'04 running like crap
 

Just clocked about 3200 miles. Idling rough and a little low, seems to be breaking up alittle at about 4K rpm. Always run name-brand premium, not the cheap stuff. Thinking maybe the TB's need to be synch'ed and idle adjusted? Not set up with a idle synch or the know how, and don't want to run as-is until 6K service. The '68 HD is so much easier! Hoping to get into dealer on Thurs for a quick look-see as I want to get away this weekend.
PS: Sent 2 emails to CycleGadgets about the Big Mac bag I bought. No reply. It and them are pissing me off. Bag sags and makes contact with the tank, but the real problem is worse... velcro retaining strap comes off over 50 mph, and the bag slides off!! Only thing keeping it on is contact w/ my chest. Anyone have Big Mac web address? Tried a search to no avail. Have to mod the bag at my local tailor with additional strapping and a stiffer base?? Arrgghhh

migster--

sorry about the bag. cycle gadgets usually is very responsive. they however may be out riding (it seems to be a small family thing).... one day i had a problem with a new (failed) autoswitch an their tech guy called me back from his bike WHILE riding en route to a rally. turns out there had been a series of defective switches and they switched it out right away... i'm sure someone will get back to you. not sure about the bag.... decided to go with the tailbag instead as i have no backseat rider and did not want to deal with the potential for problems like you have..

as far as the '04 running like crap, it sounds very similar to bmwrider's problems (which occur with and without the chip)..... you might want to PM him...

drex

hdd3md- i'd be very hesitant to suggest that it's bmwrider's issue. remember, bmwrider has an aftermarket pipe & chip, and the bike is no longer a stocker. with no additional info from migs i'd think that it sounds much more like a TB sync and a cable stretch issue. always look for the simplest solution first.
migs- you'll need a twinmax or mercury stix to get it right, but you can do an ear adjustment to (possibly) get it better. of course, without the right tools, things might just get worse. i'd get a twinmax, or an appt with my dealer in this case. whenever you're ready for it- here's a link to doing those adjustments.. http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/index.shtml

bf- thanks. didn't realize that. why would an '04 with so little miles have a tb sync problem?

actually rereading mig's message, you're right -- first impression sounded worse than what he actually wrote.

my bike is serviced at tag -- saw abe's bike there (haven't met abe yet), and heard all about it here and there. i have an aftermarket exhaust and no chip. i have no problems..... wish neither had an issues with their bikes... my bike is an '04 with 2400 miles, had an issue with the fuel level sender -- replaced and working fine..



mig-- try calling cyclegadgets.. that's what i did.

drex

why would an '04 with so little miles have a tb sync problem?

i'd expect some throttle cable stretch as the primary issue, and would look to a TB sync as secondary, if still running rough.

Or Hans the TB tech was having a ka-rappy day on the assembly line. Don't discount the possibility it "came from the factory" that way. I figure we need some canned/boilerplate response for the dealers who like to say "they all do that". Tit-for-tat. :)

Hans doesn't work at BMW anymore--and he hasn't since the reunification of Germany. Today he's more likely to be a kid from the former East Germany with rings in his tongue and eyebrows and parents who lived under communism for 50 years. And he has inherited his work ethic (or lack thereof) from his daddy and mommy. That is just one of the many reasons why today's BMWs are nowhere near as reliable as those from 25 years ago....

Any statistics to support this ? Just curious if the mystique is actually the product of good marketing and the perception that the good old days were better (not just different). The bikes were certainly more reliable than a Duc of that day, but that is not setting the bar to high.

I'm with DCooper; any numbers?

I know the signal corp troops ditched their British and American bikes as soon as they landed at D-Day, and 'liberated' as many BMWs as possible. Guys rode them the rest of the war. But that was comparing 1940's bikes. Comparing 1960's bikes against each other is one thing, but comparing a 'vintage' BMW to a 'modern' BMW or any other 'modern' bike is a whole different story.

Now if you throw in a solid EMP (electromagnetic pulse, like during WW3) then I would have to believe the 'vintage' BMW would win hands down. Virtually no electronics to fry!

Well, I'm going to have the dealer check/adjust the cables and TB. I want to start out with everything setup correctly, and I think that will fix it. Then I'm going to purchase a TwinMax or CarbStix synch setup and get to know it! Want to learn the valve adjustment as well. I'm sure it's not that involved, just have to do it a few times. Hell, I can adjust the tranny engagement on a 1940 Chrysler Crown straight-6 and the pushrods on my 1968 HD, so how hard could it be?!? Famous last words...! Thanks for the info BikerFish... going to print that up for reference. Hdd3md I'm probably just going to modify this bag as I see it as a design flaw, not really a defect. Have additional strapping sewn in and utilize a stiffer base plate... aluminum? Shipping back and forth will cost more and take longer anyway. Thanks y'all :)