I "Could Have Had" a 1200

[macx]

Bought my first BMW last summer, an 04 r1150r. Had never ridden one before.
Kind of a spur of the moment thing, it had an attractive price and certainly a unique
look.

Didn't know a thing about BMWs, other than "they" say it's a durable bike.
Well, found this forum and learned a lot, thanks to all the good folks here!

I'm not only the kind of rider that does as much of his own work as is possible, I also
research things (my wife says to death) with an eye toward possible minor tweaks and
improvements. I do it to everything mechanical that I own.

So, it started.

Saddlebags and a magnetic tank bag to carry "stuff"
One of those brighter LED tail / brake lights that flashes a few times when you step on the brakes.
After quite a bit of research after finding out my old knees didn't like the peg location,
I installed a complete setup (mount plates, pegs, shifter and brake lever) from a GS
model which was definitely a major improvement.
Then 1-1/4" barbacks, another good improvement.
Also foam handgrip sleeves, helps some, better than without them.
Cylinder guards of course. (Helps cover up the small dings that came with the bike)
Have hyper front & rear running lites on the way
Have brighter LED turn signal bulbs and the necessary resistors on the way.
Have rec'd but not installed a tall CalSci windshield
Along with the required (expensive little bugger for what few cents
worth of material in it! ) BMW tall touring windshield bracket.

Found out in pretty short order that, with most of my riding on 60 mph
2 lanes, even on short hops the buzz in the bars from 5th gear at close to 4k rpm
puts my hands to sleep. That leads to eventual pemanent nerve damage, besides being
very uncomfortable. Synchro'ing the TBs and setting the rockers and valves helped,
but - -.

So started looking at things like different gear ratios to keep the engine out of the
3750 to 4300 rpm buzzy range in the hi 50's to lo 60's mph range in 5th.

Discovered the ADV / GTP trans with it's shorter top gear which would allow
a taller final drive gear to boost mph in 5th, and help alleviate the awfully tall
first gear which is awkward and a nuisance with a rider and/or in hilly country
like where I live.

So finally found a good lo miles GTP trans quite reasonable, going in this winter.
Now looking for a 33/12 final drive (there is one model 1100 that had those
gears and the final drive will fit) I'm on the list at the boneyard for 1 of those.

So, most of the little annoyances solved or at least improved upon, and
the most of the major "needful things" acquired.
Last, and certainly not the least expensive, will be a more comfortable
seat this winter so I can quit "straddling that log". This 62 year old butt
just doesn't like it for more than just 10 to 15 minutes.

Well, adding all that up to my "good buy" price - YUP, coulda had a (good used)
1200. Didn't even KNOW about them when I bought the 1150. And especially
that they have a balance shaft to really reduce the buzzy's!!! Oh, well. Not that
I couldn't have found a few "goodies" I'd need for one of those, too, but not near
as much from what I read. Better ratios in the trans, and a balance shaft in the
engine being 2 very major improvements.

So, I'll drive this for the next 2 or 3 years till I retire, THEN figure out what
my wife and I want so we can be more comfortable on longer rides. The new
1200 tourer is a very nicely engineered and equipped bike, but the front end
just , well, it would have to grow on me. So I'll wait and see what's the next
evolution.

It's a good bike, I just wish there was a real solution to the buzz. Too bad some
young genius engineer wouldn't figure out some kind of balance shaft for the
1150 engine, like maybe in place of the aux shaft or something? But of course,
at this stage, it wouldn't be cost effective, as well as being expensive to install.

So, yup, just get a 1200 (or whatever).

Wouldn't it be nice to have a crystal ball in times like these?

[bimrluvr]

I have the same bike which I use as a daily commuter.
Seems to me that going 60mph in 5th gear you are under-revving a bit.
If I'm cruising at that speed, I would normally be in 4th with the rpms at about 5000. I try to keep my cruising rpms between 4k and 6k, but mainly hovering around 5k. I find I get my best gas mileage and responsiveness that way. Give it a try....your bike will love it.

[macx]

like I say, I'm just in the getting acquainted process, have put
about 4k on it since I got it.

The engine seems to pull very smoothly and strongly in the medium
gears, and in 5th, from the low 3's, and it runs very smoothly till
I hit that buzz range.

For just steady speed cruising, it seems to me that rpms around
5k is just wearing the life out of that engine quicker than necessary.
That many more rpms per mile means less miles out of that motor.
Any given motor, no matter how well built and maintained, only has
"so many" revolutions in it - esp rings and valve guides and valve seats.

Besides of course being built heavier, that's one reason diesels - esp
the big ones - last so long. Low rpm. Less miles traveled by that piston
and those rings going up & down in the cyl. Or, put another way,
piston and ring speed. The stress on reciprocating parts grows
exponentially with increased rpms, not geometrically. So an engine
going 5k rpm has several times the accelerate/decelerate forces on
the piston and rings than one going even 1k less rpm, loading the rod
and bearings quite a lot more. Not to mention the stress on the valve train.

I'm not scared of rpms, they sure are fun when one wants to go on a
little spurt, but for the majority of the "legal" driving, that would gnaw
on me. I'd rather go thru the fun of tweaking it so the rpms are under
the buzzy range rather than over it. It isn't like the engine is at all
lugging or anything in 5th at 3500, in fact it runs soooo nice there.

To each his own! Enjoy!

