after 10 yrs....disappointment

GlobalRider said:

Purely mechanical issues? Thats rare. What went other than maybe that rear drive.

I'd sooner drop the high tech because when it does quit, and everything "more complicated than it has to be" does, then you're left standing there with your cell phone calling a flat bed...provided you have cell phone coverage.

Also, the reason that "neither of them left me stranded" has more to do with preventative maintenance than with inherent reliability.

Click to expand...

My trans seals started leaking, and my FD seal leaked. Both easily fixed, and neither was in danger of stranding me. Just mild seaps.

But hey, you have to do what you are comfortable with. I have a few older friends who wont drive anything made after 1970. If it makes them happy, that's cool for them.

For me, I like the new technology, and am not afraid of it.

Jim

JimVonBaden1 said:

For me, I like the new technology, and am not afraid of it.

Jim

Click to expand...

Same here. I have a few for North America and Europe, where being stranded isn't a concern, and one for Iceland, where being stranded is.

Despite having both, I'll always question progress and what I'm realizing by it.

wuli959 said:

so what's the status of your bike?

Click to expand...

Well the dealer reports that it was a faulty receiver in the ignition and it did not recognize my key. They replaced it and said it was no big deal...and probably isn't...unless they are the ones stranded and helpless by the side of the road in a remote area. I requested that my purchase be cancelled and that I give them the bike back and take my trade-in back. This was denied. I then requested of BMWNA that they replace the bike with another just like it. This also was denied.

So, ever hopeful and at their mercy, I pick up the bike today.

DanGreene said:

Well the dealer reports that it was a faulty receiver in the ignition and it did not recognize my key.

Click to expand...

And who figured that's what it was?

Seriously, though, I'm glad you've got your bike back.

DanGreene said:

Well the dealer reports that it was a faulty receiver in the ignition and it did not recognize my key. They replaced it and said it was no big deal...and probably isn't...unless they are the ones stranded and helpless by the side of the road in a remote area. I requested that my purchase be cancelled and that I give them the bike back and take my trade-in back. This was denied. I then requested of BMWNA that they replace the bike with another just like it. This also was denied.

So, ever hopeful and at their mercy, I pick up the bike today.

Click to expand...

I can understand why they wouldn't replace the bike or take it back. One part failing doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the bike. If motorcycles, cars and trucks were routinely replaced or bought back due to an electronic part failing shortly after the vehicle was put in service, nobody could afford to buy a new vehicle. There are thousands of parts that could fail on any vehicle and leave you stranded. Most electronics seem to fail quickly or not at all.

Hal 9000

wuli959 said:

Dan-
It's code name is "HAL" . . . (short for HAL 9000)

He's having an emotional moment and will soon claim that the AE-35 unit had failed.

Be careful.

Click to expand...

I started here and ended up at the Bell Labs text to voice web sight. I made Steven Hawkings sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"! Check out this site.

http://www1.bell-labs.com/project/tts/voices.html

osbornk said:

...... There are thousands of parts that could fail on any vehicle and leave you stranded.

Click to expand...

True, but I think the point is that the immobilizer is a part that is not required, no one asked for it, and people ARE getting stranded due to it.

I'd bet the immobilizer has prevented ZERO thefts, but a quick internet search will result in many, many stranded rider stories.

BMW will fix it like they have everything from paralever final drives to R90 diode boards; patch until the new models come out in a few years.

If I sound bitter (not at you BTW) , it could be from standing by the side of the road due to an immobiliser ring. At least BMW got the frigging name right.

.. Most electronics seem to fail quickly or not at all.

Click to expand...

10,462 miles. Next theory?

BMW is wondering how to get younger riders to ride BMW... I know something that will make BMW more attractive. Get ride of the damn computers. Can't do **** to any of the new bikes just about with-out plugging it into a computer.

As time goes by, thoses Japanese bikes are lookin a WHOLE lot better.

wuli959 said:

Dan-
It's code name is "HAL" . . . (short for HAL 9000)

He's having an emotional moment and will soon claim that the AE-35 unit had failed.


