First problem at 1000Mi

[DrD]

.....back to my GSXR to get my frastrations out ......by the way....GSXR is half the money 10 times the miles and never even 1 glitch.....Suzuki knows how to do it....so why not BMW?

What is the most ironic is that a hell of a lot more GSXRs are stolen than BWM [anything]. I guess the shady people who buy stolen motorcycles don't want one that might crap out because of a key ring antenna.

[Enjoy-Rider]

This is not just an "R"-problem.

Yesterday we planned to make a 400 km tour around the Souther Sea in my country. We where with three K1200GT's and one (my) R1200R.
Bút.........in the morning one of the K1200GT (2007-model) didn't start
"Check EWS" the monitor said.
We never ever heard of this problem, and on sundays you can't reach a dealer.
Luckily this happened at his home, and we decided to skip the tour and to go home again.
I had not read about it yet on this forum.

Yesterday evening I reported it on "my" Dutch "R"-forum, and one of the forum members said it must be the "ring antenna".
It seems to be a problem for many K1200GT's and some R's.
But now I see it can also happen to our R1200R's!!
I also have a 2007-model, I cross my fingers, for I have many plans to go abroad this year (Germany, Norway, Switserland...)
Would you advise me to take a spare antenna with me? Do you know whether it is an expensive part?

Thanks and regards,
Jouke

[deilenberger]

Jouke,

It happens. Mostly to 2007 models, mostly before 1,000 miles - with some exceptions to both.

It's not that expensive a part ($130USD from a discount dealer) that if you're worried about it - it might be worth getting one. If you have one, you can be assured (Eilenberger's Law of Spare Parts) - you'll NEVER need it. BMW now has a new part# for this part - which to me means they changed the design somehow.

It doesn't have to be fully installed to work, it just has to be plugged into the harness and near the key (or a key) when you go to start the bike. Installing it involves drilling out two one-way screws, which requires removing the top fork-bridge (triple-tree in old terms) - but the wiring can be accessed if the headlight is removed (two bolts) so it's not too big a deal for a side of the road fix. Some people have talked about (don't know if they did it) drilling out the two screws at home and replacing them with standard screws to make a side-of-the-road fix really easy.

I've been watching the failures, and what's been reported isn't enough to really worry me. It is still way below 1% failure rate as best I can see.. be nice to have 0%, but nothing mechanical is ever that perfect.

[Graf]

......I am very happy to say that after a very anxious 2 weeks....actually it seemed like muuuuuch longer) I have my bike back. I would still be without a bike if not for the following:

After 1 full week has passed I called the dealer and asked him for the status of my bike. He promptly informed me that the part they they have ordered one week earlier has not arrived yet. To the question of "can you track the package?" the answer was an abrupt "No".
At that point I just lost it......well....I stayed civilized....but just barely.....I told them that if I run my business like they do, I would be out of business in exactly the same time I took me waiting for the package.....there is simply no excuse for their ignorance. I then told him to order the part again and I want it to be overnited to them and my bike to be ready before the weekend. I told them that to me it was unaccaptable not to offer the overnight option to me in the first place...I paid $16K for the bike....and I sure would have paid a bit extra to have my bike sooner.

Resolution:
Saturday 10am I get a call.....bike is ready.
I take a ride to the dealer.....pay $15 for the overnight shipping (they inform me that the part thet they ordered over a week before has yet to arrive.....I look at him and ask if that should make me feel better?????)
I walk over to the bike.....and it looks like it was stored for a month near the freeway......all this dust....dirt....all over the bike, wheels.....
I just took it home......gave it a good scrub......and took a long ride to napa......brick of the chest.....love the bike.....

[hoonu]

1) Congrats
2) Change dealers.

[Dan-A]

I have also heard anecdotally of the antenna ring problem.

I posted on this forum about my failed brake line problems at 4600 miles. My dealer experience was much better than yours and my problem was solved....

...but an early failure on a bike you paid extra money for because of the brand can certainly be food for thought if it was worth it.

Maybe BMW's are "over" engineered.

[Enjoy-Rider]

Thank you Don!
I'll think about taking a spare ring-antenna on my holliday. I'm not sure whether I will be able to fix it myself if neccesary.....I'll talk about it with my dealer.

Regards,
Jouke

[stogiepuffer]

So what is the name of the dealer that did this? Maybe I'm being petty but if a dealer has the type of attitude that that one displayed perhaps sharing will help you vent and help him learn that jacking customers around isn't a financially sound decision. In this day and age motorcycles are reliable and all basically the same. Just choose a category (sport, touring, cruiser) and look at them. Besides a few minor differences hard to tell which is which within categories. So now service becomes a huge factor in the buying decision. I have owned bikes of all types and brands and my R1200R is my latest but I have my old airhead and a Honda Shadow. Fortunately both my dealers are cool but if they ever act like the one you dealt with I'll drop him in a heatbeat. Just my opinion...

[Graf]

So what is the name of the dealer that did this? Maybe I'm being petty but if a dealer has the type of attitude that that one displayed perhaps sharing will help you vent and help him learn that jacking customers around isn't a financially sound decision. In this day and age motorcycles are reliable and all basically the same. Just choose a category (sport, touring, cruiser) and look at them. Besides a few minor differences hard to tell which is which within categories. So now service becomes a huge factor in the buying decision. I have owned bikes of all types and brands and my R1200R is my latest but I have my old airhead and a Honda Shadow. Fortunately both my dealers are cool but if they ever act like the one you dealt with I'll drop him in a heatbeat. Just my opinion...

I didn't realise that I didn't post the dealer name before:

Diablo BMW and Kawasaki in Walnut Creek, CA

"Diablo" in the name should have given them away:-)