Oil head touring recommendations…what to check

[Bimmersota]

Hey everyone.

 

I recently picked up a 2004 RT with 25,000 miles on it. I’m planning on doing about 1500 miles and wanted to hear from other owners on things I should check out or have before departing. 

 

It appears up to date on maintenance, but the battery is 7 years old and my understanding is that low voltage can affect ABS. Is there a battery that people prefer?

 

 Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can impart.
 

[Redfoxx]

2 hours ago, Bimmersota said:

Hey everyone.

 

I recently picked up a 2004 RT with 25,000 miles on it. I’m planning on doing about 1500 miles and wanted to hear from other owners on things I should check out or have before departing. 

 

It appears up to date on maintenance, but the battery is 7 years old and my understanding is that low voltage can affect ABS. Is there a battery that people prefer?

 

 Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can impart.
 

 

Bimmersota

 

I have same year RT, I went with Yuasa YUAM6219BL YT19BL-BS Maintenance Free AGM Battery with Acid pack $115. I have had good luck so far put it February, I also have Optimate 4 CANBUS charger. I was told the alternators are to the low end on output.

 

I guess it would depend on what up to date means. I had to do all the following do to age and had not been done for over 10 years. replace fluids (engine, trans, final, brake, clutch), brake lines if original, fuel lines, fuel filter, sync throttle bodies, charcoal filter(delete if issue), alternator belt, and tires (they have dates on them). I may have missed something but others will pipe in to let you know what I missed. 

 

Happy Touring, I love riding mine. 

 

RF

 

 

[Jim Moore]

On that bike with those miles I'd definitely check the clutch splines. You can read about them by googling "oilhead clutch spline."

[Hosstage]

Main things to check would be tires and brakes, fluids. Check the date codes on the tires (a stamped 4 digit code, first two are the week, second two are the year), and look closely for cracks. New battery is a good idea. 

[dirtrider]

10 hours ago, Bimmersota said:

 

It appears up to date on maintenance, but the battery is 7 years old and my understanding is that low voltage can affect ABS. Is there a battery that people prefer?

 

Morning Bimmersota

 

Low BATTERY  voltage does not effect your later 1150 (I-ABS) braking system. If it will start & the alternator is charging then the brake system should work correctly. Your later (I-ABS) system does it's ABS system check AFTER the engine is started. 

 

What you heard is for the earlier 1100 bikes with the older ABS-ll braking system. That system is very battery voltage sensitive & will usually fault at engine cranking if the battery is not in good shape. 

 

You have to be very careful in what you read about the BMW 1100/1150 motorcycles. They seem to have the same  systems, & things look to be the same but there are some major difference in things like the braking system. Even the ignition system is different as your late 1150 should be a twin spark engine.

 

 

You have good info above, especially checking/replacing the brake hoses & especially checking the transmission input shaft splines.  

 

The good news is,  the later 2004 1150RT's had less spline failure than the earlier 2002/2003 1150 bikes BUT some still did fail the splines. 

 

If those splines strip out on your trip it will turn a nice trip into a nightmare. Not only the cost & delay involved but a LOT of BMW dealers will not work on those older BMW 1100/1150 motorcycles, especially for major work like transmission work. 

 

You can sort of check your splines (at least for major wear). It isn't easy (especially if you are not mechanically savvy).  On spline failure prone motorcycles they usually start failing at around 22,000-25,000 miles so you are in that range (IF) your motorcycle is one of them. The good news is your 2004 is less likely, the bad news is your 2004 is not immune. 

 

The other show stopper on the older BMW 1150 bikes is the high pressure fuel hose inside the fuel tank. Those can get weak with age & E-10 gasoline then either split, or pop a pin hole. This is a show stopper as you are then walking (or pushing) as that shuts the bike completely off with no chance of running. 

 

Start by going back to the all forums page,  then putting        splines       in the search box at the top, then read up on what is happening & what type of issue they cause. 

 

Go back a few pages as most recent SPLINE threads are on the newer wethead/shiftcam drive shaft/final drive splines, not clutch splines. You need to be sure that you are reading about BMW 1100/1150 transmission or clutch splines NOT drive shaft splines. 

 

 

 

 

[Skywagon]

It's been more than a decade since I owned an 1150RT so my memory might not be correct on this.  Follow the advice above, but if I remember correctly, if the battery dies, you can't push start it.  I think it requires a certain amount of energy to start.  DR or others will correct me if I don't remember it correctly.

