(RIP) Bin Ridin
Registered user
Any idea why switching on and off gets it to work?
Any idea why switching on and off gets it to work?
It seems i now have the Ring Antennae problem, went to start the bike this morning ready for work and nothing happened when i pressed the start button,and with EWS showing on the dash.
Tried turning the ignition off and on and tried starting again, did this about 10 times then eventually it started.
Pain in the arse as i doubt i will get it sorted until the new year, but fingers crossed it will be ok for my shifts over xmas.
Pain in the arse, but hey ho these things happen
then it has to run on the computer for a while
only to clear the stored fault code.
you definitely do not need to attach the bike to the dealer GT1 to get it to run. a friend of mine has successfully fitted one in his shed![]()
There should be no reason to use the GT1 other than to clear any codes left behind.It's a pretty simple job to repair.. takes about 40mins then it has to run on the computer for a while (according to my dealer). If you're covered by warranty.. you should get a loaner bike IMO


The Ring Antenna is indeed a common problem. I went on a tour to Switzerland with some 12 BMWs (GS, R, K) and we had 3 failures in 1 week, not all GS1200s. Luckily one of the guys with us owned a Swiss dealership, so we managed to get the bikes loaded and taken away quickly, but nevertheless a pain in the @rse.
TIP: If you are indeed stuck in the middle of nowhere and you get the problem, remove any other keys you may have on a key fob (magnetic fields can cause failure) and just try the ignition key alone. Also (and this sounds silly, but works), wheel the bike about 10 metres away from where the bike was standing - apparently magnetic waves can disturb the fields in the ring antenna, and a change of location, albeit small, can help.
These arent gonna completely solve the problem, because the error is registered in the bike's memory, but it may mean you can start the bike up again and get closer to a dealer.
Good luck
Martin
2004 GS12
2007 GS12
Interesting theory - fits with an EWS fault on my bike when stopped near a hydro power station with a field full of transformers. After a few on/offs it cleared
Would disconnecting the battery then clear the nuisance warnings and reset the brain?