www.boxertrix.com

I have scanned loads of Tech threads , but not found what I'm looking for .

My R1100S some times makes a knock sound that I can feel through the bars , when riding slowly over uneven surdace , small holes etc in the tarmac.

I've never noticed it at higher speeds .

I think its on the front, but not absolutley sure .

I've jacked the front up , checked wheel bearings etc , shaken and cant feel any play in the suspension on the front .

I can't find any thing loose at the rear either ..

Ideas please

Hi
Worn ball joints?
Gus

Loose or rattling brake pads?

Steve

carbs out of sync!?

bikerboy wrote:carbs out of sync!?

Not carbs !!! When slowly riding over bumps ???

Boxered wrote:Loose or rattling brake pads?

Steve

Checked , they seem nice and snug .

gus wrote:Hi
Worn ball joints?
Gus

Hmmm maybe ....

i have exactly the same thing over pot holes ao really bumpy surfaces, but only low speed. sounds like there's something loose up front, but can't find anything. worn ball joint makes sense, do they come on all of a sudden?, and how difficult is it to fix?

roadburner wrote:i have exactly the same thing over pot holes ao really bumpy surfaces, but only low speed. sounds like there's something loose up front, but can't find anything. worn ball joint makes sense, do they come on all of a sudden?, and how difficult is it to fix?

From your description , sounds like my problem too .

I will peruse the manuals later .

Did you take care to "shake" the front end in the direction of wheel travel? It's maybe possible that the main ball joint is in early stages of wear and perhaps this can only be detected if pushed in direction of wheel travel, which is pretty much vertical and slightly forwards. Pushing and pulling, as you would on a traditional steering head, might not be easily detectable. Dunno, just a thought.

GerryB wrote:

roadburner wrote:i have exactly the same thing over pot holes ao really bumpy surfaces, but only low speed. sounds like there's something loose up front, but can't find anything. worn ball joint makes sense, do they come on all of a sudden?, and how difficult is it to fix?

From your description , sounds like my problem too .

I will peruse the manuals later .

My money is on bearings.

Corvus wrote:Did you take care to "shake" the front end in the direction of wheel travel? It's maybe possible that the main ball joint is in early stages of wear and perhaps this can only be detected if pushed in direction of wheel travel, which is pretty much vertical and slightly forwards. Pushing and pulling, as you would on a traditional steering head, might not be easily detectable. Dunno, just a thought.

Thanks , will check this out soon .

I had a similar thing with my R1200S when I first bought it, though maybe slightly different symptoms. When riding slowly (30 mph or less), there was a real harshness that became clunking that I could feel through the bars, if the road surface was poor. Once going faster, the bike was fine.

The difference with mine is it felt like I had wooden wheels on the bike, with no tyres, so I was looking at the suspension locking up rather than something worn or loose. Eventually took it to a suspension specialist who fixed a problem in the rear (Ohlins) unit and serviced the front. The bike has been great since. Strange that I felt it through the bars, so thought front end, but it was the rear end that had failed. So it might be deceptive.

Maybe worth suspecting the suspension internals if you can't find anything else worn/loose. Just a thought...

Grip Fast wrote:I had a similar thing with my R1200S when I first bought it, though maybe slightly different symptoms. When riding slowly (30 mph or less), there was a real harshness that became clunking that I could feel through the bars, if the road surface was poor. Once going faster, the bike was fine.

The difference with mine is it felt like I had wooden wheels on the bike, with no tyres, so I was looking at the suspension locking up rather than something worn or loose. Eventually took it to a suspension specialist who fixed a problem in the rear (Ohlins) unit and serviced the front. The bike has been great since. Strange that I felt it through the bars, so thought front end, but it was the rear end that had failed. So it might be deceptive.

Maybe worth suspecting the suspension internals if you can't find anything else worn/loose. Just a thought...

This is very interesting .

I hadn't thought that , but yes, it feels like solid wheels , wooden ones .

I will sort out some space in my lock up shortly and then strip it down and check .

Gerry, the front was rebuilt in 2013, by Firefox in Keighley. So I would hope that hasn't gone already.