I remember reading about the geometrical aspects of Yeats’ poetry in college. A “hyperdimensional” reading via Richard Hoagland’s Hyperdimensional Physics Model reveals more? Great stuff for late-nite conspiracy radio!
Also: A mysterious giant hexagon lies above Saturn’s north pole, captured by cameras on Nasa’s Cassini Orbiter.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
View The List. Proof that the rich really are a different race.
There seem to be a lot of R1100Rs on the used market now. A new spate of bikes from Bavaria is probably the reason, but the “old” oilheads are still great bikes; they just need a little understanding.
When I first picked up my 2000 ‘R, it was not even broken in, with barely 21k miles on it. It had been dealer-serviced and treated well by the previous two owners (both of whom I talked with before purchasing). Nevertheless, its performance left a lot to be desired:
1) It “surged”
2) Throttle response was choppy
3) It usually took two tries to start
4) It would sometimes die upon takeoff
5) It vibrated at speed
6) Shifting was typical clunky BMW
All of these problems were corrected or vastly improved with only a few, inexpensive parts, tools, and time (well, your time may be more valuable than mine, but I like working on stuff).
1) Surging is probably the most complained-about problem with first-generation oilheads. If you try to hold a steady RPM, say, in second gear at low speed, many bikes will “hunt” back and forth, creating a bucking bronco sensation. And although BMW staunchly denies any such problem, a cottage industry of sorts has sprouted up to meet the demands for a fix. What fixed it for me? A combination of two things, really. First, a precise synchronization of the fuel-injector throttle bodies using the excellent TwinMax Carb Sync Tool. This only takes a few minutes, but you may find, like me, that your TBs are way out of sync. This was even after a 24k dealer service! What huge difference, though.
2) The throttle response on the ‘R was just too on/off for me. It made driving in town a chore. I switched to Autolite 3293 plugs and the driveability improved dramatically (this was even after springing for new OEM Bosch platinums). Also,
3) It started the first time, every time; and 4) Quit stalling completely.
5) The bike is vastly smoother after the TB sync, although “they all do that” to some extent around 4200 rpm. The oilhead is a strange motor. It’s not particularly high-revving, but it likes to breath, so anything below 3k seems like you’re lugging the motor. The weird 5th gear is, in my opinion, “just so” because of the vibes that creep in at 4k.
6) Shifting improved using the revised clutch lever freeplay settings. I also think shifting is improved using the Getrag-specced 80-90 weight gear oil, instead of the 75-140 synthetic cocktail dealers put in them now.
Overall, my bike today rides completely differently than it did when I picked it up from the used showroom floor. The only special tool I had to buy was the Twin Max, and with some inexpensive feeler gauges, I can do my own valve adjustments, too, saving me big bucks. I still buy all my parts and tires through the local shop, but I no longer feel tied to shop rates for tuneups. This is a good thing, because I plan on keeping this bike for a while. My next bike probably won’t be a new BMW, but that’s another story.
It’s never too early to float some birthday ideas, check out the Triple Kazoo over at the The Kazoo Guy.
More kazoo links.