2004 R1100S BCR Fuel Pump Bad with 700 miles on Bike?

04BCR#41 · 03-23-2013, 09:36 AM

Calling all experts!

Ok this bike is a 2004 BCR with 700 miles. No fat fingers there. Please don't harass me too much for owning and not riding. HA! I love to ride but......ya that's a long story.

Moving right along. It has run just fine every time I've been on it until now. I do ride it up and down the street "occasionally" to keep it going. I will say it sat this winter without being cranked for about 3-4 months. I know - NOT GOOD!!!!

The bike does turn over now. There is no 'sound' of the fuel pump at all when I turn the key on. Kickstand is up and in neutral. I have checked all fuses, pulled both fuel related relays and tested them. I have 12 volts to the battery. I have also bypassed the kickstand switch (please no safety tips) - it still did not start - still no fuel pump sound with key on.

Is there anything left but the fuel pump? Is there a way to test it without pulling the tank? Is there a pigtail harness I can check with tank still on bike? Or I hear about "Hall sensors" that I have not even begun to research yet or where they are on the bike. (guess I need to research this...)

But not to take your whole day - one of my main questions is that if it is the fuel pump - what is it about a fuel pump with only 700 miles submerged in premium gas and Stabil that can actually go wrong with it? What physically happens to a pump that causes it to "go bad"? Of course it is 9 years old but with almost no usage so deterioration I suppose is a factor. So in my neglect of riding - it is now costing me in the long run.

Any help is always appreciated. I'm down to the pump and/or sending unit or hall sensor - whatever the heck that is.
Any questions, please let me know! Thank you!

ckcarr · ckcarr's Garage

Best just sell the bike. I can give you $3,750 for it if you deliver to me.

1100s nut · 03-23-2013, 09:49 AM

You should be able the remove the fuel pump relay and place a jumper wire on two of the pins to check to see if it's the pump. I wish I new which pins. Nine y/o bike with 700 miles. I can do that in one day. When you say you ride it to keep fresh, I would not ride less than 10 miles or more per ride.

Lane

04BCR#41 · 03-23-2013, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckcarr

Best just sell the bike. I can give you $3,750 for it if you deliver to me.

Ah - you sound just like a 'good' friend at work who keeps offering me $500 for it. So far, you are a better friend!

Yes, I am regularly harassed with my non-riding abilities and agree I should ride it in longer stints......

1100s nut · 03-23-2013, 10:00 AM

I see you post about as much as you ride....LOL. Are you going to sell at some point?

04BCR#41 · 03-23-2013, 10:10 AM

No I don't post much simply because I do not have that much time to do so. At the same time I refer to you guys for guidance. Greatly valuable info and grateful for all the experts who've been there and done it.

I don't have any intentions of selling at the moment...but who knows when an employer these days is gonna say adios and would force unintended sales of all kinds of toys.............

dlong · dlong's Garage

Not sure about oilhead fuel pump controllers, but many hexhead riders would not be without one of these on a longer ride. Someone more knowledgeable than me may chime in after you've absorbed enough abuse.

Motorcycle Info Pages - R1200GS Electrical stuff > Fuel Pump Controller Bypass

1100s nut · 03-23-2013, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 04BCR#41

I don't have any intentions of selling at the moment...but who knows when an employer these days is gonna say adios and would force unintended sales of all kinds of toys.............

I understand, the good thing about the boxer-cup is, its like having a trophy wife, they are nice to look at even when when you are not riding them.

Lane

peterz · 03-23-2013, 04:13 PM

Was there not a recent thread about a gummed up fuel pump on a lightly used hp2s?
I think it required a fuel pump replacement and all was back to normal.
This sounds like the same symptoms.....

8ball · 8ball's Garage

If it's been sitting all this time with ethenol fuel in the tank nothing but a cleanout and possible pump repacement will do.

andrisport · andrisport's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1100s nut

I understand, the good thing about the boxer-cup is, its like having a trophy wife, they are nice to look at even when when you are not riding them.

