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TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: JonnyB on January 15, 2018, 06:24:19 AM

Title: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 15, 2018, 06:24:19 AM
Wondered if anyone can tell me if this sounds normal or not. My K1100RS sounds like a tractor engine accelerating at low revs. When pulling away in 1st gear there is a distinct low pitch grunting sound. If I use more revs when releasing the clutch I don't hear it and as soon as I'm away from Idle revs >1500rpm it's silky smooth. I'm wondering if it's valve clearances might need adjusting, or whether being a 4 cylinder it just doesn't like pulling away at very low revs. I'm used to riding a Yam MT-03  660cc single and that flies away at low revs so maybe it's just me. It's new to me at 66k miles and I don't know anything of it's recent service history.

Thanks in advance.

Jonny
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 15, 2018, 08:18:06 AM
Wondered if anyone can tell me if this sounds normal or not. If I use more revs when releasing the clutch I don't hear it and as soon as I'm away from Idle revs >1500rpm it's silky smooth.
. . . it just doesn't like pulling away at very low revs.
It sounds normal to me. They make noise when they're lugged in any gear.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 15, 2018, 11:52:46 AM
Ah right thanks, so it's fairly normal then. Will just give it a few more revs when pulling away.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Filmcamera on January 15, 2018, 12:57:03 PM
That is what I do, just think of the tractor noise like an aircraft stall warning buzzer..
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: alexis291 on January 15, 2018, 03:18:56 PM
There was a post on here a while ago asking for the solution to the "pencil on a biscuit tin" noise. Mine does it too. I've searched for loose bits but never found any.


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Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 15, 2018, 04:35:59 PM
Yes pencil on a biscuit tin. That's a good analogy.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 15, 2018, 04:48:34 PM
There was a post on here a while ago asking for the solution to the "pencil on a biscuit tin" noise.
Yes pencil on a biscuit tin. That's a good analogy.
Is that a pencil with a sharpened tip tapping on the biscuit tin cover, or its eraser doing the tapping? Has the tin been emptied of biscuits? Is it the sound of the pencil rolling along the surface of the biscuit tin? Is this a #2 pencil under discussion?
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 15, 2018, 05:35:37 PM
The main points are that it must be of rounded hexagonal cross section, wooden construction with graphite core, preferably on the H side of the hardness scale for higher efficiency of sound transmission down the core. Less biscuits are preferable to increase the tin cavity volume and allow for unabated reverberation with side walls and base. This is convenient as the average K rider will have already eaten them before attempting the experiment. Then throw away all evidence of the experiment before the wife realises that you are a strange individual and probably need psychological counseling.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: rbm on January 15, 2018, 06:18:37 PM
Is that a pencil with a sharpened tip tapping on the biscuit tin cover, or its eraser doing the tapping? Has the tin been emptied of biscuits? Is it the sound of the pencil rolling along the surface of the biscuit tin? Is this a #2 pencil under discussion?
Laitch, you're such a shit disturber. :hehehe

The poor guy's only got 20 posts. :nono  Wait until at least 25.  :bmwsmile
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Chaos on January 15, 2018, 07:37:05 PM
mine sounds more like a crumpet tin.  should I be alarmed?
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: alexis291 on January 16, 2018, 04:37:08 PM
I really don't think y'all are taking this seriously enough.


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Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: alexis291 on January 16, 2018, 04:37:47 PM
[emoji57]


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Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: rbm on January 16, 2018, 06:52:43 PM
I think the consensus from this thread was that the noise you're hearing is related to lugging the engine.  I personally have never heard such a noise from any of the K-bikes I've owned so I can't offer any advice as to the source of such a sound as I have no personal offer experience.  Is the noise present when in neutral on the centre stand (stationary) or when in gear and in motion (mobile)?
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 16, 2018, 07:40:05 PM
It’s only when pulling at low revs. I seem to be the only guy driving one of these around central London and with all the luggage on but it’s also a great commuter especially in cold winter, but that means I am constantly at the lights or in traffic so frequently stopping and pulling away at low revs and it grunts/chatters if it don’t give it a good blip before letting out the clutch. Idling is great as is driving at higher revs. It’s definitely not the clutch which works great.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 16, 2018, 08:20:00 PM
It’s only when pulling at low revs. . . . at low revs and it grunts/chatters
You'll get the hang of it and you'll quiet it down.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on January 16, 2018, 10:14:11 PM
I am going to guess that the noise is the result of lash in the crank to output shaft gears.  There is an anti-lash on the output shaft with a spring that has been known to wear.  While it sounds like crap, it doesn't seem to cause any serious problems. 
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on January 27, 2018, 09:33:16 AM
A late thanks, maybe when. I give the bike a full service I’ll ask the mechanic to have a look at the transmission. Perhaps a worn bearing, or this anti-lash... i’ll have to look it up.
All the best. J
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: BlitzenGruv on January 28, 2018, 01:04:55 AM
Wondered if anyone can tell me if this sounds normal or not. My K1100RS sounds like a tractor engine accelerating at low revs. When pulling away in 1st gear there is a distinct low pitch grunting sound.
Sounds normal for a Harley, or a tractor. Anything else needs more revs before letting out the clutch.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Andy FitzGibbon on January 28, 2018, 08:58:52 PM
I am going to guess that the noise is the result of lash in the crank to output shaft gears.  There is an anti-lash on the output shaft with a spring that has been known to wear.  While it sounds like crap, it doesn't seem to cause any serious problems.


I second this. The noise may also be audible when "cruising" with little throttle, ie. mostly unloaded drivetrain. It's a well documented problem. Folks who claim that it's "normal for a K bike" probably just don't want to deal with the hassle of pulling the bike halfway apart to replace the anti-backlash spring.


