K1600 - ERROR message on turning on ignition / start up / tickover

Wapping

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My 1600 suddenly developed a fault, whereby the area of the instrument screen known as the ‘menu area’

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suddenly flashed up the single word Error, which alternated randomly between appearing, vanishing, reappearing and a brief flickering of the usual -6- splash screen.

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The handbook makes no mention of the word single word Error appearing, nor could I find reports of anything similar on various forums.

BMW’s assessment is that it is a fault in an AUX cable, a cable that joins two separate electrical circuits together. As it only appears on start up and tick over, clearing when the bike has been ridden say 20 yards, I guess it’s an AUX cable that connects the ABS check sensor sub-system to the rest of the system. We shall see if BMW are right, as a new cable is on order.
 
Seems a strange one, as I wonder how said cable could fail all by itself, although I see the possible ABS connection theory, given that it clears itself once on the move.

However, I do wonder about the emergency call button thingy, which reports into area #5. What reports are shown if that sticks or is otherwise corrupt when the system self checks?
 
I don’t have the emergency button thing, so I really wouldn’t like to guess.
 
Given its not in the user manual it looks like a build engineers factory error code, Mothership BMW would have that sort of information one would have thought. As you have suggest it looks like some hardware is failing to communicate with the control panel or possible the ecu.
 
Given its not in the user manual it looks like a build engineers factory error code, Mothership BMW would have that sort of information one would have thought. As you have suggest it looks like some hardware is failing to communicate with the control panel or possible the ecu.

That's what I think.

At tickover or before firing the bike up (so with just the ignition on) the error message would flash up, sometimes stay on and sometimes vanish briefly, replaced by the usual -6- splash screen briefly. That suggests to me that the signal (I'll call it a test, as an unsuccessful test can result in an error) down the AUX cable was intermittent, often not there (error message) but sometimes there, resulting no error message. Ride the bike forwards and, I assume, the need for the test signal goes away and the error message vanishes.

Of course the AUX cable might be nothing to do with the ABS, it being simply coincidental that forward movement clears the error message. That was just me guessing. It could be anything: The clutch actuation switch, oil pressure, temperature, gear position, fuel pressure, tickover speed, the list goes on and on.... in short anything that is (I guess) checked on before the bike starts moving. There again, BMW could just be guessing, too..... we shall see.
 
There again, BMW could just be guessing, too..... we shall see.

Well, the new AUX cable makes no difference, the error fault still appears....... New ECU time.....
 
Don't know.

They are now in earnest conversations with BMW UK.

Having failed to find anything similar on the assorted BMW 1600 forums, I can only assume that the 'error' fault display is rare or maybe even unique. Somebody has to be first, I guess?
 
Someone in Germany is shouting down the production line" Hans ve have an Englishman who vants to know vat dis error means"
 
Don't know.

They are now in earnest conversations with BMW UK.

Having failed to find anything similar on the assorted BMW 1600 forums, I can only assume that the 'error' fault display is rare or maybe even unique. Somebody has to be first, I guess?

wapping snap mate,me and you having the first you with this and me with the abs,amazing.
 
The trouble here is, once the mother-ship get involved, will we ever get to know the true cause.

Surely it must be something Audio/Nav Prep related that reports into that specific area, if my call-button idea has been blown. Replacing the ECU seems a tad drastic though; thank goodness it's under warranty.
 
Seems a strange way to try to fix what is probably a software issue. I wonder, at what stage of production the mother-ship customise the ECU to make it bike specific - let's hope they know what they are doing or this cool calm version of Wapping might not last. Still I guess, annoying error message aside, at least the beast still rides OK.
 
Don't know.

They are now in earnest conversations with BMW UK.

Having failed to find anything similar on the assorted BMW 1600 forums, I can only assume that the 'error' fault display is rare or maybe even unique. Somebody has to be first, I guess?

Excellent calculated guess.
 
Seems a strange way to try to fix what is probably a software issue. I wonder, at what stage of production the mother-ship customise the ECU to make it bike specific - let's hope they know what they are doing or this cool calm version of Wapping might not last. Still I guess, annoying error message aside, at least the beast still rides OK.

I would suggest the Mothership has all the relevant serial numbers for the installed hardware so just needs to program them into the ecu pre shipping.
 
Oh dear - it might not just be the ECU now. I hear the mother-ship has imposed a 'Delivery Stop', wef 20/09/2019, on all K16s built between 11/2016 & current, so I assume those dates will include yours Wapping.

Seems there is a Transmission Shift Fork problem to be resolved, but whether this will be by way of a recall has yet to be advised to dealers.


I'm not sure who is producing the K16 boxes these days - I think it was it was Getrag/Magna originally, but when rumour suggested they subcontracted the job out to India, I understood it was then moved to a Japanese manufacturer.
 


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