 

Part of my carry along parts for the time I had the bike, about 7 years, I carried a clutch and front brake lever.  I think I still have one of the two somewhere.

[dirtrider]

45 minutes ago, Skywagon said:

It's been more than a decade since I owned an 1150RT so my memory might not be correct on this.  Follow the advice above, but if I remember correctly, if the battery dies, you can't push start it.  I think it requires a certain amount of energy to start.  DR or others will correct me if I don't remember it correctly.

 

Part of my carry along parts for the time I had the bike, about 7 years, I carried a clutch and front brake lever.  I think I still have one of the two somewhere.

Afternoon David

 

You definitely can't push start them if the battery is completely dead. If the rider doesn't run the battery totally dead trying to crank the engine then sometimes they will have just enough battery power to run the fuel pump & ignition system  to get engine fire-off with a good push. Unless pushing down a pretty decent hill it usually takes at least 2 people & sometimes 3 to push-off a BMW boxer bike.  

 

I usually carry a tow strap & I have towed the BMW 1100/1150 to get a start but even then it takes a slight amount of battery power remaining to get the alternator rotor energized enough during the pull to allow the spinning alternator to power the fuel pump & ignition system.

 

Those little self contained battery jump packs will usually start the BMW boxer if the battery isn't internally  shorted enough to drain the battery pack. 

[Shane J.]

Take your bike title with you. If the splines go and you are a thousand miles from home, best to just sell the bike where it is. Either you pay someone to fix it there, or you rent a vehicle and haul it home to replace the transmission yourself at home, either option will cost you what you can buy a decent replacement bike for. I have replaced two transmissions for failed splines and it requires a certain amount of mechanic experience. Plus sourcing a decent used transmission. So I would just sell it local to the breakdown and fly home.

[Bimmersota]

 That’s a lot of good info. Thanks everyone! I hadn’t thought about the in-tank fuel lines or the splines. I’ll probably roll the dice on the splines and take fuel line with me just in case. So far, the bike is running perfectly. Oil is new but other fluids might be five years old (but only 5000 miles). Same with the brakes. 
 

Tow strap is a good idea. Hadn’t thought of that. I have the basic tool kit that came with the bike. Are there any tools specific to this bike that I should bring with?

[Hosstage]

Credit card and cell phone.

[Redfoxx]

4 hours ago, Bimmersota said:

 That’s a lot of good info. Thanks everyone! I hadn’t thought about the in-tank fuel lines or the splines. I’ll probably roll the dice on the splines and take fuel line with me just in case. So far, the bike is running perfectly. Oil is new but other fluids might be five years old (but only 5000 miles). Same with the brakes. 
 

Tow strap is a good idea. Hadn’t thought of that. I have the basic tool kit that came with the bike. Are there any tools specific to this bike that I should bring with?

Bimmersota,

Just so you know the ABS unit vents to open air so not a closed circuit. So it is 5 years of humidity or what ever was in the air. When I did my RT the brake fluid was brown and nasty, had been 10 years roughly when done by dealer. I was 3rd owner of bike.   I would just start a list of what you will need to do. 

 

My in tank fuel hose only had surface cracks,  bike was garage stored in northern Wisconsin. I guy had pictures of his from AZ and it was badly cracked. 

 

I would guess the bike will make your trip, but I would definitely make a maintenance list.  That way you don't have to take the fairing off  8 times like I did.  Now i just check oil, check tire pressures and ride. 

RF

[dirtrider]

15 hours ago, Bimmersota said:

 That’s a lot of good info. Thanks everyone! I hadn’t thought about the in-tank fuel lines or the splines. I’ll probably roll the dice on the splines and take fuel line with me just in case. So far, the bike is running perfectly. Oil is new but other fluids might be five years old (but only 5000 miles). Same with the brakes. 
 

Tow strap is a good idea. Hadn’t thought of that. I have the basic tool kit that came with the bike. Are there any tools specific to this bike that I should bring with?

Morning  Bimmersota

 

On the in-tank high pressure hose. The one that usually fails is a tight bend U shaped fuel submersible special hose. That U hose typically starts degrading on the inside first, then the fuel pressure gets in between the internal hose plies, then after riding a while the fuel inside the tank gets hot, that softens the hose a little more, then POP the hose pops a split or pin hole. Then you are walking.  

