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Concerns about buying K1600GT the first year

I am very interested in the K1600GT. I am also nervous about buying any vehicle, bike, car, truck, the first year it is available. Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions on the new GT?
 
I am very interested in the K1600GT. I am also nervous about buying any vehicle, bike, car, truck, the first year it is available. Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions on the new GT?
I have a GTL. The K16 has its first-year problems (although, IMO, fewer than "normal").

Simple choice: enjoy the bike now with all its flaws, or wait until 2013, by which time 1/2 the flaws will be gone (or 2014 for 3/4 flaws, etc).

I chose the former, expecting problems, and thus was mentally prepared to deal with them. It helps that I have other bikes I can ride if/when there's a issue.

YMMV.
 
I took delivery of my K16GT early January and now with nearly 1,000 miles on it, it is flawless with one exception - there's an audio system on the bike that includes an iPod interface that doesn't work. If that will ruin the experience for you then wait to own what is the most amazing machine on two wheels. I still can't believe the level of performance and comfort of this bike. The experience just keeps getting better the longer I ride it.

Wes
 
with one exception - there's an audio system on the bike that includes an iPod interface that doesn't work. If that will ruin the experience for you then wait to own what is the most
Rumor has it there should be a firmware fix for the iPod issue in the next month or so. In the meantime, a USB flash drive works fine, giving 80% of the functionality/convenience of the iPod/iPhone.
 
Rumor has it there should be a firmware fix for the iPod issue in the next month or so. In the meantime, a USB flash drive works fine, giving 80% of the functionality/convenience of the iPod/iPhone.

I've heard that rumor as well but I'm not sure I believe it. It's my wild guess that this problem will require a swap out of the Alpine radio to fix it.
 
My buddy has a K16GTL and loves it. I bought a 2005 R12RT, and that had a LOT of first year issues. All of those issues were resolved to my satisfaction, and I love the bike, now with 60k miles

I agree with the previous poster. Enjoy it now, or wait. If you have a good bike now, waiting is not a big deal. If you don't, waiting is hard!
 
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=57993 dirtyjimmy, I truly love my K1600GT, but I would advise you wait until Year 2013 until BMW has parts for this bike!

If you read my thread above, you will see my 2012 has been sidelined for 5 months now.

You cannot even get a radiator expansion tank for a new K1600, good luck with a muffler.

BMW Motorrad AG and BMW NA literally sold these K16 machines with NO PARTS BACKUP!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Letter was sent to customerservice@bmwmotorcycles.com and by Certified US Mail

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 25, 2012

Vice President Hans Blesse
BMW Motorrad USA
P. O. Box 1227
Westwood, NJ 07675-1227

Dear Mr. Blesse,

I wish to congratulate and applaud your being promoted as the Vice President of BMW Motorrad USA.

Hope your new position works professionally to your utmost satisfaction and your personal fulfillment.

However, you now face a extremely serious and endemic problem within the ranks of BMW Motorrad.

BMW Motorrad USA absolutely has no ability to deliver replacement parts necessary to keep new BMW Models roadworthy. My 2012 BMW K1600GT was disabled due to a deer strike on 10/13/11.

My moto has sat at BMW of Salt Lake City, Utah for five months now simply due to BMW Motorrad Germany being unable and unwilling to supply a replacement radiator expansion coolant tank: $40.00.

It's incomprehensible, and irresponsible of BMW Motorrad, they can sell a Customer a machine for $28,500: But they cannot even provide a simple plastic jug for over a year to keep the bike operational.

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=57993 http://www.k1600forum.com/forum/bmw...w-contact-assistance-my-12-k1600gt-parts.html http://www.azbeemers.org/forum/index.php?topic=3585.0 On January 24 I called out for help to the following BMW Forum Organizations that I belong to: BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, BMW K1600 Forum and BMW MOA Chartered Club #89 AZ Beemers. There are 4 pages each of comments regarding my bike's downtime situation at each of these sites. Please, do read them.

Mr. Blesse, here is what you'll discover when you read these dozen pages: I'm not alone in this BMW Motorrad Lack of Parts Availability Problem, this BMW fiasco is so widespread and affecting so many.

I have been a BMW Owner since 1969 when I bought my R60/2 in Augsburg, Germany. My first BMW shop was in the Altstadt of Munich. Since then I have tirelessly promoted the sales of BMW's.

In 43 years of riding BMW, over 500K miles on BMW, I've talked so many people into buying BMW.

This has now come to a final end, I cannot promote BMW due to it's lack of supply of necessary parts.

I still do not have my 2012 BMW K1600GT back to me, how can I support BMW after this situation?

I sadly do not believe that BMW could spell Customer Support if you gave them the U's, O's or the E.

I'm very sad over this tragic and senseless predicament, loyal BMW Customers shouldn't have to wait a full year to get a replacement coolant tank and certainly not 16 months to get a new left BMW muffler.

Don Stanley, Chandler, AZ beemerdons@aol.com Cell: 480-440-4666 MOA/24810 BMWRA/21856.
 
Not trying to start an argument, but have you considered getting a coolant tank from a totalled out 1600? I know I have seen a couple that have been sent to BMW heaven and they might have a good tank on them? Kind of surprised by the lack of customer support from BMW on this. If a dealer needs an unavailable H-D part for a current year production bike they will pull one off the line and send it to the dealer to get the customer going.

Rick H.
 
Not trying to start an argument, but have you considered getting a coolant tank from a totalled out 1600? I know I have seen a couple that have been sent to BMW heaven and they might have a good tank on them? Kind of surprised by the lack of customer support from BMW on this. If a dealer needs an unavailable H-D part for a current year production bike they will pull one off the line and send it to the dealer to get the customer going.

