[FieldSanitation]

Booster Plug Install K1200S '07 (fixes stalling/throttle issues)

This past year I picked up an '07 K1200S with less than 2800 miles on it... mint condition, babied and unridden. I was seeing some of the symptoms, and on three occasions I had the bike completely die on me in rush hour stop and go traffic as the light turned green... oh AND it won't start in gear with the clutch pulled in. (another issue, another day.)lain

So I did some research, and digging, and liking the plug and play capability, purchased the Booster Plug from the manufacturer far far away and had it in my hands within 2 or 3 days.

All the forums clearly stated that the instructions were very plain and simple... indeed. :surprise So I took some pictures and wanted to share them for historical purposes.

I was done within an hour

-Everyone says empty the gas tank, so I ran it almost dry. 10 miles left on the range.

-Everyone says take off all the fairings... I declined. you do NOT have to take off the side fairings at all. but to get the tank fairings back on, you have to take off the small triangle fairings in front of the levers/behind the windshield.




Fairing and tank removals:
2 screws above the gas tank. 4 screws at the base of the tank fairings by the seat. 2 screws midway along the side of the tank. Each triangle fairing had 2 screws. 2 bolts holding the gas tank in. Once the tank is loose, pull it up and back, remove the tubes up top and down low. The white gas line has a squeeze/pushbutton release, which works smoothly. The wiring connectors were tricky. I had to grab some jewelers screwdrivers and GENTLY peel the retaining ring back so they would slip out.






The temp sensor is on a short length of wire, and figuring out how to get it disconnected took me about 5 or 10 minutes.





Connecting the Booster Plug was very simple. And to keep the wiring off the hot engine block just below, I put a loose zip tie to hang it free.





The length of cable for the temp sensor was just the right length to slide along the frame, along the air intake and place it either: INSIDE the air intake funnel, or down in the open air above the front wheel. I put it out in the open air for now.















The fairings connect via a pinch over a rubber grommet up front, and sliding over the rear post... and aligning and slipping into the fairing wedges under the main lower fairings as well as the tank fairing piece.... this part takes patience. and cussing.









I fired her up, filled her with gas, and immediately noticed the throttle response change. I'll have more to report tomorrow after work regarding rush hour traffic, and after this weekends tooling through the mountains to see if it affects the fuel consumption at all.

https://www.boosterplug.com/shop/cms-21.html

 

[FieldSanitation]

Morning commute: 70-75 degrees. it was at the usual 60-85mph clip.

Biggest noticeable change was chopping off the throttle.... SO MUCH SMOOTHER. Prior to the change, if you chopped the throttle, it was like kinking and unkinking the sprinkler hose... fuel flow just stopped and then started again at the lowest rate. Now it just drops to the lowest setting... and I think the engine appreciates it. I sure do. Diving into corners I've always slowed prior to the dive and accelerate through them... there isn't the choking off of the fuel feeling anymore... super smooth all the way through.

 

[ba_rt]

Thank you for taking time and sharing the information.

I have exactly the same bike with exactly the same problem(s). Ordered the Booster plug couple of days ago, will be installing it next week.
Please share if Booster takes care of the stalling problem. I can't believe this huge issue was never really acknowledged and taken care of by BMW on K1200.

 

[FieldSanitation]

Evening commute:

I didn't get my usual 15 minutes of stop and go to the highway, but I definitely did not feel the usual hesitations and stutter/cough when barely touching the throttle. Loved the smooth corner gas roll on... We will be putting a few hundred miles on the bikes this weekend so more later.

 

[FieldSanitation]

after putting 500+ miles on this weekend... I am VERY happy with the BoosterPlug. about 160 miles out to DCL, with smooth throttle, and what seems like MUCH BETTER gas mileage. (I will start tracking it this week.) Highway travel very smooth, easy through the mountains and passing or just cruising. Then almost 200 miles of twisties and exploring back country highways, passing speed, SMOOOTH corner power... loving it... 160 miles back to the house and instead of actually tracking mileage in the trip meter, I watched the MILES TO GO.... and I made it all the way to the Virginia border (about 82 miles) before it broke 200 miles to go.... :surprise

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

 

[ba_rt]

Thanks for sharing your experience with the BoosterPlug. Please let us know if you ever get the engine stalling/cutting out happen again.

 

[FieldSanitation]

I tried to FORCE the stutter/stop in traffic and I felt it shake and think about it only one time out of 10 attempts but it never died.... but I will let you know if it happens.

 

[Dobervol]

First, thanks to field sanitation for the post. I just acquired a new-to-me 2006, and for doing mods like the Booster Plug, posts like this are awesome. One reads the model-specific Booster Plug instructions, and step one simply tells you to remove the fuel tank, by far the most involved (to me, at least) of the instructions.

