My Speedo is not Working (or Working erratically or Stops in the Rain or after Bike Washing) and my Bike is Bucking like Galloping Girty
Why, when I roll the Bike Back in Neutral with the Engine running does the Idle rise?
If I have ABS, is the Speedo run off the Front or the Rear Sensor?
For the Classic refer Speedo Classic FAQ
Symptoms:
Bike Bucks & Surges. Make sure you've checked the Surging & Stalling F.I. FAQs.
Speedo is erratic, sometimes goes down to Zero, then back up to the correct speed or it stops altogether.
"Popping" when the throttle is closed, e.g. when using engine braking.
Also the occasional habit the engine has to just stop dead when the clutch is pulled with the throttle closed. - Not all the time - it seems like the tick-over RPM at times is set to 0 and not 1400-1500.
I go off and ... Speedo is OK. A few miles down the road I look again and ..... 0 mph, I'm in 4th Gear 4000 rpm.?? A few more miles and I'm watching it go zooming up very occasionally but mainly hugging 0 mph for dear life. And occasionally at IDLE at the Stop Lights it went to 10mph. Beautiful. AND to top it off, when it started failing the bike was lurching like a wild thing (go girly !). I have read about the "connection" of the Speedo Sensor to the FI but WTF is this.!! I loved my Classic. It had a MECHANICAL Speedo Cable and there was no connection to the Carbs. What is this.?
When it rains (or I've washed the bike) the Speedo stops working.
Q. Why does this happen.?
A1. The ABS/Speedo Sensor off the rear wheel feeds back to the Motronic and if the sensor goes (or maybe it's just covered in mud, so CHECK the Rear wheel first), it affects the Speedo.
A2. The Speedo itself has some poor Connections/Rusty or poor wiring. refer the Wiring Diagrams in the GS Documentation Section for the Speedo Connections to Cross-Check with the Photos Below.
Q. Is this common.?
A. How many instances do you need before it becomes common.? Yes. there
are quite a few people who have had these symptoms. Here they are:
I have just returned from a 250KLm dirt ride. during the ride the bike (2001GS) missed firing on acceleration and gradually got worse when I slowed down preparing to stop and check, it actually died on me. After waiting for 5 mins it fired up OK and off I went , however it started missing again at times and this time actually died on me under acceleration. This may only be a coincidence and I know I'm not dreaming however I "lost" 30 klms off my trip meter during all of this stopping and starting period, I clearly saw 275klms on the trip meter and say 15 mins later it read 256klms. Any advice on possible causes would be appreciated. Finally rode home last 90klms with no further problems ! Aussie-John #334
Mine died completely AND affected the engine performance. Went pfft. HK$1500 (divide by 7.73 for US$) later, the cable was replaced. Kristian #562
Sometime ago, I did an experiment.....I disconnected the Speedo sensor at the wiring harness under the seat and went for a ride, straight up I discovered that idle speed went up and stayed there (about 2000RPM) also the bike surged and carried on at sub 4000RPM rev ranges. On start-up, the engine immediately revved to 3000RPM on a closed throttle (this is a mystery ... could be coincidence) UNLESS the ECU reads all inputs at ignition on.....would not get a signal from the speed sensor anyway, because bike is not moving. At the time, I was having unexplained idle speed problems and a failure to start after several cranks. I now suspect I COULD have had a bad batch or 2 of Shell Optimax fuel. I reset the ECU and the bike was OK for a while, then the problems would reoccur after about 50km of riding. The bike seems to have got over its case of indigestion and has run perfect for the last 2000 kilometres or so. I think fuel MAY have been the problem all along.....but I did discover the importance of the speedo sensor/wiring :-) Jack (Aus).
