2012 BMW K 1600 GTL Complaints

THE SWITCH FOR THE SIGNALS ( LEFT TURN ) STOP FUNCTIONING. I WAS 30 MILES FROM HOME AND HAD TO USE HAND SIGNALS. *TR

MY BMW K1600GTL HAS EXPERIENCED 3 FAILURES OF THE MULTI-PURPOSE ELECTRICAL CONTROL SWITCH ON THE LEFT HANDLEBAR AND 1 FAILURE OF THE MULTI-PURPOSE SWITCH ON THE RIGHT HANDLEBAR. THE LEFT HANDLEBAR FAILURES WERE THE HIGH/LOW BEAM SWITCH 2 TIMES AND THE MENU BUTTON 1 TIME. THE RIGHT HANDLEBAR FAILURE WAS THE MODE SWITCH THAT CONTROLS ENGINE MAPPING FOR ROAD, DYNAMIC AND RAIN. I WAS TOLD BY TWO BMW MOTORCYCLE DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEES THAT THESE FAILURES ARE VERY COMMON AND BMW DENIES THERE IS A PROBLEM. THE ISSUE WITH THESE SWITCHES ARE SAFETY RELATED BECAUSE FAILURE OF THE FUNCTIONS THEY PROVIDE CAN LEAD TO AN UNSAFE CONDITION, E.G., TURN SIGNAL, HIGH/LOW BEAM, HORN, WIND SCREEN HEIGHT, ENGINE MAPPING, ENGINE KILL SWITCH, ETC.

MY BMW K1600GTL HAS EXPERIENCED FOUR (4) FAILURES OF THE ELECTRICAL CONTROL SWITCHES ON THE HANDLEBARS. THE FIRST FAILURE WAS ON THE LEFT SIDE CAUSING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL TO NOT FUNCTION. THE SECOND FAILURE WAS OF THE REPLACED LEFT HANDLEBAR CLUSTER CAUSING THE HIGH BEAM (HEADLIGHTS) TO NOT FUNCTION. THE THIRD SWITCH FAILURE WAS AGAIN ON THE LEFT SWITCH CLUSTER ON THE TURN SIGNAL CANCEL SWITCH CAUSING THE TURN SIGNALS TO FUNCTION FOR 0.2 MILES UNTIL THEY SELF CANCELED. THIS WAS THE MOST HAZARDOUS SITUATION AS OTHER VEHICLES WOULD ATTEMPT TO PULL IN FRONT OF ME THINKING I WAS SIGNALING FOR A TURN. THE MOST RECENT FAILURE HAS BEEN THE RIGHT HANDLEBAR SWITCH CLUSTER AND FAILURE OF THE CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM. THIS FAILURE IS NOT SIGNIFICANT, BUT THIS SWITCH CLUSTER ALSO CONTROLS THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT MODES AS WELL AS THE START/ENGINE KILL SWITCHES. FAILURE OF EITHER ONE OF THOSE SWITCHES COULD BE DETRIMENTAL. 5 SWITCHES (SOME SAFETY RELATED) IN 2 YEARS IS EXCESSIVE. *TR

THREE (3) K1600 GTL SUDDEN ENGINE CUTOFF EVENTS THAT I EXPERIENCED ON JUNE 14, AND JUNE 16, 2013. THIS DOCUMENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN ON MY 2012 BMW K1600GTL. IN THREE SEPARATE EVENTS, MY K1600GTL ENGINE SHUTDOWN AT FULL SPEED (75 MPH, 55 MPH) WHILE ON THE THROTTLE WITH NO ADVANCE NOTICE. ALL THREE EVENTS WERE 'ON THE THROTTLE' EVENTS - NOT COASTING. THE BIKE ENGINE SHUTDOWN ABRUPTLY AND THE BIKE JOLTED FORWARD. I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION DURING ALL THREE EVENTS TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I CONSIDER THEM TO BE SIGNIFICANT NEAR MISSES THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. IMMEDIATELY UPON GETTING THE BIKE OFF THE ROAD, THE BIKE WOULD NOT START IMMEDIATELY. HOWEVER, AS SOON AS I SWITCHED THE IGNITION KEY TO OFF, THEN ON, THE BIKE STARTED RIGHT UP AND I WAS ABLE TO RIDE. THE DEALER INDICATED THE FIX WAS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE, TO ELIMINATE A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE VALVE CONTROL SOFTWARE OR PROGRAM. I HAD ASKED IF THIS WAS A KNOWN UPGRADE, HE WAS SURE. I POSED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO THE DEALER AND AM AWAITING A REPLY: 1. FIVE (5) SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE BIKE ARE NOTED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. ARE THERE ACTUALLY FIVE SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE BIKE? HAVE ALL FIVE OF THESE SERVICE BULLETINS BEEN APPLIED TO MY BIKE? 2.DID THE THROTTLE VALVE SOFTWARE HAVE A KNOWN PROBLEM? WAS THERE ACTUALLY A SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE UPGRADE YOU APPLIED TO THE MOTORCYCLE COMPUTER OR WAS THE ORIGINAL REVISION NUMBER OF THE SOFTWARE SIMPLY RELOADED INTO THE BIKE COMPUTER AS THERE WAS A BUG SHOWN ON THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER? 3.REPORTS OF THIS TYPE OF EVENT FOR BMW K1600 GTL/GT OWNERS. I ACKNOWLEDGE OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AS NOTED ON THE FORUM, AND HERE IS A VIDEO OF ONE OTHER RIDER - MY SITUATION WAS IDENTICAL TO THIS. HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/ALL_COMMENTS?V=WRYFI9EBU8W. *TR

