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Roadster Center Stand


OlGeezer

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I just took possession of a 2004R 1150R.

 

The previous owner lowered the foot pegs, which are nice, but I don't know if they are worth the "price". Now it is difficult (impossible?) to put the bike on the center stand. The P.O. had a work around by carrying a carpenter's rule. That didn't work so well for me.With the lowered foot pegs, kit is virtually impossible to get my foot on the tang, even with tennis shoes, much less with riding boots.

 

Just thought I would throw this out there before I start looking for stock foot peg brackets to see if there is any fix for this problem.

 

Thank you,

 

 

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Michaelr11

Just lowered foot pegs would not affect the center stand. It sounds like bike has been lowered and the center stand left original. That would make the lift onto the stand very difficult.

 

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He is saying ACCESS to the centerstand tang is blocked as the lower peg mounts are in the way.

 

Ilium Works (Werks?) makes a bolt on thing like an extension I think. It's for their floorboards.

Let me look.

 

 

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Nope, I got nothin.

I suggest having a short bit of 1/4" rod to the centerstand foot and putting a rubber tip on it.

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I just took possession of a 2004R 1150R.

 

The previous owner lowered the foot pegs, which are nice, but I don't know if they are worth the "price". Now it is difficult (impossible?) to put the bike on the center stand. The P.O. had a work around by carrying a carpenter's rule. That didn't work so well for me.With the lowered foot pegs, kit is virtually impossible to get my foot on the tang, even with tennis shoes, much less with riding boots.

 

Just thought I would throw this out there before I start looking for stock foot peg brackets to see if there is any fix for this problem.

 

Thank you,

 

 

 

Morning Bill

 

Without seeing a picture of what you are dealing with (stand foot lever position to lowered foot peg) it is difficult to advise on an exact cure.

 

Over the years I have modified a number of center stands to allow deployment with lowered foot pegs, repositioned foot pegs, & oddball luggage combinations.

 

If you plan on keeping those lowered foot pegs then get a piece of stiff wire (like coat hanger wire) & a hose clamp (or tape) then play with some formed wire loops to simulate an extended or modified center stand deployment foot that clears your boot while riding with the stand up & clears the ground with the center stand down.

 

In some cases the original foot lever can be cut then re-welded (or heated & bent) at a slightly different angle to allow foot access but still lay flat on the ground when deployed.

 

Or a simple wire loop 1/4" or 5/16" wire loop can be welded on the side of your existing foot lever to allow easy foot placement & easy deployment.

 

It usually doesn't take much modification to make a big difference but the modification must be correct to not interfere with riding the bike but still allow the stand to fully deploy correctly.

 

The biggest suggestion I can add here is single pins or welded on bolts are not the best answer as they catch on pant cuffs or tear up riding boots so (personally) I like, & usually fabricate wire loops as those are easily usable but way more user friendly)

 

Mockup is your friend here!

 

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D.R. -

Thanks for your response.

 

I know you are going to be disappointed to read this, but I have no where near the skill to follow your instruction.

 

I mulled it over and designed to try to lift the foot peg with my right hand and then placed my right foot on the center stand tang. I then slid my hand off the foot peg and moved my right leg closer to the bike. I tried to take a picture (with my left hand) while my right hand was on the foot pet and my right foot on the tang, but I nearly fell on my ass! Anyway. I was able to put the bike on the center stand. I have repeated this technique a couple of times and, while it's not as elegant as it would be on an unmodified bike, I think I can manage.

 

I have another problem I want to throw your way. After about three miles from the P.O.'s home, the general warning light came on. After a short ride, I stopped for lunch and read the owner's manual. The ABS lights did not come on. IN fact, on startup, those two lights cycled through as described in the manual. According to the matrix in the manual, it was indicated that there is a problem with either the tail light or brake light. After lunch I went out to the bike, turned on the key and checked the tail light. It works. I rode home and put the bike in the garage where I could check the brake light. It works. I then observed the fluid level in the front master cylinder (wheel circuit) and it appeared low. I re-read the manual and it said that the level should be checked with the handlebars all the way to the left. When the bars are turned to the left, the fluid level is correct. I also checked the rear fluid level, which was nearly impossible through that tiny hole in the side body panel. I partially removed the panel far enough to get a good view of the reservoir with my flashlight. That level is correct.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thank you,