Zero rpm idle-What gives. I took the bike ('01 F650GS - nearly 10 000km/6000 miles) out today to do some errands around town. First off, the speedo didn't work, although it was fine yesterday. The needle just sat at zero. At least the Tach worked, and that is better than vice versa. After the first stop, I got back on the bike and that's when the fun began. By the way, I am fanatic about the correct starting procedure: ignition on; wait till water temp light goes out; press starter, no throttle. I hold my right hand palm up under the starter button so that there's no way I can inadvertently touch the throttle. The bike fired and died. Tried it again, with the same result: the revs plummeted to zero. After several tries, in desperation I gave it some throttle. So it started, but I couldn't let go of the throttle. If I did the revs dropped like a stone. So I tried to ride the thing. It's quite hard to ride with no idle, especially if you are not used to holding the throttle on all the time. (Why would you be?) In ten blocks I must have had to restart it ten times as I rode. I'd roll back the throttle to change gears (it's kind of automatic}, and the motor would immediately die. Pulled into a plaza to tell Riding Buddy that riding this blessed machine was impossible. We decided to go straight home at that point. The ignition was off for about three minutes while we chatted. I started the bike for the horrible ride home. Guess what! It started like a charm, and it was perfectly fine for the remainder of our errands. I HATE mechanical things I don't understand. With a passion. This is my first FI bike. What the blazes is going on? Is it going to happen again? The speedo I can deal with, but helpful comments about the disappearing idle setting would be much appreciated. mspeed
I have something fairly similar with my '01 F650GS. Speedo quit a little while back (and odometer, of course)-my post of May 4, under Zero rpm idle. When it first quit, it set the idle at zero rpm-brutally difficult to ride. After resetting the ignition, the engine ran fine, but the Speedo was dead. A few days later, the Speedo started working again. O.K. for a short distance, then off again. Some days it worked, some days it didn't. Mechanic was baffled, but replaced the instrument cluster. He did check the sensor, he said, and it seemed clean and normal. I had the 10 000 km (6000 mile) service done at the same time, so he gave the bike a pretty good going over. Worked like a charm-for 350 km. Speedo quit again. (I didn't report back to this board on the problem-as I promised to-since the problem hadn't been solved.) This time on the cycle that the speedo quit, the engine surged very badly just under 4000 rpm, farted and popped on deceleration, and stalled very uncharacteristically. The engine was fine when I let the ignition recycle. Then the pattern of intermittent functioning has started again, but the engine is running normally. Today the Speedo is working. Your information may be very helpful to my mechanic, along with my log of weird speedo behaviour. mspeed #1023.
My speedo has started acting up. 1st time was last week. After washing the bike the speedo suddenly stopped working, showing 0 km/h. After a while it came back on, presumably after something had dried up. Today it's pouring down, and the speedo suddenly quit again. Since this behaviour is clearly linked to high humidity, I'd suspect a faulty contact somewhere. Or is the CW that my speedo or motronic unit is fragged and I need to get a replacement? It's an '01 Dakar, so still plenty of warranty left. Oyvind #1052
Same problem here ('01 GS). Had the instrument cluster replaced a month ago. Speedo worked for a while, and then started quitting again. It was raining for two of the last three "quitting sessions"-during which the bike acts like "galloping girty" to use Kristian's marvellous phrase (which I haven't heard for decades). Taking the bike in Thursday to have the sensor replaced. Stay tuned. mspeed #1023 Toronto
I just got a used '01 Dakar and the previous owner said that he had the Tach stop for a while then start again. I haven't seen it happen yet but I'll keep an eye on it. Gary K.
I have the same thing with my F650GS meters. I have checked all connectors and wires. Could be just the sensor gap distance of the speed sensor on the back wheel. But keep your eye on the rev-counter the next rides. If the instrument cluster is KAPUT you are going to notice the following symptoms: Speedometer and rev counter stop working after a few miles riding, odo and clock starting to flash. After turning the ignition off the odo and clock keep flashing. If this is the case, disconnect the instrument connector located on the back of the cluster. If not, the instruments will drain your battery! The faulty instruments causing a big drain current. The instruments need to be replaced. Maarten
On a recent cross country trip I had the same problem with my speedo. It would go to 0 mph, then later would come back on. Only happened in the rain. I'm going to check all the connections as I do my next service and if that doesn't take care of the problem I'll let my friendly local dealer replace the instrument. I've already talked to the dealer tech and he says there is no repair they are authorized to do. Replacement is the only answer. Homeless (CO).
