Why won't BMW make a decent gearbox ?
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BBB61
Registered user
It was light hearted banter.......................
I'm shallow and to me bikes are all about sex and girls and speed and pain - Guzzi, KTM, Husaberg are all bikes that fit well with that ethos, they are bikes with 'character'. They are 'cool'.
MBW does not fit with any of that
Andres
In your opinion of course. Many others would disagree
Deleted account 181015003
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The gearbox on my 2014 BMW liquid cooled twin is fine never misses a gear and never clunks I can even select neutral with no issues when I stop I cant see what all the fuss is about I bought the 800GS 
It was light hearted banter.......................
I'm shallow and to me bikes are all about sex and girls and speed and pain - Guzzi, KTM, Husaberg are all bikes that fit well with that ethos, they are bikes with 'character'. They are 'cool'.
MBW does not fit with any of that
Andres
I heard a rumour that BMW are going to build a 198bhp superbike, and they're even talking about racing it.
Surely, that can't be true?
Deleted account 211025001
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In your opinion of course. Many others would disagree
Indeed
I understand the Ford Focus is one of the best selling cars as well.........
I heard a rumour that BMW are going to build a 198bhp superbike, and they're even talking about racing it.
Nah, it'll never catch on
Anyway, since when is cool about having the biggest knob - sorry, nil points, no class.Andres
2013 gs wc te..gearbox/clutch...awful..made the bike very unpleasant to ride...Back to the dealer on several occasions...no improvement.
Semi active ESA suspension..gave up the semi active bit at 3k mls...dealer says everything is OK...it was not.
Engine casings beginning to corrode at 4kmls...doesn't bear well for the rest of the bike in the future.
Looked at swapping for a 2015 model...that will be £4,700.00 thank you sir.
When asked why others appeared to be getting a much better deal than me i.e bikes being swapped very good p/ex deals ? was told the problem was I owned my bike and it was much easier for bmw to do a deal if the bikes were on some lease deal
6k on the wc I'd had enough.
Swapped for a 2014 Guzzi Stelvio NTX...I love this bike it leaves the gs wanting in so many area's
6k mls on the Stelvio now,yes it has a couple of minor niggles,throttle snatch,and a bit lumpy round town but it's really got under my skin.
On paper it's not half the bike the gs is supposed to be but in the real world the gs cannot compare to the riding experience of the Stelvio.
All my opinion of course.
Steve
THOUGHT YOU HAD GONE THE KTM ROUTE
I heard a rumour that BMW are going to build a 198bhp superbike, and they're even talking about racing it.
Anyone who bought one would be an utter nutter…
GSWizz
Registered user
Had a 2013 LC . Gearbox issues from day one. Switchgear replaced. Rear drive shaft replaced. Rear brake never biting in the same place twice. Then the dreaded cut out as you went to pull away at slow speed. It went back but only if I bought another bike. Whilst it was being sorted I bought a CBF1000 to use for a work project. A simple bike but everything works. I ended up with a R1200R to get out of the LC. A lovely bike in its own right but I have only done 488 miles on it and will look to sell it. BMW experience has been poor. A shame but true.
No..Stelvio...No dealer close enough to consider KTM
BBB61
Registered user
Indeed
I understand the Ford Focus is one of the best selling cars as well.........
Andres
What a stupid comment to make.
WindyChuffer
Registered user
Where did you get your paint colour code meanings from? New one on me. Is this some kind of engineering standard?
If you weren't supposed to adjust it then it should say so clearly on the bike or in handbook.
BMW refusing warranty work based on adjusting this nut is would be clutching at straws.
Do you really think the dealers keep copies of worksheets? I think not.
Where is this but anyway? Pic pls....
You have to be kidding! I've known three Hondas that self ignited and even on the fire blade they have a latent cam chain issue that has dogged Hondas since the 400/4. Hondas have always been weak on valve trains. Hondas are great if you don't want to cover more than 25k on one. What honda do very well is give the all important first buyer a great experience. Bmw on the other hand....
Just out of interest what are the WCs like once they've done a few miles? The 1100/1150 were always better once they'd got a few miles on them.
There's a few guys on Advrider who have covered over 20k, and they say the bike is just getting better and better. Not one final drive issue, yet, so maybe BMW has sorted that out finally.
I have done over 21,000 miles and the gearbox/clutch does feel better - but that could also be that I have 'adapted' over time?
All gear changes are fine, neutral is no problem and the clutch feels good and is consistent in its bite point - clunk into 1st still present except when stone cold.
All gear changes are fine, neutral is no problem and the clutch feels good and is consistent in its bite point - clunk into 1st still present except when stone cold.
bikemad
Registered user
It's all relative.
Is my GS as creamy smooth and snickety snick as the good Suzook box?
No.
That said it's perfectly functional and doesn't require Hobbit feet, unlike several other bikes I've owned, German (well East German
), Italian and British
Is my GS as creamy smooth and snickety snick as the good Suzook box?
