CSC Blog

The latest in our continuing stream of Shop Talk videos, folks!

….it’s not supposed to rain tomorrow.  Here, see….

I sure hope the weather people got it right this time, and I hope to see you on our CSC ride tomorrow!

Wow, we sure are making up for lost time with the rain.  It’s been close to two weeks now of nearly nonstop rain, and it’s been raining hard all day today.  It started late last night and it’s been steady.

My good CSC-150 and RX3 buddy Twin Peaks Steve (who lives waaay up in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear) sent the above photo to me earlier this morning.   His RX3 is somewhere beneath all that white stuff.

The rainy weather is supposed to go away tomorrow (at least that’s what the forecast is showing), so we’re still planning to do our company ride.   We’ll be leaving at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, and I hope to see you there!

We’re attempting a makeup for our earlier rained-out ride folks, and it’s this Saturday.  We’ll be leaving from the plant at 9:00 a.m. and we’re riding in the San Gabriels.   You can read all about it on our Meetup page!

We reached our limit today on the number of folks signed up for our Baja tour, and I just sent an email to everyone who is riding with us (so if you think you’ve let us know you want to ride with us in March and you didn’t get my email today, please let us know ASAP).

The CSC Baja rides are very popular and they have to be the best deal in motorcycling.   It’s 8 days of the some of the best riding on the planet, and we don’t charge anything for it.  If you didn’t make the list this year, let us know you want in on the 2018 ride!

If you want to see some of what we experienced on the first two Baja rides, take a look!

The similarity between our last names notwithstanding, I’m not related to Walt Berkuta other than growing up next door to the Berkuta family.  I’m in Nor Cal today visiting with my good buddy Paul, and Walter Berkuta was Paul’s dad.   Walter was one of the coolest guys in the neighborhood because he used to ride a motorcycle, and as you can see from the photo below, it was not just any motorcycle.   While visiting with Paul and talking over old times (we’ve known each other all our lives), I had to grab a copy for the blog…

Paul and I were guessing that’s a ’36 or ’37 Knucklehead Harley (if any of you know please send an email to me), and I think Walt was in his early 20s when that photo was taken.   It’s a great photo, it’s got to be at least 70 years old, and it captures Walter’s personality perfectly.   Paul’s Dad and my Dad grew up together, and Paul and I repeated the pattern when we grew up together (all in the same very rural neighborhood).  It’s amazing how our interests and personalities are so much like those of our fathers, and how similar Paul’s interests and mine are.   We’re two apples who ended up on the other side of the country, but we didn’t tall too far from the tree.

I stared at this for 5 minutes before I saw it.  I looked at it from different angles, I looked at it upside down, and I still didn’t get it…

It’s an RX3, as drawn by none other than my good buddy Joe Gresh.  He included it in a card he sent to me.  Once I realized what it was, I couldn’t see it as anything but an RX3…it was obvious!

I’ve been on two big rides with Mr. Gresh (the 5000-mile Western America Adventure Ride, and the 6000-mile China ride).  Both were awesome.  Here’s one of my favorite photos from the China adventure…

That’s Joe tearing across the Gobi Desert last summer while we rode across China.  It was an incredible 37-day expedition.  I was on my RX3, riding right alongside Joe when I took that photo, with both of us doing about 70 mph.   Good times.

We occasionally encounter RX3s that stall when slowing to a stop.  I’ve experienced this once or twice on my RX3.  I’ve also experienced it occasionally on nearly all of the approximately 40 motorcycles I’ve owned over the last 50+ years.   I never thought it was much of a big deal.   That notwithstanding, we do see bikes here occasionally exhibiting this tendency.   We’re able to take care of it pretty quickly and we thought it would be a good thing to share our approach with you.

The Staller-In-Chief in Baja demonstrating how not to pack for an adventure ride…

Motorcycle engines are inherently more prone to stalling than are car engines mostly because there’s a lot more inertial mass in an automobile engine to keep the crank rotating.  My experience is that singles stall more than do twins, twins stall more often than do fours, and so on.  In fact, as I write this, I’m trying to remember if my old Honda CBX ever stalled (it was a six-cylinder motorcycle).   The other things that make engines more likely to stall at low rpm are high compression (the RX3 is way up there with an 11.6:1 compression ratio), strong valve springs (the RX3’s are quite strong due the engine’s high redline), and low crankshaft mass (as is the case for a 250; although my Big Twin Harley stalled more at idle than any of the motorcycles I’ve owned).   Engines are also more likely to stall at idle when a bike is new because they not fully broken in yet and there is more internal friction.

As is the case for other bikes, when a motorcycle engine stalls it usually happens when rolling to a stop at a light or a stop sign, with the clutch pulled in, just as the engine drops to idle.  When a customer brings a bike to us with this concern, this tutorial will take you through the things we do to address it

Fuel

Zongshen recommends running 89 octane fuel in the RX3.  Our experience riding in Mexico and here in the US indicates the bikes run well on 87 octane fuel (and many times in overseas locations that’s all that’s available; in Colombia fuel was actually as low as 83 octane).