 

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While welding and metal work in general is outside many of our skill sets, any reasonable metal working shop should be able to do a nice job for you. Take the whole bike in, show them what the trouble is, and what kind of solution you think you're looking for. They might ask you to remove the stand, and bring it in separately to do the actual work, but welding a little tab of some sort on there should be pretty cheap. I know a guy genius, if you wanna come up my way. ;)

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Check your tail light again. This exact thing happened to me a few months ago. I learned that if your tail light circuit goes open (i.e. burned out bulb), the Motronic will sense that and power your brake light at a reduced intensity to mimic the tail light. It will look like you still have a functioning tail light. Pop out the tail light assembly and check the actual bulb.

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Check your tail light again. This exact thing happened to me a few months ago. I learned that if your tail light circuit goes open (i.e. burned out bulb), the Motronic will sense that and power your brake light at a reduced intensity to mimic the tail light. It will look like you still have a functioning tail light. Pop out the tail light assembly and check the actual bulb.

 

I did that, but I did not remove the bulb and reinsert it. I'll pick up some new bulbs. I need spares anyway.

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Check your tail light again. This exact thing happened to me a few months ago. I learned that if your tail light circuit goes open (i.e. burned out bulb), the Motronic will sense that and power your brake light at a reduced intensity to mimic the tail light. It will look like you still have a functioning tail light. Pop out the tail light assembly and check the actual bulb.

 

It's got one of those brake light modulators installed (Signal Minder?), but that shouldn't matter since it's pre-CANBUS, right?

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D.R. -

Thanks for your response.

 

I know you are going to be disappointed to read this, but I have no where near the skill to follow your instruction.

 

I mulled it over and designed to try to lift the foot peg with my right hand and then placed my right foot on the center stand tang. I then slid my hand off the foot peg and moved my right leg closer to the bike. I tried to take a picture (with my left hand) while my right hand was on the foot pet and my right foot on the tang, but I nearly fell on my ass! Anyway. I was able to put the bike on the center stand. I have repeated this technique a couple of times and, while it's not as elegant as it would be on an unmodified bike, I think I can manage.

 

I have another problem I want to throw your way. After about three miles from the P.O.'s home, the general warning light came on. After a short ride, I stopped for lunch and read the owner's manual. The ABS lights did not come on. IN fact, on startup, those two lights cycled through as described in the manual. According to the matrix in the manual, it was indicated that there is a problem with either the tail light or brake light. After lunch I went out to the bike, turned on the key and checked the tail light. It works. I rode home and put the bike in the garage where I could check the brake light. It works. I then observed the fluid level in the front master cylinder (wheel circuit) and it appeared low. I re-read the manual and it said that the level should be checked with the handlebars all the way to the left. When the bars are turned to the left, the fluid level is correct. I also checked the rear fluid level, which was nearly impossible through that tiny hole in the side body panel. I partially removed the panel far enough to get a good view of the reservoir with my flashlight. That level is correct.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thank you,

 

Morning Bill

 

Do NOT discount a bad or burnt out tail light bulb just because you see it work.

 

The BMW I-ABS brake system runs & monitors both the tail light & brake light.

 

If the I-ABS system sees or monitors a burnt out or failed tail light bulb it THEN simply brings

the brake light bulb on at about 1/2 power to replace the tail light bulb, THEN illuminates the

dash general warning light to notify the rider that there is a light problem.

 

Usually an add-on brake light modulator doesn't effect the system but if it is installed incorrectly

it definitely could.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Usually an add-on brake light modulator doesn't effect the system but if it is installed incorrectly

it definitely could.

 

 

Looking at the parts fiche, it appears the stock bulb is a 1157. What's in there now are two small bulbs. I suspect this is the brake like modulator accessory.

 

Question: If I want to go back to the stock setup, is this "plug and play"? IOW, do I merely remove the modulator socket and install the stock socket and bulb? If that's the case, that's probably what I want to do.

