Mine just broke down...

[alp]

They use K75s because they need something soft and girly smooth and has a top speed of 40mph - anything else would be too scary for the old codgers.

I can't let that one pass. I'm just back from the Garmisch Motorrad Days and one of the guys on the tour had to use his ancient K75 because his F800 failed while waiting for the tunnel train at Folkstone and his K75 was well able to keep up with the rest of the expensive GS/RT/1600 bikes and did a fair old lick of speed on the autobahns as well.
I rented an F800 for the trip (sold my LC last year) and it failed to respond to the starter button while at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen which was promptly sorted by the K75 rider. We had an LC failure on the tour as well. Makes you wonder about modern bike unreliability.

 

[Greg Masters]

Another fail for the UKGSER Investigation Team!

More than a week on and you haven't nailed it any more than finding the Malaysian plane!

 

[GS_or_bust]

If you look at the engine build video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlB2lMf5Ct8 at 4:07 you can see the timing chain around the end of the hollow shaft that the gearbox input shaft is inserted into and this is right above the gearbox gear wheels.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I can't let that one pass. I'm just back from the Garmisch Motorrad Days and one of the guys on the tour had to use his ancient K75 because his F800 failed while waiting for the tunnel train at Folkstone and his K75 was well able to keep up with the rest of the expensive GS/RT/1600 bikes and did a fair old lick of speed on the autobahns as well.
I rented an F800 for the trip (sold my LC last year) and it failed to respond to the starter button while at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen which was promptly sorted by the K75 rider. We had an LC failure on the tour as well. Makes you wonder about modern bike unreliability.

There you go Peter Perfect.....................Alp has defended the K75's reputation that you have deliberately tried to tarnish

Shame on you

 

[Engineer]

If you look at the engine build video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlB2lMf5Ct8 at 4:07 you can see the timing chain around the end of the hollow shaft that the gearbox input shaft is inserted into and this is right above the gearbox gear wheels.

We'll spotted Sir

 

[Engineer]

There you go Peter Perfect.....................Alp has defended the K75's reputation that you have deliberately tried to tarnish

Shame on you

I thought that they ate rear drive splines?????????

 

[pistole]

We had an LC failure on the tour as well. Makes you wonder about modern bike unreliability.

what failed on the LC ?

.

 

[Captain Beaky]

Yes, I had to look for drawings like the ones posted here to convince myself that this was possible ( camchain falling into gearbox)

Well, the new engine and gearbox has arrived at Dick Lovett.
They called to ask if I want a loan bike - but frankly, if it's not a 1200gs, I'm not interested. Besides, migraine has sprung up this week, so I wouldn't use it anyway.

But when I try to discuss the repair, I get the standard line :- we can only do what BMW tell us to do, which is currently " repair the bike", which is fair enough, but when I ask BMW customer service, I get " talk to the dealer".

So I'm penning a letter tonight that will be waiting for the managing director of BMW group HQ on Monday.

I am left wondering why I am putting up with it ( both the catastrophic and hazardous bike failure and BMW's complete failure of customer service.)

Frankly, I am wondering if I want a GS at all now - this failure has really shaken my confidence in the brand and model.

M.

 

[Titto]

Why?

Based on one bike?

You posted the problem on the 30th and today you posted the engine and parts have arrived.. Id say thats more than acceptable in terms of turn around from BMW.

 

[cusi]

Why?

Couldn't possibly have anything to do with potential mortal injury?

 

[Captain Beaky]

Exactly that - I have a 100% experience of my LC nearly killing me!
Sorry if it seems a bit extreme, but it went from running fine to lockup with no previous symptoms, or advance warning.

I've never had such a "total lockup" in any other vehicle.

30 seconds earlier or later, I'd be in hospital or a coffin.
There are enough dangers on the roads without your bikes transmission spontaneously locking up.

Changes your perception somewhat when it happens to you.
And it only has to happen the once - We don't get another chance on this earth - and it happened to me.

I have to admit that they were quite speedy in getting the parts to the dealer though top marks for that, but the customer service from BMW head office is nonexistent.

 

[Andy_E]

Exactly that - I have a 100% experience of my LC nearly killing me!
Sorry if it seems a bit extreme, but it went from running fine to lockup with no previous symptoms, or advance warning.

What do you want to happen? I can understand how you might feel but legally BMW are right, it's between you and the dealer and a year after purchase realistically all the dealer is obliged to do is repair or replace (at their option), anything over above that is goodwill.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Why?

Based on one bike?

You posted the problem on the 30th and today you posted the engine and parts have arrived.. Id say thats more than acceptable in terms of turn around from BMW.

Just curious but how many times would it take for you to feel the same? An expensive bike only to have a catastrophic failure and have you off. Luckily it was a minor off but it could have been far worse.

I doubt it has anything to do with it being fixed and everything to do with what could have happened.

 

[Titto]

Yes totally get that, I should have been more clear. I was referring to this being down to one bike that we know of so far, and then saying losing your faith in the product etc. It seems bmw have been very speedy in getting it all rectified for him.
But I would totally be getting in touch Re the failure in any case. It read to me that the op wasn't happy with the service and lost faith in this product. I'm not bmw drunk by any stretch but mechanical failures can happen with any make, at any time.
Why the op thinks ' head office ' will be interested in this I don't know. If he had been killed, or seriously injured, then they would be!
Good luck in his quest for whatever he is after.

 

[Titto]

Marki
What if you were to have a blow out or a puncture? Would you be contacting the tyre manufacturer to tell then about what could have happened?
Warning then about the potential dangers of riding on 2 wheels when something goes wrong?.
I'm not having a go at the op or you, but it seems bmw are sorting it. I'm sure he will be compensated for the incident and his time and fuel but sometimes things get blown out of proportion. Saying you lost faith in a product is a bit ott, this is the first and only incident we are aware of right?
Look at the rt section for more ott comments it's amazing.

 

[madmartin]

I understand what the op is trying to say. If a bike tries to kill you out of the blue with a mechanical failure it would surely knock your confidence. I had a bike years ago which tried to kill me when it went into the mother of all tankslapper for seemingly no reason and after that i wasnt too keen on riding it. It certainly unnerves you.

 

[APE]

I think the age of the bike is a key factor here. If it was 3 months old I think you would be within your rights to demand a replacement given the extent of the work required to fix it. After a year I think you are looking at a repair.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

I hear what your saying re the tyre blow out but that's a known risk as opposed to an apparent design fault. It's not the chain failing that is really the problem here rather it is designed in such a way that if it fails it can drop into the gearbox and lock everything up.
I am not knocking the bike or the brand and I am going to quite happily go out on mine in an hour or so. But I can completely understand why the OP feels as he does.

 

[roadrider]

I think the age of the bike is a key factor here. If it was 3 months old I think you would be within your rights to demand a replacement given the extent of the work required to fix it. After a year I think you are looking at a repair.

I get the gist of what your saying, but I think the milage is more important here. If for instance the op only did say 3000 miles in a year, or did 3000 miles in 3 months then the time scale goes out of the window imho.

 

[GS_or_bust]

I bet behind the scenes BMW are taking this far more seriously. After all only two shocks failed and they recalled all new RTs so my guess is they will be having a very close look at the timing chains and their arrangement to see whether this is going to happen again.

There are may parts that can fail on a motorcycle that will cause the rider to lose control. The question for the manufacturer is how likely they are to fail. BMW will be checking that this is a one off.