Hi everyone,

I am brand new to the forums as well as in my first season of riding. I picked up my very own 2003 f4i this past weekend and have been absolutely loving it. One thing I notice is that when the bike is warmed up and I throw it into neutral at a red light it idle's differently than in gear with clutch in. Is this something to be worried about? It just seems to vibrate the bike more but does not seem to be coming from the engine. There is a noticeable sound difference as well as the vibrations. Any thoughts?

 

Yeah, I kinda know what you mean, check what your idle is at in neutral after about a 10 minute ride of stop and go traffic and see if your idle is at like 1300 rpm...If not adjust it and then see if that solves you worries.

 

the manual says 1400 rpm's at idle

 

clutch adjustment?

 

Yeah, I have an '02 and it says 1300 +/-100..So check your manual..thansk for the correction

 

Ok I will check idle speed next time I ride, but it did not seem like it was an rpm issue. And why would the idle speed be different in neutral than it would be with the clutch engaged (another form of neutral)?

 

It's my understanding that when you're stopped, in gear with the clutch engaged, the transmission is spinning thus putting a minor load on the engine. So the RPM may drop a little.
When in neutral, the engine is not spinning the transmission, so your RPM goes up.

Does that sound about right?

 

Well I went riding last night and this morning. The RPM at idle is right at 1400-1500. This does not change whether in neutral or in gear. What changes is the sound. If i have it in neutral and the clutch lever pulled in it makes a normal idle sound if i let the clutch lever out it makes more of a rumbling sound but the rpm does not move. I find it odd but it dosnt seem to really be causing any problems.

Think it is worthwhile to have a pro take a look?

Thanks to all for the advice and ideas thus far!

 

Your idle speed is on the high side. Manual says it should be 1400~1200 RPM. How many miles on your bike? It might just need a tune-up.

 

roughly 15,000miles
The guy I bought it from said he did a tune up about a year ago. It Could be that I am being way to sensitive. Like I said I am new. I think What I will do is have a more experienced buddy go for a ride on it and see what he thinks before I bother with the bike shops.