BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Okay, so I've got a 2011 R1200R Classic (DOHC) with around 5500km's on the clock.
The bike went into BMW recently to have a software update and have the alternator drive belt replaced. Since that work was carried out the on bike I battle starting it in the mornings now that it's starting to get colder.
You can hear the battery is fine. When trying to start, it's as though it doesn't want to idle. As soon as you press the starter button it fires up, but the it idles so low that it cuts out. It normally takes around four or five attempts before the bike will idle. I've now noticed that if I hold the throttle open while starting the bike it seems to do the trick. However, I am under the impression that fuel injected vehicles don't require any throttle on startup! Certainly, none of my other BMW motorcycles required it - these included F650GS K72 Twin, F800GS and R1200GS.

Please could you help me - what do you think is causing the problem and how can I solve it?

Thanks guys... Looking forward to your replies!

You seem to have reason to think this started after the dealer's work. If so, have you brought it to their attention?

If it starts, then no, it does not seem likely related to the battery. It sounds as if the electronics don't raise the rpm appropriately. I have not experienced or heard of the no idle problem. Mine sometimes doesn't take the gas well when it is cold (around freezing), but it never just dies while idling. However, I could see this happening if it was really cold, way below 32F (or 0C). How cold does it get in SA?

Another possibility could be that the electronics are just fine and your oil is not the right viscosity. It may simply be too thick until it warms up a bit. What are you using?

I too had difficulties starting my bike this winter on multiple occassions. It's a 2011 R1200R that now has 7,000 miles on it that's completely stock. I did the 6,000 mile service at 5,300 miles in January. The problem arose both before and after the scheduled service.

When it got below freezing I could turn the starter and the engine would turn over but it wouldn't start firing on some occassions. On other occassions it would start firing but die as soon as I released the start button. I had it towed into the shop once and when they got it there it started right up. I suspect it started because it had been out in the sun and it was later in the day and therefore warmer.

They kept it at the shop for a few days to try it in the morning when it was cold but it always started. The only thing they knew to try was reloading the software because they didn't think it was running correctly. It did seem to run better when I picked it up but a few weeks later it wouldn't start again.

To be clear, this wasn't a sporadic thing as it was far more common for it to not start than start when temps dipped into the 20s.

Someone suggested the oil viscosity might be incorrect but I'm in Atlanta and it never got that cold this year. I was wanting to ride my motorcycle so it couldn't have been that cold. I've never been to SA but as I understand it you don't have terribly cold temps there either.

I was having the problem with the temperature above 27* farenheit which is -3 celsius or thereabouts. I never tried starting it at temps below that level. I can't believe a modern day, fuel injected engine needs an oil change to start at those temps. The manual gives no indication that a different oil is needed at those temps and the shop didn't suggest changing the oil I was using.

So I never did solve the problem. Well I did but only because spring sprung.

It strikes me as odd that the problem occurs near the freezing point since the bike doesn't contain any fluids that freeze at that temp.

So I can't offer a solution but I can assure you that you're not alone. Hope that helps.

My ambient temperature gauge is off. It reads several degrees warmer than it really is. I wonder if your electronics are not upping the idle speed to compensate for the temp. My first fuel injected R bike had a "choke," but it was really an idle speed adjuster. I guess BMW feels good about their electronics and has decided our R1200R's don't need that feature.

The stepper motors on the throttle bodies should take care of keeping the bike idling. I would revisit the dealer and tell them about the problem. If temps do drop below freezing (I almost never ride below freezing, mostly because of black-ice) - a thinner base weight oil (like a 10W-40) might be useful to ease the cold start/idle.

Okay, to clear up the temperature questions, we aren't in winter yet here in South Africa.
The temperature readout on my bike has been reading between 10 & 14 degrees celsius in the mornings lately. Nowhere near freezing!

The whole problem started with a terrible noise on startup. They tried software upgrades and lubricating the drive belt - nothing worked. They then replaced the drive belt and the noise was gone. After the software upgrades and drive belt were replaced the bike started giving starting problems.

I'm currently using 20w50 multi grade Castrol, as recommended by my BMW dealer.

AlexGill wrote:The temperature readout on my bike has been reading between 10 & 14 degrees celsius in the mornings lately....I'm currently using 20w50 multi grade Castrol, as recommended by my BMW dealer.

That grade of oil is good down to slightly below 0 C, so that's not the problem.

Alex, that is a stumper. If the problem started after you had the dealer work on it and it made a terrible noise, it seems like the dealer has something to do with it. Maybe this is one of those "mechanic left a rag in the air intake" kinds of problems. Good luck and keep us posted.

I have almost the same problem on my new to me 2011 Camhead with just over 4,000 miles. When the bike has sat in temperatures near the freezing mark, it will not stay idling on its own after starting without me holding the throttle open a little.

I can hold the throttle open for 5 seconds, then let go and the bike stays running just fine.

40 degrees or warmer and the problem doesn't seem to happen.

I do need to check my valves and TB sync, as I haven't done that yet. Probably could use some fresh oil as well.

I read a thread on another forum (ADVRider maybe?) of someone having a similar problem, and they said they cured a similar problem by using an isopropyl based dry gas treatment to pull any moisture out of their tank.

I'm curious to hear if it gets solved for you. With the weather warming up, I suspect I won't know if my issue has gone away for a few months.

-Alec