Pinking and Vibration on 2017 2200 GSA

[gbags]

Thanks to all of you. There are some good suggestions so I’ll answer jointly.

We’re (two up with my wife Yenni) in Colombia where there is only one option for fuel, something like Corriente so that might be low octane. We’re also at high altitude and have been since the Atacama desert in Chile, though this pinking and vibration has developed more recently than that.

Spark plugs and additives sound great. I’ll do that as soon as I get back to Bogota where, yes, there are some great mechanics. I’ll get them to check the fuel pump and filter too. They did run a diagnostic but I don’t think the bike was running. I’m not certain, I went for a coffee and left them to it.

After that we flip over to Panama and hopefully better fuel at sea level. That will tell us something hopefully. I’ll let you all know how it turns out after a couple of tankfulls of different petrol.

Cheers All.

[DaveCon]

Yep I agree with what's been said but I'm also wondering about a sensors adjusting for conditions. I think there is a sensor in the cat that detects the exhaust gas composition and adjusts the injectors accordingly. If you're very high up in the mountains, there will be less oxygen and the injectors will adjust accordingly - or not. Power will obviously go down but whether it'll cause pinking ??

Oh your post came as I was typing mine. Sounds like the bike is working hard Good luck.

[bowber]

Sounds like crap fuel to me (as others have said) find an octane booster for a start, don't make the motor work hard, so plenty of gear changes and don't give it hand fulls of throttle, back off the throttle when it detonates.
Pre ignition or detonation can cause damage so be careful.

Steve

[Asgard]

Passing close to any airfields?, some Avgas would be nice to mix with the low Octane stuff you may have picked up, people tend not to put dodgy stuff in their Aerial carriages


Just a thought

P.S. AVGAS does have tons of Lead in it mind

[Nigel]

tons of lead, catalitic convertor. . .

[OnHellas]

Good luck gbags. I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s just part of the adventure!!

Ride safe in crazy Bogota....

[gbags]

Good luck gbags. I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s just part of the adventure!!

Ride safe in crazy Bogota....

Thanks Hellas,

Bogotá to Medellin three days ago and we came around a corner and face to face with a very grim fatality. Yesterday, coming back there was a three bike, one car crash on the most innocuous, open piece of clear road; two injured and one, helmetless guy looked much worse.
It’s like Whacky Races here.

[OnHellas]

Good luck gbags. I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s just part of the adventure!!

Ride safe in crazy Bogota....

Thanks Hellas,

Bogotá to Medellin three days ago and we came around a corner and face to face with a very grim fatality. Yesterday, coming back there was a three bike, one car crash on the most innocuous, open piece of clear road; two injured and one, helmetless guy looked much worse.
It’s like Whacky Races here.

Never nice to see.

At least you fit through the bike lanes at toll stations....I had ‘fun’ at some of those with the sidecar!!

As I said before, have fun, ride safe and enjoy.

[Hugh]

Greetings Graham,

I am interested in following your adventures, how about a photo or two.

I was also intrigued in the more 'mechanical' adventures too so I have been searching for possible answers. From the internet there seems to be quite a lot of similar issues in South Africa where I guess they also use similar low grade petrol. Apparently there is a BMW mod to the ECU engine management settings which theoretically should alleviate the problems of detonation but which by all accounts does not

Although a good suggestion I would not go down the Avgas route if your bike has a catalytic convertor fitted as the additional lead will cause the convertor to fail, however adding Avgas might possibly be an answer if such is not fitted as standard. Aircraft petrol engines do not require catalytic convertors so they can use it. Under similar circumstances to yours in the past I have found that fitting a cooler grade of iridium spark can reduce the potential for detonation, however if the engine is run in the 'zone' then severe mechanical damage can result.

Sometimes the insulated nose of the spark plugs display tiny black spots and if the engine is left to continue to detonate the additional heat and shock loads can break the insulator (hopefully before the piston crown gets smashed).

Good luck to you both and have a safe memorable trip.

TTFN

Hugh.

[gbags]

Thanks guys,

I took the bike in to the sort-of-BMW-mechanic again now that I’m back in Bogotá.

He checked the plugs, fuel pump, fuel and plugged the bike into a diagnostic thing and ran the engine up and down. He didn’t try to even flog me new plugs. He said the plugs are fine and the pump are fine. No problems at all mechanically but that instead of the fuel I had been using, I should change up to Super. I hadn’t seen it and had been using Corriente, which I was told was Petrol. The Super is a super 85 octane! What the hell Corriente is I don’t know but it’s lower than 85.
So, the bike now has a belly full of Super and we’re flying to sea level in a few days. I hope to report that she’s purring like seven purry things.

All that catalytic converter stuff went straight over my non-mechanical head but I’ll chuck a few photos in a ride report as I have some time before we fly.

Yes Hellas, toll-free freeways!