EMS! Fault. Electrical interference.

[dal from oz]

07' R1200GSA ignition fault. While fuelling up my bike the electrical signal from the bowser to the control console in the shop activated the engine immobiliser and it wouldnt start. Had to push my bike a hundred meters down the road and after an hour and a half the bike reset itself. Then the next day i parked near an automatic door at the supermarket and the immobiliser shut down again but this time my bike has been transported by 9hrs south by roadside assist to be reprogrammed. Apparently this is a very common fault to do with the coil of wire in the ignition block???? BMW Roadside Assist was very helpful but this shouldnt happen to a bike with only 8900klms.

 

[MarkiMark]

I had the same problem 2 weeks ago - on the day I was planning a bike trip from Brighton to Cornwall. I had stopped before take-off to fuel up and the bike would not start. I just got the EMS error message. I switched the ignition on and off a few times and eventually the error disappeared. Phoned up my BMW dealer who recommended bringing in the bike to be on the safe side. On closer inspection it transpired that the antenna was broken. They replaced it but the job took three hours. Didn't get to leave until 15:00 but still had an enjoyable ride to Cornwall.

I was really glad that they squeezed me in at the garage - otherwise I would have been paranoid every time I had to switch off the engine. It's ridiculous that something like this can happen though. I have a virtually new 1200 ADV.

 

[Bones]

I had the same problem as I rode past a mobile phone transmitter that was being tested by engineers (no idea what they were doing). Has only happened once in 3 years of ownership though.

 

[RickG]

The same allegedly happens to other bikes with immobilisers at the toll booths on French motorways. If you stop the engine to park up to wait for mates or go for a leak then it won't start again and the only cure is to push it a way down the road until you out of range of the transmitter.

 

[GSwadd]

The same allegedly happens to other bikes with immobilisers at the toll booths on French motorways.

Why only bikes? Is the system different to cars or does the signal to cars ignitions get blocked by being inside a metal cage? Bit piss-poor either way!

 

[Mallard]

I seem to remember Peugeot having a similar issue on some of their 307's. Newspaper articles about women being stranded etc.

 

[RickG]

Why only bikes? Is the system different to cars or does the signal to cars ignitions get blocked by being inside a metal cage? Bit piss-poor either way


Cars, especially ones made in the 90's did suffer, mostly lock-outs due to them being parked near powerful transmitters. It's mostly due to a clash of radio frequencies between radio-operated car key-fobs and a local trasmitter, or as may be the case with the bike problems, the radio interference causing the computer to fail to properly de-code the key as the signal it receives back is too corrupted

Though the radio frequencies that are allocated to different devices are controlled by legislation, it doesn't take much for one device to spill over into another's range, or simply Captain cock-up comes out to play and people mess up, or ignore the rules when they make something or broadcast indescriminantly.

Personally I prefer a normal key and lock and happily take on the extra 'risk' of not having a techo-lock to stop it being pinched!

 

[Bub]

Just had similar... bvut it was the ignition sensor had gone.....
It left me stranded at Storming the Castle (rally)..... and a long relay home (300 miles plus)..... now fixed under warranty. Its just a shame there is no way to by-pass this immobiliser if it is really needed.

Didnt spoil my weekend, just stopped me having a good ride-out on saturday, as weather was ace. BUT.... these things are mechanical, and things can go wrong. so, chill... get it fixed, and then ride it again......

The ride it again bit just proved to me that this is a bike I love to ride. So..... its not perfect, but it is a bloody ace bike.

Bub (getting off his high horse)

 

[Narcoda]

I have experienced intereference with the EWS too- I went 10 miles off road up a gravel track and on arriving a0t the top of the cairngorm mountains, parked next to a comms mast- turned the bike off, had a smoke and went to set off again- turns out tthat the mast frequency scrambled the EWS and I could not start the bike at all, ended having to free-wheel half a mile down down the hill before being able to re-fire-

 

[Rushy]

I seem to remember Peugeot having a similar issue on some of their 307's. Newspaper articles about women being stranded etc.

Sexist bollocks.............where were the articles about us poor blokes getting stranded