Fast Idle Control

[omoore3]

The fast idle control works but it does not catch. Is this an adjustment issue or is something broken?
I took apart the whole assembly once trying to fix it. A real hassle and I failed.
If something is broken, do I need to buy the whole assembly. BTW I have heated grips.
Oliver
2004 R1150r

[sykospain]

BMW designed an over-engineered 4-cable system for operating the two cylinder 'throttles' and the Cold Start Control.

The business ends of them live in a little box under the battery tray ( almost totally inaccessible ) called a Distributor Box - it's about the size of a packet of five Hamlets and is held in place by a sprung latch that's impossible to release unless you have at least seven 12-inch-long fingers on each hand and four arms.
Inside the box are two plastic wheels with the relevant cables tightly wound round their circumferences and a sliding stepped doojit that allows 'control' of the Cold Start Lever's range.

What happens is the box dries out because it's directly above the cylinders and so the wheels stick - apart from of course the cables stretching over time.

The genius who designed this abomination is no doubt sitting by his Bavarian lake enjoying his pension, when in fact he should be being separated from his major organs.

See the famous Chris Harris videos - where the expression on assistant Sean's face says, "I'll wrap these sodding cables round your neck if you don't shut up pontificating and criticising me."

Oh, and never disassemble the handlebar control lever - if you try, the tiny ball-bearing hidden inside makes a desperate dash for freedom to the furthest reaches of the darkest corner of your workshop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybHjEbUa2NA

AL in sunny Andalucía

[lcarlson]

You don’t really need the fast idle control. Mine is a little sticky, so I almost never use it. I just gently roll on the throttle while cranking, and get the same effect. It requires a little dexterity, but hey, we’re BMW riders.

[riceburner]

BMW designed an over-engineered 4-cable system for operating the two cylinder 'throttles' and the Cold Start Control.

The business ends of them live in a little box under the battery tray ( almost totally inaccessible ) called a Distributor Box - it's about the size of a packet of five Hamlets and is held in place by a sprung latch that's impossible to release unless you have at least seven 12-inch-long fingers on each hand and four arms.
Inside the box are two plastic wheels with the relevant cables tightly wound round their circumferences and a sliding stepped doojit that allows 'control' of the Cold Start Lever's range.

What happens is the box dries out because it's directly above the cylinders and so the wheels stick - apart from of course the cables stretching over time.

The genius who designed this abomination is no doubt sitting by his Bavarian lake enjoying his pension, when in fact he should be being separated from his major organs.

See the famous Chris Harris videos - where the expression on assistant Sean's face says, "I'll wrap these sodding cables round your neck if you don't shut up pontificating and criticising me."

Oh, and never disassemble the handlebar control lever - if you try, the tiny ball-bearing hidden inside makes a desperate dash for freedom to the furthest reaches of the darkest corner of your workshop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybHjEbUa2NA

AL in sunny Andalucía

I think that's a little over the top. I've done the complete cable replacment job, like anything BMW it's long winded but relatively easy. The 4-way cable junction box is a reasonably well designed solution to the problem and does allow for each Bowden cable to be individually adjusted (albeit, not terribly easily if you're not sure what's going on.) The location, under the battery box, and over the gearbox is an obvious location when you view the machine as a whole - it allows for short, relatively straight cable runs from the junction box to the manifolds, and, realistically speaking, is the best place for it.

[sykospain]

I bow to your opinion as a knowledgeable and loyal customer of BMW - but riceburner, there are other manufacturers who achieve a similar effect much more elegantly.
Meanwhile, could i ask whether, when you got your new cables, they were the same as the originals or were up-dated versions, as Harris asserts ?
I'm only asking because I will be doing the job myself in the first week of the New Year in the UK and my place there is only 'round the corner' from our dear friends at Motorworks.
AL in sunny Andalucía.

[riceburner]

I bow to your opinion as a knowledgeable and loyal customer of BMW - but riceburner, there are other manufacturers who achieve a similar effect much more elegantly.

I don't think I said it was perfect.....

Meanwhile, could i ask whether, when you got your new cables, they were the same as the originals or were up-dated versions, as Harris asserts ?
I'm only asking because I will be doing the job myself in the first week of the New Year in the UK and my place there is only 'round the corner' from our dear friends at Motorworks.
AL in sunny Andalucía.

I couldn't tell you tbh. It was a year ago or so, and the bike has gone.

Best of luck with the work, IIRC the main thing is not to try to rush it.

[kirby]

I'm with sykospain on this one as far a accessibility...good grief what a pain. Mine still works ok in the first position but needs to be held in the second. Not a problem as the first position is good enough 99% of the time and its not worth tearing into for the fast idle.
It is however very easy to flood the engine by trying to use the throttle especially in cold wx. In my experience with 350K miles on oilheads has been its better to use the lever.

FWIW

[riceburner]

I'm with sykospain on this one as far a accessibility...good grief what a pain. Mine still works ok in the first position but needs to be held in the second.

That's the way it's meant to work.

The '2nd' position is not meant to be held. There's only a detent position at the first stage.

Not a problem as the first position is good enough 99% of the time and its not worth tearing into for the fast idle.
It is however very easy to flood the engine by trying to use the throttle especially in cold wx. In my experience with 350K miles on oilheads has been its better to use the lever.

FWIW

All the lever does is pull the throttle cables a small amount.

[kirby]

Mine has always until a couple of years ago had a detent in the second position and I have used it many time when operating in cold wx.

I'm quite aware of what it does and its a very small amount. Very hard to duplicate with the twist grip.

:-)

[riceburner]

Mine has always until a couple of years ago had a detent in the second position and I have used it many time when operating in cold wx.

IIRC (from previous conversations) that tends to mean that the lever is actually sticking in the mounting. Mine used to be the same.

I'm quite aware of what it does and its a very small amount. Very hard to duplicate with the twist grip.

:-)

Yeah - it's a very small movement, as you say, very hard to duplicate manually.

[kirby]

hum...
I bought my rockster new in '04 and for the first 150K miles the fast leaver worked smooth and had a detent in both positions...curious.
Although I have had the airbox out and lubed everything I really didn't look to closely at the mechanism, after reinstallation it still had a stop in the high position. I have also had the left grip off to replace a heated grip.
I liked it when it worked like that.

[AZBMWRIDER]

OK, a little late for replying to this thread !!
After 16 years of ownership, all I've had to do, is do a minor adjustment on the cable adjuster at the handlebar end .
Usually a half turn or so on the adjuster gets the high idle to work properly .

[kirby]

I'll give that a try..thanks for posting!

k

[kirby]

This worked, I'm back to two positions.

[CycleRob]

Here is a post from Oct 9, 2014 where this guy covered it in great detail:
http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f ... 8&p=245891