We’ve found that running premium fuel (91 octane) seems like it makes the bikes run better and this alone can eliminate the occasional stall when rolling to a stop.  Gerry told me he always runs premium fuel in his RX3.  I usually buy whatever’s cheapest wherever I am (and I ride a lot in Mexico), but I’m going to start running 91 when I can get it.

Fuel Treatment

Gerry’s experience at BMW indicates that their bikes ran a lot better when he added a bit  of Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant fuel treatment during a service, and he carried that practice over to our bikes.   Gerry refers to it as “fuel injector cleaner” and the main reason he uses it is because it works.   I’m lucky in that Gerry takes a look at my bike every third or fourth time I ride it to the plant.   Every so often he puts a tiny bit of this joy juice in my tank.  My seat-of-the-pants experience is that the bike feels like it runs better after he’s done so.

The Lucas treatment cleans the upper cylinder area and the injector.   I’ll say more about the injector further along in this tutorial, but let me preface my later remarks by saying the openings in the fuel injector are very tiny and anything that helps to keep them clean is a good thing.

We sell the Lucas fuel treatment in two different sizes.  If you need some of this great stuff, you can find it on our website or give us a call at 909 445 0900.

Fuel Filter

If your bike is exhibiting an occasional stall when coming to a stop, it might be due to a dirty fuel filter.   The fuel filter is located under the fuel tank on the right side of the bike.

There’s no easy way to determine if the fuel filter is sufficiently dirty to induce an occasional stall and the part is inexpensive.   Just replace the filter with a new one and you’ll know you have a clean filter.

Throttle Cable Adjustment

Make sure there is a bit of play in the throttle such that the cable has a small amount of slack in it.   You want to be able to twist the throttle 1 to 3 degrees before it actually starts to pull on the cable.

If the throttle cable has no slack in it, when you close the throttle to return to idle it holds the throttle open a tiny bit.   That can confuse the engine management system and this can induce a stall.  It’s an easy check and it’s one of the first things we look for when a bike exhibits an occasional stall when rolling to a stop.

Battery

The RX3 is a fuel-injected bike and the engine management system is electrically controlled.  Anything that interferes with getting the right amount of electrical energy where it needs to be will adversely affect engine performance, and this can induce stalling.

We check the battery connections to make sure they are secure and free of corrosion.   You can refer to our electrical system maintenance tutorial on this.

We will make sure the battery output is 13.9 volts or greater at engine idle.  You’ll need to check this with a multimeter.

Gerry’s bike showed 14.27 volts at idle when I took the photos for this tutorial.   Don’t get your shorts in a knot if your bike’s electrical output at idle is a little lower than Gerry’s 14.27 volts; all it needs to be is 13.9 or greater.

Spark Plug Check

We’ll pull the spark plug and inspect the tip.  It should be sharp and have a light tan color to it.   We usually replace the spark plug with a dual-tip plug, as these generally provide for better running in a high performance motor like the one in the RX3.

We recommend the NGK brand, and you can run an 8 or a 9 depending on the type of riding you do.   We stock these, and if you call us (909 445 0900) you can talk to Gerry to get his advice on the best one for you.

Finally, we always make sure the spark plug cap is fully seated.

O2 Sensor Connection

We’ll check the O2 sensor connector to make sure it is fully seated.  It’s located forward of the frame downtubes.

We recommend using dielectric grease on the connector contacts.  We sell dielectric grease, so if you need some give us a call or order it online from our website.

Air Filter

It’s also a good idea to pull the air filter and make sure it is clean and properly oiled.  If it is not, we replace it with a new one.    You can order a new air filter from us if you need one.

Intake Area Leaks

We will check for leaks around the intake area by starting the motorcycle and letting it warm up and settle into a steady idle.  While the engine is idling, we spray a stream of soapy water around the injector and the intake manifold.  Or, you can use a handheld propane torch (don’t light it, just open it to let out a small propane stream).   Don’t use WD40; it will leave a flammable mess on the bike and you could start a fire.

What we want to see as a result of this test is no change in the idle speed.  If the idle speed changes (up or down) while performing this test, there’s an intake area leak.  You’ll have to find and correct the leak if this test indicates a leak is present.

Valve Adjustment

If your valves are out of adjustment (and specifically, if they are too tight), the bike can stall when returning to idle.    Gerry will run a compression test first (if the bike’s not seeing 90 psi in this test, it’s an indication the valves are not fully closing).

You don’t need to do a compression check to check the valves (you can go right to a valve adjustment).   If you need to adjust the valves on your RX3, you can turn to our valve adjustment maintenance tutorial for guidance on how to do so.   Incidentally, the feeler gage you see in the above photo was the only one we had when I wrote the valve adjustment tutorial a couple of years ago.   We sell feeler gages that are much easier to use when checking your valves.    Give us a call if you would like to purchase one of these feeler gages.