Rick H.

If you can send me a link for a radiator expansion coolant tank from a totalled out K1600, I would pursue it! I searched at a number of sites and did not find any wrecked K16's! Here are the two search engines that I have used: http://claz.org/ and www.searchtempest.com I found NO salvage K1600's.
 
I must admit I never thought of this problem!

RoboRider, "Gisele" is an incredible moto, but BMW has no parts available for her!!

DSCF0175.jpg
 
If you can send me a link for a radiator expansion coolant tank from a totalled out K1600, I would pursue it! I searched at a number of sites and did not find any wrecked K16's! Here are the two search engines that I have used: http://claz.org/ and www.searchtempest.com I found NO salvage K1600's.

There's a wrecked K16GT sitting at Bob's BMW in Maryland that had less than 500 miles on it. A bud here got into some BMW on BMW violence when a 3 series tried to merge into a traffic circle right into the side of this white GT. Call 'em up as I'm sure it'll be going to salvage if it hasn't already. The bike was totaled with damage to the engine on the right side.

Wes
 
I'll confess that I thought long and hard about buying something else and swapping back to a K16GT for 2013/14 but man, right now, I'm so happy I put this bike on order. It's nothing less than magical.
 
There's a wrecked K16GT sitting at Bob's BMW in Maryland that had less than 500 miles on it. A bud here got into some BMW on BMW violence when a 3 series tried to merge into a traffic circle right into the side of this white GT. Call 'em up as I'm sure it'll be going to salvage if it hasn't already. The bike was totaled with damage to the engine on the right side.

Wes

Many thanks Wes, I am on it!
 
K1600gt ??

After 1800 miles,there are a few glitches. My XM has stopped working. There is a propietary BMW cable to connect your Ipod. However,due to the close proximity of the IPOD location,lower right fairing pocket,it overheats the ipod after about 20 minutes of use. Other than those electronic gremlins and poor design,this bike rocks. I;ve owned my share of bmw's as well as everything else out there.
 
After 1800 miles,there are a few glitches. My XM has stopped working. There is a propietary BMW cable to connect your Ipod. However,due to the close proximity of the IPOD location,lower right fairing pocket,it overheats the ipod after about 20 minutes of use. Other than those electronic gremlins and poor design,this bike rocks. I;ve owned my share of bmw's as well as everything else out there.

57525, I fully agree with you: Our BMW K1600GT is the finest motorcycle I've ever owned.

I started riding on the street in March of 1969 on a used 1959 Triumph Speed Twin 500.

In March of 1969 I bought my 1966 BMW R60/2 from my off the base German Landlord while stationed in the US Army at Reisse Kaserne, Augsburg. That started a lasting love affair with BMW that has lasted for 43 years and over 500,000 miles on Boxer Twins.

My Son Seth (15) and I are crazy about "Gisele" and were putting 1.5K miles a month on her until the deer strike. I just hope as my Forum Friend and Fellow BMW Rider /
Owner that you'll not need any parts until the year 2013, because you'll not get them!

I do have some good news to report though, I received shipping information on Gisele:

She is in the hands of AA Transport, Shipment # JA 2335 and she should be here 3/2!

I did not receive that information from BMW Motorcycles of SLC, they were a real joke!

6247469765_257d702c5b_z.jpg
 
1600gt

I use to hang out at Butler and Smith when I was teen in the early 70's. Back when Udo Geitl,Todd Schuster and Dave Braunstein were there. AMOL Precision was my other haunt before kurt had his issues. Sometimes having the best and newest isn't always a good idea. Good Luck and I'll stay away from the Deer
 
Hi Don: I know I have seen a few threads on the various BMW websites where GT/GTL owners have crashed/totalled their bikes. Two stick out in my mind but I don't know what happened to the bikes. I know you were just given some info on a "possible" but if it doesn't pan out let me know and I will do some checking. Good Luck...Rick
 
Hi Don: I know I have seen a few threads on the various BMW websites where GT/GTL owners have crashed/totalled their bikes. Two stick out in my mind but I don't know what happened to the bikes. I know you were just given some info on a "possible" but if it doesn't pan out let me know and I will do some checking. Good Luck...Rick

Many thanks to you, Rick! Since there are now seven K1600's in our AZ Beemers Club, last weekend we K16 Guys discussed buying a crashed/totalled K1600 bike.

We plan on splitting the buy costs 7 ways and then this is our "BMW Parts Store"!
 
I use to hang out at Butler and Smith when I was teen in the early 70's. Back when Udo Geitl,Todd Schuster and Dave Braunstein were there. AMOL Precision was my other haunt before kurt had his issues. Sometimes having the best and newest isn't always a good idea. Good Luck and I'll stay away from the Deer

57525, I have always been spooked by deer and now I am terrified of those rats!

You should see the front of my R1150RT, I put on 6 deer whistles just before the BMW MOA International Rally held in Essex Junction, Vermont back in 2006. After super slabbing it back to the Northeast, I rode two laners all across O Canada.

I turned South to Arizona in Edmonton and saw so many doggone deer I had nightmares about forest vermin for weeks. Son Seth and I leave for a month ride to Alaska on June 5. Ha, ha! I wonder if there is a Guinness World Book Record for the most deer whistles on the front of a K1600GT. I'll find out my BMW Friends!

You'll get a kick out of this 57525! Last Summer my Son Seth (then 14) and his DaddyDon rode 8,100 miles in 18 days back to Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia, Canada. We rounded a tight curve at speed between Ingonish Bay and Neil Harbor and there stood "The World's Largest Moose"!

We stopped so close to his big belly and he was so tall my Son Seth told me to just "ride under him"! What a story Seth had for his school chums!

Apres-CFR-084.jpg
 
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