 

FWIW, I asked the P.O. about the general warning light. He said it has been on for a while, but didn't want to pay the dealer to diagnose (sorry, but I don't know the emoticon for dope slap). My suspicion is that the warning light problem started about the same time as the installation of the modulator. Either that or the bulb is bad. In either case, I'm more confident I can find a replacement on the road for the stock setup than I can for the aftermarket setup.

 

Thank you,

 

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.

 

Usually an add-on brake light modulator doesn't effect the system but if it is installed incorrectly

it definitely could.

 

 

Looking at the parts fiche, it appears the stock bulb is a 1157. What's in there now are two small bulbs. I suspect this is the brake like modulator accessory.

 

Question: If I want to go back to the stock setup, is this "plug and play"? IOW, do I merely remove the modulator socket and install the stock socket and bulb? If that's the case, that's probably what I want to do.

 

FWIW, I asked the P.O. about the general warning light. He said it has been on for a while, but didn't want to pay the dealer to diagnose (sorry, but I don't know the emoticon for dope slap). My suspicion is that the warning light problem started about the same time as the installation of the modulator. Either that or the bulb is bad. In either case, I'm more confident I can find a replacement on the road for the stock setup than I can for the aftermarket setup.

 

Thank you,

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

Stock bulb is not an 1157 (1157 is a US rated bulb & the BMW uses a European rated bulb), your BMW uses a 12V 21/5W bulb & the 1157 is appx 26/8W bulb rated at a slightly different input voltage. In most cases an 1157 will work (depending on the bulb).

 

Going back to stock might be a plug & play but that depends on what is used for bulbs now & what type of modulator was installed.

 

Certain LED bulbs can drive the system crazy.

 

Tell us what's in it now & we can more advise on how to remove it & go back to stock.

 

Also, does you bike for sure have ABS?????

 

 

 

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.

 

Usually an add-on brake light modulator doesn't effect the system but if it is installed incorrectly

it definitely could.

 

 

Looking at the parts fiche, it appears the stock bulb is a 1157. What's in there now are two small bulbs. I suspect this is the brake like modulator accessory.

 

Question: If I want to go back to the stock setup, is this "plug and play"? IOW, do I merely remove the modulator socket and install the stock socket and bulb? If that's the case, that's probably what I want to do.

 

FWIW, I asked the P.O. about the general warning light. He said it has been on for a while, but didn't want to pay the dealer to diagnose (sorry, but I don't know the emoticon for dope slap). My suspicion is that the warning light problem started about the same time as the installation of the modulator. Either that or the bulb is bad. In either case, I'm more confident I can find a replacement on the road for the stock setup than I can for the aftermarket setup.

 

Thank you,

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

Stock bulb is not an 1157 (1157 is a US rated bulb & the BMW uses a European rated bulb), your BMW uses a 12V 21/5W bulb & the 1157 is appx 26/8W bulb rated at a slightly different input voltage. In most cases an 1157 will work (depending on the bulb).

 

Going back to stock might be a plug & play but that depends on what is used for bulbs now & what type of modulator was installed.

 

Certain LED bulbs can drive the system crazy.

 

Tell us what's in it now & we can more advise on how to remove it & go back to stock.

 

Also, does you bike for sure have ABS?????

 

 

. It's a Kisan Signal Minder. I have the installation manual, but it's generic (many models).

 

Thanks for the heads up about the differences between the BMW tail light bulb and the 1157. Still, it's comforting to know that, on the road, I can find one to get home.

 

With regards to ABS, I'm pretty sure it does. The ABS lights (to the right of the general warning light) go through the 1 Hz/4 Hz cycle until the bike starts moving. The only other thing I can think of to find out is to go and try to lock them up.

 

Thank you,

 

Edited by OlGeezer
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.

 

Usually an add-on brake light modulator doesn't effect the system but if it is installed incorrectly

it definitely could.

 

 

Looking at the parts fiche, it appears the stock bulb is a 1157. What's in there now are two small bulbs. I suspect this is the brake like modulator accessory.

 

Question: If I want to go back to the stock setup, is this "plug and play"? IOW, do I merely remove the modulator socket and install the stock socket and bulb? If that's the case, that's probably what I want to do.

