Smoke at start up

[bmwr1150rbmw]

Hi, Love some help. I'm getting white plumes of smoke at start up. When the bike sits for two nights and I start it up it's fine for about 30 seconds. Then heavy white smoke. I drive a few miles and it goes away. I have a 04 r1150r with 25K. If the bike sits for only 8-10 hours or less, no smoke. Any ideas? I'm planning a 1,000 mile weekend. Might I encounter a worsening issue? Thanks very much!

[PA Rider]

I got this advice here and I don't get the smoke anymore. Park it on the center stand only...no more smokie okie dokie.

[bmwr1150rbmw]

Thank you. I'm giving that a try today. I'll revise my original statement and say that after one night of sitting, I do get smoke at start up. Thanks again!

[Arbee]

The problem is they all do it just another quirky BMW thing...
Considering Europe has some of the tightest pollution & emission laws
i still dont know how BMW continue to get away with it.

[MattPie]

The problem is they all do it just another quirky BMW thing...
Considering Europe has some of the tightest pollution & emission laws
i still dont know how BMW continue to get away with it.

I think it may just be condensation. I'll have to check next time, but I put my hand in front of it once and I seem to remember my hand getting wet.

[bikermeow]

the older K-bikes are well known for this side-stand smoke thing; it is basically the oil seeping pass the rings and burning. Centre-stand prevented that. The last time I had that it was some engine oil residual on the exhaust system. The smoke is from the oil "drying" off.

Cheers

[bmwr1150rbmw]

Parking the bike on the center stand has worked. No smoke at start up. Thank you! I'm wondering if the seal that seeps oil is very difficult/expensive to replace. Thanks again.

[Petenkorte]

It's more than likely condensation....

[busithoth]

I just noticed this the other night, and holding paper up before the exhaust made no marks, except when I actually touched the exhaust with the paper. I always use the center stand (my Triumph had no center stand, and I watched it get tipped repeatedly by both wind and drunken neighbors...)

[R1150Rclean]

Hi, Love some help. I'm getting white plumes of smoke at start up. When the bike sits for two nights and I start it up it's fine for about 30 seconds. Then heavy white smoke. I drive a few miles and it goes away. I have a 04 r1150r with 25K. If the bike sits for only 8-10 hours or less, no smoke. Any ideas? I'm planning a 1,000 mile weekend. Might I encounter a worsening issue? Thanks very much!

I always thought white smoke is due to water vaporizing (put your hand over the exhaust and your hand will feel damp). I have experienced this on cars which had a leaking head gasket and the coolant is getting into the cylinder head and vaporizing. For me blueish smoke has always been due to oil being burned.

[CycleRob]

My bike smoked up the dealer's front parking area the day I picked it up July 28, 2001. The small group of people admiring the then new R1150R were waiting to hear that beautiful red bike run. After it started and ran on the fast idle, we're all looking at each other in disbelief at what we saw. A really HUGE liteblue/white smoke cloud that smelled like burning oil. I was worried too, but the salesman said it spent the week on the sidestand and it the smoking was not unusual. Made sense to me as the engine was new. Most OilHeads will do this if the bike's sidestand park lean angle is severe, the oil is filled to the top of the oil window -and- the engine was very hot at shutdown. Avoid combining those conditions and the smoke never happens again.

BTW, Use center-red-dot as the desired oil "full" fill level and add 8oz oil only when it gets to lower red circle. Oil barely showing in the oil window bottom means 3 quarts are still in the engine! Stop worrying about your oil level as long as it shows in the window! When it's broken in, you may have to add 8oz oil once from bottom-window to center-red-dot in the 6,000 miles.

.

[Buckster]

Thanks for clearing the air on that!




Sorry...couldn't resist....very good info for those new to the boxer!

[R1150Rclean]

My bike smoked up the dealer's front parking area the day I picked it up July 28, 2001. The small group of people admiring the then new R1150R were waiting to hear that beautiful red bike run. After it started and ran on the fast idle, we're all looking at each other in disbelief at what we saw. A really HUGE liteblue/white smoke cloud that smelled like burning oil. I was worried too, but the salesman said it spent the week on the sidestand and it the smoking was not unusual. Made sense to me as the engine was new. Most OilHeads will do this if the bike's sidestand park lean angle is severe, the oil is filled to the top of the oil window -and- the engine was very hot at shutdown. Avoid combining those conditions and the smoke never happens again.

.

I have heard that oil will cause premature failure of the catalytic converter.