Chirp - Clunk - Clunk

[James_H]

The bike is a R 1100 RT-P. When I first start off, in first gear and not every time, the bike makes a "chrip - clunk- clunk" sound as it starts moving. Any ideas on what is causing that? And it is hard to translate sounds into words but that's about the best I can do.

[Paul Mihalka]

Absolutely normal. It is the bike's ABS checking in. That is when your ABS warning light goes out.

[hcmiller92]

My RT makes exactly the same noises and you described them perfectly!

[James_H]

Thanks. I had hoped that was the reason. I do feel better now

[DEF]

If your ABS doesn't chirp and clunk, it will cost you $1000.00 to restore the song (and the ABS system).

[SWB]

That was the first of many "oh .. oh .. maybe my bike is broken already" moments. Next comes the shifting thingy. Learn to "pre-load" (look it up), to shift smoothly. Then comes surging (they all do that, but you can tune most of it away, and probably eliminate it altogether by adding some mechanical farkles).

 

Just learn to use the "search" button on this site. You'll find out that nearly every question has been asked 200 times, and patiently answered by the terrific folks who browse this site.

 

BMWSportTouring: Best motorcycle site on the Web!!

 

(Of course, BMW's are the best street bikes, too!)

[James_H]

Thanks. I'll do that. I must admit I did try the search function for my conversion question but not this one.

 

And the ability to ask a question and get a relevant answer in a few hours is really great. Still learning the bike though. It is different than my Honda Cruisers. The Valkyrie is a flat six sort of like the boxer, but different. It has almost no vibration.

 

The only thing that I am trying to work on now is the way the hand grips bit into my hands. I think it's riding position and I just need to get use to it. But those grips seem way to "hard" on the hands.

[Paul De]

Yes, a very normal sound for this iteration of RT. And if a friend talks you into letting them take a ride on it be sure to let them know about the chirp-clunk-clunk. I had a friend who was just rolling away and heard the noise and aborted his take off. That start and abrupt stop left him a bit off balance and he nearly lost it to a stop & flop......my heart was so far up my throat I could taste it

[Jerry Johnston]

Thanks.The only thing that I am trying to work on now is the way the hand grips bit into my hands. I think it's riding position and I just need to get use to it. But those grips seem way to "hard" on the hands.

That has come up many time over the years also. I put foam sleeves taken from the grips for a Harley and slipped them over the RT grips. Makes the grip larger and helps eliminate vibes.

[Rob L]

Thanks. I'll do that. I must admit I did try the search function for my conversion question but not this one.

 

And the ability to ask a question and get a relevant answer in a few hours is really great. Still learning the bike though. It is different than my Honda Cruisers. The Valkyrie is a flat six sort of like the boxer, but different. It has almost no vibration.

 

The only thing that I am trying to work on now is the way the hand grips bit into my hands. I think it's riding position and I just need to get use to it. But those grips seem way to "hard" on the hands.

I bought a set of grip puppies from www.casporttouring.com and love them!

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merc..._Code=Hand-Cont

 

Note: no affiliation, just think that this is a great product at a low price!

[James_H]

Thanks for the help. And the price is right.