GS-911 Generation 1 is a No-Go for my wethead.

I have had a gen 1 (the yellow one) GS-911 for 5 years now and used it on my 2010 K1300GT and my 2012 R1200RT. But when I connected it to my new 2017 R1200RT I get a weird message that this GS-911 "interface" does not support my model, need to use another one which of course turns out the be their newer model G2. OK, so $349 down the drain for that, but I did get a few years use out of it resetting service reminders, not much else.

On their web page I looked the error message up and read the story that basically said "tough luck", just buy a new one:

The GS-911 Windows PC software will give you a message, saying "This GS-911 interface does not support the selected bike model, please use the GS-911wifi interface" if you try to use an older yellow GS-911 interface with a newer bike model.

We are not able to provide upgrades or replacements for used devices, but many of our customers have sold their older yellow GS-911 interfaces second-hand to supplement the cost of a new GS-911wifi. If you no longer have a use for your older interface, you can consider doing the same.

So I guess I am now supposed to fork over another $300 again for a new model? How do I know this won't happen again in 5 years? No loyalty discount or trade in program, just advice to try to sell it yourself second hand. Not bloody likely, as there are alternatives that may be a tad less capable but adequate for what I need and cost a lot less.

Frankly I don't understand why they wouldn't do something to respect the purchases of customers who owned the earlier model, but I'm not in their marketing department which obviously thinks otherwise. I think this is pretty shabby treatment for customers like me, so I will be looking at Motoscan or Scantool or something else. Their too bad, so sad, just pay again attitude isn't working for me.

ajaxthegreater said:

How do I know this won't happen again in 5 years?

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You don't. But don't blame Hex Code because BMW decides to change their interface. Vendors who reverse engineer OEM systems are always at the mercy of the factory engineers.

We are not able to provide upgrades or replacements for used devices, but many of our customers have sold their older yellow GS-911 interfaces second-hand to supplement the cost of a new GS-911wifi. If you no longer have a use for your older interface, you can consider doing the same.

Nothing wrong with that concept IMO. Put it in the Marketplace and watch it sell.
I would be interested if the newer(est) version works with both the new and the older bikes.
OM

Omega Man said:

Nothing wrong with that concept IMO. Put it in the Marketplace and watch it sell.

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I feel the same. My older yellow model was easy to sell.

Sold my yellow model in one day on the marketplace
Think I asked $100

Omega Man said:

I would be interested if the newer(est) version works with both the new and the older bikes.
OM

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It does when you use a adapter cable to fit the round connector on older models.

ajaxthegreater said:

So I guess I am now supposed to fork over another $300 again for a new model? ...

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Yes. Just don't make the same mistake I did, which was to buy the wifi model with the round plug. Our 2017 uses the rectangular plug. The round one will work with a $30 adapter. And, oh by the way, the wifi is pretty worthless, but the USB works great. And oh by the way again, The iOS version of the software won't perform all the functions, but the MS Windows version will. So, if you thought you would use your iPad with wifi -- you'll need to reconsider. Use a PC laptop with a USB cable -- my Surface Pro 4 works fine.

Cap

For around a $100 you can get use MotoScan on your smart phone and perform the same tasks as a GS-911. I have a Wifi GS-911 and it has served me well, but a friend came thru using the MotoScan and it is a better deal for sure. Do a search for MotoScan and all shall be revealed.

akbeemer said:

For around a $100 you can get use MotoScan on your smart phone and perform the same tasks as a GS-911. I have a Wifi GS-911 and it has served me well, but a friend came thru using the MotoScan and it is a better deal for sure. Do a search for MotoScan and all shall be revealed.

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Which version of motoscan did you download? Ultimate? Can you perform the ABS bleed with it? Thanks

I do not use MotoScan, but I understand the Ultimate version can activate the ABS. But, don’t rely on me; check with MotoScan.

akbeemer said:

For around a $100 you can get use MotoScan on your smart phone and perform the same tasks as a GS-911. I have a Wifi GS-911 and it has served me well, but a friend came thru using the MotoScan and it is a better deal for sure. Do a search for MotoScan and all shall be revealed.

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That's where I'm headed, Motoscan. I find it interesting that Motoscan supports all years RT's (at least I think it does) while GS-911 chose to make a change to a new "interface" that supports all years but leaves the old gen 1 behind. Frankly I don't believe this was a hardware decision and I'm skeptical about the explanation Hexcode provides. And it's a little weird that the new models appear in my old Gen 1 software, but they just don't work. Kinda like Xfinity showing you all the channels that you then click on to find out you don't get them. In any case I'm glad there are some alternatives now.

I am also interested in the Scantool because it will also support my BMW 128i car for battery registration, etc. But I don't know enough about it yet to make a decision between the Motoscan and Scantool.

