BMWMCCWA

Some of you may have heard me be-moan the problem I had with my beloved R1200 GSA, since before Christmas.

Due to the hot weather, and lack of a decent air conditioned shed, I have been a little, nay, very dis-interested in even popping the seat off the bike to check the air box.

So, let me tell you the funny story...

Scenario:

Launched off from traffic lights quickly. Note: This means big throttle openings. Bear with me, I'm building a picture.

Engine almost died, like it instantly went massively lean, but recovered a couple of seconds later and got on with it.

However, this was accompanied with sudden serious loud induction roar on opening the throttle.

Rode carefully home as I suspected something had come off the airbox. Too hot to do anything. Park her up and ride the Honda for a while.

It's the end of February now and is getting closer to reasonable riding weather and after all, I'm tired of the cruiser-style of riding.

Great idea I'll give it to Vince to service and check over.

So my punishment for being a lazy bugger and not popping the seat and pulling off the air box cover was obviously having to pay someone else to do the work. I'm starting to sound like Intrepid Ken now...

So, onto the problem

I've been around engines in bikes, cars, trains, earth-moving equipment, chain saws, ships, trucks for a long time, but I have never heard of an engine inducting a plastic bag which subsequently blocked the air filter completely. No air flow... felt like extreme leanness to me...

Due to the high throttle opening at the moment of the induction of said plastic bag and the associated high air flow, the engine sucked the entire paper filter element and the offending plastic bag into the air box. This of course allowed the air flow to suddenly continue unabated into the engine, but with a loud induction roar. The engine recovers and gets on with going.

Thankfully I was sensible enough to ride gently home with low throttle openings and park the bike. Light throttle openings allowed the plastic bag to stay tangled around the paper air filter. Continuing riding and ignoring the problem would have probably dusted the engine...

And so the story ends.

So if you're happily accelerating away with high throttle openings when your engine suddenly dies on you like it was suddenly extremely lean, then an instant or 2 later it recovers, but is suddenly spruiking a loud induction roar, check your air box for a plastic bag and make sure your air filter is still where it is supposed to be.

According to the 'laughing' guru , this is not a completely unusual occurrence. I hope he has pictures... The plastic bag was recovered and was neither injured nor recycled during this exercise.

So, every day ya learn something new

nev out...

Nev, the question arrises how did a plastic bag enter your air intake without you noticing it.
Intrepid Ken in particular should note this problem if he ever decides to get another bike in India. Have you ever seen the TV footage of the roads and bush over there. There are plastic bags everywhere. They don't dispose of them with any particular enviromental responsability. If you have this problem here in Oz with one plastic bag, imagine the problems over there. I ts amazing that there are so many bikes that are still going and there are a bloody lot of them over there.