[bmgm37]

My bike has 1000 miles on it and it runs rough at times and also drops dead at stop lights on occasion. I also noted this on the demo model at Dealership. I just had the new ECM upload done and throttle response seems better but it still idles rough at times...seems to be temperature related, but engine temp recovers quickly and it smooths out..just crank it up, it's not going to putter around like a trials bike, all of the gears are a little tall for idling around, it's a much better sport bike, and it gets a little rough just about where the cams start kicking in...JMHO

Have them check the cam alignment....it fixed mine, it's like different bike now.

 

[moliandsam]

I have had a similar problem with my 2014. Just installed a Booster Plug - a $150 gadget that sits on the bus between ECU and air sensor - and richens the mixture slightly by making the ECU think air temperature is cooler. It is said to address this problem. Will try it out as soon it the rain ends.

 

[moliandsam]

Well, I installed it yesterday evening, and rode it today. The Booster Plug actually works. My former anemic idle and start off from stop now act like a normal bike; very little sputtering at idle and no having to finesse the throttle at start off. Fuel usage is approximately the same. Took about 20 minutes to install after I figured out how to remove one of the tank panels to expose the airbox temperature sensor.

 

[nzdeano]

Hi.......I know this problem well. I have a 2004 with 160,000km on it. it had a terrible problem with trying to hold a steady throttle when cruising through a town at 50km an hour. It would surge & hunt badly. Also when trying to go dead slow....1st gear just trying to idle along on the rough stuff it would be on & off. Either you would give it throttle and it would snatch away & launch forward then you would ease off the throttle and it would just about stall & I couldnt seem to get the sweet spot. As well I seemed to have to give it a lot of revs to get it to get off the line in 1st. I was thinking it was because it was an older bike & worn. I had replaced the air filter - spark plugs - cleaned the fuel filter - cleaned the injectors - installed new injectors ring seals - checked for air leaks all to no avail..then after much research I did the following:
1. had the throttle bodies re balanced
2. installed a booster plug
Now its like a different bike. All of the above mentioned troubles gone.

 

[runnerhiker]

Have them check the cam alignment....it fixed mine, it's like different bike now.

Say more about cam alignment. What is it?

 

[bmgm37]

More info in this thread....

2013 r1200gs/w surging

 

[gdayjr]

I have the same Bucking problem

How can two bikes be so different.
I just sold my 04 GS, and bought an 06.
Less km, and two years newer.
I owned the 04 for a bout two years and put about 55000km on it, and it ran like a dream, very smooth great mileage and economical.
The 06...different story. I can not get rid of the silly little hesitations, and surges when under load. Just normal riding, you can feel it hesitating, then releasing, in little surges. Not a big issue really, but because I had the 04 running so well for so many Km I really notice it.
I have cleaned the injectors, balanced the throttle cables, fitted a booster plug, checked valve clearances, and it is absolutely no different. When I put the booster plug on the 04, the difference was very easy to notice, but I have noticed no change on this 06.

OK, any suggestions on where to go to next to fix this annoying little issue.

 

[jpel]

Rough Running

Graham,
If you can get it in Australia, try adding Startron gas tx to the fuel. It made a dramatic difference in the low engine speed running of my 06 K12S and while no where near as dramatic in my 13 WC GS, it does smooth it out more. It is supposed to help stabilize the ethanol gasoline mix. It has my vote!

Jim

 

[marc]

OK, any suggestions on where to go to next to fix this annoying little issue.

Have you tried changing spark plugs? That can sometimes make a surprising difference in how the bike runs.

 

[gdayjr]

Common thread

Hi guys.
I have had this bike about 4 weeks now, it has 33000km on it, one owner from new and always serviced by our "dealer of the year" in Sydney, a guy I personally avoid like the plague, and always do my own work, and like I said, I was expecting it to run like the one that I have just sold, which was by far the smoothest running GS I have ever ridden.
I have duplicated everything I did on the previous one, which had 88000km on it when I sold it

Set the valve clearance and end float, after warming everything up.
Fitted Iridium plugs.
Balanced the throttles, as per J.V.B instructions...very easy to do, but they were not that far off.
fitted a booster plug, which made more difference on the last bike, and I am starting to think this thing may be faulty. I feel no difference on this one. I think I have read others say the same thing.
I always run a 15-50 semi synthetic oil.
I only run on 95, or 98 R.O.N fuel, with no ethanol content.

I have just started (yesterday) putting an injector cleaning additive, and will see if it clears up.

It may well be, that as the engine gets more kilometres on it, it will smooth out a bit. It is hardly noticeable, but because I am used to a smoother running bike, I guess I am being a bit fussy, most people would not even notice it.

Interesting bikes these GS's, it seems that no two are the same, they all have their own little characteristics.

I will persist with this, but I think I have tried all I can to this point.
Just ride it....that's what they say.

 

[Rollster]

down load the "Pure Gas" app it will locate area gas stations that sell gas that does NOT contain ethanol.

73516

I found a gas station on this app close to my home, but their highest Octane rating is 89. Since this is supposedly "Pure Gas", would this be acceptable to use or on equal ground to 93 Octane?

 

[marc]

89 is not the same as 93 regardless of the amount of ethanol that the fuel may pr may not contain. That said....

Why are you looking at 93? What does your riders manual call for? Mine states 89 AKI or better. Here in the SF Bay Area my choices are 87, 89, and 91. All have ethanol. None of them have harmed any internal combustion engine I've used in the last 20 years. But... there's not a lot of humidity here. I understand that high humidity and ethanol don't play well.

The above is for those in the US. We use the AKI (anti-knock index) rating which is the same as (R+M)/2. Our 89 compares to what much of the world calls a 94 or 95.

 

[Rocky TFS]

........The above is for those in the US. We use the AKI (anti-knock index) rating which is the same as (R+M)/2. Our 89 compares to what much of the world calls a 94 or 95.

That would be 94 or 95 RON (Research Octane Number)
What you often see in small print on the pump is (R+M/2), or the average of RON and MON (Motor Octane Number).

Since my 2014 R 1200 GSW owners manual specifically states that anything at or over 89 AKI is sufficient, 89 (R+M/2) would be also, since it is identical.

What bothers me is that EVERY dealer says to use Premium, and 89 AKI is NOT Premium at sea level, it is a midgrade. 91 to 93 is Premium at sea level, and at 8,000 feet, 89 AKI (or maybe 90) is Premium. Here at 5500 feet, 91 is the best I will see.

Several people have posted over on ADVRider that using 88 or 87 in a pinch will not harm the bike in any way, because it has an anti-knock sensor. It will just not provide as much power. My dealer agrees with this.

You only start to get in real trouble when the best you can find in a third world country is 85 or less.....then you would need to have the engine re-mapped for that.

There have been a few instances of engines being completely burned up by really substandard fuel, in which case you probably wouldn't even be able to figure out what its Octane rating was. (or even if it WAS gasoline)

 

[MoonBeamer]

I know you have the Water head but when I got my 2010 Cam head it was doing this a little but mostly it would not let me do any engine breaking. If I let off the throttle it would buck and then die. The dealer ended up replacing the cam position sensor. This cleared it all up. No booster plug, No fuel treatment all stock. Now the bike runs great. This all happened shortly after I got it new in 2010 I had only about 1500 miles on it when I took it in.

 

[clamcake]

sputtering when blipping the throttle,.

Anyone else have their water boxers miss/sputter when blipping the throttle during downshift or whatever? Also, i thought the lc's didn't have a knock sensor?