1250rt, Vibrating sound on 6th gear

Having Problems with your BMW R1200RT/R1250RT? or have some Maintenance and Service questions?
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mehere
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2025 2:59 pm
Bike Model and Year: R 1250 RT 2023
Has liked: 4 times
Poland

1250rt, Vibrating sound on 6th gear

Post by mehere »

Hello there!
I’ve got a problem with my 2023 r1250rt, which I thought someone has maybe encountered before.
The bike is from dealership, I’m the first owner, it now has around 3000 km on the odometer.
Recently I’ve installed the BMW comfort windshield in place of the small “sport” one, and now on the highway I can hear that pulsating sound, with pulses frequency approximately 2-3 times per second, like “wah-wah-wah-wah…”. It only happens on the 6’th gear, which is frustrating. And only in 100-125 km/h speed range. Also, I can only hear it when coasting, engine braking or accelerating slightly - it seem to be disappearing if I accelerate hard, even through this speed range and on the 6’th.
I think I can also hear similar resonating “wah-wah-wah” sound on 3’rd at around 55-60 km/h, but it’s much less pronounced there.
Not sure what that is. I also installed the big BMW top box around the same time as I started hearing it, if that matters…
I guess that can’t be the tyres, otherwise it wouldn’t depend on the gear. Am I right?
Would appreciate any advice. Thank you!

PS here’s a sample of that sound. You can hear vibrating / pulsating engine noise, when I keep steady throttle at around 110 km/h on the 6’th: https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0dfK ... w#IMG_1958
mehere
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2025 2:59 pm
Bike Model and Year: R 1250 RT 2023
Has liked: 4 times
Poland

Re: 1250rt, Vibrating sound on 6th gear

Post by mehere »

A few days ago I received a response directly from BMW (not a dealership). Here’s what they said:

“ This is a common phenomenon. It’s a slight resonance in the drivetrain, caused by the uneven rotational motion of the driveshaft. It should diminish after lowering the suspension. It’s necessary to adjust the suspension to the current load. In fact, this is a side effect of the Cardan (shaft-drive) design. It usually occurs only on specific gears, as it is a resonance within the entire drivetrain. It’s purely an acoustic effect and doesn’t require any repair action.”

So I guess I’ll continue ignoring it, maybe will try playing with ESA preload, if it even available on my RT…
Thanks everyone for your suggestions!
Randyjaco
Posts: 379
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:18 am
Location: Friendswood, Texas, USA
Bike Model and Year: R1200RT 2017
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United States of America

Re: 1250rt, Vibrating sound on 6th gear

Post by Randyjaco »

I am surprised you can even hear that with your earplugs and helmet on. I wouldn't worry about it. It could be the road type, tires, windshield, anything and something not connected to the bike.
Stop worrying and enjoy your ride :thumb:
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