The K1300S Motorsport MPG Ongoing Problem

[Matt]

Ahoy,

I thought I'd start a topic dedicated to my ongoing travails with the 20% low MPG I've had since acquiring my 2015 K1300S Motorsport (2,000 miles when I got it).

In summary, since I picked it up i've got between 38 and 42MPG.  I've had it over a year and a bit now, and gone from 2,000 miles to 15,500 miles with no change.  Prior to this I had an '09 K1300S that I took from 14,000 miles to just shy of 50,000 miles.  That bike returned 48-52MPG pretty consistently.

I'll aim to keep track here of what my garage/BMW have done/are doing.

When I get home tonight I'll edit this post and add the detail from the previous investigations chronologically.  The latest:

Bought BMW Used Approved November 2015
Mid 2016 - Both front and rear brakes stripped and re-built.
Mid 2016 - Rear drive failed, pissed oil all over left half of rear tyre. | Had final drive and drive shaft and swing arm all replaced.  No impact on the MPG.
November 2016 - In for 12k service. Also their guy stripped and cleaned the brakes as part of the expensive cleany thing. | They also replaced the O2 sensor with one from another bike.  No impact on the MPG.
7th March 2017 - Compression check, valve clearance check. | It's in at the moment and they've found one cylinder slightly higher compression and I think two exhaust valves just outside of tolerance.
10th March 2017 - They shimmed the valves and also replaced the knock sensors after BMW HQ advised they've had that issue with a boxer...
Mid April 2017 - BMW HQ have no other ideas and are now suggesting it's 'manufacturing tolerances' or some such 'tough' excuse.  This means I'll have to cough up some labour for the investigation work last month.  My garage has done a lot of investigation (that I probably need to find paper work for) so far without charge though, which I'm very appreciative of.

[Blobby]

Faulty O2/lambda sensor.
Has it been re-mapped (if you can do that internally) does it feel that much quicker than your old model
Binding brakes or drag in the drive system.

That's a few things off the top of my shiny head

[black-k1]

A simple and not too expensive thing to try is to swap the air filters for some high flow ones (K&N etc.). Doing that made a noticeable difference to the mpg of my K1200S

[Costas]

What exactly were the measurements for the valves?  they should provide you with a copy of the measurements.
Did they check with PC for faulty codes?  Both lambda sensors and filter issue would definetly appear as faulty codes. Further more the coils to be precise one of the coils might be the culpable, again vissible after PC inspection.
Then my mind goes to spark plugs , since the bike was opened for the valve service did they replaced plugs ?  Were are the old ones ? 

[Phmode]

Eventually the dealer will relaise that on his new bike, he now carries a 47 stone pillion passenger at all times 

While it is true that high-flow filters make a difference, I don't think his old bike had them and while my K12 did, my K13 doesn't, yet!

Most of the other stuff should be obvious to a good dealer (although I think going from NOG to Bahnstormers might not be the right way round).

I'm sure that most of us in here are getting more than 45mpg out of our bikes.

Picking a few trips at random, with all figures taken over multiple tanks of fuel...

...I got 48.8 mpg on the trip to Oulton Park with Richard and we weren't hanging around when we weren't in traffic.

...I got 47.9mpg on the trip to Cadwell with Richard and Rae.

...Last year's Wrinklies trip yeilded 49mpg from home to home!

...The lowest figure I can find in my records is 43mpg (over one tankful)!

This accords with Matt's figures on his original K13 and I'm sure I'm correct when I say that Matt isn't a hooligan spinning his wheel in first and second all day long. Pity Matt isn't doing the Wrinklies trip as that would give an excellent comparison with my bike under identical conditions but at 39 to the gallon, he probably can't afford it 

In an attempt to be helpful( ), I will set up a poll so those of us who keep records can tell Matt what we get. This will be both informative  and hopefully a powerful input for Matt's dealings with the dealer.

Brian (who thinks it is bad enough that fuel in Newbury costs way more than fuel in Swindon or Reading without having the bike doing 10% less to the overly expensive gallon)

[peterwbaker]

Over nearly a year and 9,000 miles on my K1300S Motorsport I have got 47mpg from and it was pretty similar to the previous 2 years on a K1300S 30th Anniversary at 46mpg.  This is based on litres put in the bike and miles on the clock not the on-board computer "calculation".  Your MPG sounds definitely wrong - good luck!  Peter

[Matt]

Thanks everyone.  I've updated the above post with more history I've now recalled!

Costa, I'll try and get hold of the valve numbers.  I'm waiting at the moment to hear who's paying for what.  They're deliberating over whether 15k and valves needing changing is close enough to 18k or thinking "oh hi, normally they are past 36k before we have to... maybe we sold a dud".  We'll see.

Bri thanks for polling, is interesting to see.  Alas I've shared fuelly stuff as well as all our previous anecdotal evidence and other forums too.  But apparently the Germans know best that i'm within their tolerances.  It's everyone else that's the outlier! :\

[Matt]

Lazy edit:  I'm tempted to pick up a GS911 actually, although I expect whatever they've checked at the garage is at the same level of detail accessible on the GS911.  Also i'm buying a house so I can't spend money right now!

[raesewell]

If you take a look at the members map, the Red pins indicate members that have GS911s and are willing to share.

[Phmode]

He's only a 20 minute ride away & I did offer a year or so ago 

[Blobby]

He's not shy of asking to make use of it, he just doesn't want to meet you Brian 

(Not only am i banned, i may find a horses head in my bed in the morning or a rabbit in the slo-cooker)

[Phmode]

I did say I would keep my helmet on 

[Matt]

Hah!  Ok after I've moved house, which should be a month or so, les do a lunch and gs911 combo!

[Phmode]

Well, better make it quick or we'll be scuppered by my impending house move which is a lot further away than yours 

[Matt]

Good point, Brian have you got a date yet?  Mine is going slow at the moment.

And in the spirit of not planning more than 24 hours in advance, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?