82 BMW 65 LS high idle

[montmil]

What? Rick is releasing his own electronic ignition?  gotta go look....

Not on the web site yet as Rick has not even received his first shipment from the manufacturer... whomever that might be. Rick is selling the product but does not, according to what he told me last Friday, build the unit. No biggie as Motorrad sells cool stuff that Rick stands behind.

Unknown if the Alpha will be driven off the crankshaft as is the Omega product. Anxious to see the Alpha and hear some owner reports. Who among us will it be?

Monte

09 Sept 09 - Well, cut mine off and call me shorty! On Friday, Rick said his website didn't yet have the new Alpha ignition bits "up" but now he do! Cool.

http://www.motoelekt.com/alpha.htm

[Barry]

Interesting that the Alpha Ignition advance doesn't start until 1400 RPM. That in itself is a form of idle speed stabilisation.

At least one other make of electronic ignition (and I can't remember which) actually provides idle speed stabilisation by having a dip in the advance curve just above idle so that if the idle speed tends to rise a small amount of retard will slow it down again.

[likerobots]

Thanks for all the info.
I took the bean can off and pried of the little cover on top.
Put some oil in there and moved the spring up and down to make sure nothing was catching on.
Bolted it back down and went for a ride. I made some rudimentary marks on the placement, but does it matter which way the can is positioned if its an electronic ignition?
IN any case no change. Maybe the revs are a bit lower, but still climb up to 2 and up to 3 depending on how hard I push the bike.
There is definitely a colleration between riding hard and having really high idle. If I sit at a light and let it alone, it slowly starts dipping down.
Nothing crazy, but maybe down to 1.5.

So you are suggesting, go for a good long ride, pull over somewhere and play with the mixture until the revs go to 1.25 or something?

thanks again,

Alex

[Bob_Roller]

The position of the 'bean can' does matter, it adjusts the ignition timing, just like adjusting the distributor on a cage, when they had a  distributor .

You can try making some adjustments on the idle mixture screws, but if that doesn't help, you need to go back and do a carb synchronization again .

[likerobots]

Good to know, thank you.
My experience is with old 2 stroke engines Vespa and Yamaha, so this is a bit different.
What is involved in a carb sync?
popsicle sticks?

[Bob_Roller]

You need a manometer, or a set of vacuum gauges, specifically for motorcycles, as the needles will just bounce around, without proper damping in the vacuum tubing setup .

[likerobots]

Thanks.
Where are the idle mixture screws exactly on the carb?
Would they be have an identical adjustment between carbs or is it different for each. Just trying to figure out how not to throw everything out of balance as I am adjusting.

A.

[montmil]

Alex, it seems you've reached a point with the high idle issue that it's going to be difficult to determine what the cause truly is due to the multiple changes and tweaks we've all talked you into trying.  

If your bike was my bike, I'd begin from the beginning. Confirm carb operations, including a fresh synchronization. I know, it's a bit of a PITA. Remember that the idle air and throttle stop screws must be "tuned" together. This takes patience.

Drag out the timing light and confirm timing marks at idle and full advance. If you see the marks jumping up and down, you may have a worn timing chain that is causing some idle issues.

I'd also suggest confirming the slide return springs are in good shape and the same length; the rubber carb connects are all snug and not leaking air; and the carb float levels.

It's frustrating, no doubt, but it'll get sorted by working a plan. One thing at a time, confirm, then the next issue. Good luck. Keep us in the loop.

Monte

[Bob_Roller]

The idle mixture screws, are on the bottom side near the vacuum port, where if you still have the air injection system still installed on the bike, there should be a rubber hose going to the bottom side of each carb .

It looks like a common screwdriver straight slot on a brass screw .

I would try turning each clockwise a specified amount, like 1/8 or 1/4 turn each, that will lean out the mixture .

See how it runs then .

[likerobots]

Thanks Bob_Roller.
Seems like that did the trick for now. It does run much smoother and the revs are going down much faster. Rode it around for a 5 mins and so far so good.
I turned each at approx 1/4 clockwise.
I might need a longer ride to determine if this did work

Montmil, thank you for the detailed process breakdown.
I feel the carb adjustments might be out of my abilities :-?, but the timing is a very good idea to confirm.
This way I will also be able to determine if my advance is working as well, if I am understanding correctly.
The bike has 20000 miles so its bound to have some problems.
I love riding this bike. It feels solid yet light and has a good amount of power to play with.

Thanks for the advice. Its raining here now, so I will have to wait for a better day to test the latest adjustment fully and verify timing.
I should just use the gun that clips on to the terminal in the batter and to the frame correct? Nothing fancier than that?

[montmil]

... and verify timing. I should just use the gun that clips on to the terminal in the batter and to the frame correct? Nothing fancier than that?

Well, the manuals state that you should use another battery rather than the one on the bike to power the timing light during checks and adjustments. Some folks claim it makes no difference, others say it does. I just roll the other R65 up next to the timing victim and go from there. Remember since the charging system is not charging until revs pick up to 1400-1500 or so, you're draiining the battery a wee bit as you work through the timing drill. That can make a difference.

Manuals also state that the pickup should be attached to the right-side plug lead. That's fine with me as there are enough cables and obstructions to vision that any more would add to the frustration. Again, some peeps say it makes no difference here either. So if it makes no difference, why not follow BMW's instructions, eh?

Monte

[Bob_Roller]

I put a Sears battery charger on the battery ( shows a 4 amp charge during the synchronization process), and remove the head light, while doing a carb balance, with two fans blowing cooling air over the cylinders, and oil cooler .

Dip stick temp indicator never goes over 200 F.

[suecanada]

I had the same problem when my bike ran hot, the idle was way high too. I followed what the manual said. Adjust the idle during a good long ride (just pull into a parking lot with your two screwdrivers and reach down either side). The engine was definitely up to temp. It fixed that problem for me. Simple thank goodness!
Our manual states "tighten idle mixture screw fully but carefully on both carbs. [Seat them so to speak.] Then loosen by 1/4 turns. Adjust throttle butterfly stop screw on both carbs until it just touches throttle butterfly lever, then turn clockwise 1/2 turn"

Good luck Alex...simple things first helps.

[clouseau]

Check your coil for cracks if it's the grey one.  Exact same starting problem happened with my friend's 82 R65.  It was nearly impossible to start, but once started it would run. It was his coil.  If  you have the grey coil, just replace it. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when you will need to replace it. I switched to the Dyna. You can't beat the price and service from Rick.

[likerobots]

Thanks everyone. I will look into this and let you know how I make out.
Once this is all settled I can proceed onto making this into a bit more of a cafe bike, but thats a whole other topic all together  

Alex