Booster Plug

[Oilhead]

Does anyone with a R1150R have the booster plug and if so, what is your opinion of it? According to the reviews it seems to work well with the newer BMWs but I don't know if it makes a difference in the older oilheads. I have the fatduc O2 manipulator which is a similar ECU manipulating product in my Hypermotard and it works wonders. I've always had minor surging and hesitation at low rpms on my '02 R1150R.

http://www.boosterplug.com/shop/frontpage.html

[tlwood28]

Interesting. I bought an R1200GS and at first was dissatisfied with the way it performed. it was very abrupt and uneven on and off throttle. I missed the smoothness of the 1150! Fortunately someone led me to the booster plug which corrected the problem. As I understand it, BMW leans out the engine on the 1200s to meet emissions requirements. The boosterplug tricks the electronics to correct for this.

I defer to those mechanics here who know so much about how these bikes run, but I think the 1150 predates changes that make the booster plug useful. I have a 2002 and don't have the issues you complain of but whatever the fix, I doubt it is the boosterplug for your bike.

[foobar]

Another way out may be to remove the muffler, go up 1 heat range in spark plug (Autolite 3923) and do a value adjustment. This has done wonders for the responsiveness of my bike. Total investment is time and $3 for the plugs, and everything is easily reversible if it does not work out.

[DMM]

Did you ever give this a try or hear from others who had?

[Oilhead]

I defer to those mechanics here who know so much about how these bikes run, but I think the 1150 predates changes that make the booster plug useful. I have a 2002 and don't have the issues you complain of but whatever the fix, I doubt it is the boosterplug for your bike.

Yes the newer R1200s surge much worse than our R1150R. That being said, the R1150 still surges, some more than others. Mine surges somewhat. It's nowhere as bad as my Hypermotard was before the Fatduc, but nowhere as perfect as my CBR. The fuelie on the CBR feels like a perfectly tuned pumper carb. I would be curious to know why you think the boosterplug will not work on my R1150R. Thanks!

Another way out may be to remove the muffler, go up 1 heat range in spark plug (Autolite 3923) and do a value adjustment. This has done wonders for the responsiveness of my bike. Total investment is time and $3 for the plugs, and everything is easily reversible if it does not work out.

I removed the muffler a long time ago. I also keep the bike meticulously maintained and it runs like tops other than the minor surging. The valves are adjusted to spec and the throttle are synced using Twinmax. Interesting about the spark plug. So you have went up one heat range on the plug and it has helped the surging?

Did you ever give this a try or hear from others who had?

No I have not. There is a positive review on Webbikeworld but it is on one of the newer BMW and not our bike.

[sweatmark]

I'm throwing a Booster plug at my Rockster this weekend to see if it mellows the snap-crackle-popping caused by installation of an aftermarket y-pipe+silencer exhaust system. The exhaust change did nothing for performance (no surprise), but traded lots of OE component bulk for featherweight titanium + constant backfires. Guessing that the Booster Plug will strike a better balance for fueling versus backpressure.

FWIW - You can find some Booster Plug commentary over on ADV Rider, including occasional posts by Jens, the Booster Plug creator.

[foobar]

Another way out may be to remove the muffler, go up 1 heat range in spark plug (Autolite 3923) and do a value adjustment. This has done wonders for the responsiveness of my bike. Total investment is time and $3 for the plugs, and everything is easily reversible if it does not work out.

I removed the muffler a long time ago. I also keep the bike meticulously maintained and it runs like tops other than the minor surging. The valves are adjusted to spec and the throttle are synced using Twinmax. Interesting about the spark plug. So you have went up one heat range on the plug and it has helped the surging?

Coldstarts are much better and general running around is noticeably smoother. I have a 22 mi commute that includes an 85-90mph highway segment. I pulled the plugs after a couple of runs and they read purrrfect. I had new (100 mi) 3922's in there before the swap. Gap is set to .30" / .8mm. Walmart has 3923 (+1) and 3924 (+2) twin packs for about $3.

Add the basic maintenance-- valve adjust, throttlebody sync, oil change-- and it should run pretty good.

[foobar]

If your plugs are relatively new and good, try just closing the gap down a little (.28 - .25).

[Keppelj]

I tried the plug this week and I'm unimpressed - '02RR. My surge was pretty minor to start with after careful tuning, but with the plug it's worse if anything. Steady throttle (4k or so) is not smoother once the engine is warmed up, and rolling off into compression seems more abrupt. Also cold starting has become less immediate and running with fast idle on is rough for the first minute or so. I'm pulling the plugs!

[sweatmark]

I tried the plug this week and I'm unimpressed - '02RR.

Keppelj, are you running the OE exhaust system?

For the R1150** bikes, my impression is that neither an aftermarket exhaust nor an engine tweak like BoosterPlug makes much difference... and for reference I'm running both. FWIW, I'd say that BoosterPlug or equivalent only makes a difference after an aftermarket exhaust has been installed, and subsequently screwed up the otherwise efficient factory tuning based on the bike's original intake and exhaust systems.

[Keppelj]

Interesting, sweatmark. I read your post above about "throwing" a booster at your Rockster, enjoyed the image, and wondered which of us would act first. Yes, my exhaust is stock. Personally, I get pleasure from hearing the distinctive purr of a BMW factory exhaust as it goes through my neighborhood and am only tempted by what would be a slight change, maybe to Remus. I've no idea if that would work better with the booster. Sorry I can't be more help with your particular issue.