Re: R1100SA 2-plug top speed disappointment - A FIX

[Bob Hadden <kbhadden@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hack,  Congratulations on your successful detective work!  Sounds like 
you have a runner now.  For me, these things have plenty of power, but 
I will be interested to ride the new hex head to see how a bit more 
feels.  As a side note, I have my bike tuned with the idle screws 
closed.  I think it runs better that way.  But this may well not apply 
to your newer dual plug set up.

Enjoy your new speed.

Bob Hadden '98RS '62R27


On May 23, 2004, at 9:10 PM, Jack Bunce wrote:

> OK.... I am sorry to be having this dialog with myself but I appear to 
> have made some progress in solving my low top speed problem and the 
> answer appears to be interesting enough to share.
>
> To make the story short, I changed all four plugs today. When I did I 
> found that the connector for the top passenger side plug was not 
> seated in the coil: it was out by about 1/4". I don't think that plug 
> was firing at all. The electrode on that plug was grey and so was the 
> insulator.
>
> Pictures here:
>
> http://homepage.mac.com/jackbunce/PhotoAlbum2.html
>
> Also, the electrode on that plug was not worn at all.
>
> My guess is that I was only running on the bottom plug on that side, 
> and since the bottom plugs have no advance the cylinder power would 
> fall off as the revs increased.
>
> Now, the hesitation is gone as well as the peakiness and flat spotting 
> and the bike pulls strongly through all the gears to at least 8,000 
> rpm. I did a high speed test run and ran out of balls before I ran out 
> of revs and shut the throttle at 125 on the gps, about 133 indicated. 
> The bike kept pulling and got to 126.6 before I got the throttle fully 
> closed. There was more speed there but way too much traffic.
>
> Also the random backfiring when backing off the throttle slowly seems 
> to have stopped along with the intermittent stalling.
>
> What I haven't done yet is to pull the new plugs and look at them nor 
> have I intentionally disconnected a top plug to see if the problem 
> comes back.
>
> The last people to work on the bike in that area were the mechanics at 
> BMW of Daytona during bike week when they did the 12,000 mile service. 
> Those were the same folks who screwed shut my idle air bleed valves.
>
> Sigh, now I need to check my valves and the rear tire balance.
>
>
> cheers.... jack, '04 R1100SA, Waterford, Connecticut, U.S.A.

------------------------------