R1100RS Melt Down

[lstreb@msn.com]

After a nice 50 mile mountin ride, my bike died today on the way home. I coasted into the parking lot and watched smoke start to pour out from under the instrument cluster. I turned off the ingnition and kill switch and watched it smoke for 10 minutes. The smoking moved back to under the seat area too. Most of the fues are poped, and you can see melted wiring here and there. I expect the entire wire harness is shot.

She now rests at the BMW dealer for diagnosis and repair.

This is the second problem with electrical wiring. About 2 years ago, my heated hand grips died, emitting a little puff of smoke from the choke cable, which had melted through. I had my local dealer replace the wire harness and grips at a cost of $500.

The bike is a '94 with only 23K. Anyone else have similar experience?

Any idea what the dealer will hit me up for to install a new wire harness?

 

[WildWilly]

Sorry for your misfortune. A couple pages back on this forum someone else suffered a similar fate. Check the thread , " The Final Chapter, Burned Harness".

 

[REBECCAV]

Yowch. That sucks. Let us know what the diagnosis is. 23K is like NOTHING.

 

[AntonLargiader]

It's pretty unusual to lose a harness on an early Oilhead. Usually the failures are on 1150s. Look up your harness on Max BMW or realoem.com; I bet it'll be close to $1000. And dealer labor will be $500 or more.

 

[mgordon]

i know someone with a used harness....

 

[bmwmick]

This is the second problem with electrical wiring. About 2 years ago, my heated hand grips died, emitting a little puff of smoke from the choke cable, which had melted through. I had my local dealer replace the wire harness and grips at a cost of $500.

The bike is a '94 with only 23K. Anyone else have similar experience?

Any idea what the dealer will hit me up for to install a new wire harness?

Hmmmm,
Did IH do the previous electrical work too? Was the main harness replaced 2 years ago and now it's failed again? Probably not a coincidence.

 

[lstreb@msn.com]

R1100RS Mealt down

Hmmmm,
Did IH do the previous electrical work too? Was the main harness replaced 2 years ago and now it's failed again? Probably not a coincidence.

Yes the dealer, Iron Horse, here in Tuscon, did the work last time too. Funny, I had the heated grips on just before the fire. It was cold at the top of Mt Lemon. They did not seem to work.

Glad it died on the flat land. Electrical failure at 60 rounding a tight one on Mt Lemon could have been very nasty.

I noted this to John at Iron Horse.

 

[bmwmick]

Yes the dealer, Iron Horse, here in Tuscon, did the work last time too. Funny, I had the heated grips on just before the fire. It was cold at the top of Mt Lemon. They did not seem to work.

Glad it died on the flat land. Electrical failure at 60 rounding a tight one on Mt Lemon could have been very nasty.

I noted this to John at Iron Horse.

I'm sure they'll get it fixed. I just wonder if it was the same
cause as last time?????? Two failed wiring harnesses is VERY
rare.

60 on Mt. Lemmon? I'm sure you meant 35MPH. Watch for those
Sheriff Deputies, they like using radar up there.

 

[lstreb@msn.com]

R1100RS Meted

I've met the Sherrif on Mt Lemon - did the Saturday divers class as a result. Always on the look out.

Could have been exagerating the speed, depends on which corner - I think there are 240 or them. Enjoy them all, and the base of the Mt is only 12 miles from home.

On the Bike, I know they can fix it. Just frustrated with 2 similar failures with such a low miles bike.

Every year I tweak it a little, Remus Exhast, Techlusion, seat, etc. got it just about right. Though the new R1200ST was what I've been waiting for (15 more HP, -50 lbs) - except for the ugly front end. I know you don't see it when you ride, but I you do every time you walk in the garage, and think you should be riding.

My wife says I sould get a new bike - good wife

I am not ready for and R1200RT, not a GS type, and the rest of the line up has too much too little for me - the K's are to fat, and in most cases to much power - I cant resist the twist and the F is not it either. The R1100RS was great, R1200ST just what I was looking for. Just too ugly to own (sorry to all the guys & gals who love them)

So I am trying to be content. This is BMW #3 for me, but now I'm not sure I can trust the R1100RS any more. Not to mention a repair bill that will likely be over 1/2 the bikes value.

