Three recalls on the new 1200gs. Mmmm

[Big Blu]

Spoken by a man who literally flies out of the woodwork to defend BMW any time so much as a derogatory whisper is uttered about the marque... ::025::

And how many Beemers was that you owned, Blu? Was it 4, or 5? Maybe 6 or 7 including the cars, huh? :-\

Could it be you're a wee bit sensitive about those BMW's, eh?


Dallara



~

You flatter me! I've been called many things but "sensitive" is not one of them. ::025:: ::025::

In my 55+ years of riding I've owned dozens, maybe 45-50 different bikes, German, Spanish, British, Austrian, Italian, Japanese, American. I'll own anything that puts a smile on my face. Life is good!

I just never saw the need to moan about a brand that wasn't represented in my garage at the time and
I don't understand why other do. Why all the negative energy? Does it make ya feel better? Are you insecure in your decisions? Have you no positive things to say about your current motorcycle?

Yes, I like the boxer motor, have since the early 70's and have owned several. Every time I twist the throttle on my '11 R12R it puts a big grin on my face. More then likely I will own a LC boxer in the future. Life is good!

Paul

 

[Dallara]

You flatter me! I've been called many things but "sensitive" is not one of them. ::025:: ::025::

In my 55+ years of riding I've owned dozens, maybe 45-50 different bikes, German, Spanish, British, Austrian, Italian, Japanese, American. I'll own anything that puts a smile on my face. Life is good!

I just never saw the need to moan about a brand that wasn't represented in my garage at the time and
I don't understand why other do. Why all the negative energy? Does it make ya feel better? Are you insecure in your decisions? Have you no positive things to say about your current motorcycle?

Yes, I like the boxer motor, have since the early 70's and have owned several. Every time I twist the throttle on my '11 R12R it puts a big grin on my face. More then likely I will own a LC boxer in the future. Life is good!

Paul

I dunno'... You say you're not sensitive, yet you seem to be pretty thin-skinned over the subject of BMW's reliability and dealer service woes. ::025::

I, too, have owned as many brands and marques (maybe more) in my 44+ years of riding, wrenching, and selling motorcycles. I even owned multiple brands, including my first BMW, while I was a Honda dealer. Try explaining that to your employees and customers... So I know I've given each and every brand a fair shake when it comes to the total riding, wrenching, and ownership experience.

But please don't try and go all "Kumbaya" on us here and try and say you just don't like all the "negative energy" about just any brand. I've seen plenty of threads taking a poke at KTM, Harley-Davidson, and others around this forum to know you don't jump in there with your "Wow, dude, can't we all just be positive, ya' know..." defense for all those other brands. Nope, the only time we see you ride in on your white horse (with appropriate Roundels, I might add) is when someone utters a discouraging word about BMW.

Why is that?

I don't see anyone here in any way "insecure" about what they own, and I see plenty of folks on this forum with tons of great things to say about their bikes (which you see less and less on BMW forums). Yes, you do see some people discussing BMW's lack of quality, reliability, and suitable customer service, but have you noticed that all of the discussion has been from those folks' personal experiences? Nobody's taking a bash at BMW from the sidelines. The people posting here are folks who have either been burned by BMW or saw so much carnage at the hands of BMW they moved on to other brands.

Why is it you have such a problem with people speaking the truth as they see it?

Besides, this is a Yamaha forum... You see quite a lot of Yamaha, and other brand, bashing on BMW forums and BMW sections and threads over on ADVrider. Are you there, on your Roundel emblazoned horse, defending Yamaha? Maybe, but I've never seen you.

So why is it you feel such a need to defend BMW and their practices? Could it be that it's you that's a bit "insecure in your decisions" to own so many Beemers and Bimmers? ::025::

And so I'll ask you again, big Blu/Paul... How many BMW's do you currently own?

And another question... What brand/marque motorcycle have you owned the most of in your "55+ years of riding"?


Dallara




~

 

[kgfire]

I've owned over a dozen BMW's over the years and except for some very minor issues they all were reliable and got me where I wanted to go including Baja. That being said, Consumer Reports recently rated BMW motorcycles as the least reliable and Yamaha motorcycles as the most reliable. When a BMW requires a repair the dealers will merely shrug and say " it's a BMW, they all do that."
Getting back to the original post, when the new GS came out it was not equipped with a steering stabilizer and when Kevin Ash died on a press launch in Africa there was a lot of speculation about the cause of the crash.
I got to test ride one of the first watercooled GS models and I could definitely feel the front end was a little nervous. Later in the year the next batch of GS's were equipped with a factory installed steering stabilizer and it could not be installed on the earlier non stabilizer bikes. I purchased the newer model an could definitely feel the difference the stabilizer made. The bike was great, more power and lots of suspension and engine modes, but I still like the new Tenere more.
It is a bit frustrating to me having owned so many GS BMW's and both the gen.1 and gen.2 Super Tenere that these Yamahas are not flying off the showroom floors!