Yeah,any minute it will be"Dan,just what do you think you're doing?"

Be careful.

Click to expand...

Yeah,any minute it will be"Dan,just what do you think you're doing?"

Can Bus diagostic unit

DanGreene said:

Well, after 10 years of happy BMW riding I have been very disappointed. I am looking for any suggestions from those familiar with the new CanBus and the automatic ignition disabling system where the ignition recognizes the coded key.

As some of you know, I picked up a new R1200R on Feb 24. I put about 250 miles on it the first day. I then rode it back to the dealer on Feb 28th to pick up my side cases I had ordered, for another 30 miles. This past Saturday, March 3rd, I left the house to go on a ride. I had ridden about 40 miles and stopped to pee. Bike would not start and kept giving the disabled code. Totally helpless. If this new system does not recognize your key, there is absolutely nothing you can do to get the bike started. So I call the dealer as I am about 30 miles away from Greenville, SC. They were there within the hour to pick me up. We get back and hook the bike up to the computer and in the words of the tech, "I can't get it to talk to me". No one at the dealer knows what is going on. Apparently my key somehow lost the identity code. I am very disgruntled to say the least and still no word on what the problem is. Anybody know anymore about this system?

Click to expand...

Try this site http://www.probike.co.uk/it080006.htm
Texa Navigator Wireless ÔÇô

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I have no affiliation or own stock in this company . Just supplying info hope this can help.

Michael Richard
126360
VE3CEH
Wandering through Eden

I work on can bus vehicles every day. Very simple to diagnose. Check for power and ground at module that isn't talking, short the bus wire to ground at the module that isn't talking and see if the rest of the bus goes down. If it does the wiring is good and it needs a module or a flash update to the module. No vodoo here just need to know how to diagnose it. I hope my R12RT never has a problem but when the warranty runs out I won't be afraid to dive in.

Moving this thread to Hexheads where it now belongs.. amazing how dead threads revive themselves sometimes..

A few years ago, Freightliner went to a new wiring system. I think they call it "multi-plex," or something like that. I think it's something similar to CAN BUS.

Many new cars have the disabling key system.

My '99 Ford PU had a "fly by wire" throttle; no mechanical connection.

This stuff isn't "up and coming." It's been around for quite some time. It generally works well.

My first car was '31 Model A Ford. From that, I graduated to a '39 Chev PU. The pickup took me coast to coast, and Canada to Mexico, but I must say, I really am glad that "they don't make them like they use to."

Bottom line, CAN BUS ain't half bad. All the computers make a lot of stuff possible, including excellent fuel injections systems, which gives us a lot more HP than we use to get from the same sized engine.

Me, I'll take my chances with the new systems. Lets face it, even us old farts carry cell phones, and many have some sort of computer linked GPS systems.

Enjoy the ride, and keep the cell phone charged.

GAry

To add some oil to the (debate) fire here...
On my summer trip to Prudhoe Bay I saw and heard of 4 R1200GSA's with the ring antenna issues. One guy fixed it as he had a spare, the 2nd bike needed a tow from Whithorse, Yukon to Edmonton, Alberta...... ,one guy at West Fest in NM during the ADVrider meet and a friend of mine whose bike wouldn't start at the dealer...Not to mention 2 FD's and a transmission in Anchorage.
Please tell me that all that new tech is really needed on an bike that is touted as THE adventure bike.....
Besides the electronic issues it seems that final drives on the 1200 series bikes(both K and R) are failing faster than the 1150's ever did. Rob Nye is stuck in Canada as the latest victim of the new and improved final drive....

GlobalRider said:

And progress is supposed to benefit me in the way of something...right. So what am I getting in my oilhead that I'm not in my airhead. More MPGs? Not...you just have to know how to tune airheads. More reliablility? Neither of them has left me stranded since I first bought a BMW in 1991.

Click to expand...

The reason manufacturers are adding much of this technology is to meet environmental restrictions in the EU. For example: Big bikes without fuel injection (i.e. with good old carburetors) cannot meet todays standards for exhaust emissions.