Lane

Damn Lane

You just hit triple BULLS EYE

Maybe i don't ride every day, but look at my baby before i go to sleep

BTW weather got better

lets ride next weekend ... will send you a pm on cell

Bigred455 · 03-23-2013, 07:54 PM

Without looking at a wiring schematic I can't offer to much advice BUT I do know the connector for the fuel pump is on the RH side of the bike between the tank and the frame, you can definitely access it without removing the tank completely but you will have to remove the side panel. You said the battery has 12v but have you checked voltage to the relays? Could the wiring at the ignition switch be broken as they sometimes do? If you can get to the ignition switch wires I would make sure you have 12v in and out of the ignition switch, then check voltage to the pump is what I would do.

bradzdotcom · bradzdotcom's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 04BCR#41

I do ride it up and down the street "occasionally" to keep it going.

that might not be a good idea.
if you start it, you should ride it for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
by doing a couple of quick street strafes, you may be only warming it up enough to create internal condensation, but not enough to burn off that "cloud" of moisture vapors.

don't tease the poor thing. it might resent it and retaliate.
if you're going to wake it up, don't just foreplay it and tuck it back in.
might be better to just let it sit there and pout until you're really ready to ride.

RBMann · 03-24-2013, 08:43 AM

The Halls Sensor units fail because the insulation on the wires degrade from engine heat. The wires to the ignition switch fail from lots of flexing during use. With the low mileage and extended storage time of this bike the first thing I would be checking is the fuel pump.

Nitro · Nitro's Garage

Boredom can affect anything, including bikes. This is a clear case of suicide. The bike just had enough. I take 10 year-old fuel has turned into gunk. Seriously, sell the darn thing so someone can use it for its indented use.

04BCR#41 · 03-24-2013, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigred455

Without looking at a wiring schematic I can't offer to much advice BUT I do know the connector for the fuel pump is on the RH side of the bike between the tank and the frame, you can definitely access it without removing the tank completely but you will have to remove the side panel. You said the battery has 12v but have you checked voltage to the relays? Could the wiring at the ignition switch be broken as they sometimes do? If you can get to the ignition switch wires I would make sure you have 12v in and out of the ignition switch, then check voltage to the pump is what I would do.

For all of you advising with minimal 'teasing' - thank you for your advice. LOL! I will check current to the relays, ignition and the pigtail to the fuel pump if I can get to it. With the low miles on this thing, I just don't see it being any wiring. It is like brand new mostly because it is! So everything still points to the pump. We will see.

Sure seems like there would be a way to ungunk it, but it may not be the case. Prolly get to spend some more cash!

Thanks guys. Will follow up when I prove the problem.....

bikerfish1100 · 03-24-2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

that might not be a good idea.
if you start it, you should ride it for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
by doing a couple of quick street strafes, you may be only warming it up enough to create internal condensation, but not enough to burn off that "cloud" of moisture vapors.

don't tease the poor thing. it might resent it and retaliate.if you're going to wake it up, don't just foreplay it and tuck it back in.
might be better to just let it sit there and pout until you're really ready to ride.

in case you haven't noticed..... it already has.

Sideshow_S · 03-24-2013, 06:50 PM

I'd put a lot of money on a gunked up pump. Premium or not, Stabil or none. Premium gas doesn't always mean No Ethanol.

An unhappy pump on the R11S will generally squeal a little higher pitch. Some may have noticed the higher squeal when the fuel gets low. At some point it won't even squeal because it's too gummed up to make the first pump.

I just replaced a pump that I killed in a HawkGT that sat for three years like this. It's not about miles. It's about the time you've given for chemical reactions to take place around really small moving parts. Un-gunking them isn't easy due to the fact that they are parts that are in a contained unit assembly that isn't made to be serviced.

Also FWIW, ethanol will eat the rubber isolators that mount the pump. The bits of rubber can clog the pickup sock and will totally shut the fuel pickup down. If you're normally riding the bike, you'll start noticing decreased power and eventually bucking.

josephvman · 03-25-2013, 12:37 PM

Check out my thread about the gummed up pump on my HP2 Sport a couple of weeks ago.

Dr. Curve · 03-25-2013, 01:13 PM

LONG AGO............I started using the chevron techron fuel system and injector products........in every other tank of gas, and sometimes every tank full in the airheads. Sure seems to make um start up fast and come on top good. Since doing this on a regular basis I continue to not have problems. Like others pointed out, the bike want to be run, played with, taken for a long walk, ect.

"The more it sits, the harder it pits."