Speedo and odo stopped working. Pick up from rear wheel OK & working. Anybody had similar - got any suggestions. Mr Grumpy.
My replacement clocks started misbehaving at about the same mileage. I'm waiting for an explanation from BMW (think I'll grow a beard whilst I wait!). See thread from last week, below. Ride safely. Paul W.
I Went for a ride today on my '01 F650GS. On the way home there was a noticeable hesitation. Then several miles latter again. Almost seemed like I was running out of gas, but the warning light didn't come on. Got gas and she only needed 3.3 gals, but stalled pulling into the gas station. Then on the way home from the gas station there was the big hesitation twice more. Then I noticed that the ABS warning light had come on. The abs warning light went off. Got off at my exit and she stalled coming to a light BUT this time I lost all electrics. I went to put the side stand down so I could get off and push her to the side and the electrics came back ( Clock read 00:01). Started her and got her home after stalling several times and big hesitations. Dave # 717
My replacement clocks have failed at 1200 miles with the mileage recorder going backwards again. Apparently BMW can't find the cause or cure. Anyone had similar experience or found a cure? Today I did 3 short trips and ended up with less miles showing than when I set out. jus
After I got a new EFI box (Motronic unit) with the 9.3 program I had the same S/S as everyone else. I got the new 10.? program and was mostly satisfied. Over time I more and more often had all sorts of strange symptoms, "farting" when going downhill and using more or less engine brake. Stuttering when accelerating. Small engine stuttering at all sorts of throttle openings but most noticeable at low revs, (3500-4000 RPM) quite natural that I feel it better then as the power pulses does not come as often. I was not happy with this and checked almost everything - fuel pressure ALMOST ALL el. connectors. (Did NOT check the big one I have at the ABS unit- very hard to come to and the manual says to remove the rear sub frame!). I came to the conclusion that it had to be the "old" injector and the new program which was the cause. My ABS warning light had a habit of coming on and off at times, but I did not at all think that had anything to do with the FI. I was waiting to get a new injector under warranty. Sometimes the speedometer was working, sometimes not. At times both the ABS warning was on and the speedometer was dead, but not always. The rate at when the engine was sick was slowly increasing as was the rate at when the ABS and/ or speedo were malfunctioning. Still I did not make the connection. I did not get a new injector so my mechanic had to order it once more. To be able to do that we had to connect the bike to the marvellous BMW diagnostic computer to get some bike data! We got the data and my mechanic would not let me leave before he had sorted out the ABS "thing". Before I had always told him to let it be as I did not use the ABS that often and did not need it- except for the speedometer. He managed to get the ABS plug out and guess what, it was filled with dry copper- oxide and 2-3 of the pins were missing- same thing as I had in the EFI plug some 1 year earlier. That was when I found the speedo- EFI connection in the diagrams AND "Stuportech" confirmed that the EFI used signals from the speedometer. I must say I was a bit doubtful, but at the same time hoped it was so as then there was a real chance I could get a working bike again. Haakon #626.
Rain=speedometer 0,need advise I need your help. When it's raining, my speedometer stop working. It restart dry. My dealer doesn't make test drive on wets days and they don't know this problem. Some of you had this fix, can you tell me what was done. Thank you. Gilles Qc, Can GS01
I had a mystery on-again off-again speedometer. It was driving me nuts. Replacing the instrument cluster was tried, with no success. It finally became apparent that the speedo only went off after it rained, or after washing the bike (not with a high-pressure hose). Electrical circuits checked out O.K. Everything then pointed to the rear-wheel sensor. That was replaced, and the problem was finally solved. Bonne chance, Gilles. mspeed #1023 Toronto, Canada.
Red lining a GS . No, not a tale of an adrenaline packed high speed ride. Rather more mundane I'm afraid……..When switching from my (already suspect) odometer to trip meter the Tach flicks round to full revs and then returns. Fortunately my engine is far too sensible to 'follow' the Tach and continues at its own pace. Would bring a whole new meaning to 'surging' problems! Oh don't you just love electronics! Paul W (UK) Dakar.
