1250GS - zero electric power. Stranded in Holland!

[JohnnyBoxer]

Genius idea. I'll get myself one for my next tour, thanks for the tip.

I figured with BMW Assist I wouldn't need to worry about stuff like this and the mothership would have it all covered, but reading this thread makes me think that the support offered isn't what it used to be.

Obviously not
In the the good old days of 10-30 years ago, BMW’s Assist gave you full medical cover in addition to full bike mechanical care and recovery/repatriation
Those were the days and you didn’t need any further medical insurance for you or your pillion whilst on your foreign sojourn
BMW’s motorcycle was a thing of high quality and a purchase to be revered, safe in the knowledge that you would be covered for all eventualities
Touring in the late 90’s, a lady rider tripped over a curb on an evening out, whilst we were dining
She broke her ankle
A taxi took to hospital
Ankle set in plaster and returned to hotel
Next day BMW’s Assist arranged her flight, took her to the airport and she was home in uk at tea time
Her bike was securely garaged and repatriated gone to uk within 10 days
On another occasion another rider had gall stones in Germany and this manifested itself whilst at a hotel, one evening and a doctor called and a trip to hospital ensued, with an operation and 5-6 days in hospital
His wife was flown out and put up in the same hotel and BMW’s assist hired her a car to visit him daily
They flew them both home by medivac and the bike was repatriated 2 weeks
BMW’s assist has been fantastic over the years and maybe nowadays it’s been homogenised to be a service that’s no better than the crap norm we have sleepwalked into

 

[Sneldog]

I chased this morning and made my feelings abundantly clear. Consequently, someone apparently coming in 90 minutes. This will be 18 hours after I asked for assistance.

The escalation team have been good this morning to be fair and have already logged a complaint and requested compensation on my behalf.

The problem is though that I don’t care about the money. What I am bothered about is the best day of this mini tour (the Magellan route around Limburg) is goosed and assuming I’m back on the road this morning, I need a new plan to get to tonight’s hotel in Zeeland.

A good idea about the small booster pack although on a bike that’s 15 months old and cost almost £20k, you do wonder that such a thing should be necessary.

 

[RallyeGS]

Reason 109 why I left the brand - Customer Service! I hope they sort it out and you get back on the road soon. Poor effort from BMW.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I chased this morning and made my feelings abundantly clear. Consequently, someone apparently coming in 90 minutes. This will be 18 hours after I asked for assistance.

The escalation team have been good this morning to be fair and have already logged a complaint and requested compensation on my behalf.

The problem is though that I don’t care about the money. What I am bothered about is the best day of this mini tour (the Magellan route around Limburg) is goosed and assuming I’m back on the road this morning, I need a new plan to get to tonight’s hotel in Zeeland.

A good idea about the small booster pack although on a bike that’s 15 months old and cost almost £20k, you do wonder that such a thing should be necessary.

15 months old and not had the battery changed yet?

It’ll be the battery gone down, with a failed cell
Plenty of discussion here about catastrophic 1250 battery failure here, you were lucky to get 15 months

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Reason 109 why I left the brand - Customer Service! I hope they sort it out and you get back on the road soon. Poor effort from BMW.

That’s why I stick with older GS and when buying a new bike in the last 2 years I bought a Yamaha

 

[RallyeGS]

I love the tech on the new machines, but it's so fickle.

 

[Bubb]

15 months old and not had the battery changed yet?

It’ll be the battery gone down, with a failed cell
Plenty of discussion here about catastrophic 1250 battery failure here, you were lucky to get 15 months

Oh bugger! My 1250gs is 3 years old and still on the original battery (and no, I don’t have it on a battery tender, just use it regularly)…..
And as yet I don’t own a jumper pack…… I’M DOOMED !

I will just keep going on my original battery until something forces me to change it…….but I will buy a booster pack I think

Ride safe y’all

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I love the tech on the new machines, but it's so fickle.