 

[TwoShots]

Ya know the funny thing is I didn't get rid of my BMW because of what non-BMW owners said. I got rid of it because of all the things the BMW owners said. I thought of my bike as a ticking time bomb. Final drives and transmissions being the main culprits with my model.

Me, too. And I did experience issues on both chain and shaft drive models. The constant 'ticking time bomb' feeling + equal (or more) time in the shop versus time on the road ended it for me. The guys at ADV seemed almost shocked when I cleaned house of the motorcycles and accessories at giveaway prices. I just so wanted it all to be gone. I referred to it as The Great Cleansing.

 

[Big Blu]

Dallara, all your blathering makes me laugh, jeeeez. ::002::

Why do you care about what motorcycles I own. Who put you in charge of motorcycle inventory in 2014? ::025:: ::025::

OK, I'll humor you.

I report: My current inventory includes: '11 R12R, if you read my prior post you'd know that, maybe you didn't realize it is a BMW. Also in my garage is '12 Vespa 300 GT, I bought it in Vegas went to Ca., then back to Florida, best cross country trip ever. Then there's the '12 super Tenere also taking up space in my garage. Earlier this year I sold a '95 k11 I had in Heidelberg Germany and replaced it with a '13 F800GT, both are BMW's. Just so you have a full accounting of my motorcycle activity for 2014..... I sold my '09 Triumph Scrambler with big bore/cams/forged pitons/lightened fly wheel/etc... in January.

R U happy now? ::017::

Paul

 

[Dallara]

Dallara, all your blathering makes me laugh, jeeeez. ::002::

Why do you care about what motorcycles I own. Who put you in charge of motorcycle inventory in 2014? ::025:: ::025::

OK, I'll humor you.

I report: My current inventory includes: '11 R12R, if you read my prior post you'd know that, maybe you didn't realize it is a BMW. Also in my garage is '12 Vespa 300 GT, I bought it in Vegas went to Ca., then back to Florida, best cross country trip ever. Then there's the '12 super Tenere also taking up space in my garage. Earlier this year I sold a '95 k11 I had in Heidelberg Germany and replaced it with a '13 F800GT, both are BMW's. Just so you have a full accounting of my motorcycle activity for 2014..... I sold my '09 Triumph Scrambler with big bore/cams/forged pitons/lightened fly wheel/etc... in January.

R U happy now? ::017::

Paul

Yep, I know... My posts in this thread are "blathering" while your own are strictly concise prose, laced with nothing but intelligent wit, fact, and goodwill. Right?

As for the inventory, just wanted it clear to all in attendance that you have a devout dedication to the German marque. Nothing more than that.

Of course, though I am sure you were hoping no one noticed, you did avoid some other questions... You know, like why you only swoop down to defend BMW but not other brands? Or why you seem so adamant that others in this thread, as well as others, not feel free to voice their opinions about BMW's and their own experiences with them?

Like I said... Seems the only one around here with any insecurities about the bikes they own is you about your BMW's. )

Dallara


~

 

[Koinz]

Dallara, all your blathering makes me laugh, jeeeez. ::002::

Why do you care about what motorcycles I own. Who put you in charge of motorcycle inventory in 2014? ::025:: ::025::

OK, I'll humor you.

I report: My current inventory includes: '11 R12R, if you read my prior post you'd know that, maybe you didn't realize it is a BMW. Also in my garage is '12 Vespa 300 GT, I bought it in Vegas went to Ca., then back to Florida, best cross country trip ever. Then there's the '12 super Tenere also taking up space in my garage. Earlier this year I sold a '95 k11 I had in Heidelberg Germany and replaced it with a '13 F800GT, both are BMW's. Just so you have a full accounting of my motorcycle activity for 2014..... I sold my '09 Triumph Scrambler with big bore/cams/forged pitons/lightened fly wheel/etc... in January.

R U happy now? ::017::

Paul

Personally I don't care what you or anyone loves, hates, defends or trashes. I can't believe you did a cross country trip on a Vespa though

 

[Welsh wizard]

::022::
OK you two - play nice now!

