2002 R1150RT Intermittent Power Failure

Finally! Problem solved...
After checking, cleaning and replacing both the Gear Box and Kick Stand Switches the problem persisted; and, in fact became increasing worse... Then, while paying very close attention (kinda sorta have to when the engine dies when travelling at very high speed) when Shifting down from 6th -to- 5th Gear, I noticed that as I Depressed the Clutch and turned back the Throttle, the RPM fell below 700 RPM. The engine was being Fuel Starved because the RPM was falling so low!

Now, this should have occurred to me during my Cold Starts. Pulling the "Choke" all the way open (then watching it Fall back to 3/4 Open Position when I let it go) I would have to stand there holding the Choke Open or twist the Throttle a bit to bring the RPM up to 1000 - 1200 RPM just to warm the bike up enough for it to idle at 700 - 800 RPM by itself.

Then it "DAWNED" on me...

No Fuel...

So, grabbing my Clymer and Haynes Manuals I found a few easy checks and fixes without having to De-Tupperware the bike.
By tightening up the Throttle Cable (with the bike running to check) I was able to bring my Idle up to 1000 RPM, which not only fixed my Cold Start issues, but also keeps enough Fuel Flowing during Gear Shifting to eliminate the issue of the Total Power Loss Problems while tearing down the highway...

I double checked this with the folks at Shail's (where I'm going next month for my 120,000 Kms Inspection & Service because according to the Manuals the distance between the Tightening Screw and the Lock Nut should only be 1 cm; my two are about 3/4 of an inch apart now, but will suffice until I get down to Langley on Sept. 15th.

So, this long frustrating story has come to a Positive (albeit temporary) conclusion.

Thank you all for your advice, support and guidance during this period.

See you all in Oroville for the Last Chance Gathering!

Tks,
Daniel

Glad you got it figured out Daniel, and thanks for sharing, we all benefit from this type of experiences.

Great news Daniel Glad to hear you got it worked out.

If you've identified it as a fuel flow issue, I would recommend replacing the fuel filter if it hasn't been done recently. As I was riding through Kelowna on my way home from Kaslo I heard a high pitched whining sound that was constant (ie: it didn't vary with throttle, gear or speed) and when I got into my garage I realized it was my fuel pump that was screaming. I shut the bike off, then restarted it and the whine went away. I did a bit of research and it two suggestions were a clogged fuel filter, causing the fuel pump to stress out, or the fuel pump itself. Since my fuel filter had been re-located outside the tank that was the cheapest and easiest to try first.

The filter I took off was noticeably heavier than the new on and since replacing it the bike has run fine. So far so good. The old filter had at least 26,000 km on it as that's how long I've had the bike.

In your case, you might not be hearing a pump problem but you may be experiencing some fuel starvation. Something to think about if you don't know how old your fuel filter is.

Just a thought and I hope you've got the problem licked. See you in Oroville.

Cheers, Wayne

Of course, that's a very important detail Wayne, and one of the items on the 120,000 kms Inspection and Service that I have scheduled at Shail's in Langley on the 15th of Sept. If I was comfortable in doing so myself, I would check it before I head down, however my skills are still very rudimentary and I feel that this task is beyond my ability at this time.

It is my hope that I will be able to see some of the Service work done on the 15th, and hopefully get an idea on how these things look in Real Time & Space. The Clymer and Haynes Manuals are great, but not having anyone to guide me in these chores somewhat concerns me; I always seem to do Step 3 before completing Step 2 (or even Step 1) - or fail to read ahead to see how it all fits back together...

Why would someone like myself (with zero mechanical experience) own a bike in the "Middle of Nowhere" 120 kms form the nearest BMW Shop? Circumstance and Lack of Mechanical Experience doesn't diminish my desire to Ride one of the finest bikes ever produced, and I'm sure that as time (and necessity) progresses I will pick up (at the very least) enough of the Maintenance Basics to keep the bike Safe and Functional.

Most importantly though, has been the Support and Encouragement from the Members of our little Club; in particular, the consistent and timely replies to my questions and concerns from people like yourself Wayne.

I can't thank you enough...