 

Just a piece of fuel hose usually kinks due to the tight bend. It might  get you home or might not. Be sure to take a couple of clamps as the OEM clamps are usually not reusable. But it's inside the fuel tank so without tools to remove the plastics, remove the fuel tank, & remove the fuel pump pass through then a spare piece of hose & clamps is pretty useless. Just keep in mind that those (& clamping) needs to stay intact at 50 psi plus working in hot fuel. 

 

As for tools, personally I don't carry a lot of tools but do try to at least carry some tape, a length of 16 ga wire, a length of mechanics wire (I wind them on a pencil or cut a down chop stick).  I also carry a few zip ties as they pack easy & those can also be a trip saver.

 

On the older BMW 1100/1150 bikes I did/do carry a few extra fuses in a small plastic bag. (15 amp will basically work everywhere in a pinch)

 

I usually also carry a small set of vice grips (not full sized but very small) they can become a clamp, be used to clamp on a broken clutch or hand brake lever to ride on. Used to tighten things that you don't have a proper wrench for. Even pinch off a broken brake hose so the other brakes can then work. (lots of uses for one small tool)

 

I also carry either a small cheap (like Harbor Freight) volt/ohm meter (in a double plastic bag), you don't need it UNTIL YOU DO! On-road electrical issues can stop you dead in your tracks. Even simple easy to repair electrical issues can be a show stopper if you can't find & isolate them. On some of my dirt bikes, where room & weight is an issue, I just carry a small homemade 12v test light. Just knowing if a circuit has the proper 12v on it saves a lot of time & guessing. 

 

It can also be a good idea to carry a small tire plugging kit, nothing fancy or large, just glue, plugs, & install tool (small to package & store is what you need here). 

 

If you have the time then buying a cheap little 12v tire pump to carry is also a good idea (especially if you are riding places that don't have many places to get access to air). A small little 12v air pump that you remove the outer plastic case (all but the pump itself) then shorten the air hose to about 8"-10", then lengthen the wires to allow it to reach both tires from it's power source.  That packs easy & small but can be trip saver if you get a puncture (see plug kit above) or just need to add air due to a small leak. 

 

Or, if you shop around there are a number of commercial small 12v motorcycle air pumps that pack somewhat small (not cheap but there are some nice ones available). 

 

Having a tow strap (narrow but strong) can be a life saver IF you are traveling with another motorcycle or a group but can even be used to tow you off the main hi-way by a car or truck so you are out of harms way to evaluate the problem & work on the motorcycle. I usually attach the strap solidly to the tow vehicle (off center to match the towed motorcycle L/H foot peg if possible), then do a double wrap of the strap around the riders footpeg. Then the rider places his/her foot on the strap to keep it clamped tight. If any problems suddenly appear during the tow then the  rider just lifts his/her foot to do a quick disconnect.

 

If the towed motorcycle  has something like crash bars I do a wrap around those then on to the riders foot peg  (same deal, just lift foot to disengage the strap if a problem occurs)  

 

If you have a spare key try to find a place to attach that to a hidden place on the motorcycle with a couple of zip ties,  if you only have the one key & lose it that can really ruin your trip. 

 

 

 

[Hosstage]

A jump box can come in handy.

[1150RSSSS]

Re Battery - there are a lot of other posts about them but I will put in a recommendation here for an Odyssey PC680 which I put in my 2004 RS. FYI the connection posts are configured in a way that requires some adaptation to fit with the wiring connections in the BMW, but now that it is done I can say it is the best battery I've had (and I've had a LOT). Beemer Boneyard also sells a Westco battery which is reasonably priced and I think has more conventional mounts. I also believe that your battery is only as good as your charger, and I highly recommend the C-Tek. I often ride in the winter and since I've been using the PC680/C-Tek combo I never have a problem with cold weather starts.

One other thing to check is your starter - if it makes any noise that doesn't sound good/normal, or it hesitates or you see that your clock resets after startup, it's time! It's not a particularly difficult or expensive replacement and I'm aware of several instances of failure on bikes of our vintage and mileage.

[Jim Moore]

On 7/26/2024 at 7:26 PM, Bimmersota said:

 I’ll probably roll the dice on the splines ...

If you have the body work off it's an extra 30 minutes to check the splines. Pull the starter, tie off the clutch lever, and see if the disk rotates on teh splines. If they fail on your trip the bike will not move another inch from where you coast to a stop. 

[Lowndes]

Bimmersota,

 

If the tires are 10 years old, they should be replaced now.  The rubber gets hard over time and loses traction.