 

FWIW, I asked the P.O. about the general warning light. He said it has been on for a while, but didn't want to pay the dealer to diagnose (sorry, but I don't know the emoticon for dope slap). My suspicion is that the warning light problem started about the same time as the installation of the modulator. Either that or the bulb is bad. In either case, I'm more confident I can find a replacement on the road for the stock setup than I can for the aftermarket setup.

 

Thank you,

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

Stock bulb is not an 1157 (1157 is a US rated bulb & the BMW uses a European rated bulb), your BMW uses a 12V 21/5W bulb & the 1157 is appx 26/8W bulb rated at a slightly different input voltage. In most cases an 1157 will work (depending on the bulb).

 

Going back to stock might be a plug & play but that depends on what is used for bulbs now & what type of modulator was installed.

 

Certain LED bulbs can drive the system crazy.

 

Tell us what's in it now & we can more advise on how to remove it & go back to stock.

 

Also, does you bike for sure have ABS?????

 

 

. It's a Kisan Signal Minder. I have the installation manual, but it's generic (many models).

 

Thanks for the heads up about the differences between the BMW tail light bulb and the 1157. Still, it's comforting to know that, on the road, I can find one to get home.

 

With regards to ABS, I'm pretty sure it does. The ABS lights (to the right of the general warning light) go through the 1 Hz/4 Hz cycle until the bike starts moving. The only other thing I can think of to find out is to go and try to lock them up.

 

Thank you,

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

I think the odds are very low that a Kisan Signal Minder is causing your problem so eliminate the easy things first (like rear tail/brake light bulb) or a poor bulb contact, or a rear socket/wire problem.

 

As a rule about the only thing that will bring on "ONLY" the general warning light is the tail light not working so suspect the tail light filament is broken, or open anyhow), if bulb is OK (try a new bulb), then check for 12v power in the socket on both contacts.

 

Brake light working s-h-o-u-l-d tell us that the rear light grounding is ok, a burnt out brake light (bright) filament would not give you a brake light, so more than likely just a bad bulb, or for some reason 12v is not reaching the rear bulb tail light filament.

 

 

 

 

 

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If the brake light illuminates, can it still be bad?

 

Would you know where on the bike that Kisan device might be located?

 

I'm still leaning towards replacing the device mainly due to the ability to find replacement bulbs.

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This is what I found in the Kisan manual:

 

PROGRAMMING BRAKE FLASH FEATURE:

X Apply & Hold brakes first, then turn ignition on.

Y Immediately begin pumping the brakes at least 6 to 8 times

„ This is a toggle function – it activates it on or off upon each execution

BMW models with ABS brakes do not allow successive brake

applications to generate 12V distinctly, which is necessary for the

programming sequence.

You can use the Brake Input wire as a direct input to any 12V source

and perform the programming procedure described above.

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I've got more data!

 

I went out to the garage and tested the tail light and brake light. The brake light does not work. I promise, it worked when I picked up the bike last week! So, now I believe the problem has reduced to burned out bulb, improperly applying 12v to the fixture "discretely", or both.

 

I have NO IDEA where to find a replacement bulb for the Kisan fixture.

 

For these reasons, I'm still leaning to going back to stock.

 

I may have located the general area where the Kisan flasher unit may be, but I don't know exactly which one it is.

 

Am I correct in assuming that I MUST replace this unit with the stock flasher unit in order to have the stock fixture work correctly, or can I leave the Kisan flasher unit in place?

 

Thank you,

 

 

6920.jpg.009ffd11b93f816b3b6318640ece317c.jpg

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I went to the Kisan site and determined the model number is SM-5 which helps me read the manual.

 

I also deduced that the tail light fixture is probably not Kisan at all, but probably an after market part from another vendor! It's possible Kisan is not the culprit at all!

 

My next step will be to replace the after market tail light fixture with a stock unit with a stock bulb leaving the Kisan flasher unit in place. I'll have that done today and report back.

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Update:

I installed a stock tail light socket and a BMW bulb. Tail light and brake light works. The general warning light does not come on! Yeah!

