My 2003 K1200 has 26,000 miles and in the last year on startup I'm getting a large amount of smoking out of the tail pipe. It goes away after 10 min or so. Anyone else with this experience?
My 2003 K1200 has 26,000 miles and in the last year on startup I'm getting a large amount of smoking out of the tail pipe. It goes away after 10 min or so. Anyone else with this experience?
Last edited by 98lee; 06-17-2012 at 03:07 PM. Reason: Model and year in title
Hans,
Welcome to the Forum!
Please read: http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46057
Please include this info IN THE TITLE of any thread you start in the future. It will help you and others with similar bikes get pertinent info for your bike.
I have added the info to your title.
LONG MAY YOUR BRICK FLY!
Ride Safe, Ride Far, Ride Often
Lee Fulton Forum Moderator
3 Marakesh Red K75Ss
Mine, Hers, Spare
Hans,
Can we assume you're parking on the sidestand when this happens?
If so - try this: when you stop the engine, lean the bike slightly to the starboard (right) side for about 20 seconds. Then put it on the sidestand. That allows oil in the cylinder walls to drain back into the sump instead of sitting against the rings.
If that doesn't help - your bike should have the pinned rings (too keep the gaps from lining up and allowing oil leakage), so I'd wonder a bit about what's going on. A few good runs near redline for 5 minutes or so might loosen them up if they're sticky.
Don Eilenberger, Forum Moderator, MOA Ambassador - http://www.eilenberger.net
Spring Lk Heights NJ NJ Shore BMW Riders New Sweden BMW Riders
'07 R1200R (current ride) and some bimmers.. and a Porsche
Same thing happened to me. Shortly after one of my spark plugs got fouled and had to replace plugs.
It's not unusual for a K1200RS/GT to smoke at statup if the bike was parked on the sidestand.Originally Posted by hans.arnesen
Your bike never smoked on startup the first 8 years you owned it when parked on the sidestand??
Lee 2011 K1300S
MOA # 30878
Past BMW Bikes, 2003 K1200RS, 1991 K75S, 1987 K75T(bought new in 1988), 1984 R100RT
Both of our 1987 K75T's smoked when parked on the sidestand. The 1991 K75S's had pinned rings and I don't remember them ever smoking on start-up.
Both of our 2003 K1200RS's would smoke on occasion at start-up after being parked on the sidestand and I have seen plenty of the same model do the same.
Lee 2011 K1300S
MOA # 30878
Past BMW Bikes, 2003 K1200RS, 1991 K75S, 1987 K75T(bought new in 1988), 1984 R100RT
Lee, and all, thanks. I've had the bike three years, and only have noticed the smoking in the last year. Maybe the first years I used the center stand and have gotten lazy with the side stand. I was worried I had some re-building to do on what I considered a fairly young bike (mileage-wise). I do like the one suggestion to open it up!
I appreciate the help with the thread title!Hans,
Welcome to the Forum!
Please read: http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46057
Please include this info IN THE TITLE of any thread you start in the future. It will help you and others with similar bikes get pertinent info for your bike.
I have added the info to your title.
Don, would love to see a schematic of the pinned rings. Only engine I tore apart and rebuilt was a Fiat, so not sure what these things look like.
Pinned rings means the ring groove in the piston has a small nub inside the groove that prevents the ring from spinning or floating around the circumfrence of the piston (while still in the groove of course). The 'pins' are placed so that the ring gap is never on the bottom side of the piston, so oil that may pool in the cylinder cant leak past the ring as easily.
Not really too fance of technology...two stroke bikes have been using it since the begining of time.
Mike Davis
"Old n Slow" It's a way of life!
1985 K100RT
1998 R1100RT
Thanks, Mike!Pinned rings means the ring groove in the piston has a small nub inside the groove that prevents the ring from spinning or floating around the circumfrence of the piston (while still in the groove of course). The 'pins' are placed so that the ring gap is never on the bottom side of the piston, so oil that may pool in the cylinder cant leak past the ring as easily.
Not really too fance of technology...two stroke bikes have been using it since the begining of time.
Where are you keeping your oil level? Its been a long time since I had a K1200RS, but I recall there being a lot of nitpicking back in the day to keep the oil level closer to the center dot than all the way at the top of the sight glass. Might just be my faulty memory tho.
Jon Diaz
BMW K75/K12GT
BMWMOA Ambassador
I'll check that out. After one oil change on my own I decided it wasn't so bad having the dealership do it.
Funny you should say this. My 02 K1200RS doesn't have the center "dot" at all. I have to crouch down and use a flashlight to even see the sight glass. (!!)
There's a metal "bar" (for lack of a better term) floating in the glass, that I assumed was the level indicator. It's floating at the top of the glass currently.
My 88 K100 has the dot at center, and I always assumed this was where the oil level should be. Seems the bike has to be pretty much dead level to get an accurate reading tho- a little lean in any direction makes what seems to be a HUGE difference.
Was your bike unused for a period of time? You may only notice it after a longer period of unuse, like a week of inclement weather, after a vacation, winter storage, etc. because obviously, the longer it sits on the sidestand, then more oil will seep past the ring and accumulate and you'll then be surprised (startled?) by the large plume of smoke that lasts 10 minutes.
If you ride every day, you may never see the smoke because there isn't enough time for the oil to accumulate to that big of a degree.
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