 

If the brake lines are the large black rubber OEM lines, they are well past their due date.  They will fail.  The hydraulic clutch lines, if the system has DOT4 brake fluid, same thing, change them, too (3 sections of hose).  If they are the "braided stainless steel" type, you are good.  AMHIK.

 

If the hoses in the fuel tank have never been changed, as Dirtrider referred to above, they should be changed now, too.  These aren't just any hoses but full submersion rated hoses, plus, one has a tight "U" turn that will kink if you make it with straight hose.  Very important: if you have to replace the hoses, use the stainless steel Oetiker type hose clamps with the crimp tool, not the typical screw clamps, unless you like sitting on the side of the road for hours waiting on a rollback and then doing it again with the Oetiker clamps. AMHIK.

 

If you don't have the chrome plated brass quick disconnect fitting in the external fuel hoses (pressure and return), you will thank yourself many times.  If there is a plastic fitting they are known to break and maybe spray you with gas.  That's always exciting to watch.  Please take video and share.

 

Two very good sources for the fuel tank hose kits:

 

Beemer Boneyard:  https://www.beemerboneyard.com/

 

Euro MotoElectric:  https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/default.asp

 

Oetiker type clamps:  https://www.amazon.com/𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈-𝟐𝟏𝟎𝐩𝐜𝐬-𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐩-connections/dp/B0BCWBKS17/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5VR8PC09XQGU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2BPmqlfrUK8-YWO7jSqMvncGBDp1X9-TFQQHuPSQxK5mnhx9YBXHolsperinzXtZj41XSR9e9vJoj2RTpzo0Fh9nwHFUmApTS-DVZG_vldbY0NnAHSSVFnUk-YFItTIEAbyXwGd2bNHGBlC7Tp7YeoPgW6iFbliPdhidekKCGgeVxO0geAxnZTbVfJlJze8XJnhSTtQaf2ohSg-G_KujWzcRyrBhn2SQoxaAGko8Cos.4Sq1itiXNmAq1IgmUHkjRmQwLz5J0iNp4l0CXCfuPsA&dib_tag=se&keywords=oetiker%2Bhose%2Bclamp%2Bkit&qid=1722179125&sprefix=oetiker%2Bhose%2Bclamp%2Bkit%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1&th=1

 

Brake line kit:  https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/spiegler-front-and-rear-brake-line-kit-bmw-r1150rt-abs-2001-2006?sku_id=1179432

 

Hey, be careful AND have fun on your trip!!  And post some pics here, too.

[Bimmersota]

Thanks for all of the great info everyone! Interestingly, the battery is a 7-year old Oyssey PC680 that has been maintained with the BMW branded charger. It seems like a good experiment to see how long I can go before it barfs, so I've decided to take a small lithium battery as a backup so that I'm prepared if it does. Brake lines and fuel lines haven't been replaced and I am not going to get a chance to replace them before I go. I have thought about looking into the tank to see what's up but I think I would rather ride in ignorance. The last time I looked at fuel lines that old it didn't go well as you can see here: https://youtu.be/l4P6AGU_agE?si=s4XUUz7LqSa4WMbA

 

I am doing the loop around Lake Superior, so there will be lots of motorcyclists along the way. If I get stranded, I shouldn't be too out of luck. Brake lines, valves, fuel lines will have to wait until after the snow flies and depression sets in.

 

The spline issue is interesting. I have to imagine it is largely correlated with how you ride? Tons of wheelies = more wear on drive components? If so, I should be good because the previous owner did not strike me as someone who hit WOT as soon as the light turns green.

 

I've put about 400 miles on it since I picked it up and it's running like a top. Wish me luck.

[dirtrider]

16 minutes ago, Bimmersota said:

 

The spline issue is interesting. I have to imagine it is largely correlated with how you ride? Tons of wheelies = more wear on drive components? If so, I should be good because the previous owner did not strike me as someone who hit WOT as soon as the light turns green.

Evening Bimmersota

 

Absolutely not, the splines fail due to build issues not riding abuse. 

 

The best thing that you have going is you have a 2004, not anything the previous owner did or didn't do. Not that the 2004 can't fail the splines but based on what I have seen less likely.  

 

The problem with your 2004 is that it is just getting to the spline failure mileage (if) it is going to be problem child motorcycle. 

 

Have good trip & let us know how the trip went, that Lake Superior trip is a great trip on a motorcycle. I have done it going in both directions.