You may have damaged the face of the sensor, exposing the metal inside. The metal inside is black, so it may be hard to distinguish from the plastic. A temp fix while you wait for a replacement is to tape up the face of the sensor with some electrical tape when it's dried out. You may also want to use a slightly thicker washer to increase the distance between the sensor and the slotted ring on the wheel. Oyvind #1052, Norway.
Yesterday after about 200 miles of a 300 mile ride, I was stopped at a red light, engine quit just as light turned green. I pulled in the clutch attempted restart, no good. put it in neutral it started ok. After getting into 4th gear, I looked down at the odometer, it read 151 miles more than it did about a half mile back. It was in the "trip" mode, not total miles. Selected total miles, appeared normal. Back to trip miles, still reading too high from previous. Any one with similar experience or how to fix? '01 Dakar, 11,800 miles, battery checked 500 miles previous and only other change was I installed BMW electric outlet. The idle problem of engine dying at a stop light has occurred about 3 or 4 times in 11K miles.
I recently had the speedo/ABS sensor cable thingy go bad. At the same time I noticed that the bike was starting slowly like the battery was drained. I was not too surprised as the battery is about 2 years old, it is winter, the bike is outside all of the time, I use the heated grips and I have driving lights. I don't do the grips and the lights at the same time. Anyway, the ABS light wouldn't go out which I initially figured was low voltage. As it turns out, the sensor was bad. I ended up replacing the battery anyway. The new battery has been in for 2 weeks and I went out yesterday after the bike had been sitting for 3 days and the battery was totally dead. Even the clock was not on. I charged the battery but it still does not seem to be charging while I ride. Oh by the way, I ride 40-50 freeway miles round trip each day. The battery does not seem to be getting charged when I ride. How do I check the output of the charging system? Do the brushes go bad? I had this happen on a bike years ago. Any other suggestions?. Well the bike went to the dealer where the ABS/Speedo sensor was replaced. Nothing changed, still no speedo, no ABS, idled high at intersections, not charging, etc. The problem (according to the dealer) ended up being the connection between the wiring harness and the ABS unit. The connection was corroded. This at least will solve one problem and hopefully will resolve the charging issue as well. Has anyone else experienced this? It seemed odd given that the bike is not quite 2 years old. Well the parts are on order so I'll wait and see. Thanx for all of the feedback. Brendon
When it rains (or I've washed the bike) the Speedo stops working - is this a known problem? - Sorry if its been asked before - I don't get around to visiting the site as much as I used to. Chris#1068. F650GS, Los Angeles.
I have also had intermittent speedometer troubles after or during rain. I hate intermittent problems because they just are not reproducible at the shop. As I am still under warranty I am determined to make this reproducible. This evening I put the bike up on the centerstand, started the motor and put the bike in first gear. While the rear wheel is spinning I slow soaked (i.e. a dribble of water coming out of the hose) the rear speed sensor. Well after 5 minutes the speedometer stopped working. This is excellent as I am scheduled for a new rear tire in two weeks so before I go I will soak the rear speed sensor and when I get to the shop I will say, "See, it ain't working!" The bike is 2001 F650GS with 17000km. wethogs Lucas (#1046)