 

[Mikeybikey57]

This tete a tete between some of you guys, puts me in mind of similar conversations I have with my mate Andy, who waxes lyrically (and ad nauseum) about his GS1200 Adventure. He also continues to grossly injure my sensibilities (and logic) by constantly referring to my S10 as "a piece of jap crap". You should have heard the howls of derision he poured onto it, when my battery gave up the ghost after a mere three years of seamless reliability. The twat!

Now, I don't know about anyone else but a person who, time after time, has spent as much money having his bike fixed as he has, is clearly missing something. Admittedly, he's travelled all over Europe on his BMW but I don't recall it ever NOT having some sort of fault or breakdown whilst doing so.
Despite this, he continues to fork out for extortionate repair bills with blissful abandon. His bike has trashed rear bevel box seals, wheel bearings, U/J's (x2), piston rings & valves, clutches (x2), as well as a multitude of electrical problems, which have left him stranded on numerous occasions. All within 45,000 miles.

There must be something in his psychological make up that renders him unable to think within normal human parameters when it comes to his bike, as he goes off like a swivel eyed loon when I suggest that his bike is more than just a tad unreliable.

My personal theory of his having underlying and deep seated masochistic psychological traits (Financial destitution and continuous frustration variant…..) was somewhat tempered, when he said he was finally getting rid of it, a few days ago. Sadly, it was reaffirmed when he said he'd just spent the thick end of £15,000 on a new R1200RT LE WasserKopf.

Ye gods………….I guess that there's just no helping some people. :

 

[gunner]

There must be something in his psychological make up that renders him unable to think within normal human parameters when it comes to his bike, as he goes off like a swivel eyed loon when I suggest that his bike is more than just a tad unreliable.

I have a couple of friends with BMW GS' that are like that! Now I have a new name for it, "swivel eyed loon" ! ::025:: ::025::

Thanks!

 

[Tremor38]

As opposed to two recalls of the Super Tenere... Just say'n. ::020::

Paul

All of which strand you on the roadside or kill you, ala Kevin Ash and the tank slapper that BMW won't admit was happening on the WCGS, yet they quietly added steering dampers to the WC GS afterward?

 

[Tremor38]

What defies logic, at least to me, is why folks spend soooo much time and energy putting down other bikes. It seems as if, perhaps, they search for justification for their own choice, a bit of insecurity maybe. ) ) :-*

Paul

You have a history of praising and defending unreliable bikes. I picture you on a Triumph or a Beemer again real soon.

 

[Big Blu]

Personally I don't care what you or anyone loves, hates, defends or trashes. I can't believe you did a cross country trip on a Vespa though

I was a great trip, 5k miles in 30 days, no schedule, no route planned, simply a ride about! Played in the S. Ca. canyons for a few days, meals at the Rock Store, a visited Newcomb Ranch, down to San Diego for a 600 mile service, up RT 1 to Monterey, over to Yosemite, then home. The only inter-state was in and out of S Ca. through he desert.

Yea, I don't understand why that guy wants all that information about me. I'm thinking he may be preparing a dossier on me for the NSA, or perhaps it's just idol worship! ::015::

Oooops, sorry for the highjack, now back to BMW bashing..... ::26::

Paul

 

[Icbones]

Normally if you mention any common faults to a BMW owner they bang on about "how many they have sold yawn, bore, waffle", of course if you mention three common faults before a single bike has been sold and you will get some more waffle about how this just proves "how great BMW are for being concerned about such small issues that other manufacturers would not have fixed them so quickly, yawn, bore, waffle"

Makes you wonder how many more will crop up once the thousands of BMW beta testers (sorry, I mean loyal customers) start testing (Ooops, I mean riding) them.

Well this Beta tester is pissed at BMW. My GSLC blew out the rear seal and I don't mean developed a leak. This blew. The oil was gone real fast. It has been at the stealer since Mar 31 and after trying to replace the seal twice with it failing both times they are now replacing the transmission. The attitude at BMW Canada sucks. Has any of you S 10 owners had a warranty problem and how were you treated?

 

[Dallara]

Well this Beta tester is pissed at BMW. My GSLC blew out the rear seal and I don't mean developed a leak. This blew. The oil was gone real fast. It has been at the stealer since Mar 31 and after trying to replace the seal twice with it failing both times they are now replacing the transmission. The attitude at BMW Canada sucks. Has any of you S 10 owners had a warranty problem and how were you treated?

