15 plate new to me bike,parts wanted

[r25sti]

just picked this up.im after a aftermarket can and a white rear seat cowl. swap/px rear seat and hangers? ive had a quick scan through the site and cant see any issues or recals on these.any one know of any i need to be aware of.cant wait for some dry roads.

 

[alex]

Gear shift selector rod splined linkage is a recall item.
Some have turned left when hands are off the bars, if yours doesn't obviously it's not one of them.


Congrats on the purchase

 

[mibridger]

Actually some turn right, not left, mine does it.

Someone on the US forum has a white seat cover for sale, not sure if they would post to UK though

Congrats on your new bike

 

[alex]

Actually some turn right, not left, mine does it.

Surely it depends if you're counter steering or slow speed steering
Thanks for the correction.

 

[Loupe]

Surely it depends if you're counter steering or slow speed steering
Thanks for the correction.

It's when hands are off the bars that it veers right. Both my bikes did/do it. (Lemon and new)
I don't sit for very long with hands off,but it demonstrated how much of a pull there is.
My bike isn't too bad but some owners are driven nuts by it.

 

[soofsayer]

I get that riding with hands off the bars is something we might do for a few seconds to get relief from the riding position every now and then, I certainly do, but if the bike naturally veers one way, or the other, doesnt that inadvertedly effect how you position your weight on the bike when you are riding (subconciously), and how the tyres wear?

 

[Loupe]

I get that riding with hands off the bars is something we might do for a few seconds to get relief from the riding position every now and then, I certainly do, but if the bike naturally veers one way, or the other, doesnt that inadvertedly effect how you position your weight on the bike when you are riding (subconciously), and how the tyres wear?

Something I've also wondered as I was getting a sore shoulder on some rides. Maybe I'm compensating by puting a little more pressure on one side?
Maybe unrelated but my tyre is right at the edge on one side but a few mm from the other side, possibly to do with the fact I favour those corners though :smile-new:

 

[Beavis]

So is this veering right/left subject to a recall ? I can't remember if mine does it or not and won't know till Spring. I've now been reading about the gear linkage recall which I've also heard nothing about. Are the selling dealer supposed to contact the buyer about these recalls ?

 

[Loupe]

Apparently the veering is a "characteristic" or so some owners have been told!
Cavey from this forum was on a mission to have his bike fixed but I'm not sure he's here anymore?

 

[soofsayer]

My understanding is if there is a proper recall issued by the DoT vehicle testers then I believe the manufacturer is legally obliged to try and contact you to organise the rectification based on the V5 documentation details you have, because it is serious. If it is a manufacturer based bulletin/advisory/recall then my understanding is they may or not contact you depending on how important they decide it is, these are often just carried out during routine servicing.

 

[alex]

I do wonder at the intelligence of some dealerships. Characteristic my arse.
I've not checked the US Forum threads for resolutions, think some tried cutting the cable tidy off the bars, but the dealership should fathom that out.

For something to be fighting the natural gyroscopic force acting on a bike so it won't stay on line is like saying running on 3 cylinders is a feature.

 

[GixxerChuck]

Mine definitely doesn't. Had a tailgater today on a dual carriageway who kept closing up so put cruise control on a waved both my arms to say where the fuck will you go if you get past me, all because I left a sensible gap in front of me.

 

[Loupe]

I do wonder at the intelligence of some dealerships. Characteristic my arse.
I've not checked the US Forum threads for resolutions, think some tried cutting the cable tidy off the bars, but the dealership should fathom that out.

For something to be fighting the natural gyroscopic force acting on a bike so it won't stay on line is like saying running on 3 cylinders is a feature.

All different suggestions have cured some bikes but not others ( cable, fork alignment etc.) the U.S. Forum has a massive thread on it, but it's not been resolved for lots of bikes.
Soof, is Cavey still a member? He was very unhappy about it when I last messaged him.

 

[Cavey]

Hi folks...havent been on here in a while but just noticed this convo. So veering update: the good news is that BMW have recently admitted that there is a problem. The bad news is they are indeed saying it is a characteristic.

I've been crazy busy with work recently, but now that BMW have actually admitted there's an issue (which they've been denying for 6months!) I'll be insisting on a fix in the new year. We know some bikes don't veer so BMW's explanation is complete bullshit. If it was caused by centre of gravity then surely all the bikes would veer the same?? Anyways...

