Sig Change

Let Lozzo and the other prophets of doom say their piece now.

So far it's done the sum total of 24 kms without incident. First
impressions are: similar to the 1150 GS but with rather a lot of
gizmos on board as standard.

 

Research "ring antenna" [1]

The only bike to break down in a group of 30 odd on a trip to Austria &
Switzerland was a nearly new R1200GS. It intermittently failed to start
which is a typical ring antenna fault. It was eventually put on a truck in
Metz and the rider & pillion flew home.

Loads of identical failures are being reported on UKGSer.

[1] the antenna that detects the RFID in the ignition key

 

:

jpg?

ob:ukrm-pedant: your sigsep's fucked

 

My RT did that, although I do wonder whether it was merely a coincidence
that it happened shortly after I acquired a jet washer.

Whatever, it's a bit extreme to dump the bike and fly home. It is
reparable. In about 2 hours in my case.

 

It was a Sunday. BMW Assist were complete cunts, to begin with. They wanted
the rider to let the recovery bod take the bike to a compound for storage.
The nearest BMW dealer would not be open until Tuesday, as most bike
dealers close on Monday in France. Then there would not be any guarantee
that they had the part (it's on back order in the UK due to the frequency
of failure). The rider & pillion would then be put up in a hotel for
however long it took to fix the bike. Not really what you want when you
have a Monday ferry scheduled and wish to return to work on Tuesday.

Eventually, after 5 hours of phone calls to & fro, BMW Assist agreed to
repatriate the rider & pillion so that they could get home for work on
Tuesday as planned. The bike would also be returned to a UK dealer to be
fixed.

 

Apparently it's been sorted already. We shall see.

 

I haven't taken one yet or got a website to host one. Suffice to say
it's big and it's blue.

Get over it.

 

Apparently not.

As you know, I'm a regular reader of UKGSer and also ride around with
quite a few GS owners.

Problems with the R1100 & R1150 GS models are few and far between.
Despite the R1200GS being around for some 4 years and 100,000 models
sold they are still plagued with one gremlin after another.

It's not only the GS models. As Jeremy reports, his bike had the same
ring antenna fault. BMW are probably sourcing many sub-assemblies from
cheap & nasty suppliers in Eastern Europe and the Far East.

As recent TV documentaries have shown, you may have a contract with
Company X that meets your quality criteria. However, these often
sub-contract to dodgy back-street outfits.

 

*ding*. Which is why I bought a low-ish mileage 1150RT. Well that, and
the fact that the 1200RT is pig ugly IMHO.

Triumph of good enough engineering, isn't it. Keeps the accountants
happy and **** the long-term damage to the brand.

 

The KTM[0] & Yamaha[1] boards of directors are happy with BMW's policy...


[0] many dejected R1200GS owners are buying the KTM Adv
[1] just look at how many police forces are using FJR1300s now

 

Well done, that chap. Ideal bike for the territory, imle.

Next stop, Cape Reinga? Or Bluff?

 

I'm not totally convinced by the build quality of my KTM. It isn't
falling apart but a lot of fasteners are showing major signs of
corrosion, the span adjusters on the levers look as if they're a few
years old, the instrument pod didn't enjoy going out in the rain and
there are other signs of 'premature ageing'. It's a cracking bike to
ride but it's lacking when it comes to build quality even compared o
my Kawasaki.

If I was looking for that type of bike I'd probably go for the KTM
just because I don't want to be accused of being sucked in by the TV
hype surrounding the BMW.

 

I'd imagine. In fact, if it wasn't such a hassle to find a really good
independent mechanic to work on Hondas, KTMs or Yamahas, I'd probably
change as well. But I'd rather make the choice of commuter/business bike
based on the service I can get from whoever looks after it.

I am/was tempted as well.

Yep.

 

To be fair, I've done 35,000km on the bike and it's the only problem I've
had. I'm very pleased with it.

 

Well, I don't care, but the UKRM heavies will be along shortly to pull your
toenails out.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Jérémy

"We're gonna need bigger pliers"

 

You've not met Tony?

 

Dunno. I might wait till the summer or at least the spring for such a
trip. The desert road has been closed due to snow quite a bit lately
so going south on two wheels is only for the brave.

Northwards would be easier but can you believe they've now sealed the
road up to Cape Reinga. I suppose there's always 90 mile beach as an
alternative.

 

I regret I've never had the pleasure of meeting any of you.

 

I test rode a 990 Adventure and it's without a doubt a very good bike.
Lots of power but the throttle's like an on/off switch when moving at
slower speeds. I'm told this is down to the fuel injection. It's more
off-road biased than the BMW with a 21" front wheel. Having said that,
it ticked most of the boxes for me and I seriously considered
purchasing one. If you are buying the bike for a round the world trip
on mainly gravel roads it would be the only choice IMHO. However, I am
planning to mainly ride on sealed roads and the beemer offers a few
more creature comforts and should need less attention when in use as a
daily commuter.