BMW R850 Maintenance Manual page 64

(A) Starting at the front edge of the seat, if you were to hang a string onto the left side of
the bike, it would contact the black plastic air intake duct (2 1/4 inch diameter tube)
about 11 to 13 inches down. Follow this black plastic duct or tube forward to where it is
attached to a metal tube or duct that is 3 1/2 inches long with plastic and metal parts all
over it. Everything related to the TPS adjustment is attached to this metal duct, or a
similar metal duct in the right side. For our purposes, the metal duct has a top and
bottom area, an outside and an inside area (close to the body of the bike). There is a
bracket on the inside area where two cables are vertically attached. The cable closest to
the metal duct (forward outside) is the throttle cable.
(B) Starting at the rear of the large finned metal engine cylinder that sticks out on the left
side, the throttle cable is approximately two inches to the rear of this location and close
to the engine.
(C) The throttle cable can be generally located by first locating two plug-type wires on
the top of the metal duct, and from this point look down and between the metal duct and
the bike.
(D) There is an easily removable (and frequently lost or missing) three-sided plastic
cover with a round bottom that clips onto the top front area of the metal duct. This plastic
cover comes off by pulling it upward and toward the front of the bike. Take this plastic
cover off (no tools necessary) and the throttle cable is close to the location where the
inside of the plastic contacted the metal duct.
Now that you have located the general area of the throttle cable, by careful inspection
you will see that two cables come into the same area and mount on one metal bracket or
metal plate located on the inside area of metal duct. [On 1997 models there is one cable
only, the throttle cable. Disregard the references to other cables.] The cable that is the
furthest from the engine is the throttle cable (still forward outside). To make certain you
have the correct cable, move the throttle on the right handlebar and this should move the
throttle cable that you have identified on the left side. (You may need another person to
move the throttle on the right side of the bike while you watch the cable on the left side.)
If the left side cable does not move, you have not located the throttle cable. Move the
throttle on the handlebar and look on the left side for a moving cable that matches the
information above. Now check the cable next to the throttle cable by moving the choke
lever on the left handlebar and watch the choke cable move; do no loosen the choke
cable. There is a third cable to the rear of these two which is the crossover synch
cable; this is on its own mount and need not be loosened or adjusted in any way.
If you are not certain you have found the throttle cable, either find another BMW rider
with an R bike and ask for help finding it, or go pester your local mechanic.
This is a tight area in which to work and so you will remove the three-sided plastic cover
with the round bottom that mounts on the gas intake area. There are two plugs on top of
the metal duct that were covered by the three-side plastic piece you have removed;
these are fuel injection controls. The front plug of the two may be removed by
depressing (press in) on the wire clip on the plug and then lifting the plug from its
mounting. After removing both the three-sided plastic cover and the fuel injection plug,
there will be more room in which to work.
You are now ready to loosen the throttle cable, which was the whole purpose in finding
this cable. You must loosen the lock nut, the six-sided nut that sits on top of the bracket,
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