I managed to "find" this info via an internal source at BMW FYI:

Measure no. 62260571-02	Subject Argumenter : Vehicle pulls to the side
Release date (dd/mm/yy) 19/11/15	Status Approved	Organization GB, MOT
Vehicles affected
E series K42 K46 K46/11 K46/12 K47 K49	Engine	Body
Production period (from/to) (dd/mm/yy) /	Comment on production period	Feedback (all cases relating to measure up to) (dd/mm/yy)
Complaint During hands-free riding with cruise control there is significant pulling of the motorcycle to one side. To compensate for this the torso must be leaned slightly in the opposite direction or the whole body positioned offset slightly to one side on the motorcycle seat. During normal riding with hands on the handlebars there is no pulling to one side detectable.
Cause The cause is a centre of gravity of the vehicle which is minimally offset to one side. No motorcycle is symmetrical to the central axis. One seeks to achieve a centre of gravity which exactly lies on the central axis but this can never be achieved 100%. This is caused by the necessary positioning of different components (e.g chain and left side stand, right brake caliper and brake disc, right exhaust system etc.) Since also the repair friendliness and accessibility must be available to perform repair work, it is not at all easy to place the centre of gravity of the complete vehicle in the central axis. Also the rear silencer is becoming ever larger and therefore heavier as a result of the ever stricter exhaust gas and noise values laws. This must also be taken into account. Our development department implements all of these factors as optimally as possible. In a normal case it is the case that it is only after long periods of riding hands-free that pulling of the vehicle to one side is noticeable. This is the case during riding hands-free with cruise control. If one is riding hands-free without using the cruise controls, the engine speed drops off so quickly that one grabs the handlebars before the vehicle become unstable and veers to one side. Less heavy riders notice this more strongly than heavy riders. The motorcycle does not have pull to one side more than when there is a side wind or a strongly tilted roadway.
Measure In the case of a complaint, please explain to the customer the facts of the matter due to the causes described above. Please also check on the customer's vehicle whether some accessories (e.g. another exhaust system, body components, etc.) have been installed. These can increase the effect of pulling to one side even more.
Complaint
Fault location: Fault type: Straight-ahead driving Pull to the left Straight-ahead driving Pull to the right

 

[Marzy]

I never rely on swing arm markings for wheel alignment. My wheel was out when I 1st checked it and mine rides straight, just a thought.

 

[soofsayer]

Cavey - thanks for the info, at least you guys are not imagining it. I agree the BMW answer is BS otherwise every bike in the world would do this, and they dont.

Marzy - If you dont rely on swing arm markings for wheel alignment then how do you align your rear wheel?

 

[oldwobbler]

My last 3 bikes have all pulled to the left with hands off. Thats 2 BM's and a Honda. I assumed it wasn't the bike at fault but either the camber of the road or, more worryingly, I had a bent spine! I never notice it with one or two hands on the bars.

 

[Marzy]

Cavey - thanks for the info, at least you guys are not imagining it. I agree the BMW answer is BS otherwise every bike in the world would do this, and they dont.

Marzy - If you dont rely on swing arm markings for wheel alignment then how do you align your rear wheel?

You can buy laser alignment gizmo's, but I use a good old tape measure. Take a reference point, I use the swing arm bolt and measure back to the wheel shaft both sides for an accurate measurement. Some of the so called markings were ridiculous on my GSXR swing arm and no doubt will be just as bad on the BM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsqwmhjiyys
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/new-rider/2009/october/oct3009-faq-checking-wheel-allignment/

 

[Billo01]

You can buy laser alignment gizmo's, but I use a good old tape measure. Take a reference point, I use the swing arm bolt and measure back to the wheel shaft both sides for an accurate measurement. Some of the so called markings were ridiculous on my GSXR swing arm and no doubt will be just as bad on the BM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsqwmhjiyys
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/new-rider/2009/october/oct3009-faq-checking-wheel-allignment/

This is one thing I've never done on any of my bikes and always used the swingarm markers. So you use a tape measure and check distance from the swingarm pivot point to rear wheel spindle center? How does the laser alignment work?

 

[Mick753]

You run a laser beam along the chain from the rear sprocket to the front to see if the chain and sprockets are aligned.

I prefer the swingarm to wheel spindle and tape measure method too and Lightech chain adjusters