What you're benefitting from is a cleaner environment - even in Iceland!

"BMW is wondering how to get younger riders to ride BMW... I know something that will make BMW more attractive. Get ride of the damn computers."

Yeah, because we know the young folks don't care much for computers in their lives.

...nope, just one real key....

robnye said:

Hey now,

A few comments.

First, every new BMW I have purchased came with three keys, two regular keys and one wallet sized spare. Where are your spare keys? That would tell you right off the bat if it was the key or the sensor.

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Actually, not true in the U.S. for new bikes. This is one of my main gripes with BMW. My brand new 2007 R1200RT came with one "real" key and one wallet key. To get a second key with the fancy transmitter you have to shell out $62.00. Give me a break. I pay $20k for a bike and they nickel and dime me over a spare key?

regards
Doug Dickerson

codougd said:

Actually, not true in the U.S. for new bikes. This is one of my main gripes with BMW. My brand new 2007 R1200RT came with one "real" key and one wallet key. To get a second key with the fancy transmitter you have to shell out $62.00. Give me a break. I pay $20k for a bike and they nickel and dime me over a spare key?

regards
Doug Dickerson

Click to expand...

Hey. That's 620 dimes. Or 1240 nickles. Times 100,000 bikes equals how much?

cjack said:

Hey. That's 620 dimes. Or 1240 nickles. Times 100,000 bikes equals how much?

Click to expand...

Yeah, yeah, I know, spend $20k for a bike and bitch about pennies It's the pettiness that gets to me, like one dealer wanting to charge me $5.00 for a couple of metric nuts that I can get at Home Depot for 50 cents. (nota bene: The dealer where I bought my bike gave me some nuts and washers for a set of pegs I bought. So, the dealers vary but BMWNA is a pretty sorry outfit.)

Anyway, my RT is a great bike. I guess one reason I'm comfortable with the higher maintenance costs/burden is that I've owned a number of German cars and understand the inverse relationship between performance and drive-it-and-forget-it reliability. Everything costs something. What varies is the value delivered for the cost and when and how the costs are incurred.

Ride safe.

codougd said:

Yeah, yeah, I know, spend $20k for a bike and bitch about pennies It's the pettiness that gets to me, like one dealer wanting to charge me $5.00 for a couple of metric nuts that I can get at Home Depot for 50 cents. (nota bene: The dealer where I bought my bike gave me some nuts and washers for a set of pegs I bought. So, the dealers vary but BMWNA is a pretty sorry outfit.)

Anyway, my RT is a great bike. I guess one reason I'm comfortable with the higher maintenance costs/burden is that I've owned a number of German cars and understand the inverse relationship between performance and drive-it-and-forget-it reliability. Everything costs something. What varies is the value delivered for the cost and when and how the costs are incurred.

Ride safe.

Click to expand...

A former boss of mine was designing some electronics for one of the big three auto makers. It would have cost them 50 cents extra so it was rejected. That stuck in my mind.
BTW, my dealer stocks several thousand dollars worth of nuts, washers, and bolts. Most of which are peculiar to the motorcycle and show on the outside, so it matters what you use. They don't sell many per year and they are also a car dealer so it takes some pleading to allow the inventory. When you need a bolt...you need it. Follow your heart on helping your dealer make a couple dollars on this stuff. Seeing it from both sides helps me after spending 35 years in a University where the money didn't have to show a profit and the inventory didn't cost us 6% or more each year.
Ananother thing...I have seen the big three deny a warranty on a truck with 100 miles past the warranty and I have seen BMWNA warranty a final drive on an '85 K100LT in about the year 1999. In that case the crown gear lost a few teeth. No bearing issues there. NA felt that the weakness was built in the gear from the beginning and they stood behind it. I could go on and on about the goodwill warranties they honor so it they need a few bucks for an extra key and a tool kit that 65% of the owners loose or let rust away (my personal experience for data...ymmv) then hopefully they will put the money where it does more good.