Obviously another brilliant design from BMW... or
rather lack of testing outside the lab perhaps. I've been thinking about this
one for a while, since my Speedo Sensor failed. We have a few recorded cases
of Speedometeritis, but either not too many people bother, or not too many
people ride in the rain. Oyvind probably rides in snow and that gets stuck big
time...Oyvind mentions shimming it with a washer to move the pickup away from
the slotted wheel. This idea has merit in that mud or stones won't clog it,
however, with regards the water, I was thinking about my Unsaturated Soil
Mechanics classes several years ago and was thinking the meniscus from water
is quite a tough little number. Menisci like "dirty" surfaces (not Really
Dirty) just not clean. Any meniscus attached to the pickup head has only one
surface to adhere to, so it's an unlikely candidate for where the water
collects, although not an impossible one, as there is a small recess. However
those slots on the wheel attached to the hub are prime candidates. In static
applications, Menisci like small slots, as the surface tension doesn't have to
overcome the weight of the water and 4 sides of a narrow slot is Menisci
heaven. Ah ... you say what about the centripetal force from the wheel? Well,
that's true, and I must admit I haven't conducted Rodgers experiment so I
don't know. Perhaps Rodger can run it again, and shine a light , both
metaphorically and physically, on the notion and location, of it being water
in the slots. A good test would be to soap the slots, to check water doesn't
accumulate. The only other possibility is of course that the head isn't water
tight and leaks, causing contact failure. Early morning musings. Kristian#562
Q. How do I fix it myself.?
Check the ABS/Speed Sensor at the Wheel and at the Motronic yourself
Get BMW to Replace the ABS/Speed Sensor Cable/Brake Rotor Bolts
Check the Instrument Connections or Get BMW to Check the Speedo Instrument for you
A1. Check the ABS/Speed Sensor at the Wheel and at the Motronic. If you've checked all the connections and it STILL doesn't work, get it replaced by BMW. We might be able to find an aftermarket source of the sensor sometime in the future, but for the moment, that's the only option.
Sensor may just be loose or covered in mud, so CHECK the Rear wheel first, it affects the Speedo. A simple test for an inductive sensor if you can get at a wiring plug up the frame (assuming it works off the ABS ring) is to go across both pins of the sensor with a multimeter set at AC volts. Spin the wheel and the induced voltage will give a steady reading at a steady speed. On DC it will jump as the counter teeth go by. If the reading is below about 0.3V AC at 30rpm, the electronics will typically have a problem counting the pulses, but the only fixed rule is no voltage, no speedo. If you have no voltage, check the resistance across the two pins. Fried sensors tend go open circuit as the fine wire at the coil end melts. Andy Leeds UK #982
Speedo. My speedo used to read a bit erratic, but a thorough cleaning of chain lube from the sensor wheel and sensor seemed to cure it. RDW
Rear brake rotor blues. About two weeks ago, the ABS warning light on my 2001 F650GS came on and my speedometer began reading 0 at all speeds. I looked at the setup, but couldn't see anything obviously wrong. Called my dealer (Irv Seaver of Orange, CA--great people) and they thought the ABS/odometer sensor had gone south. They had to order it from Germany to be replaced under warranty. A few days later I was waxing my chain when I heard a grinding sound from the left side of the rear wheel. It turned out that one of the screws holding the rear brake rotor on was sheared off, and two others were part-way out and bent over at a 45deg. angle. The grinding sound was these bolts hitting various bits as they rotated. It may well have been the bolt that sheared off that caused the problem with the ABS sensor. I had the bike towed to Seaver, where everything (including the scratched rear wheel) was replaced under warranty. I have a habit of checking to see if anything has vibrated loose every 1000 miles, but I have to say that I never thought to check the torque on the screws holding the brake rotors on. They are all snug now, with a bit of Loctite to help keep them that way. I got the bike new in September 2001. It had gone about 9000 miles all hiway when I saw the bent bolts. The ABS/odometer sensor quit at 8223. The service manager at Seaver mentioned he had seen one other F650 GS that had a bolt from the rear rotor come loose, but he thought that was a fluke. (I think it may have been another chain ganger that owns the other GS--I remember a post from a while ago about it, but I couldn't find it with the search.). The bolts on the rear brake rotor had not been touched since factory assembly, as far as I know. It might be a good idea to check your brake rotor bolts, even on a brand new bike. Dan#823
Check all your electrical connectors for water. First of all check the Motronic and ABS connectors! With no ABS check the connector form the rear wheel sensor (on my bike with ABS it is next to the Motronic, on the left side). Just trace the wiring. My bike was NOT made for use in rain. I have tried to disconnect the front, the rear and both speed sensors. It is only when I have both disconnected that the engine starts to stumble. When I disconnect either one, both the ABS warning lamp comes on and the Speedo stops working but it seems both has to be out of work to get the engine to stumble. Haakon #626
Connection at Motronic:
Connection at Wheel
(Sensor Detects Slotted Disk as is passes by):
Check for Mud, Sensor Mounting Bolts, Brake Disk & Sensor Disk Bolts
A2. You can't fix the Sensor Cable but you can check the pickup at the wheel. If cleaning it one of the solutions below doesn't work, get BMW to check/replace the ABS/Speed Sensor Cable for you. We will look at finding a source of a new OEM Sensor, but don't hold your breath.