However, a word of warning to some who are not familiar with the incredibly crappy parts spec'd by BMW for the fuel line quick-disconnect from the fuel tank/fuel pump (which is part of the tank). I bought the CD-ROM manual, and it warns to be careful with the QD mechanism so as not to injure the o-rings (plural), and I noted that I only saw an o-ring (singular) on the male QD part, and nothing on the female connector, but upon removal, I inspected the o-ring and saw nothing amiss, and hooked the tank back up, cranked her up, and wanting to warm up the oil for an oil change, I went off to the nearby restroom to answer the brief call of nature.

I returned to the bike in less than 2 min., and during that time, something had cracked or given out in the QD mechanism, and about a gallon of gas was on the floor of the garage. I tried to disconnect and re-connect several times, to see if I had gotten something wrong, and now, unlike the first time, just turning the key to the on position at which the electronics primes the pump causes a spray of gas to fly out of the connector, and hit me in the face as I peer down at the connection, Vaudeville comedy style. I still see no visible issue, but know there is one (duh), so off to the googles to investigate, at which time I learn that the not only the plastic connector parts, but also the flange into which the female connector screws, are notorious for being weak and cracking. http://www.k-bikes.com/forums/43-k1...bmw-k1200-gt-fuel-tank-quick-disconnects.html

While I know that if everything were made of metal, these bikes would not only be $40k, but also weigh as much as cars, I also am amazed that such an important part as the fuel connectors, and in this location, right above the hot engine block, would be manufactured with such fragile materials.

I have purchased a new metal connector set, and a flange ring support, from Beemer Boneyard, but unless you're a gambler, know that unless you decide to do the QD connector mod at the same time as the Booster Plug and have both ready to go at the same time, your bike may be out of commission for a while, even if you do nothing to booger it up.

 

[powrtrippin]

Be aware... I installed a BoosterPlug over a year ago on my 15 K1300S and it worked as described. I was having serious clutch slap issues in stop and go traffic. The plug stopped that completely. But, a couple of weeks ago I noticed my bike was low on power. It progressively got worse until I could barely accelerate with normal traffic. I planned to take it to Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg, VA but I decided to call them first. When I told them I had added a BoosterPlug they were very suspicious and asked me to remove it before bringing it in. I did and IMMEDIATELY I was reminded how powerful this bike is. All of the power was back.

I've submitted communications to BoosterPlug but their website says they are on vacation until August 6th. I'll update then.

 

[FieldSanitation]

Be aware... I installed a BoosterPlug over a year ago on my 15 K1300S and it worked as described. I was having serious clutch slap issues in stop and go traffic. The plug stopped that completely. But, a couple of weeks ago I noticed my bike was low on power. It progressively got worse until I could barely accelerate with normal traffic. I planned to take it to Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg, VA but I decided to call them first. When I told them I had added a BoosterPlug they were very suspicious and asked me to remove it before bringing it in. I did and IMMEDIATELY I was reminded how powerful this bike is. All of the power was back.

I've submitted communications to BoosterPlug but their website says they are on vacation until August 6th. I'll update then.

you get any changes? find a dirty connection? failed electronics?

 

[OldBMW]

First off - THANKS SO MUCH TO FieldSanitation FOR POSTING THE PICTURES & HOW-TO. It really helps guys like me make informed decisions & get the motivation to get it done!

I just installed one on my 2005 K1200S with 20k miles & an aftermarket air filter (stock exhaust). It does make a big difference.

After 200 miles here's my thoughts =
- smoother between 2-5k (which used to be jerky & you have to use Monk like meditative skills with the throttle in that range)
- easier to ride
- still some hesitation near the 2k RPM
- still can cut the throttle & feel the bike slow (which is what I like - use the engine to slow the bike)
- smoother power delivery - not as quick to peak out until 7-8k (used to have some nice pull if you give the throttle a big quick roll, now it's more linear)


For me it's worth the upgrade as now I can ride around town without looking like I'm trying to tame a Bronco. this isn't the wild west, why don't bike manufactures know how to make a bike ride-able at all speeds?

 

[Fried_Chicken]

Be aware... I installed a BoosterPlug over a year ago on my 15 K1300S and it worked as described. I was having serious clutch slap issues in stop and go traffic. The plug stopped that completely. But, a couple of weeks ago I noticed my bike was low on power. It progressively got worse until I could barely accelerate with normal traffic. I planned to take it to Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg, VA but I decided to call them first. When I told them I had added a BoosterPlug they were very suspicious and asked me to remove it before bringing it in. I did and IMMEDIATELY I was reminded how powerful this bike is. All of the power was back.

I've submitted communications to BoosterPlug but their website says they are on vacation until August 6th. I'll update then.

Did you get any information back on that?