So, I believe the diagnosis of failng/failed bulb is the culprit and had nothing to do with the Kisan module. The brake light does not modulate. I will contact Kisan for instructions on how to apply a discrete 12v source to program the module properly, but that is down the list.

 

My next challenge is the heated grips. The do not work. The first thing I did was check the fuse. Bingo. Bad fuse. I tested the grips in the garage and they warmed up pretty quick. When I took the bike out for a ride to test the general warning light, the grips wouldn't get warm. Back in the garage, I did another test. They did not get warm. I'm assuming the fuse is blown again.

 

Other than the grips going bad putting too much of a draw on the system, what else could it be? Based on the owner's manual, there is nothing else on that fuse? Is there a way to test it?

 

I don't know if this has anything to do with the issue, but the P.O. installed auxillary lights mounted to the front fork. He mounted the on/off switch on the clutch reservior. He spliced the connection into the left hand switchgear wiring harness. It looks "home brew" to me, but what do I know?

 

While I was testing the heated grips, these lights remained off.

 

I'm assuming the electrical connection is just to find a power source and it would not make any sense for the point of contact to be on the heated grips circuit. That would mean you would have to have the grips on for the lights to work.

 

The grips are pretty important to me. LIving in Southern California, even our Spring days can be pretty brutal. The mornings are generally in the 60s and only climbing into the 70s around mid afternoon (tongue firmly planted in cheek here).

FWIW, the previous owner didn't use the heated grips. He said the vibration in the handlebars was so bad that he put foam grips over the electrics and used heated gloves. FYI, the vibration isn't bad to me.

 

So far, the only complaints I have about the bike are all related to the modifications made to it by the P.O. (lowered pegs making it difficult to deploy the center stand, tail light / brake light and possibly heated grips. It needs a tune up, but other than that, it rides pretty sweet.

 

Thank you,

 

 

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So far, the only complaints I have about the bike are all related to the modifications made to it by the P.O. (lowered pegs making it difficult to deploy the center stand, tail light / brake light and possibly heated grips.

 

Why not revert to non lowered pegs?

 

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My next challenge is the heated grips. The do not work. The first thing I did was check the fuse. Bingo. Bad fuse. I tested the grips in the garage and they warmed up pretty quick. When I took the bike out for a ride to test the general warning light, the grips wouldn't get warm. Back in the garage, I did another test. They did not get warm. I'm assuming the fuse is blown again.

 

Other than the grips going bad putting too much of a draw on the system, what else could it be? Based on the owner's manual, there is nothing else on that fuse? Is there a way to test it?

 

 

 

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

First, verify that the fuse is again blown.

 

If so then something on the 12v side of the system is shorting to ground.

 

The most likely place for a short to occur is at the R/H twist grip as that continually moves so continually flexes the wiring.

 

The heated grip wires also pass though small holes in the handlebars so there is another place for a short to occur.

 

With the past owner modifying things it could also have something to do with your problem so go over all the add-ons & re-do anything that looks iffy.

 

They are a pain to get to but disconnecting one side heated grip at a time then riding the bike with grip heater turned on should pinpoint what side heated grip that you need to be working on.

 

If you want a reliable bike you should probably remove ALL the past owner's wiring UPGRADES & re-do them all to acceptable standards.

 

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Morning OlGeezer

 

First, verify that the fuse is again blown.

 

If so then something on the 12v side of the system is shorting to ground.

 

The most likely place for a short to occur is at the R/H twist grip as that continually moves so continually flexes the wiring.

 

The heated grip wires also pass though small holes in the handlebars so there is another place for a short to occur.

 

With the past owner modifying things it could also have something to do with your problem so go over all the add-ons & re-do anything that looks iffy.

 

They are a pain to get to but disconnecting one side heated grip at a time then riding the bike with grip heater turned on should pinpoint what side heated grip that you need to be working on.

 

If you want a reliable bike you should probably remove ALL the past owner's wiring UPGRADES & re-do them all to acceptable standards.

 

Thanks, D.R.

 

I TOTALLY AGREE with your advice to remove ALL the electrical modifications made by the P.O.! I am nervous about electrical issues as it is, based on the problems I had with my 2002 R1150RT.

