stuck starter switch/kill switch

The Grey One

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Got a guest here with a 2014 GS, he turned the bike off using the kill switch and now the switch will not move so wont operate the starter, any ideas other than wait for BMW assist?

John
 
Other than taking the switch apart to identify why it is jammed I can't think of anything else he can do other than wait for recovery.

Oh and he is a twat for using the emergency kill switch to stop the bike, that is what the ignition key is for. :blast There is a reason it is called the "emergency" kill switch, use it only in an emergency, and now he knows why because that have been know to jam in the off position, it is basic stuff which is taught at CBT level.
 
Lord Snooty said:
Other than taking the switch apart to identify why it is jammed I can't think of anything else he can do other than wait for recovery.

Oh and he is a twat for using the emergency kill switch to stop the bike, that is what the ignition key is for. :blast There is a reason it is called the "emergency" kill switch, use it only in an emergency, and now he knows why because that have been know to jam in the off position, it is basic stuff which is taught at CBT level.
Click to expand...

Yes he got that lecture from me! But the dead is done, we don't want to take the switch apart as the bike is new and we don't want to give them an excuse to refuse to fix it under the warranty because played with it. A truck is on its way, such a shame to spoil his holiday. We know the Local BMW dealer are not as accommodating as the Triumph one ( So far we have 4 Triumphs breaking down, this is the second BMW although the first was 20 plus yeas old.)

John
 
Calm down calm down, it's an easy mistake to make, it's jammed in the normal position and won't depress to start the bike, shit happens, it will get sorted.

First time this was pressed to my knowledge outside the factory and it's broken. My old firestorm killswitch was used on a daily basis for pyrotechnical purposes and it survived.

Not that I need to defend the action of pressing a kill switch, I had the clutch in, the thing was refusing to go into neutral as my lad jumped off so I hit the switch...hohum

Sent using random stabs with bratwurst like fingers...
 
Not impressed with BMW assist so far. They said they would ring back in 10 mins, failed! 20 mins later the guests had to chase them up. Turns out the operator sat on the call for 24 mins before logging it on the system, fail! Finally said they would send a truck to take the bike to dealers. Didn't ring the dealer straight away so that when they got around to it the dealer was closed for lunch (universal in Austria), another fail. Rang guest to tell him he was low priority because he was at his hotel, fail again!

I don't hold with the "premium product" self delusions but this is piss poor service on every level. Lets hope it's a one off but the only time I have used them back when the 1150 was new we waited hours in Geneva for a man to come to jump start the bike. When he arrived he had no idea where the battery was or indeed how to get at it.

John
 
The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago (the failure, not the BMW assist problem). I just applied brute force and the switch moved, albeit something inside broke and it would not 'lock' in the Stop position. My dealer had had a couple of these fail and had been informed the clusters were on back-order due to a change in the part. It took a couple of weeks to get a new cluster but in the meantime the bike operated perfectly well with the damaged switch.

If BMW Assist are still messing around just ask your guest to try my solution!
 
It may well go with a bit of BFI but I have applied a fair bit of pressure to it. It's jammed in the normal position BTW. It's a 2014 with a massive 2k on the clock. Only thing that worries me is if I do get it to move then BMW start to play silly buggers warranty wise. I am supposed to be moving onto Italy tomorrow morning.

It's not like I am actually stranded (yet) as I was able to push it back to John's hotel. I'm more pissed off with the way BMW have handled it so far to be honest. Will see how it pans out, nothing worth getting to stressed about just yet.



Sent using random stabs with bratwurst like fingers...
 
Lord Snooty said:
Oh and he is a twat for using the emergency kill switch to stop the bike, that is what the ignition key is for. :blast There is a reason it is called the "emergency" kill switch, use it only in an emergency, and now he knows why because that have been know to jam in the off position, it is basic stuff which is taught at CBT level.
Click to expand...

Oh dear. Where in the manual does it say it if for emergency use only?

P57 states: "The emergency off switch is a kill switch for switching off the engine quickly and easily."

It does not say it is for emergency use only and must not / should not be used routinely. The only text around not using it is when riding.

'Nuff said.
 
WindyChuffer said:
Oh dear. Where in the manual does it say it if for emergency use only?

P57 states: "The emergency off switch is a kill switch for switching off the engine quickly and easily."
Click to expand...

Errr there, in the manual where it calls it an Emergency Kill Switch:blast they could have added "in an emergency" at the end of the sentence but they assumed that is unnecessary due to the use of "Emergency" at the beginning.

But heyho, if you want to use it on a regular basis then crack on, it is your choice. ;)
 
Lord Snooty said:
Errr there, in the manual where it calls it an Emergency Kill Switch:blast they could have added "in an emergency" at the end of the sentence but they assumed that is unnecessary due to the use of "Emergency" at the beginning.

But heyho, if you want to use it on a regular basis then crack on, it is your choice. ;)
Click to expand...

Perhaps you want to advise some of the manufacturers that they are doing it all wrong....I will quote from one of the manuals..quote " "STOP THE ENGINE BY TURNING OFF THE THE ENGINE STOP SWITCH ON THE RIGHT HANDLEBAR"

..and from another one...."The engine stop/run switch (on the right handlebar control group) turns the ignition ON and OFF and should be used at all times, especially in an emergency"
 
I think I would have tried some compressed air and/or a few whacks with a rubber mallet to see if you can dislodge the stuck part.
Fwiw, I've been using mine regularly and it never sticks. I try to hit all the buttons at least once a month to make sure they're working.
Sent from my nokia 1020.
 
This has happened to me a few times. Hit the switch hard and it will move. After doing this the switch was fine and so the dealer didn't change it. It has happened again more than once so I will get it changed.
 
i use my kill switch all the time off roading as its a handy way to kill the engine then restart without having to reset the ABS off setting everytime you restart the bike - must do it thirty times a day off road.
 
And now we find that the BMW dealer database on the Nav V is out of date, the dealer in Spittal closed up around 18 months ago but is still listed. The nearest dealer in Villach is not listed at all

The bike starts after a call from BMW authorising brute force on the switch and the guest is on his way the the dealership. This is the same BMW dealer that BMW assist said was not answering the phone. When we rang they answered straight away and said that someone was by the phone the whole time including the lunch period. Apparently the lady ringing from BMW assist told our guest she only spoke English and Spanish so she might not have been of much use anyway. Why was the call made by someone without the correct language skills?

The whole thing is a textbook case of how to create a mountain from a molehill. A switch failed, this happens even on the best equipment. The test really is, how is the problem dealt with. just hope the dealer an resolve the issue today.

John
 
Lord Snooty said:
Errr there, in the manual where it calls it an Emergency Kill Switch:blast they could have added "in an emergency" at the end of the sentence but they assumed that is unnecessary due to the use of "Emergency" at the beginning.

But heyho, if you want to use it on a regular basis then crack on, it is your choice. ;)
Click to expand...

I thought the switch was a rocker type and is also the starter button so unless you never start the bike you must use the switch every time you ride
 
recovery a good few years back dropped my bike off 350 miles away from my home address, and just left it on the street shoving the keys through a house letter box with a note saying it was for the bike on the street outside... beat that :)
 
Same happened on my 2014 LC but managed to get it to start by forcing the switch. BM garaged replaced it under warranty at the 600mile service.
In my opinion you should be able to use this switch all the time and it should be up to the job. I used it on my Hayabusa all the time to kill the engine and it never fell apart like the GS one.
Maybe a bad batch of switches at time of build.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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