Andy
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 29, 2018, 06:25:30 AM
Folks who claim that it's "normal for a K bike" probably just don't want to deal with the hassle of pulling the bike halfway apart to replace the anti-backlash spring.
Did you deal with that noise in your bike, Andy, or was it something other than the anti-backlash system?  Maybe two different noises are being described.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Andy FitzGibbon on January 29, 2018, 06:32:53 AM
Did you deal with that noise in your bike, Andy, or was it something other than the anti-backlash system?


Currently dealing with it.  The spring was worn/stretched out, and the pegs it hooks to on the gear were worn as well, which allowed the gear teeth to line up with each other (ie. not do it's job).  I sourced an updated 12-rivet output shaft (includes a more robust gear/spring setup) that is currently waiting for me to install it. 



Maybe two different noises are being described.

Quite possible, which is why I seconded a guess, made by Gryphon.

Andy
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 29, 2018, 06:37:56 AM
Currently dealing with it. 
It would be helpful for others if you document your work on that part with photos. They could supplement Bert Vogel's photos in his K100 essay.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Andy FitzGibbon on January 29, 2018, 07:00:13 AM
It would be helpful for others if you document your work on that part with photos. They could supplement Bert Vogel's photos in his K100 essay.


The job has already been well documented.  BMW themselves did a great job describing it here: [size=78%]http://www.bmw-k100rt-page.eu/manual/Engine/examinationEngine_24.htm (http://www.bmw-k100rt-page.eu/manual/Engine/examinationEngine_24.htm)[/size]


Bert's photos are already quite good, and show exactly the problem I'm describing- any photos I could contribute would be redundant.




Andy
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on January 29, 2018, 07:02:55 AM
. . . any photos I could contribute would be redundant.
Nothing wrong with redundancy. Some instrux are easier to find than others.

Good luck.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on February 01, 2018, 07:26:42 AM
Thanks for all the advise. I am using the bike as my daily commuter so I will have to find a time to get the bik apart at some stage; looks like a big job. So is it likely just the spring that needs replacing? I would like to prepurchase the likely components that will need replacing so I can rebuild in one sitting - I tend to fordet how things go back together otherwise!
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on February 01, 2018, 08:05:26 AM
It is a big job and I think you'll be wasting your time. Try not to seek perfection; instead concentrate on enjoyment. Keep refining your takeoff.

If you can make a YouTube video that captures the sound when on the road, that would give all us vagrants here some entertainment and maybe even some enlightenment :giggles
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Andy FitzGibbon on February 01, 2018, 08:24:36 AM
It is a big job and I think you'll be wasting your time. Try not to seek perfection; instead concentrate on enjoyment. Keep refining your takeoff.


Laitch, you have to keep in mind that, for some of us, a lot of enjoyment is derived from the act of seeking perfection. I enjoy working on my bikes just as much as I enjoy riding them- I enjoy the challenge of a serious teardown, particularly in the winter months when riding days are scarce. In the good riding weather, knowing that there's something amiss with any of my bikes irks me, even if it's not life threatening to myself or the bike.


To each his own. What might seem like a waste of time to you could provide someone else with a great deal of that enjoyment you suggest concentrating on. To me, altering one's riding technique to mask a mechanical problem is a waste of time. To each his own.


Andy
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: JonnyB on February 01, 2018, 08:50:41 AM
I think I partly want to open up the bike as it’s new to me, 66k miles old and I’d like to check the condition of splines, gears and bearings as I go through. No idea what maintenance it’s had in the past, but for the last 10 years I think not a lot. For example, do the inner bearings need replacing after a while, or is it just wheel bearings that tend to wear earlier than the rest? Maybe just need to look and see.
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on February 01, 2018, 12:03:11 PM
To me, altering one's riding technique to mask a mechanical problem is a waste of time.
Only if there is a problem in the first place. :giggles

Anyway, I encourage those who reap enjoyment from recreational teardowns to document them because—as with workshop manuals—the more examples that others can use for reference, the more likely one is to gain an insight that having only example one might not provide.


Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: lmiklosy on February 01, 2018, 12:34:10 PM
I found most posts here concern spline wear from lack of lubrication not bearing failure. For a frank illustration about spline failure, watch the adult video by Chris Harris on YouTube, take the usual precaution and remove young children from the room first.

If the rattle you hear is due to worn springs from the back-lash gear-set, then the rattle due to worn springs should not occur on a new bike, correct?   My experience is with the K75 and they all rattle, even those with very low miles so I ruled out the worn springs. I always suspected low motor speed = low oil pressure that causes the rods to knock, so avoid low oil pressure. These bikes LOVE to rev so keep the RPMs UP.

Engineers design machinery and structures to avoid a condition called resonance, what you hear at low rpms is a "resonance-like" condition due to the low motor speed, so keep the rpms up and avoid this condition. For the K75  idle speed should be 950-1000rpm, always operate above 3000 RPM, shift points 5000 - 6000 rpm.  Your owners manual will give better numbers specific to the K1100RS        Hope that helps. 
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Andy FitzGibbon on February 01, 2018, 01:04:51 PM
The K75s have an additional potential source of noise, specific to their design, caused by the interface between the balance shaft to the drive gear. Gryphon has a good write up on it somewhere in the archives here.


Andy
Title: Re: My K1100RS pulls off at the lights like a tractor engine
Post by: Laitch on February 01, 2018, 02:35:27 PM
The K75s have an additional potential source of noise, specific to their design, caused by the interface between the balance shaft to the drive gear. Gryphon has a good write up on it somewhere in the archives here.
This may be Gryph's write-up. (http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,7663.msg64018.html#msg64018)