Mine just broke down...

Thanks for your responses. Woke this morning feeling very pleased to wake this morning!

Went up to Bahnstormer - have to say that hey have been interested and helpful - and watched while they did the initial strip down on my bike. Essentially this was the work that we have agreed would be carried out today before the problem yesterday - the removal of both rocker covers to inspect the cam chains. Obviously no benefit now to tightening the loose bolt!

So, rocker covers off ...

Left bank appeared absolutely fine.

Right bank - cam chain had snapped and was visible, but firmly lodged in the gearbox.

One link had settled on a ledge in the cylinder head - looked that is was likely the one that had given way as the pins were bent apart. On the broken link there were obvious signs of wear on the end of the pins, but, from the visible part of the chain, there was no heavy scouring on the 'blind side' rear facing plates - those that you would not be able to see from the oil filler opening - but the pin heads did look worn.

On my bike the starter motor bolt had worked loose, been tightened to the extent that this was possible without removing the starter motor and had worked lose again by about half a turn. Significantly I could see no marking on the gear that this bolt would appear to provide the axis for. In fact looking at the way the chain runs in guides, I could not see how the gear could contact the chain. I might be wrong, but it could well be that the hypothesis that this loose bolt adjacent to the starter motor is abrading the cam chain and causing failure is incorrect. There was no obvious sign of anything being damaged .... other than the chain.

Now with the dealer to submit PUMA report to BMW and come back to me. I have every confidence that this will happen quickly and that BMW will come up with the right solution.

My only prerequisites are that I have total assurance that whatever caused this failure in this engine has been rectified - not interested in taking a chance on it happening again - and that I am not financially disadvantaged as a result.

Fingers crossed!
 
Hmmmm...I'm seriously considering NOT buying a WC now.......they seem to be absolute death traps :eek:
 
Fanum - whatever the problem is BMW will sort, of that I'm certain. The bike is just awesome. There are alternatives out there, but they are not a GS. Just looking forward to it being fixed and getting back on it.
 
Yes bmw will sort it but the bloody things should not be going wrong especially not if they had been developed properly in the first place, looks like their test mules didn't do tens of thousands of kilometres before production started , more like a quick run around the block then let the customers do the development work.


Fanum - whatever the problem is BMW will sort, of that I'm certain. The bike is just awesome. There are alternatives out there, but they are not a GS. Just looking forward to it being fixed and getting back on it.
 
Yes bmw will sort it but the bloody things should not be going wrong especially not if they had been developed properly in the first place..

Yeah no doubt they will sort it, but until than every bike could be a ticking time bomb, i just hope no one has a serious accident due to this type of failure.
 
Yeah no doubt they will sort it, but until than every bike could be a ticking time bomb, i just hope no one has a serious accident due to this type of failure.

Chances are, it'll be fine. If not, my wife will be a very rich widow, courtesy of BMW.:beerjug:

I won't lose sleep.:thumb
 
sorry to hear about your situation (both of you).

until now , is there some firm opinion about what is contacting the timing chain causing failure ?

.
 
Also, the RT was recalled because of a few suspension failures I believe. But you would think there have been more than enough of these failures by now for bmw to be coming up with some sort of solution?
Maybe some media coverage of the issue would help? The bike has had plenty for other reasons hasn't it?
 
Makes me wonder if BMW are using the same manufacturer of the chain thats failing in their other products? ie. The N47 diesel engine cam chain, the 800GS drive chain and now this WC problem.
 
I don't see a retrofit "silent recall" solution to this problem, it would require a complete engine redesign with a separate gearbox \ engine casing.
 
Funny that you should feel like that...:nenau

Personally, i'm really looking forward to getting my RTLC back, so that i can run rings around all those GS/GSA's.
I've ridden the GSALC and i currently have a new GSLC loaner. But they're not in the same league as the new RT, as a complete road bike package..
In comparison, the GSLC is noisy, rattly, buzzy, fighty, clunky and unrefined.

Still....whatever floats yer boat eh...:thumb

So is the engine that different in the RT or does it seem quieter because it is encased in all the plastic fairing etc.
 
So is the engine that different in the RT or does it seem quieter because it is encased in all the plastic fairing etc.

I think its a combination of things..

The engine is fundamentally the same, except the RT has a heavier Flywheel, different gearing, different engine mapping and gear shift assist jobbie.
The humungous fairing might also be isolating all that clattery engine noise and tyre noise..

BTW, I returned my GSTE loaner and picked up my fixed RT yesterday, and honestly, if i didn't know that both bikes shared the same engine, I would have thought they had completely different motors.
 


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