Speedo and tach needles without illumination 08 K1200GT

[k12junky]

Hello out there.
Has anyone had issues with unlit speed and tachometer needles? The cluster lights right up but no illuminated needles.
Local dealership said there are no bulbs lighting them, it must be wiring connection.
Any help appreciated.

 

[20774]

Welcome to the forum, k12junky! I'm not familiar enough with these bikes...has this been a problem as long as you've owned the bike? It will be interested to see what other owners have to say.

 

[pglaves]

Sounds like another great technological answer to a question nobody asked. Harumph!

 

[henzilla]

Welcome K12

I had to go light up one to see. Odometer has a lit needle, the tach not on the white background.Assuming the needle is just refracting light from the backlight bulb



from a K12 S, understand the GT is a bit different

 

[k12junky]

Thank you for the welcome.

I purchased this 2008 K1200GT June 2016 from original owner who put 93,000 miles on it. Yes 93K.
The bike was in nearly flawless condition with full maintenance history from BMW dealership.
He achieved the 500K badge riding 4 airheads and this K12.
To answer 20774's question, the needles where not working when I purchased the bike.
I am assuming a cluster removal is in my future, any step by step info out there?
Thanks again.

 

[henzilla]

The units are complete assemblies and only have one socket to connect to wiring harness. No external replaceable bulbs on these models, so surgery would be required to seperate the glued unit. The only repair kit option available is a lens and gasket.

I am sure someone has cracked one open before, but it is not part of the data on the service CD. I tried a quick run at Google and found nothing. I would suggest purchasing the factory CD-ROM if you plan on doing your own in depth wrenching on this model . Doing a plug change and valve check is a fairly big job on this model for an example. 93K is just nicely broken in

One other thought is there is an adjustment for the brightness of the cluster using one of the rubber buttons. If you have the owners manual it should address that adjustment.

 

[k12junky]

Information is king!

Thank you for your response. I believe their is a CD in my future

 

[lee]

. I believe their is a CD in my future

And if you need the Riders Manual, you can download it from the BMW site. http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/us/en/index.html
Click on Service and Maintenance.

Did you ask the previous owner if the dials are lit on this model?

 

[lee]

Found a thread where another person had a 2007 K1200GT and his tach and speedometer needles did not light up.
Nobody came up with a fix. Turning up the brightness did not help in his case.

Here's a used unit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/08-BMW-K120...f40cec1&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=3&sd=351979934533

 

[RBEmerson]

Ask someone at Max BMW (New England area), Bob's BMW (Jessup, MD), and, heck, your local dealer. Duncan's Beemers <Duncan@duncansbeemers.com> has their heads screwed on right - bought a replacement pannier from them at a fair price and some useful commentary on salvaging parts from the old one.

 

[k12junky]

Thank you all so much for your expertise and information.
The used cluster on ebay looks like a likely fix.

Thanks again