At the beginning of May I reported on a speedo that did weird things, and only worked half the time. I promised to post feedback on the outcome. The instrument cluster was replaced under warranty, but that wasn't the root of the problem. The speedo continued working intermittently. However, a pattern emerged. Trouble would start up again after I washed the bike (and I am talking about a bucket and rag, not high-pressure hoses) or if I rode in the rain. At the end of June, the sensor was replaced, also under warranty, and I am happy to say that I have since ridden over 1600 miles (2600km), including some fairly serious hammering in the dirt at Parry Sound and Trenton, along with the subsequently necessary washes, with no further problems. Bingo! mspeed #1023
When my Speedo started being erratic, sometimes going down to Zero, then back up to the correct speed or it stopped altogether, accompanied by bucking and surging, BMW replaced the Speedo Sensor Cable to the Rear wheel and all was O.K. Kristian #562.
My speedo hasn't liked the rain lately, either. I pulled out the sensor and found that the face of the sensor had been scraped off, exposing some metal inside it, by the slotted "sensor ring" on the hub. The latter is a thin gauge metal ring which is may become a little bent. In addition, there's a very small gap between the sensor and the ring. I've taped up the face of the sensor and put on a slightly thicker washer to increase the distance between the sensor and the "ring" while I wait for a replacement. The plastic facing of the ABS/speedo sensor has probably been worn off because:
a) The sensor is too close to the slotted ring and the two have touched when
riding.
b) A small rock or similar has gotten in between ring and sensor, e.g. when
riding through deep mud.
c) The sensor has been damaged when removing or installing rear wheel.. The
sensor should be removed before working on the bak wheel to avoid damage.
When the metal inside is exposed to the rain, there's a bridged current or
something and the sensor stops working. Solutions:
a) Go to your dealer and try to have it replaced under warranty. This has worked
for me once. The second time it happened I went for option b).
b) Take the sensor out of its mount and dry it thoroughly, e.g. with a hair
dryer or leaving the bike in a dry garage for day or so. Mix up a little epoxy
glue and spread thinly over exposed surface, let it cure. Increase the distance
between ring and sensor by using a thicker washer when re-installing. Problem
solved! Oyvind #1052, Bergen, Norway. Oyvind #1052
Haakon #626(Norway-F650GS). As the sensor is high-priced and we have not yet found a cheaper solution, you might try to adjust it further away from the slotted ring. On my bike, it works reliably at a distance of 2 mm. Those of you with ABS maybe had better keep it within the 1,0- 0,1 mm limit. If the speedo fails to work at times, no big deal. If the ABS fails when you need
Check the Brake Rotor Bolts didn't foul the Sensor/Cable. See Loose GS/Dakar Rear Brake Rotor Bolts.
A3. Get BMW to check/replace the Motronic for you.
I had the same experience. The only fix was a new motronic unit. Replaced under warranty. No problem since. Ooops not quite true. I now have my third new Motronic unit. It was also replaced when my bike suddenly was completely unwilling to start. But the speedo is ok. Terje '00 GS
A4. You can't fix the Speedo, but you can check the connections yourself. Get BMW to check the Speedo for you. Some riders have had the Speedo replaced TWICE and it still breaks down.
