Well, yesterday turned out to be an interesting day after all.
I had arranged to meet up with Martin at J11 M4 for a swapsy ride and having told me when he was leaving White CIty at five past six I set off for a 7 o'clock meet up.
When I got to the Shell station I found a text saying he was stuck on the M4 at the M25 junction as there was a biker down and the motorway was closed. He eventually arrived at about twenty past having been allowed through once the police arrived on scene although the biker wasn't moving; a really sobering moment just ahead of a swapsy meet-up. Whoever he was, we hoped he was OK, but it wasn't looking good from what Martin said.
Anyway, to the reason for the meet-up, Martin's dreaded vibrations. We swapped a few pleasantries then swapped bikes and headed off for a quick blast down the A34 to check out the problem.
So, first impressions.
A BMW low seat (which Martin doesn't need, but which came with the bike) is one hell of a bend for my 33" inside legs; but it does mean I can get both knees down! At a standstill
The vibrations are a real pig and much worse than I expected. Obvious at 4,700 to 5,000 rpm and excruciating on the over-run through the bars, the pegs, the seat and the bodywork along my thighs. I have never ridden a 12 or 13 with any vibrations like this at this specific engine speed.
And, having just climbed off my bike and ridden Martin's with the same engine at the same ambient temperature, I can assure you that the vibes on Martin's bike are not 'normal'! Mine doesn't do it and I don't know any who has a bike that does do it.
If this were my bike I would be reluctant to ride it with those vibes as it was just plain painful. No amount of Grip Puppies or whoopy cushions would damp that out.
My impression is that this is a really hard, metallic vibration, so nothing like an out of true tyre sort of vibe and not like the vibes I get on mine at 6,000 rpm which is nowhere near as harsh and is really only noticeable (to me) through the bars and not through the rest of the bike, unlike when the engine bolts were all loose when it could be felt through the earth!
The bike is going in for its 24K service in the next week or so and as the 18K was done by the non-franchised selling dealer, Martin is getting the BMW guys to give the bike its real 18K service and go over the bike with a fine toothed torque wrench.
Brian (who thinks Martin had a lucky escape as he bought the bike from the same dealer who is trying to sell the matt black vinyl-wrapped K12S that used to belong to Bill (b b b off the old site) and which had the awful stumbling, stuttering problem that even Vines couldn't sort out and which he eventually traded for an R12GS and rode off into the sunset)
PS Please, if you read this before test-riding that bike, please, please, please don't buy it! I really don't want a disappointed owner with that bike in here.
