'12 1200RT blank Multifunction Display

Hello riders!

After a lengthy search for any others with a similar fault - 'multifunction display going blank', I'm hoping that reading my scenario may prompt some ideas from the forum on what may have gone wrong with my RT.

Stats: 2012 1200RT with 23,000 miles, garage-kept in Denver, single owner, ridden hard and fast but with regular dealer maintenance, with a 2-year old battery (battery tender in winter), no other faults since new.


Scenario: I took an august evening ride in the city and 20 mins into it, I find the multifunction display showing a blank screen. I still have XM in my helmet so I had no other indicators of the fault - I just happened to look down and found this. I pull over for a safety check. Curbside, I find that my lights, signals, horn, brake light, Nav IV and radio are all still functioning, but the multifunction screen is blank and the speedo and tach and the warning indicator cluster that straddle the multifunction display are inop as well. I have no indicators for fuel, turn signal, odometer, radio station, gear selection, etc. The display screen is simply a blank unlit field. Thinking it may be a freak canbus issue, I cycle power off, count to thirty (seemed like a thing) and completed a restart. No change. Since my lights are functioning, I know I have a full tank and I can feel my way through the gears, I head home.


Next morning with the bike cool, I do another power up and start. Everything sounds and seems normal, except that again the multifunction display is blank and the other three adjacent clusters are inop. Thinking this could be a canbus-related power shutdown due to a short or ground, I completed a cursory once-over of all accessible wiring, manipulating all wiring with my fingers to try and get the screen to light up, to no avail.


Does my scenario prompt any of you to connect it to any failure(s) or to any checks I should make to any other points before engaging BMW of Denver?


Thanks for considering the above!
- mikewdenver

Welcome to the forum!
Some threads of interest in the “similar threads” pane at they bottom of the page.
Good luck.
Gary

Checking previous threads...

Omega Man said:

Welcome to the forum!
Some threads of interest in the “similar threads” pane at they bottom of the page.
Good luck.
Gary

Click to expand...

Thanks for that Gary,

I've reviewed the previous threads and have eliminated any of the applicable checks therein.
Haven't yet heard of anyone having the same issue with a 2012 model tho, so am still in the hunt for faults.

8/22/2019 Update:
I dropped off the bike at the dealership today and I'll share what they find here.
I've requested an email containing the fault code(s) they find...

The final reported condition consisted of:
1. Blank multifunction display
2. Blank Warning & telltale lights (cluster directly above #1)
3. Non-responsive speedo
4. Non-responsive tach

Selector wheel on left still works fine as do all lights, signals and horn, XM radio and Nav IV.

mikewdenver

That happened to mine and I shut it off for three minutes and turn the key back on and started it and everything worked fine no worries


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Up and running again

Turns out there was a fault stored for 'No communication to instrument cluster via the Canbus'. The tech took apart the cluster, ran a number of tests and diagnostics and checked the grounding throughout and the power to the cluster and essentially, when the cluster was plugged back in to the Canbus, things returned to normal operation.

I know that's sort of anti-climactic, and like many of you I'm uncomfortable NOT locating a specific cause, since experience has shown that without making SOME change to impact a given fault, they are much more likely to return. Trouble is, this is a rare fault and one that I didn't find many others who had experienced it. I'll check back in here if it returns. Thanks to all for reviewing and comparing this post to your own experiences!

mikewdenver

mikewdenver said:

Turns out there was a fault stored for 'No communication to instrument cluster via the Canbus'. The tech took apart the cluster, ran a number of tests and diagnostics and checked the grounding throughout and the power to the cluster and essentially, when the cluster was plugged back in to the Canbus, things returned to normal operation.

I know that's sort of anti-climactic, and like many of you I'm uncomfortable NOT locating a specific cause, since experience has shown that without making SOME change to impact a given fault, they are much more likely to return. Trouble is, this is a rare fault and one that I didn't find many others who had experienced it. I'll check back in here if it returns. Thanks to all for reviewing and comparing this post to your own experiences!

mikewdenver

Click to expand...

With electrical and electronic circuits often the mere act of disconnecting and reconnecting connectors is a "change."

This kind of thing happens. It's an everyday reality in airline operations (try not to think about it the next time you fly ). Sometimes minor surface corrosion causes enough resistance to cause and issue and just the act of disconnecting and reconnecting it is enough to refresh the contact. surfaces. Just ride. It'll be fine.

I have a 2012 RT and on a 6000 mile trip this summer my Multifunction display went out. My tack and speedo still worked. It was out for 1/2 day. The next morning it was working fine and has not malfunction since.