Engine Rattle / Loss of Power

[Comiha22]

So I took an evening ride last Thursday, and at some point I heard a sound that would be similar to sucking a leaf up/into an intake. It only lasted a few seconds, and caught me so off-guard that I don't remember it all too well. I pulled over and checked everything, but could not find the culprit. I continued on my ride, but the throttle seemed to be a bit 'off', i.e. not as sensitive or too sensitive. I figured it was all in my head, and chalked it up to paranoia.

Today I went for a lunchtime ride, and notice that the throttle still seems 'lacking'; quick blips of it do not seem to illicit quick blips of the engine. The engine seems almost like it's trying to catch up with the throttle; a 'lag' of sorts. There also seems to be a slight rattle that I can hear when in Neutral with my helmet off (no real way to hear it otherwise). After revving the throttle and letting off, it sounds like dry leaves banging around, and seems to be coming from the intake/exhaust. I can hear it on both sides, and am quite confused.

I'm planning on going for a 500mi round trip next weekend, but this has me a bit worried. Any ideas/information/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all.

 

[oyamyers]

Not sure what this could be. I'd get it checked out before any long ride. You don't want to get stuck out on the road. If you do get it figured out, report back here so if anyone else has this happen, we will know what to do.

 

[Tijeras505]

The only thing that even comes to mind is that something got sucked into the air intake. You might think about opening up the airbox to see if anything is in there or if there is any obstruction with the intake hose.

This will require you to remove both seats and lift up the gas tank. An excellent trick I learned from this forum was to prop the front of the tank up with a short piece of wood to hold it up while your working on your airbox. It should all be in your owner's manual under changing your air filter. It is on page 7-19 in my manual.

Additionally, here in NM we have a problem with mice getting into the engine compartment of our cars and they always seem to get into the airbox from the intake. Not sure if that could be part of the problem or not???

Please let us know what the problem is when you find out. Thanks...

 

[Comiha22]

Today I decided to open up the air box to see what was going on. The good news is that it's pretty easy to access and was clean as a whistle. The bad news is that there was no obstructions, so I'm back to square one. While I have it taken apart, I'm going to go ahead and replace the air filter with an aftermarket (probably K&N).

That said, I guess I'll be taking a trip to my dealer later this week to see if they can diagnose.

 

[demon408]

please let us know

tps sensor?

 

[Comiha22]

tps sensor?

Could be. Do you know if that's something I can check myself?

 

[bmw675]

any update on this, i can hear a slight rustling sound at idle and again at 3k with helmet off going down the road. no loss of power like you have but just something that makes you curious.

 

[RZ350 Rider]

Could be. Do you know if that's something I can check myself?

TPS sensors are checked by the voltage they produce. Do you have a shop manual? If not I can look it up tonight and post the values tomorrow, unless another member has the manual handy and can post them earlier. Good luck.

 

[Comiha22]

I took apart the air box about 2 weeks ago, but the mystery remains unsolved. I've been out of town the past 2 weekends, but am trying to get to the shop later this week.

Will update everyone as soon as I hear something back.

 

[angelsneverlose]

sorry you cant find you problem man.... i missed a gear or held the clutch to long the other day, red lined it for only like .2 (it was 3rd or 4th gear while i was full thortal) and now if i accel hard, when i get to 8K, it like the engine rev's but the tech and speed stops (just keep reving)... i also dont know what this is either.... After asking around though, i think i burned out my clutch... there is only 1.5K on it, and mostly commuting miles while there was some very hard driving as well, but still

 

[dart1963]

sorry you cant find you problem man.... i missed a gear or held the clutch to long the other day, red lined it for only like .2 (it was 3rd or 4th gear while i was full thortal) and now if i accel hard, when i get to 8K, it like the engine rev's but the tech and speed stops (just keep reving)... i also dont know what this is either.... After asking around though, i think i burned out my clutch... there is only 1.5K on it, and mostly commuting miles while there was some very hard driving as well, but still

I've done that a couple times on mine (or had it drop out of 2nd from not shifting hard enough), but I don't notice any issues when I accel hard now all the way through 11k. I believe I've hit redline several times on accident, just hit over 2k on mine and yeah mostly commuting. I did change my oil out at 300 miles, then again at 650 (yeah, a little quick, but I ran it hard though the gears after first oil change).
Sounds like a warranty issue, the clutch shouldn't burn out for a long time...


Comiha22, let us know when your back up and running, sounds like you won't be able to go with us on the skyline trip, but I'm sure we'll have plenty more road trips in this area. Lots of good riding in this area and winters are short..

 

[JSP]

Sounds like a warranty issue, the clutch shouldn't burn out for a long time...

If its just a burnt clutch, no warranty. They dont really care how many miles are on it. They will just say you have been ragging it out. Saw that a bunch on the Rebel forum. (new bikes, new beginner riders, hard on the clutches) Saw a few burned out clutches with less then 2k on them. All denied warranty.

So unless there is a physical defect in parts, they most likely wont cover it.

 

[Comiha22]

So I've finally been back in town for the first time in about 5 weeks, and decided to pony-up and take the 6r to the dealer. While waiting at a red light, I noticed the double-nut/washer under the throttle setup. I thought to myself, "I wonder what that does, and why have I never seen it before?". Pulled over, and voi'la!

I feel like a complete schmuck, but for some reason I had never noticed this adjustment for throttle tension. My biggest problem was that there was a pretty significant delay in throttle-to-rev. Played with that for about 3 minutes, and it's back to normal.

I took it to the dealer just to see if they had any thoughts about the engine feedback, and they pretty much assured me that it was all in my head, although I had originally thought that myself.

Bottom line is I don't have to pay anything and my bike is back and good as new! I couldn't be happier. On that note, I would highly recommend everyone taking a look at that adjustment and trying out some different tensions. It can really make the bike quicker or more forgiving, depending on what you're looking for.

Cheers!

 

[fstrthan_uthink]

Good to know nothing was wrong, and thanks for the suggestion

 

[dart1963]

sweet, now just keep an eye out for some local rides. Getting a bit chilly now, but I'm sure we'll plan a few trips, if not this year, next spring...

 

[bmw675]

While waiting at a red light, I noticed the double-nut/washer under the throttle setup.

Cheers!

where exactly is this adjuster. i notice mine has alot of delay, if i go from no throttle to accelerate, its like theres a dead spot then snap. almost like the chain is too loose but its not. this sounds like something i need to play with.

 

[mchury]

clutch problems

thats very odd i ride mine hard alot mostly everytime i ride i am on the back tire 50 % of the time i would deff go back to the dealer and complain because from your description it sounds like you did burn the clutch

 

[Comiha22]

where exactly is this adjuster. i notice mine has alot of delay, if i go from no throttle to accelerate, its like theres a dead spot then snap. almost like the chain is too loose but its not. this sounds like something i need to play with.

BMW - Look below the right handle grip. There will be a long nut and washer type of setup. The washer is on the right, the nut on the left. The closer you screw the nut to the right (towards the handlegrip), the looser the slack is on the throttle. The further to the left, the more responsive. The washer is just there to keep the nut in its desired location.

Let me know how this works for you. Cheers