: "That's great. We really don't need anymore 50ish guys riding around here on Harleys" He owns one.

And I'm at least 18 months away from 50.

 

Unless you think there is something wrong, I say: Enjoy it!

[MAT2CHI]

Have also heard this scooter tale. The worst was "sounds like a sewing machine" - about my previous R1100 R.

The fact is that I recently borrowed a friend's Ninja, and found a much higher level of awareness from cars - especially while splitting or overtaking.

Am planning to go for an aftermarket exhaust. Any tips - less on the performance issue than on the sound side. I need something with both more bass (low revs) and throatiness (mid-revs, to signal my presence to cars while splitting) - which all non-Beemers tend to do. With my stock exhaust, this is just a waste of gas.

Also has anyone come across issues with the Laser system frying sidebags and the left rear indicator light ?

 

Tosh

R1150 RS (04), R 60/7 (77)

 

I own a 1150RT and I replaced the stock high and low beam lights with Piaa high bright lights and added the Piaa 1100 running light kit. I also added the signal minder device that turns my turn signals into running lights and cars will do a deer in the headlights look when I approach. I commute to work at 5:30 am so I'd rather be bright than loud. This morning I was traveling down a three lane one way street and a SUV was starting to pull out of one of those drive through coffee places and after getting a wheel into my lane stopped on a dime and let me go by. I know he see all my lights and wondered WTF is that. I run all my lights on high during the day and have had many cars about to pull out in front of me stop when they saw all the bright lights coming at them. And since I leave so early in the morning I like that my bike is almost whisper quiet and doesn't wake up my young son and wife. I also own a Harley-Davidson that is many times louder than my RT and people cut in front of me all the time when I'm riding that. The bright lights work much better for me than the loud pipes, and they don't piss off the neighbors.

[SpaceKing]

Honestly, I would say the 1150RT sounds "scooterish" with the stock exhaust at low RPMs. That's one of the reasons I own it. At low RPMs I can stealth my way through neighborhoods.

Best description I have heard of the RT is "sounds like a farting nun."

Discreet, almost embarrased.

B