Symptoms:
3 months ago I had new clock fitted because the mileage recorder was losing up to 2 miles on switching off. All was well with the new clocks until today. I got off the bike with 1200 showing. On restarting it was back to 1199. Does anyone know the actual/likely cause? How many people have had a similar experience? I don't want to replace the clocks again only to have the same problem 1000 miles down the road. Jus
At my 6000 mile service my 'clocks' were replaced under warranty because the odo 'lost' miles. I am not the only GS owner to experience this. For the first 1000 miles thereafter odo and trip were in perfect unison, until this weekend when I 'lost' 30 miles between fill ups. So new clocks every 3 weeks for me then. Paul W (UK) Dakar
To be truthful I think they are cheap gauges. I see all kinds of weird stuff with mine both Tach and speedo. At times you can set the Tach at 5 grand the the speedo will swing 15 mph. The odometer loses a mile or so at times when restarted. But face it. You can buy 2 KLR's for the price of a GS. Better parts cost more and I don't think too many $12,000 F650GS would be sold. I think that is why they don't use the big GS wheels and I am sure the list goes on. None the less I love my Dakar and would buy another one if mine went away. Supertech
My bike stayed at 3040 miles for two days and on the second day started cutting out if I dropped the rpm at all, I could see the trip meter go up bet the main clock didn't change or would go up until the bike was turned of ...next time I switched on 3040 again...Its fine now but I dunno. At one point I was not able to get the bike to start. I Have exactly the same problem as Marko posted below. Graham
I
noticed today that my odometer loses some miles. It is missing ~400-500 miles.
Few weeks ago I had almost 4900miles and today I have 4443 miles on it !!!
Bike is -01 Dakar. Marko also said that he lost idle one day (I think we both
have the same gremlins). Marko
Dakar Does Mileage Trick. On a 20 mile ride around town this morning, the ODO on my Dakar twice lost the mileage it accumulated from the previous reading when I turned the key off and on again. It was pretty cold about 20 degrees F. Never noticed that before. This is one spooky motorcycle!. echo
I've
had this problem with my 2002 F650GS since I got it... CalBMW looked into it a
little but BMW stone walled them and I didn't push it. Cheers, PQBON.
Solutions:
Well if
you've checked your Sensor and Sensor Connections (See
Above), checked for Rusty Speedo
Connections, you might just have to go to BMW and tell them "it doesn't
work." Sorry. We'll keep you posted.
Symptoms:
In regards to the odometer rounding error, my dealer told me that "they all do this - it is not a problem." Is this BS? I know some have had them replaced for this, so does anyone know the BMW service bulletin number or some such that I can give to the dealer? MichaelC #941
My odometer has been replaced once, and now after 2500 miles, new odometer does exactly same as the old one...Soon BMW will announce that previously service has been every 6000 miles, new interval is 6 months... ;-) Marko Dallas, TX (orig Finland)
My odometer would drop 1-2 miles every time I turned the engine off. There are times when I can make several stops doing errands and return home with the same mileage I left with! I just did a trip of 1,115 miles according to MS Trips & Streets (computer mapping program) and my '01 F650GS odometer indicates only 1,080 miles ??? My odometer didn't record 35 miles!!. Generally I don't get upset because I figure my warranty will last a little longer, but 3.2% error is a bit much. Generally BMW motorcycles are 3-5% over the real mileage. Which means my F650GS is 6-8% less than a typical BMW motorcycle. Dave # 717
My odometer steals 2km (and always 2 as far as I have seen) after a stop, but not always. I would say, about 5-10% of my rides. I will ask about that at the next service. NLS
Mine is acting up too.... and of course the speedometer is showing 3.5 mi/hr faster than I'm actually going. Omnikron.
I got lucky.....told my dealer that my speedo had the same sorts of problem.....at the last service they fitted a new one....it did not work at all!!! They reinstalled my old one again So.....I thought it looked like I will be waiting another 10,000km to get mine fixed...wrong :-). They mailed me a complete new instrument panel and said they were happy for me to fit it and return my old one......now I am doing warranty repairs on my own bike :-) Beats waiting till the next service! Jack
Solutions:
Well if
you've checked your Sensor and Sensor Connections (See
Above), checked for Rusty Speedo
Connections, you might just have to go to BMW and tell them "it doesn't
work." Sorry. We'll keep you posted.