 

Can you give me an idea where the heated grip connection point might be?

 

In the meantime, I will check the fuse.

 

Thank you,

 

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Morning OlGeezer

 

First, verify that the fuse is again blown.

 

If so then something on the 12v side of the system is shorting to ground.

 

The most likely place for a short to occur is at the R/H twist grip as that continually moves so continually flexes the wiring.

 

The heated grip wires also pass though small holes in the handlebars so there is another place for a short to occur.

 

With the past owner modifying things it could also have something to do with your problem so go over all the add-ons & re-do anything that looks iffy.

 

They are a pain to get to but disconnecting one side heated grip at a time then riding the bike with grip heater turned on should pinpoint what side heated grip that you need to be working on.

 

If you want a reliable bike you should probably remove ALL the past owner's wiring UPGRADES & re-do them all to acceptable standards.

 

Thanks, D.R.

 

I TOTALLY AGREE with your advice to remove ALL the electrical modifications made by the P.O.! I am nervous about electrical issues as it is, based on the problems I had with my 2002 R1150RT.

 

Can you give me an idea where the heated grip connection point might be?

 

In the meantime, I will check the fuse.

 

Thank you,

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

Short answer is to just follow the grip wires up under front of gas tank. Correct answer is, I'm not sure, does your R bike have the full tubular handlebars?

 

 

 

 

 

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Yes, full tubular.

 

"Under the gas tank". Ugh. I probably won't be doing that until I do the 36k service (in ~ 2.5k miles).

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Fuse is blown.

 

Morning OlGeezer

 

We might be able to tell something (like possibly where in the system the problem is)

 

If you replace the fuse, then ONLY use the heated grips on low setting.

 

If it THEN doesn't blow the fuse we might get an idea.

 

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O.K. I'll give that a try.

Must I use a 4A fuse or can I use a 7.5A fuse? I"m running short of fuses!

 

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Nevermind. I was reading the colors wrong. My excuse: The P.O. had a 7.5A in the #7 fuse slot. I put in a 4A fuse in and turned the grips to the low position and they got warm. Of course, it worked in the garage before. I turned on the bike and ran it a couple of minutes. I'm letting it cool down and will try it again.

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  • 1 month later...

An update on the heated grips.

They apparently work. It was difficult to tell because the grips are not shielded by a fairing or hand guards. They get warm very slowly and not very warm at best.

 

I'm now turning my focus on fixing where the P.O. connected the auxillary lights (left switchgear wiring harness). I'll be adding a fuse block when I do the 36k service. In the meantime, I need to do a tune. The most annoying issue with the current state of tune is the abruptness of the throttle right at roll on and roll off. I know these models are particularly sensitive to this (I put 165k on an '02 R1150RT). I found that taking my time with the valve adjustment and TB sync does wonders. I am encouraged by the dual spark. Not sure how much that will make a difference, but many, particularly on this forum, have claimed the 04 is the best iteration of the 1150 series.

 

I took the bike on a lovely 5 day ride with my wife through the Sierra Nevadas last month. It was a good "getting to know you" ride. It took some adjustment to get used to the short rake of the front end compared to my RT and K12RS. All in all, it ran well aside from the aforementioned throttle abruptness. This is the first large displacement bike I've owned that gets north of 40 MPG. I'm still frustrated about the fuel range and not knowing exactly how much I have. Yes, I know the only way I will know "exactly" is to run out, but I'm trying to avoid that. I'm getting more and more patient when I fill up, letting the fuel come up the fill tube and percolate down before squirting in more, repeating often. The specs say it has a 5.4 gal capacity. The fuel light comes on at 4.0 gallons. I sure would like to get 200 miles before the pucker factor starts going exponential.

 

The Cee Bailey windshield fractured at the mount on our ride. I can't say I was really thrilled by the product, so this gives me an excuse to replace it with something else. The BMW shield is probably the best option, but too $$ for me. I'm not looking forward to removing and reinstalling the T-40 bolts near the triple clamp. There is some sort of bent bracket right below the bolt which prevents a wrench from easily getting in there, even a universal jointed contraption. I need to summons more paitence, I guess.

 

End of Report.

.

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