Buzzing clock

[BoxerSteve]

Hi All,

I have an '02 R1150R that I bought last summer with about 20K on it. I've since put about 5K miles on it, mostly commuting.

So far it's been a great bike and I love it (mostly). One annoying problem with it though is at certain RPMs (3 to 4K) the clock makes a horrid buzzing sound. It does it as I upshift, downshift, and cruise. It drives me nuts and really detracts from the ride!

I took the clock out as a temporary solution but I don't much like the hole in my dashboard. I temporarily put in an automotive oil temp gauge (it wasn't hooked up, just to fill the hole) and it seemed to do the same thing, though the mounting seemed a bit manky using the same bracket as the clock does. So I took that back out and just have a hole right now. Too much vibration from the engine?

I was thinking of buying another clock but at $220 I'd hate to do that and find out the new one does the same thing. Ridiculous price, that.

Has anyone else encountered this problem, and if so, how did you fix it?

Thanks,
Steve

[Flashdog]

It doesn't sound like anything wrong with your clock. What's happening is that at a certain frequency (RPM) there is quite a bit of vibration that is just right to cause the clock/gauge housing to go into a resonance. I would recommend a tune up. Torque heads, adjust valves, sync throttle bodies, maybe some new plugs, and reset the TPS just for fun. Get rid of the vibration and the sound will go with it. Then again, I've been wrong before. I just finally spent some time on my R1150R and it seems like a new bike now. The way the bike feels now killed any plans of a new GS.

[suzuki]

Had the same problem on my04. It was the bolt behind the clock that was snaped off but didnt fall out. tried to tightin it and it was lose and just spun. Put duct tape over it to make sure It didnt fall out. Took it to the dealer under warrenty but had to order it. Really dont know what the bolt held because I just put duct tape over the hole untill the new bolt came in. Buzzing was gone. I never took the clock out but I do know the bolt didn't hold it in. I would give that a check. I could be wrong but i think there was a post on this a few years back.

[ruddy]

Yes, I also recall a thread about this. As a result of one of the suggestions, I tried installed a plain old 5/8" garden hose washer under the retaining "bolt." Voila, end of problem. Try it: it's cheap and easy.

[Flashdog]

Sorry, I had assumed the clock had already been checked for broken/loose pieces. But hey, if you haven't tuned her up yet you may as well.

[BoxerSteve]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. Flashdog, the bike has been recently tuned up and doesn't seem to vibrate excessively to me. But I haven't "reset the TPS". How does one do that? I'll search the forum for that one.

ruddy, I tried a hose washer - I put it under the clock so it is between the clock and the housing. It helps, it's not as bad as it was, but still does it. It wasn't a new washer though, I didn't have any new ones laying around. So I am going to get a new one and try that.

I might end up buying a new clock if nothing else works.

Steve

[frankc]

I also had the terrible buzzing (especially on deceleration) in the 3-4K range on my 04 R1150R. I had read about the clock being a source of buzzing for some, but felt that the problem was somewhere else because if I grabbed onto the clock while the buzz was present, the buzzing continued. With the windshield on, I was not able to reach around to the back of the clock, but I figured the clock housing was certainly not the source of the buzz.

I recently swapped out windshields, and decided to clean/polish the chrome on the back of the gauge console. It was then I noticed the large screw/bolt in the rear of the clock was loose. Oddly, as I have read here, I was unable to tighten it properly apparently due to the bolt length being too long. So I used the hose washer trick and finally the buzz is gone!!! Such a little thing has made the bike so much more enjoyable to ride now.

With many people having this issue with these models, I am a bit puzzled as to why BMW never had some sort of campaign to fix it. When I asked the service dept at my dealer about it, they claimed to never have heard of it before , and suggested inspecting the routing of the various cables (which I did).

Anyway, thanks for helping me resolve this issue (no need to buy that R1200R now ).

Frank

[challey]

frankc said:

With many people having this issue with these models, I am a bit puzzled as to why BMW never had some sort of campaign to fix it. When I asked the service dept at my dealer about it, they claimed to never have heard of it before ...

Surely you must be mistaken Frank - your clock problem must be unique or BMW Motorrad would have had a campaign to fix it. Just like they've done for the other oilhead problems. Oh by the way, I'm also pretty sure that the clock problem - like nearly all problems with BMW motorcycles - is caused by your riding style. Your dealer's is too polite to tell you that, that's why they're merely denying having ever heard of it.

Charlie
"Because it is vocally oriented, sarcasm can be difficult to grasp in written form and is easily misinterpreted."