Speedo or Tach Lags actual Speed/RPM
by Supertech
Q. I have a '01 F650GS, and I've noticed
that in first and second gear under hard acceleration the engine revs up faster
than the Tach needle moves. In other words I will hit the rev limiter while the
Tach reads approx 6000 rpm. Also I have noticed the speedo will kind of lag
behind on harder acceleration too, like it sticks around 50-55 mph too long, and
then the speedo needle will "catch up" to the actual speed. Buck
A. I ride lots of these and I think it is the way they are.
My Speedo
Buzzes?
Buzzing From around the Fairing/Speedo Area. Electrical/Speedo Problem?
Symptoms.
I do most of the work on my bikes but the electrical systems are not my bag. I recently replaced the battery on my 01 GSA (Which I purchased used) positive first then negative and when I connected the new battery the Tach made several rapid clicks for about 5 seconds. After that, the speedo made four short clicks every 15 seconds for about 5 minutes. You can just barely tell that the speedo and Tach are moving during the clicking. Is this normal? I'm guessing not. The bike seems to run fine. Any thoughts? Thanks for any feedback.
I have a 2002 GS Dakar. After doing some electrical work on it today ( I had the battery out) I noticed that there was a 'ticking ' or what sounded like a relay cycling, coming from the headlight/dash nacelle for about 90 secs after I turned the ignition on. I have never noticed it before, and am hoping its nothing I have done in my playing with the electrics. The 'ticking 'was coming from the headlight/dash nacelle. Any Ideas what this is?
I installed my new BMW hot grips last night: 1 hour for the new bars, etc., 2 hours to route the wiring, etc. And the ride to work this AM was great! Except for the buzzing speedo on starting . . . when I turn the key to the "on" position, the speedo needle buzzes for about 4 seconds, then stops. When I installed the grips I disconnected the battery because the instructions said so; in hindsight I don't think THAT was necessary. What MAY have been necessary was to disconnect in the terminals in the correct order. Feeling a bit contrary, I decided to remove the "+" first. When I re-connected it, I did the "+" first. My question: What have I done, and what can I do to stop the buzz? Obvious first step is to remove the battery the CORRECT way, and re-install. But before I tear the lid off once again I thought I'd solicit any insights. Scott, ID.
Answers That's quite normal - you often get those clicking noises.
It sometimes happens when you haven't disconnected the battery either. Have a listen next time you switch off the engine. Trevor #999.
My bike did EXACTLY the same thing when I reconnected the battery a couple of months ago. Scared the daylights out of me; I thought that darn ticking was NEVER going to stop. I wondered if the bomb was actually going to explode. (I’m a bit of a Nervous Nellie when it comes to electrical stuff, anyway.) It’s running perfectly well now, and when I asked my mechanic about it afterwards, he said, “Ah, they do that sometimes. Nothing to worry about.” Just one of those black box mysteries, I guess. mspeed.
This isn't related to the sequence of connecting the battery cables. I've noticed this each time I disconnect the battery. It does go away after a few days. But isn't it the Tach needle, not the speedo? I could speculate that this might indicate the ECU is in learn-mode. After the battery is disconnected, the ECU loses all stored parameters related to your particular engine. It has to re-learn them again. That's my best guess, though there are other possibilities. Raymo #1173 Chicago '01GS
Raymo, Just as you predicted, the buzzing speedo quit buzzing after a few days. These bike computers are weird. Scott, ID
Make sure "Resetting the BMS Unit (Motronic)" is followed.
Why, when I roll the Bike Back in Neutral with the Engine running does the Idle rise?
No-one's ever mentioned that when you reverse your bike, with the engine idling,
the revs go up a lot. It's because of the Speedo ABS Sensor feeding back to the
FI. quite normal!. Kristian #562
If I have ABS, is the Speedo run off the Front or the Rear Sensor?
Haakon#626 (Norway, F650GS)
Answer: REAR. I just checked, in the pouring rain.
Disconnected the rear ABS sensor- dead speedometer.
Disconnected the front ABS sensor- speedometer worked.