• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

BEWARE before PURCHASE

M

mpcpangec

Guest
I'm disappointed with response to the BMW K 1300 GT stalling problem. I have a K 1300, and I have been discussing the stalling problem with the dealer and BMW USA. I have been given the same response you have given us (highest priority). I'm sorry, but BMW has known that they had a problem since the introduction of the K 1300 engine, but they kept on selling a faulty and potentially dangerous motorcycle. BMW has placed priority on their bottom line and not the health/safety of their customers. I can't comprehend why BMW continues promoting and selling the K 1300 GT to unsuspecting customers like me.

I'm a long term customer that took pride in and enjoyed driving BMW products. I have purchased five BMW products: 1979 R; 2002 K 1200 RS; 2005 R 1200 GS; 2006 330xi, and a 2009 K 1300 GT.



I loved driving the GT. Within a month of purchase date, I drove 2,500 miles. While on a trip, I was taking a left hand turn at about 25 miles per hour when the engine stopped. I depressed the clutch and pushed the starter and the bike started. A few hundred miles later the engine stopped again.



The dealer told me that stalling has been a common occurrence to the new 1300 engines. At that time, they had another bike in the shop with similar problem. The dealer claimed that the problem was caused by carbon build-up. I explained that I had only used Shell (recommended by BMW and Honda because it eliminates carbon build-up) and that I had only driven at highway speeds.



I talked with BMW customer service and they told me that the stalling seemed to be caused by the ethanol in the gas. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I have a hard time accepting that the stalling problem was caused by either issue.



I wouldn't have bought the bike if I had known that it had a stalling issue. A motorcycle that stalls is a major safety concern to me. Now, I will not drive the bike, and I have asked BMW to make me whole. I live in D.C. where people drive fast and close. If the bike stalls while I'm on the Beltway, we know what will happen. A BMW customer service representative told me that the bike had been repaired when the dealer cleaned out the carbon in the engine. I asked him if BMW would guarantee the repair: the answer was no.



I have called the NHTSA, and reported the stalling problem. All owners of K 1300 that have experienced the stalling should call 1-888-327-4236 and report the problem.
 
BEWARE before PURCHSE

I'm disappointed with response to the BMW K 1300 GT stalling problem. I have a K 1300, and I have been discussing the stalling problem with the dealer and BMW USA. I have been given the same response you have given us (highest priority). I'm sorry, but BMW has known that they had a problem since the introduction of the K 1300 engine, but they kept on selling a faulty and potentially dangerous motorcycle. BMW has placed priority on their bottom line and not the health/safety of their customers. I can't comprehend why BMW continues promoting and selling the K 1300 GT to unsuspecting customers like me.

I'm a long term customer that took pride in and enjoyed driving BMW products. I have purchased five BMW products: 1979 R; 2002 K 1200 RS; 2005 R 1200 GS; 2006 330xi, and a 2009 K 1300 GT.



I loved driving the GT. Within a month of purchase date, I drove 2,500 miles. While on a trip, I was taking a left hand turn at about 25 miles per hour when the engine stopped. I depressed the clutch and pushed the starter and the bike started. A few hundred miles later the engine stopped again.



The dealer told me that stalling has been a common occurrence to the new 1300 engines. At that time, they had another bike in the shop with similar problem. The dealer claimed that the problem was caused by carbon build-up. I explained that I had only used Shell (recommended by BMW and Honda because it eliminates carbon build-up) and that I had only driven at highway speeds.



I talked with BMW customer service and they told me that the stalling seemed to be caused by the ethanol in the gas. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I have a hard time accepting that the stalling problem was caused by either issue.



I wouldn't have bought the bike if I had known that it had a stalling issue. A motorcycle that stalls is a major safety concern to me. Now, I will not drive the bike, and I have asked BMW to make me whole. I live in D.C. where people drive fast and close. If the bike stalls while I'm on the Beltway, we know what will happen. A BMW customer service representative told me that the bike had been repaired when the dealer cleaned out the carbon in the engine. I asked him if BMW would guarantee the repair: the answer was no.