No.
That said it's perfectly functional and doesn't require Hobbit feet, unlike several other bikes I've owned, German (well East German
), Italian and BritishBendy toy
Registered user
Interesting for a wet clutch. Every bike I've owned crashed into first gear when cold so I would start it in gear to free the clutch plates. Batteries were never short lived so can't do any harm.
My GS needs a new clutch switch so won't start in gear, but first gear from neutral is generally reasonably quiet. Another widget to get fixed.
alp
Registered user
I've checked back into this forum after a long spell since I gave up on my GS LC during 2013 since I quite like the idea of the new R1200R but was curious to see if the clutch problems still exist or if BMW had fixed them yet.
It didn't look too good judging by the posts.
Just to recap.....my GS was absolutely brilliant out on the open road but a pain in the butt in city traffic especially with slow traffic conditions or numerous traffic lights. Frequent use of the clutch in stop start conditions caused the clutch to drag more and more making neutral difficult to find and the gear lever to get harder and harder to move.
- I checked into my local dealer Ocean Plymouth, great bunch of guys by the way, and they brought the keys for an RT for me to check the latest build. Yes, neutral was easy to find...initially, but after say half a dozen neutral/first changes the gear lever hardened up and neutral became more difficult to find. So, I feel that things haven't actually improved much if at all.
Since my GS LC was moved on I've had a new Ducati and a new Honda, both of which had wet clutches and their clutches didn't display these GS problems so don't blame the problems on wet clutches.
As I posted on this forum back in 2013 on the old 'marathon' gearbox/clutch topic, it seems to me that to get a light clutch lever operation BMW have designed the lever hydraulic cylinder to clutch actuating cylinder (the one down on the back of the engine moving the clutch push rod) ratio such that the clutch doesn't disengage as far as it should/could. It seems to need a clutch actuating cylinder at the back of the engine to be changed to one with a smaller diameter/volume to give a longer stroke of the clutch push rod for a given clutch lever movement to separate the clutch plates further apart. E.g. Some riders have found that the clutch drag is reduced when the clutch lever is set at its furthest out position and this change of the actuating cylinder achieves the same but more so. Ok, lever effort will go up but this is a small price to pay to get over this problem.
I also work a lot on old classic bikes with cable operated clutches and setting the clutch actuating lever on the gearbox to give the maximum stroke of the clutch rod/plate separation gets rid of clutch drag.
I fitted a modified clutch action mechanism on a Laverda Jota once due to the inherent clutch drag you got with that bike but unfortunately the designers of the modification overdid the change in ratio of clutch lever movement to clutch actuation and the drag went away but lever effort went too high.
Ok, I may still go for the new R1200R and Ocean have promised me a test ride, but I'll keep my Honda for city traffic work.
Cheers.
It didn't look too good judging by the posts.
Just to recap.....my GS was absolutely brilliant out on the open road but a pain in the butt in city traffic especially with slow traffic conditions or numerous traffic lights. Frequent use of the clutch in stop start conditions caused the clutch to drag more and more making neutral difficult to find and the gear lever to get harder and harder to move.
- I checked into my local dealer Ocean Plymouth, great bunch of guys by the way, and they brought the keys for an RT for me to check the latest build. Yes, neutral was easy to find...initially, but after say half a dozen neutral/first changes the gear lever hardened up and neutral became more difficult to find. So, I feel that things haven't actually improved much if at all.
Since my GS LC was moved on I've had a new Ducati and a new Honda, both of which had wet clutches and their clutches didn't display these GS problems so don't blame the problems on wet clutches.
As I posted on this forum back in 2013 on the old 'marathon' gearbox/clutch topic, it seems to me that to get a light clutch lever operation BMW have designed the lever hydraulic cylinder to clutch actuating cylinder (the one down on the back of the engine moving the clutch push rod) ratio such that the clutch doesn't disengage as far as it should/could. It seems to need a clutch actuating cylinder at the back of the engine to be changed to one with a smaller diameter/volume to give a longer stroke of the clutch push rod for a given clutch lever movement to separate the clutch plates further apart. E.g. Some riders have found that the clutch drag is reduced when the clutch lever is set at its furthest out position and this change of the actuating cylinder achieves the same but more so. Ok, lever effort will go up but this is a small price to pay to get over this problem.
I also work a lot on old classic bikes with cable operated clutches and setting the clutch actuating lever on the gearbox to give the maximum stroke of the clutch rod/plate separation gets rid of clutch drag.
I fitted a modified clutch action mechanism on a Laverda Jota once due to the inherent clutch drag you got with that bike but unfortunately the designers of the modification overdid the change in ratio of clutch lever movement to clutch actuation and the drag went away but lever effort went too high.
Ok, I may still go for the new R1200R and Ocean have promised me a test ride, but I'll keep my Honda for city traffic work.
Cheers.
