Probable stick coil failure on '05 R1150RT

[towerworker]

I had just finished about $700 (parts) worth of service work on my RT. Changed out everything under the hood that could be changed and/or renewed. Brakes, Spiegler SS lines, alternator belt, ABS service, valve adjust, TB sync, fuel filter and internal rubber lines, new Odyssey battery, 4 new spark plugs, Centech accessory fuse panel and I know I'm missing something else but anyway..

I wanted to replace and/or service everything that hides beneath the fiberglass. I took my time and it all went well (almost). Darn mirror attachment hardware is problematic but that's another story. Bike has been running great until about 10 days ago. I've got a terrible surging/missing issue seemingly while under steady throttle. Extremely noticeable under 3K rpm. At first I thought I'd gotten some poor fuel but I run the same 93 octane non ethanol from the same station majority of the time. But the more I run it the more I'm leaning toward failing stick coils. But testing the stick coils by pulling the secondary plug cap is difficult on the RT because you've got to pull the fairing (or pull much of it loose) to get to the underside plug. So I've taken the easy route (and probably would have had to do this anyway) and ordered a new pair of coils. I'll report back after I've fitted them.

https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/produ ... oil853.htm

[Biff's R]

I may have a spare sitting in the garage thatI can send you. I'll look later this evening

[towerworker]

Thanks Jeff, but I installed a new pair yesterday. And what a difference! There is one thing I need though.......the rubber grommet/gasket that sits just under(or behind) the connector that keeps water out of the plug tunnel.....I'm short one. Apparently one coil was replaced at one point as there is still an older BMW coil and the gasket is still on that one. The other existing coil is a Beru and that one did not have the grommet. You have to pull the grommet off the original coil and transfer over to the replacement. I never noticed that. So whoever replaced a coil previously did not save the grommet.
I was amazed at the difference in performance. I guess these things can fail a little at a time and you don't always notice till it it goes over a threshold.
So much better! But thanks so much for the offer Jeff!

[Bogdan]

I'm impressed...certainly thorough maintenance. You checked all the boxes. I am curious about the abs service. How did the brake fluid look - clear or colored ? How long was it in there ?

[towerworker]

I bought the bike 4/20 and I think the previous owner said the ABS had been done the previous summer. So it was close to 3 years. The fluid didn't look bad, just a tad darker than the new fluid going in.

[Bogdan]

Good to know.....BMW says every year. The last two times I did the deed - after two years - the fluid was clear as new. But.... the bike spent a good deal of time in Colorado where it's dry. Now I'm in humid St.Louis; that's why I asked. I won't worry if I go 2 1/2 or even three years. This procedure is weird. Why wouldn't my Haynes manual even mention this very necessary maintenance ??

Bogdan Swider
http://bogdanswider.blogspot.com

Let us not look back in anger, not forward in fear, but around in awareness.
James Thurber

[towerworker]

I had intended to change the lines and summer of '20. Then 7/1 of that year I dropped the bike on gravel at an intersection and broke my right leg. That pretty well screwed up plans of pulling stuff apart. November that same year after experiencing some other physical difficulties I found I needed some pretty substantial heart surgery. But because of Covid the surgery could not be performed until 3/15 of '21. That particular experience went south in many ways resulting in 51 days in the hospital. Took some time to get pretty well past that, heaving a 700 lb m/c is not quite as easy as it used to be. So service put off again.
My previous R was quite a bit easier in that regard. But I agree with you concerning BMW's recommendations. I don't quite understand why they built a bike that couldn't keep up with the reliability of the average ABS system in a car.

btw....I checked out your website. I'm very impressed!
Very nice work.

Wayne

[chibbert]

I’m gonna ask a really stupid question. How do I know if my bike has stick coils (‘04 R1150RS a’la MikeCam). If I do have these, would I get benefit from replacing them if they’re seemingly not acting up? Thanks

[towerworker]

My guess would be that you do have the stick coils or dual plug ignition system. Look on the plastic plug covers and see if they say "Dual spark" on them. Also look under the jug and again if it's a dual spark engine there will be another spark plug with it's associated spark plug wire. There is probably a plastic cover that guards the wire and plug end. Those lower plugs are fired by a more conventional ignition coil that's under the tank just forward of the ABS unit.