I have called the NHTSA, and reported the stalling problem. All owners of K 1300 that have experienced the stalling should call 1-888-327-4236 and report the problem.
 
Last edited:
Isaw an article in one of my bike mags that bmw is having problems withe the kill switches on the above mentioned bikes. There is an electrical glitch that wil kill the motor while going down the highway.
 
I loved driving the GT. Within a month of purchase date, I drove 2,500 miles. While on a trip, I was taking a left hand turn at about 25 miles per hour when the engine stopped. I depressed the clutch and pushed the starter and the bike started. A few hundred miles later the engine stopped again.
Carbon buildup and ethanol are unlikely to result in an otherwise smooth-running engine suddenly killing like you've described. Despite what the dealer might have said, it sounds more like an electrical issue to me. My guess is that the recall notice addresses your problem.
 
Well, well, well! They didn't have this problem with the three button turn signal switch assemblies on the earlier R and K bikes, now did they.

But they went to the smaller, thinner, Japanese style single switch turn signal setup, and smaller switchgear overall and it seems they didn't get something quite right.

I liked the older style switchgear much better, and it didn't kill my engine in traffic either.
 
New K1300

One of the members of our local BMW group bought a new K1300. I am not sure which one. One our ride in August he complained of the same thing. It just quit while riding. He was frustrated with this potentially dangerous situation. I have not seen him since to know if it has bee corrected.
Good Luck!
 
Same sad story for me.

I bought a used ‘07 K1200GT in nov. 2008 with 40 000 miles on the odometer from a Honda dealership. Went for a very short roadtest (it was cold in Quebec city!), paid for it and put the bike on a trailer and went back to Montreal. Put it in garage for winter until the end of march 2009. The warranty is valid until april 2010.

After a couple of rides the problem occurred (stalling at slow speed coming to a stop, decelerating for a speed bump or slowing down before a turn at an intersection, etc. ALWAYS with the left lever pulled. The dash stays illuminated and everytime I just have to hit the starter button to get it back to life.

I’ve taken it to the dealer in Montreal several times for the same problem....

They changed the left lever switch.

They changed the sidestand switch (could have been sending a false signal to the computer saying the sidestand was out while rolling...!)

Once they told me it was the way I was riding the bike... (meaning I was not revving the engine enough and that it has gotten all dirty):mad. The mechanic went for a ride with it and he told me that the bike blew out grey fumes all over.

Hopefully for me, it died at idle one time at the dealer. Then they decided to check it further and discover that the airbox (the second one on the bike) was malfunctioning (probably the cause for the fumes and the dirty engine, right?...!).
They installed a new one, and the bike was like new to me and I felt like a happy camper for....4 days.:heart

The problem came back again and I took it again to the dealer. It has been there for almost 3 weeks now.

I called BMW Canada customer service on October 14th. They don’t respond to me directly but I know that they speak with the dealer. Last week I forwarded the warranty rep. in Toronto a list of more than a dozen forum links about the K1200GT- K1200S –K1300GT- K1300S stalling problem to show him that I’m not the only one in North America stuck with a weird motorcycle. Apparently, they finally talked to BMW USA and have learned a few tips about the problem.

Wow!

The dealer told me that they will run a deep investigation on the bike now that BMW Canada is Ok with the whole process.

Maybe I’ll get my bike back for spring...

But when I read what is happening to other sick bikes I don’t have big hopes that it will be running well one day again soon.

I’m stuck with 5 options here:
  1. I put the bike for sale to an individual and say nothing about the hole problem (I can’t do that to someone else. Too dangerous. I couldn’t be able to live with the remorse anyway).
  2. I sell the bike to a Honda dealership (can’t know about the bike’s problem. Probably the same trick that happened to me...)
  3. I could ask a BMW dealer to take the bike as a down payment on a new one (but since they know the history of this one I doubt that they will take a chance to get stuck with a bike hard to put back on the market).
  4. I can follow the suggestion of the Consumer Protection Office here in Quebec and require that I get a refund for the bike either from the Honda dealer or BMW Canada.
  5. Wait until BMW comes with a solution.

Any suggestions?

Odile
 
Back
Top