More Advanced Stuff

What we explain above are the easy checks to make sure everything is good, and when we encounter stalling the things I’ve written about above are usually sufficient to eliminate the problem.  Gerry has a few more tricks up his sleeve in the rare event those don’t work.

MotorVac Fuel Treatment

We’ll run a more aggressive cleaning agent (MotorVac CarbonClean) through the engine if all of the above hasn’t corrected the problem.

This is aggressive stuff (it’s very corrosive), so you need to be careful when using it.  Gerry will mix in in the proper ratio in an external fuel tank like the one you see in the photo below.

OBD2 Diagnostic Evaluation

The RX3 has an OBD2 engine diagnostic capability (OBD2 stands for Onboard Diagnostics 2), which means that it uses a standardized built-in-test equipment engine diagnostic coding system.   You can see if your bike has any fault codes present by turning the ignition switch on and off twice and then turning it on a third time. If a fault is present, the red light on the RX3 dash will flash in a sequence that indicates the fault.  We’re going to have a separate maintenance tutorial posted in a week or two that explains how to do this in more detail.

In the meantime, we have a handheld engine analyzer that connects to the bike’s engine management system and provides a direct readout of any faults.   Gerry showed me how to connect this to the bike and what to look for.   We’re interested in the throttle position at idle, and it should be open not more than 0.15% (as you can see in the readout below).

Like I said above, we’re going to have a tutorial posted on this in the near term.   We have these analyzers available.  You can buy one from us, or you can rent one if you need it to troubleshoot your bike.  Give us a call for more details.

Fuel Injector Replacement

The RX3’s engine is fuel injected, and the injector has four extremely small openings.  You can see these in the photos below.

It doesn’t take much for one of those little openings to clog or for the injector to not fully close, and when that happens, the engine’s fuel management system reacts to it based  on what the O2 sensor sees.  If the injector is dribbling fuel when it shouldn’t be, the O2 sensor tells the engine management system the bike is running rich and it makes it run leaner on the next rotation.  At higher rpm, it’s no big deal because there’s a lot of inertial mass and the crank just rotates through to the next cycle.  At low rpm, there may not be enough rotational inertia and the engine can stall.   That’s why we run a cleaner through the fuel system if a bike exhibits stalling.

If the fuel injector is clogged or sticks or is otherwise defective, it’s a relatively low cost item and it’s a simple thing to replace.   The fuel injector is located on the engine intake manifold as shown in the photo below.

Along with all of the other parts on the RX3, we stock the fuel injector, so if you need one, please give us a call.

That’s about it.  If you’d like, feel free to give us a call; Gerry will be happy to help you.

We sure do see quite a few BMWs in the shop for maintenance.   We work on all bikes, and I guess the word is out:  Gerry and our maintenance team’s experience with BMWs and all other kinds of motorcycles is second to none.

I snapped a few photos of three Beemers in the shop this afternoon.   All three bikes came in for clutch replacements and other maintenance.   It sure is a lot of work to get to the clutch on some of the older model BMWs.

I looked at the first two bikes shown in the photos above and I was startled, but Gerry explained that the work actually goes fairly quickly.   Interesting.

Gerry and I are assembling a maintenance tutorial on how to address the issue of RX3 stalling when coming to a stop.   Sometimes we get reports of this happening.  It doesn’t happen often, but it does occur on occasion.  We have a number of things we do to prevent it, and we’ll post a tutorial on our approach.   We’re using Gerry’s personal RX3 for this one…

You know, I’m hesitant to post things like this because when I do, some dweeb will post the photos all over the Internet in a brainless attempt to portray the RX3 in a negative light.   It happens, I guess.   We’ll always come down on the side of being open and keeping you up to date on how to keep your bike running well.  Watch for our tutorial in a day or two.

Ride safe, my friends, and stay tuned.

Of Riding China, that is, and that’s something I love to hear.  But not to worry, we’ll have more copies in a couple of days, so if you haven’t ordered yours yet, don’t wait to do so!

You know, it’s been half a year since we returned from our epic 37-day trot around China, and I still find myself thinking about that ride 20 or 30 times a day.   Yep, it was that good.

And yesterday morning I read something that made me remember the ride even more fondly.   It was a front page story in the LA Times (on the left side above the fold, no less!) about a small group of reporters being granted special permission to be escorted by government minders into the Tibetan plateau, including the beautiful city of Aba.   The Times story made a big deal about how foreigners were forbidden to enter this region, and when I read that, I had to laugh.   We spent the night in Aba, and we got there by riding our RX3 and RX1 motorcycles!   One of the things I talk about in Riding China is our being places we weren’t supposed to be (“keep your visor down and don’t speak,” my Chinese riding buddies told me whenever we approached the police checkpoints).  It was certainly unlike any riding experience I’ve ever had!

That photo above shows my good buddies on our China adventure high up on the Tibetan plateau, and that town in the background is none other than Aba, the location discussed in the LA Times article.  And the LA Times thought they were breaking new ground by being there!