Last year my R1150R used to show 80 mph at 4000 rpm. Due to a low speed spill last year I removed the tank and front fender (we call em mud guards in Blighty, I think this is what they are called in the US...) for a respray over the winter, no problems you would think. Removing the front fender necesitated removing the speedo cable, a simple task.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I took the Beemer out for a first spin of the year on Monday and lo and behold speedo now reads 75 mph at 4000 rpm - so what's all that about then?
What I really want know is what the correct speed / rpm ratio is in top gear (bike has the overdrive box) so I can establish if my speedo was over reading or is now under reading.
andydodd wrote:Last year my R1150R used to show 80 mph at 4000 rpm. Due to a low speed spill last year I removed the tank and front fender (we call em mud guards in Blighty, I think this is what they are called in the US...) for a respray over the winter, no problems you would think. Removing the front fender necesitated removing the speedo cable, a simple task.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I took the Beemer out for a first spin of the year on Monday and lo and behold speedo now reads 75 mph at 4000 rpm - so what's all that about then?
What I really want know is what the correct speed / rpm ratio is in top gear (bike has the overdrive box) so I can establish if my speedo was over reading or is now under reading.
The gearing of my bike has been on my mind too. My bike is an '05 1150R and at 70 mph in 6th it is reading 4000 rpms. This is disappointing to me because anything after 4000-4200 rpm has too much vibration/buzz in the handle bars. I've thought about trading in for a K bike, because I would prefer to be cruising at about 3800 rpms around 80 mph. Is this something that will improve with more miles? I only have 2000 miles so far (since late January '06). I've been thinking about taking some long deserted highway trips this summer, but after 70 mph the bike just doesn't seem to be in it's "sweet spot" anymore. Can this be improved?
Kristi - dont give up on the R yet! If you are getting that much vibe after 4000 rpm I would get the dealer to have a look. Sure, they all vibrate but I have not found it uncomfortable.
It's been my experience that the speedo is off by a few mph. I've also heard this same experience from many other motorcyclists. It's not something specific to BMWs. I've used my GPS in my car and a friends car and the GPS and car speedo read almost exactly the same (within 1 mph) at speeds up to 85. I didn't go above 85. I then put the gps on my roadster and the speedo on my bike reads anywhere from 3-5 mph faster at speeds from 40 to 90 mph. Unfortunately that also means the odometer on my bike also reads faster.
As for your difference from one occassion to another; it could be a difference in tire pressure, wind direction, incline of the road, load on bike, or just simply your gauges.
"Be a man and face the fire. Make something ugly into something beautiful." Unknown taxi driver.
I have checked the speed in my car with the sat nav (Mazda MX5) and it shows the speedo over-reading by 5-6 mph at 60! As you say, the odo will also be over-reading!
I'v yet to use the satnav on the bike and have it visual. Mine is an Ipaq so I just stck it in my pocket and have an earphone into the helmet - cant see the speed. I now have a tankbag with map pocket so will be able to try it out.
I've used Sat Nav to test speedos on the various cars I've driven and found that most of them read either exact or over. They must not read under as this is against legislation.
My old R1100S had an electronic speedo, its a pity they didn't think about putting the same one on the R rather than that antiquated cable thing!
England, land of tax, rain and potholes. But the beer IS good.
Kristi wrote:The gearing of my bike has been on my mind too. My bike is an '05 1150R and at 70 mph in 6th it is reading 4000 rpms. This is disappointing to me because anything after 4000-4200 rpm has too much vibration/buzz in the handle bars. I've thought about trading in for a K bike, because I would prefer to be cruising at about 3800 rpms around 80 mph. Is this something that will improve with more miles? I only have 2000 miles so far (since late January '06). I've been thinking about taking some long deserted highway trips this summer, but after 70 mph the bike just doesn't seem to be in it's "sweet spot" anymore. Can this be improved?
Kristi,
My `03 shows 80 at 4500 rpm. I've run at that speed and above for hours and did not experience buzz in the handle bars, and the vibs in the foot pegs were not too noticeable. Now, I don't have stock bars. I have a Renthal FatBar which is a really thick walled aluminum tube, but I don't ever remember very much vibration in the stock bar. My problem has always been that 4500 rpm WAS the sweet spot. Got me in trouble a couple of times. 70 in 6th sounds way too slow for 4000 rpm IMHO.
I have had the "overdrive" and "standard" 6th gears. OD was 82 at 4k RPM, and the std is 72 at 4k RPM. On both bikes there has been a little vibration somewhere between 4k and 4200 RPM, I just try not to stay in that RPM zone for long periods.
Jeff (lifer #289)
'17 F800GSA
'04 R1150R
There ain't no education in the second kick of a mule!
I met some people this weekend that recommended a different dealership from the one I've been using. I may take my bike down there and have them check it out in the next month or so. I shouldn't have used the word "uncomfortable" about the vibration. It isn't anything like the bike I use to have, but it just feels like after 3600 rpms the bike is no longer "cruising" but having to work harder. It does read 70 mph at 4000 rpm. I hit 100 mph the first time last week on a 300 mile trip. I love the bike, but I think it needs some adjusting. Here is an article about a chip for the R from a company in San Antonio called Rhine West Performance. Would you read it and give me your opinion about the stated increase in performance. The website is listed to so you can see the charts. http://www.rhinewestperformance.com/03J ... erChip.pdf
My suburban reads about 5 percent under actual speed, my RR reads 7 or 8 percent over actual speed. I had to hit speeds of 90mph plus for 15 miles once to catch my wife driving the suburban at what she swore was in the low 70's, & she only had a few minutes head start.
I hate speedos with bith over & under errors, but I guess I would rather the speedo read fast. I have enough different vehicles to drive I never know how fast I'm going, & seriously trying to avoid a ticket these days its getting to be a pain.
..(Aussie humor) 