Wow! That's a serious drag... ???

My condolences, but to be honest, no real surprise. I was a former "Beta Tester" for BMW, too - twice - and that's a job of ownership I'd never wish upon anyone. I'm pretty sure I'll never sign up for such a position ever again, especially since it's one that requires you to pay to have it... and pay, and pay, and pay. And not just in money, but in time, frustration, aggravation, and more patience than any purchaser of a very expensive motorcycle should ever have to muster.

I don't know about Canada, but here in the USA my warranty experience with Yamaha has been outstanding. Exemplary, in fact. Of course, the best thing about a Yamaha is that you rarely, if ever, need any warranty service.

I was one of the first in the USA (and I think the first on this forum) to experience the "Cooked Headlamp Harness" - http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=2707.0 - and though Yamaha was cautionary at first with the problem, and the bikes were so new to the USA back in late 2011, they still got me a new part under warranty much quicker than I expected, and with few questions asked. Later there was a recall for the same problem, and again Yamaha responded for me quickly and efficiently, getting me another new harness ASAP.

That's it... In almost 34 months and nearly 40,000 miles of ownership that's it for problems, period. Gas, oil, filters, brake pads, and tires are the only other things it's needed in that time. Oh, and one set of spark plugs. Nothing else... At all. It has been 100% reliable, dependable, and trustworthy for the entire time, and no matter how far away from home I've ridden it I've never had so much as one yocto-whit of doubt that the Super Tenere would bring me home.

I could never say that about the two BMW's I had.

Dallara



~

 

[coastie]

Well this Beta tester is pissed at BMW. My GSLC blew out the rear seal and I don't mean developed a leak. This blew. The oil was gone real fast. It has been at the stealer since Mar 31 and after trying to replace the seal twice with it failing both times they are now replacing the transmission. The attitude at BMW Canada sucks. Has any of you S 10 owners had a warranty problem and how were you treated?

Never used my warranty, so I have no idea. Two years and 25k, I just put tires, oil, and gas in it. Its first time in the shop will be in 1k miles. Sorry about your troubles, I hope they are cleared up soon, and you get to ride. The GS destroys the Tenere in every magazine comparison, I'm sure it sucks not being able to enjoy such an prestigious motorcycle. :-/

 

[BravoBravo]

Well this Beta tester is pissed at BMW. My GSLC blew out the rear seal and I don't mean developed a leak. This blew. The oil was gone real fast. It has been at the stealer since Mar 31 and after trying to replace the seal twice with it failing both times they are now replacing the transmission. The attitude at BMW Canada sucks. Has any of you S 10 owners had a warranty problem and how were you treated?

I am sorry to hear about your troubles. The main reason I chose the Super Tenere when I decided to trade in my troublesome Moto Guzzi Stelvio was its reputation for reliability, along with Yamaha's very extensive North American dealer network. I purchased mine in July 2013 and thus far it has been absolutely problem-free for 8000 kilometres. The headlight harness recall was done by my dealer a couple of months ago. Other than that, it has just used gas and had a couple of oil changes. To echo what Dallara said in his post, I feel confident that this bike will take me anywhere and bring me back without a hiccup. ::008::

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[GrahamD]

Has any of you S 10 owners had a warranty problem and how were you treated?

Never. Nothing has happened. It just keeps going. It's a real drag. Nothing to talk about. It's out of Warranty now. So I suppose I'll never get to find out. Not even the headlight harness has had problems.

No character at all.

By the way, I Thought the oil seal thing was fixed before the first LC was sold?

 

[Cberg]

I bought my 2012 S10 used with 16000km last fall and saw on here in the spring about the headlight recall in the US, I contacted my local dealer here in Canada about it, they ran the serial # and it didn't come up.. I double checked the serial # and told him it was imported by the previous owner from USA, the dealer emailed Yamaha Canada and the headlight harness recall applied as did a fuel pump o-ring recall, no questions asked. They ordered parts and fixed me up without any hassle, it was a very trouble free experience.. ::022::

 

[Welsh wizard]

::022:: I really wanted the new beemer [ both GS & R tourer] to be good bikes, purely because I don't like to see anyone getting stiffed and sometimes the GS bashing gets silly. But logging onto Adventurerider forum last week, idly checked out the GS section and then a thread on problems with the w/c GS - to my amazement it ran to over 140 pages! Am actually feeling sorry for the silly buggers!