I hate it, it’s so intrusive and I prefer a cable clutch & throttle and ABS that I can turn off in dry weather
TFT, no thanks
Analogue clocks are fine
Traction control, no thanks

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Oh bugger! My 1250gs is 3 years old and still on the original battery (and no, I don’t have it on a battery tender, just use it regularly)…..
And as yet I don’t own a jumper pack…… I’M DOOMED !

I will just keep going on my original battery until something forces me to change it…….but I will buy a booster pack I think

Ride safe y’all

Good to see you are covering your bases

 

[RallyeGS]

I hate it, it’s so intrusive and I prefer a cable clutch & throttle and ABS that I can turn off in dry weather
TFT, no thanks
Analogue clocks are fine
Traction control, no thanks

They all have their place and are useful in certain situations - they just need to work!

 

[Nin]

Snelly if you have time I’d check out the battery myself and if it’s crook get a new one. A multimeter or jump leads and a fellow motorist is all you need.

You could be waiting for another day for someone who doesn’t really give a monkeys about your timetable …

 

[Wapping]

If it is any comfort. I picked up a brand new HP4 from Park Lane, W1. That same day, I rode it cross country to Mildenhall, where I fuelled up. The bike died completely, failing to restart at the petrol station, the battery deader than a dead thing. The bike was recovered back to London, along with me.

 

[grantmac]

Did BMW come out to you yet?

 

[fredaroony]

I chased this morning and made my feelings abundantly clear. Consequently, someone apparently coming in 90 minutes. This will be 18 hours after I asked for assistance.

The escalation team have been good this morning to be fair and have already logged a complaint and requested compensation on my behalf.

The problem is though that I don’t care about the money. What I am bothered about is the best day of this mini tour (the Magellan route around Limburg) is goosed and assuming I’m back on the road this morning, I need a new plan to get to tonight’s hotel in Zeeland.

A good idea about the small booster pack although on a bike that’s 15 months old and cost almost £20k, you do wonder that such a thing should be necessary.

Batteries can fail at any time so the age of the bike is irrelevant. Assuming it is the battery of course

 

[Sneldog]

Update.

AA equivalent arrived and booster started bike. Then switch off and back on - totally dead again.

Have ridden to Motorrad dealership after another restart and have now got to leave bike with them. They have no idea what the problem is apart from to say the battery is fine and not the problem. Some sort of short maybe?

Am starting to think I’m going nowhere fast. 32 degrees now and I have got to either just sit here or walk to the nearest town.

Absolute nightmare.

 

[Pukmeister]

Update.

AA equivalent arrived and booster started bike. Then switch off and back on - totally dead again.

Have ridden to Motorrad dealership after another restart and have now got to leave bike with them. They have no idea what the problem is apart from to say the battery is fine and not the problem. Some sort of short maybe?

If it jump starts okay but will not start on the battery alone, how can the battery not be at fault?

 

[Nin]

If it starts on jump leads and not battery, I find it hard to believe it’s not the battery …

Good luck in any case. Got to love an electrical fault …

 

[RallyeGS]

I feel your pain. Not of any use to you right now, but make sure you catalogue timings and events (of lack of) to help with your complaint. You need to be fully reimbursed for costs and your time for this. Atrocious service from BMW. Have they offered a loan bike or car?

 

[Sneldog]

BMW Assist - the whole thing is garbage. BMW now outsource all assistance to Allianz. Allianz outsource actual assistance to Dutch AA. They’re all blaming each other and no one is really helping. Allianz have said if bike is not fixed today, they will ship it back to the UK and get me a flight home. No loan bike or car allowed anymore due to Brexit apparently. Hopefully I will get home tomorrow as we fly as a family to Mallorca on Saturday.

A total mess quite frankly.

Am now sat in a pretty grotty town, searching for a restaurant that is half decent and failing miserably to do so.

 

[Pukmeister]

I suspect that if you bought a new battery and fitted it, the bike would be rideable again.

For the relatively inexpensive outlay it would be less hassle than waiting around for BMW to scratch their arses all day and try to find something else to blame it on.