[DMM]

A few thoughts:
1. Look for some gloves with padding on the palms, especially the lower (meatier) area of the palms. Good padding will reduce pressure to the ulnar nerves. Most m/c gloves have little to no padding in this area. A tailor could possibly add a little padding (especially if you already have doubled leather on the palms). For comparisons, look at bicycle gloves and cross-country ski gloves - they have great padding.
2. New and heavier bar ends might (I repeat, might) be helpful, but I'm not sure what you'll find on the market.
3. The 1150 is a great bike; you haven't made a poor choice. Don't over analyze your new toy. Use the bike and enjoy it. Modify is as you see fit in order to make using it more enjoyable. As you wrote above, in two or three years, you may be ready to move on to something else.
4. Depending on the type of riding that you (and your wife) will be doing, you may want to look into the RT & GT bikes. They will have the most upright riding position (barbacks may not be necessary), more wind protection, other bells and whistles, and the advantages of the 1200 or 1300 (depending on the model). Of course, they'll also come with a few cons (e.g., more weight than the standard R = reduced maneuverability at low speeds, fairings = increased time/expense for maintenance and repairs, more bells and whistles = increased cost of maintenance).
5. Again, get out there and enjoy your bike - as you seem to be doing. There is no such thing as the perfect bike. Finding your near perfect bike, and enjoying the one you currently own, is all part of the adventure.
Cheers!

[CycleRob]

If you are "cruising at that speed . . . . . normally be in 4th with the rpms at about 5000" and are without an oil temp gauge you are abusing that engine in the summer heat. Using conventional oils the 260degF oil temps easily attained and exceeded at those RPM's will destroy that engine when the overheated oil breaks down and the rod bearings touch each other.

6,000 RPM is 80% of the engine redline, not a place to be routinely "cruising" at in the lower gears. Ask any engine mechanic (not that idiot MotoMan) if that 80% figure is OK for a streetbike meant to last for many years and not just a race car meant to make it across the finish line after 100 laps.

Best cruising MPG is also only possible in 6th gear.

The first symptom you'll have is the oil lite coming on at hot engine idle, signifying the low oil pressure of a worn out engine. Then there's the accelerated valve guide wear that makes the engine old before it's time. That's why I'll never buy a used bike, especially one where the headers are heat discolored for their entire length.

This admonition is about as polite as I can get.

[bimrluvr]

One idea I was toying with to reduce handlebar vibration is to put some layer of rubber, plastic or just vinyl tape around the handlebars right where they're gripped by the clamps. Should help some, even with barbacks, which I also use. I also found that there is a wide range of gloves with some being much better than others at damping vibration...the Held Steve and Held Fresh gloves in particular, are very good...I was less impressed with the gel-padded palm types such as Olympia. Of course, the least expensive and probably best for your riding in general is to lighten up your grip, i.e. keep your grip loose on the handlebars. Hope this helps give you some ideas to try.

[combustor777]

There really shouldn't be enough of a vibration to cause you that much issue. maybe you have a stick coil going bad?

I gotta side with Rob on the RPMs. I cruise around on mine at 55-60 mph in 6th gear. It is perfectly happy 3000 RPM in 6th. The throttle is barely open so you know it isn't "lugging"'; you're asking less than 30 ft/lb torque out of it. The most damaging condition for a recip engine is high rpm and low manifold pressure. The acceleration of the pistons and rods aren't buffered by sufficient combustion pressures and therefore race up and down in the cylinders, subjecting crank pins and rods and wrist pins and bearings to extreme loads. Perhaps even to the point that oil film strength is insufficient to prevent significant wear. I'm not making this up, it's right out of "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators." Running up to redline on acceleration is one thing, as is cruising in 6th at high RPM (high speed = high load), however, low load + high RPM is abuse, for the reasons stated. As Rob would say, you have been warned.

[macx]

As I said, most of my driving is on 2 lanes at or just under 60 mph.

On mine, it definitely struggles a little under 3k rpm, esp on all the
short but often fairly steep little hills around here. So found myself
shifting back and forth 6th to 5th to 6th etc when I tried to ride
those roads in 6th.

Hence the decision to try a GTP trans with the lower 1st gear in combo
with a little higher rear gear to get 5th comfortably into the 55 to low
60 mph range without lugging OR buzzing - in the 3k to 3500 range
which seems to be a real sweet spot on that engine. No lugging but
not yet any tingling in the hands after 15 minutes.

I do keep a light grip on the bars but it does eventually catch up with
me, anyway, when I go over maybe 25 miles or so at a time.

The padded gloves are a good idea - I do wear lined gloves now but
I'd prefer just a plain leather glove for the summer heat.

So, yes am enjoying the bike, I was making "light conversation"
with the realization that the 1200 would have ended up being about
the same overall cost comparably equipped, and with considerably
reduced vibration from what I read.

I would like to stay with this type of bike, less weight and bulk,
cuz I don't see that I'll shift the majority of my riding to long
distance even after I retire. So, regretfully, may have to explore
other brand options when it gets to that time.

There are a lot of things I like about this bike, but I would have
expected that a mfg such as the prestigious BMW would have had
some of this model's things sorted out better. And with the rather
costly main maintenance issues that seem to have surfaced, well,
I'll ride it for 2 or 3 years till I retire and then take my time, do my
due diligence and my homework much better than I did when i
bought this one, and see what turns up.

In the meantime, cheeers!!