 

[saab93driver]

I'm with you on the ST. I would love to have liked it enough to replace my R1150RS but it ain't meant to be. But the RS is a great bike maybe you can exercise the gremlins from it for good, or at least long enough until something new that you like comes along. The Moto Guzzi Norge looks good (to me at least) and maybe the new R1200R with some tweaks if you want a bike without a frame mounted fairing.

 

[bmwmick]

I've met the Sherrif on Mt Lemon - did the Saturday divers class as a result. Always on the look out.

Could have been exagerating the speed, depends on which corner - I think there are 240 or them. Enjoy them all, and the base of the Mt is only 12 miles from home.

On the Bike, I know they can fix it. Just frustrated with 2 similar failures with such a low miles bike.

Hmmmm,
I'm 12.1 miles from the base of the mountain too. Must be neighbors.

I'll snoop around on Saturday to see how your bike is doing. They have a couple of old wiring harnesses in the back room, maybe it can be fixed with a few good donor pieces rather than an entire harness. Depends a LOT of what burnt.

 

[EMOTO]

I've met the Sherrif on Mt Lemon - did the Saturday divers class as a result. Always on the look out.

Could have been exagerating the speed, depends on which corner - I think there are 240 or them. Enjoy them all, and the base of the Mt is only 12 miles from home.

On the Bike, I know they can fix it. Just frustrated with 2 similar failures with such a low miles bike.

Every year I tweak it a little, Remus Exhast, Techlusion, seat, etc. got it just about right. Though the new R1200ST was what I've been waiting for (15 more HP, -50 lbs) - except for the ugly front end. I know you don't see it when you ride, but I you do every time you walk in the garage, and think you should be riding.

My wife says I sould get a new bike - good wife

I am not ready for and R1200RT, not a GS type, and the rest of the line up has too much too little for me - the K's are to fat, and in most cases to much power - I cant resist the twist and the F is not it either. The R1100RS was great, R1200ST just what I was looking for. Just too ugly to own (sorry to all the guys & gals who love them)

So I am trying to be content. This is BMW #3 for me, but now I'm not sure I can trust the R1100RS any more. Not to mention a repair bill that will likely be over 1/2 the bikes value.

How about one of the new R1200R's with a windscreen?

 

[boxerkuh]

I am with you... At 80K on my 99 RT the wiring harness went up in smoke... from the dash to the fuse box... $800 for the wiring harness, non in the states, had to wait over 2 weeks for one to come from Germany... and what a pain in the ass to install. It will cost you another arm and a leg to get it installed... BMW never owned up to one of "their" problems...
As a result, I fixed it and sold the bike. I went back to the Airhead... Less wires, less complication, simpler all the way around... I was just too through with no sympathy from the supported dealer... Good luck, I fell you..

 

[lstreb@msn.com]

Melt Down - Dealer Diagnosis - partial

OK, the dealer confirms the right heated grip is shorted. He attributes this to the set screw for the bar end weight shearing off, allowing the heated grip to rotate. What he can not explain is how the fused heated grip circuit caused the wire harness to burn. He suggested that there was a latent fault in the wire harness associate with the first heated grip failure.

Of course the first failure was 2 years ago, so BMW will not help.

Cost of the repair is estiamted at $2,500! $1,600 for the new harness and the balance in labor. The dealer has promise me a good customer break on the cost. I feel broken.

 

[bmwmick]

Lee,
I sent you an E-Mail.

 

[robsryder]

...This is the second problem with electrical wiring. About 2 years ago, my heated hand grips died, emitting a little puff of smoke from the choke cable, which had melted through. I had my local dealer replace the wire harness and grips at a cost of $500.

The bike is a '94 with only 23K. Anyone else have similar experience?

I have a 94 R11RS. I had the dealer install the heated grips shortly after I purchased the bike (new). The heated grips worked initially, and then stopped working. As the bike was under warranty it was returned to the dealer.

The head tech told me that a good bit of the wiring harness had to be replaced and that some of the insulation had melted. My only problem was with the heated grips - the rest of the electrical stuff, including the bike operation worked well. I don't know what the cost was to do the repair.

I didn't think that the heated grips worked all that well at any time. I much prefer heated gloved (and heated vest). I would not get heated grips again.

Regarding the problems with the wiring harness - I was surprised at the small size of the wiring used by BMW. I was also surprised that the fuses didn't do a better job of protecting the wiring when a short occurred.

I still have this bike and haven't had further problems. I do not use the heated grips and I do all of my own maintenance.