BMW added the LINBUS to the CANBUS when they introduced the wethead, which created the need for new diagnostic software and equipment. HexCode had no control over that decision and had no alternative but to reverse engineer the BMW software and develop the new GS911. I'm sure they would have preferred to save the additional R&D costs and keep making and selling the old version, but that was not an option unless they wanted to abandon the market. Yes, this could happen again in a few more years, but probably not. European emissions rules will be requiring the use of a standardized OBDII diagnostic interface (in 2020, I think), so the same equipment that works on a car should work on a motorcycle.

I find that I am buying a new computer every few years because I want or need newer technology - faster CPU, a bus with more capacity, better graphics, more memory and storage, etc. I don't expect Dell, HP, Apple, or any other computer company to buy back my outdated equipment (what would they do with it?) or to discount the new model just because I have the old one. If I want new tech, I expect to pay for it. Nobody is developing new technology without expecting to make a profit.

Being upset over this seems futile. Chances are something you have owned didn’t have enough space to store the upgraded operating systems? My trusty old iPhone 4s was stopped at iOS 9 while the newer phones were at 12+.
Seeing Larry’s explanation of the the need for incorporating two systems in a newer unit leads me to believe that an older unit wouldn’t have the capacity to hold both systems.
OM

The current GS911 will certainly not work on your new 2025 BMW electric motorcycle!

I wonder why if Motoscan works with an ODB connector and blue tooth transmitter to an android phone why there is even a need for a hardware component on the GS-911 except to make it proprietary. I'd rather have the dumber all purpose hardware setup of the former than the latter. I can even use that generic connector on my cars. I don't think I am buying the whole "hardware change" thing as a reason to leave gen 1 behind since a generic ODB connector seems to be able to accomplish the same thing on all years bikes. Maybe there is no path forward for gen 1 because of that proprietary component they built into it.

I don't begrudge anyone's right to charge whatever they want for their product but likewise if I feel like they are unwilling to reward customer loyalty or accommodate those who have purchased from them before to any degree then that is their sales/marketing choice. However, it may not be a wise long term one. If you are the only game in town maybe you can get away with that, but they're not anymore so I can choose other options. I doubt I'll be the only one doing that either.

I have an OBDII bluetooth adapter and Motoscan app that I use with my 2017 GS. In the past I also owned a GS-911. The Motoscan is good, but it cannot do everything that a GS-911 can do. That fact may, or may not, matter to you, but the two are not an "apples to apples" comparison.

ajaxthegreater said:

So I guess I am now supposed to fork over another $300 again for a new model? How do I know this won't happen again in 5 years?

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That's exactly what I did. Actually I forked up $399 for the Wifi version for my R1250RT. Oh, and btw, I was one of their first GS-911 bluetooth customers way back in 2006. I used that unit with my 2005 R1200RT for 13 years. The old unit simply does not have the hardware to support the new interface on the newest bikes. And the OBDII interface is mandated by Euro 5 and it includes emissions data that has to be checked one Euro 5 goes live in 2020. Because of that, you do have alternatives to the GS-911. I trust you'll post how those work out for you. The new GS-911 Wifi is doing great for me

I wasn't exactly thrilled to pay $399 for the new unit, but I understand the time, effort and expertise it takes to produce products like this. Also, Hexcode updated that old GS-911 BT unit the entire time I had it, adding fixes and features... all without charging me an additional penny. I am happy to support them by purchasing the new GS-911 to use on my 1250RT.

The GS911 folks have told me that they are working on a trade-in program for older models.

I think the Motoscan will be sufficient for my needs which is mostly looking at fault codes and resetting the service reminders. After examining how the Motoscan unit works with a generic transmitter it dawned on me that the only reason for the GS911 sending unit hardware is to make their software and hardware link together as one proprietary system. Motoscan on the other hand is software only, and even works with older round plug diagnostic connectors if you have a converter plug, around $20. Why GS911 couldn't have done the same is a mystery to me. Hard to think it wasn't just to generate some new sales by obsoleting their current product.

akbeemer said:

For around a $100 you can get use MotoScan on your smart phone and perform the same tasks as a GS-911. I have a Wifi GS-911 and it has served me well, but a friend came thru using the MotoScan and it is a better deal for sure. Do a search for MotoScan and all shall be revealed.

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Do you have a link for a US supplier that is not Harley specific? All I can find is the German site. Thanks in advance


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pianomanla said:

Do you have a link for a US supplier that is not Harley specific? All I can find is the German site. Thanks in advance

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You buy the LX or MX OBD2 reader from Amazon. Adapter cable as well if needed for your bike. Then load the software for free from the Google app store. This will allow you to 'look' at codes etc. If / when you are ready to turn off codes, set reminders, etc. you do an 'in app' purchase of the version you want. It is all just software on your Android phone.