Problems with the new 1600 models

AntonLargiader said:

I suspect the vast, vast majority of potential K16 buyers will never see what the IBR scribe said. "Iron what?" They've never heard of it and never will.

If they have, they'll form their own opinions rather than recycle someone else's. The IBR reporting is good for monitoring some of the rally events, but don't go thinking it has world-shaping editorial power.

The MOA (with its forum) is a far more likely influence but honestly I don't think it affects new K16 sales much either.

Click to expand...

will3hawks said:

There's a pattern here. When I was in grad school I worked for a German/Swede car shop. We kept a ready supply of M30 cylinder heads due to them cracking secondary to the excessive heat from the thermal reactors. BMW insisted that there was nothing wrong with the design and blamed the drivers. Insanely, they would suggest that you shut off the A/C during periods of excessive heat and traffic congestion. A class action lawsuit finally knocked some of their arrogance out of them and BMW replaced a lot of cylinder heads (and private shops made a killing removing the thermal reactor systems). Fast forward to the Flying Bricks in the motorcycle division. The 2 K's that I owned were the most abusively hot motorcycles I ever owned and both were sold within a year. The 1100 was a veritable furnace and we were told that the 1200 had solved all the heat problems; NOT!!! Now we come to the "new and improved" interpretation of what a motorcycle should be and for all the seductiveness of the new 6, Guess What? THE HEAT IS STILL A PROBLEM. Perhaps the engineers have been clonked in the head one too many times by beer mugs at Octoberfest but they need to stop percieving heat transfered from bike to rider as an issue of little importance. As for my money, I'll stay with my boxers unless and until they fix this issue once and for all.

Click to expand...

jtrilone said:

I bought the 2012 K1600GTL in 2013 sight unseen under the early purchase deal. All options were included in the price of the bare bike. The water pump failed at 4,500 miles, luckily for me near home. Trailered to dealer for replacement under warranty. Picked up the bike and rode 70 miles home. Pulling into my drive way the RED light came on and the bike was toasty. Yes the green on the exhaust guard is the first clue. Trailered it back to the dealer and the third pump is still on the bike after 50,000 miles of touring cross country the past three years mostly two up (Wife loves the seat) . The key is bleeding the air from the system once the new pump is on. On the 1600 this process is no easy task. It seems that the model was new and so out of the BMW ordinary that the technicians did not fully understand this critical bleeding step. Not only does the air trapped in the system prevent complete circulation of coolant (vapor lock) causing high temperature conditions, but also causes the pump impeller to momentarily spin out of balance at an over-speed condition when the air enters the pump. This momentary over-speed condition sends a shock wave down the pump shaft which cracks or splits the pump shaft seal; thus immediate failure of the replacement pump. Not at all the fault of the pump design or the seal elastomer used. A critical installation technique that apparently from the sounds of it has not yet been mastered by all technicians. Granted the early pumps did indeed have a seal design flaw which started this nightmare. My second observation involved high temperatures and the cooling fan not shutting off. After crushing my water pump discharge piping while riding in Glacier Nation Park (no leak just a dent); when replaced at the dealer they noticed the cooling fan was not cycling as it should. It would not turn off once temperature dropped. The technician continued to bleed the system thinking it may be air bound yet. Finally I drove the bike home to see if it was caused by the 98 degree day, an extended ride would help cool the system. After the 70 mile drive, the fan was still on when I arrived home with 6 bars showing on the gage. I let the bike cool off for a day and decided to monitor the temperature of the water pump discharge pipe and noted that at 201 degrees the fan came on, the temperature rose to 203 degrees and stabilized for a few minutes then slowly dropped to 190 where it stayed for 15 minutes still at 6 bars on the temperature gage. I then decided to blow out the radiator and oil cooler to see if that would improve the cooling. Took the bike out for a spin and the temperature dropped to 5 bars and the fan was off when I got home. It appears that the fan temperature sensor is near the bottom rear of the radiator and if covered with dirt, sand and pebbles will not cool enough for the fan to kick out. So if you have a fan issue I would recommend blowing out the radiator fins and the oil cooler while you're at it. Technology is a wonderful thing but we need to learn how to keep up with and maintain all of this automation. Hope this helps some of you with the fan and temp issues and the water pump fears. Ride Safe.

Click to expand...

37687 said:

I have a '13 K1600GT and no complaints here. That thing is excellent! Killer motor with absolutely zero vibration, and the bike feels light and flickable once you get moving. A good dealer will take care of any issues should they develop, same as with any good product. I really enjoy this bike and I'd immediately replace this K1600GT with the same model should mine be gone for some reason. It's great fun and I'm pleased BMW was able to put so much into a bike that's 250 pounds lighter than a Gold Wing, and that has 45 more HP.

Click to expand...