German News Magazine: Brakes (preview)

  • Thread starter Thread starter nemezis
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Am I correct that BMW will switch to a new system for 2006 bikes? I've had two brake failures so far, with less than 6000 miles. The last fix required an entire new wiring harness at $900, plus $300 to install if I had to pay.
 
Jesus

I have just come back after 25yrs and have got a brand new 1200 sitting in my shed waiting for some decent weather. I am twitchy enough as it is, but with these horror stories about abs, servos, forks folding up, I reckon I will be scared sh1tless when I go to get on it again. are they really that bad? I wont buy Jap but should I go to Triumph/ducati?
what makes it worse is my brother who is a disgruntled ex employee advised me to buy one over the other makes so if he's right, they must be really bad!
 
Arthurwg said:
Am I correct that BMW will switch to a new system for 2006 bikes? I've had two brake failures so far, with less than 6000 miles. The last fix required an entire new wiring harness at $900, plus $300 to install if I had to pay.
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Just had the 600 mile service on my 12gs. While i was there i asked the service department about the ABS recall. He told me that my 55 reg 2006 model wasn't affected!. So does anybody know if they have changed any of the ABS / Electrical system on the 06 model ?
 
Gandan said:
I have just come back after 25yrs and have got a brand new 1200 sitting in my shed waiting for some decent weather. I am twitchy enough as it is, but with these horror stories about abs, servos, forks folding up, I reckon I will be scared sh1tless when I go to get on it again. are they really that bad?
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Nope. Ignore Dr Brake / Nemezis / the German nutcase, as he has an axe to grind. Now, it is true that the ABS system can fail, and that the residual braking comes as a real shock if you're expecting the normal servo-assisted braking, but the incidents reported are still fairly few and far between. Thousands of people have had no problem at all, and a few tens have had a problem.

Gandan said:
I wont buy Jap but should I go to Triumph/ducati?
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Why won't you buy a Jap bike? Superb design, outstanding reliability, reasonable build quality, and the Honda ABS is generally reckoned to be greatly superior to the BMW ABS. The only problem I find with Jap bikes is they can be a tad bland ...
 
st247 said:
While i was there i asked the service department about the ABS recall. He told me that my 55 reg 2006 model wasn't affected!
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Does that mean that there is a serial range that is affected?
 
nemezis said:
Does that mean that there is a serial range that is affected?
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Theres been no mention of any 'serial range' as far as i know, just wondered if anyone else had been told this. Of course it may well just have been the dealer fobbing me off, who knows.
 
st247 said:
Theres been no mention of any 'serial range' as far as i know, just wondered if anyone else had been told this. Of course it may well just have been the dealer fobbing me off, who knows.
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Anyway everything is interesting and useful information. I have in this issue a meeting at the end of this week and I am glad about any information I can get.

My impression is that it's unique in the world that the UK owners offer to the free inspection of the brakes expires at the end of february for example.

Does somebody know if the software of the GT-1 was recently changed?
 
st247 said:
Theres been no mention of any 'serial range' as far as i know, just wondered if anyone else had been told this. Of course it may well just have been the dealer fobbing me off, who knows.
Click to expand...
I have an 1150 GSA 05 model have booked in to SPC for brake check and was told it is only certain bikes with particular vin no's . Eliminator was told the same thing.This suggests it is possibly only a faulty batch :nenau..................optimistic blighter aren't I!!! :D
 
Gandan said:
I have just come back after 25yrs and have got a brand new 1200 sitting in my shed waiting for some decent weather. I am twitchy enough as it is, but with these horror stories about abs, servos, forks folding up, I reckon I will be scared sh1tless when I go to get on it again. are they really that bad? I wont buy Jap but should I go to Triumph/ducati?
what makes it worse is my brother who is a disgruntled ex employee advised me to buy one over the other makes so if he's right, they must be really bad!
Click to expand...
Iv'e had various jap bikes and still have, a zx9r and Drz400 and I haven't had any worries about safety or reliability,but this 05 GSA seems to have issues with brakes,engine probs with y pieces fitted (a supposed enhancement) exhaust brackets braking burn oil like its going out of fashion...etc etc makes me wonder if I've bought into a bmw superiority myth or not :( Jap bikes may be a bit "same as the next one" but their pretty fuss free
 
Gandan said:
I have just come back after 25yrs and have got a brand new 1200 sitting in my shed waiting for some decent weather. I am twitchy enough as it is, but with these horror stories about abs, servos, forks folding up, I reckon I will be scared sh1tless when I go to get on it again. are they really that bad? I wont buy Jap but should I go to Triumph/ducati?
what makes it worse is my brother who is a disgruntled ex employee advised me to buy one over the other makes so if he's right, they must be really bad!
Click to expand...

I had a Sprint. Bloody awful - fell apart. Triumph settled out of court in the end. Never, ever, ever again. Shame though, the triple engine was a gem.
 
ninja man said:
makes me wonder if I've bought into a bmw superiority myth or not :(
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You have.
The BMW myth was born out of their reliability during the '50s~mid '80s when they were over engineered and built properly.
Unfortunately they are not what they used to be in my experience of a 1991 R100GS and also judging by all the problems posted on these forums.
I moved to a Tiger955i and have not regretted it one ounce. I still want a GS for off roading but it will be a pre-1985 R80GS.
 
Howard, you've probably posted in excess of 100 anti-BMW replies, why do you still visit the forum?
Also, why did Triumph give you a specially prepared, (finish-wise), bike when it's possible to read exactly the same type of complaints about corrosion on most Triumph sites?
Nothing personal, just don't understand. :confused:
 
Le singe said:
Howard, you've probably posted in excess of 100 anti-BMW replies, why do you still visit the forum?
Also, why did Triumph give you a specially prepared, (finish-wise), bike when it's possible to read exactly the same type of complaints about corrosion on most Triumph sites?
Nothing personal, just don't understand. :confused:
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I like the older BMWs pre 1985 when they were quality IMHO, but think the newer ones are crap and say so. The finish on my Triumph is very good and I visit a lot of Triumph forums and don't see anywhere near the amount of corrosion and reliability issues as appear on this forum related to the newer BMWs.
Hope that clears things up for you.
 
Howard Millichap said:
You have.
The BMW myth was born out of their reliability during the '50s~mid '80s when they were over engineered and built properly.
Unfortunately they are not what they used to be in my experience of a 1991 R100GS .
Click to expand...


So Howard, it that the only basis on which you critisise modern BMWs - a 1991 GS?
 
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