EXCESSIVE DRIVELINE BACKLASH THROUGH GEAR BOX OR DRIVESHAFT. RESULT, I NEARLY CRASHED ON THE MOTORWAY AT A LOWER SPEED WHEN MANAGING THE BIKE ON AN OFF THE THROTTLE. THE SUSPENSION GETS UNBALANCED WITH THE KANGAROOING OF THE BIKE BACK AND FORWARD WHEN IN GEAR AND GOING FROM A POWER TO ENGINE BREAKING VICE VERSA SITUATION. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 20 YEARS AND THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS DRIVELINE I HAVE EVERY FELT AND DID NOT AT ALL FEEL SAFE RIDING IT. EXPERIENCE BMW MOTORCYCLES IN AUCKLAND SOLD THE BIKE BUT STILL MAINTAIN ITS NORMAL!! GO FIGURE. TOOK THE BIKE TO THE MOTOR VEHICLE DISPUTE TRIBUNAL AND WITH AN INDEPENDENT TEST RIDE THEY DEEMED THE BIKE TO BE NOT OF ACCEPTABLE QUALITY AND NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. APPARENTLY THEY ARE ALL LIKE THIS?? BMW ARE SETTING THEMSELVES UP FOR A LAW SUIT HERE. *TR

LEFT AND RIGHT HANDLEBAR CONTROLLER QUITS FUNCTIONING. THE LEFT CONTROLLER HOUSES THE HORN, TURN SIGNALS, CRUISE CONTROL, BRIGHT LIGHTS, FOG LAMPS, TRACTION CONTROL, HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS, AND THE DAMPING ON THE MOTORCYCLE AMONG OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NOT SO HAZARDOUS SUCH AS RADIO VOLUME AND WIND SHIELD HEIGHT. RIGHT HANDLEBAR CONTROLLER HOUSES THE ENGINE CUTOFF SWITCH, RIDING MODE (RAIN, DRY, DYNAMIC) WHICH CONTROLS THE RESPONSIVE OF THE BIKE, AND LESS CRITICAL ITEMS SUCH AS THE POWER LOCKS FOR LUGGAGE COMPARTMENTS. THESE HAVE BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES ON MY BIKE SINCE BEING PUT SERVICE JULY 2012 AND TRAVELING 13K MILES -- GOT TO GIVE THE CREDIT FOR TRYING BUT ENGINE CUTTING OUT, HORN QUITTING, BLINKERS QUITTING, ETC IS PROBABLY A HIGHWAY SAFETY ISSUE. BELOW ARE TWO LINKS, ONE IS A VIDEO OF THE BIKE STALLING ON A MAJOR AND CROWDED INTERSTATE -- ILLUSTRATES THE DANGER. 2D IS ANOTHER LINK SHOWING COMPLAINTS BY OTHERS AND LACK RESOLUTION AFTER MULTIPLE REPLACEMENT SWITCHES. HTTP://WWW.K1600FORUM.COM/FORUM/BMW-K1600-GENERAL-DISCUSSIONS/18657-ENGINE-QUIT-ME-FREEWAY.HTML HTTP://WWW.K1600FORUM.COM/FORUM/BMW-K1600-GENERAL-DISCUSSIONS/5614-SWITCHES-HANDLE-BARS.HTML I ASSUME YOU CAN ASK BMW MOTORCYCLES HOW MANY OF THESE SWITCHES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND GET THE REAL DATA AND MAYBE AN ANSWER AS TO A SOLUTION TO MAKE THESE BIKES SAFER. *TR

HAD A BAD OIL LEAK FROM THE TRANSMISSION ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BIKE. NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED BY BMW DEALER. BAD OIL AND COOLANT FLUID LEAK FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTORCYCLE. NEW PUMP WAS INSTALLED. THE BIKE WAS OUT OF SERVICE AT THE DEALER FOR 2.5 MONTHS TO FIX IT. *TR

ON TURNING ON THE IGNITION KEY IN MY GARAGE, THE FUEL PUMP WAS AUDIBLE, AND THE BIKE FAILED TO START WHEN THE STARTER BUTTON WAS PRESSED. IMMEDIATELY I NOTICED A VERY LARGE TORRENT OF GASOLINE POURING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE, RIGHT OVER THE EXHAUST HEADERS, WHICH WERE FORTUNATELY NOT YET HOT. THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE LOST WAS AROUND 1 LITER, BEFORE I REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION KEY. FORTUNATELY, NO FIRE RESULTED AS I ROLLED THE BIKE OUT OF THE POOL OF GASOLINE AND ON OUT OF THE GARAGE. AFTER THE BIKE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BOB'S BMW IN JESSUP, MD, I WAS INFORMED TODAY THAT THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT THE HOSE CLIPS THAT ATTACH THE FUEL HOSE TO THE FUEL RAIL WERE MISSING. THE PART ASSEMBLY INVOLVED IS BMW PART # 13537723527. THIS DEFECT, WHICH THE TECHNICIAN SAID WAS FACTORY-ASSEMBLED BY BMW IN GERMANY, NOT AT THE DEALER, WAS THUS PRESENT WHEN THE BIKE WAS DELIVERED NEW TO ME. THIS REPRESENTS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING RISK OF A SEVERE GASOLINE VEHICLE FIRE AND EXPLOSION. I REQUEST THAT BMW BE REQUIRED TO INSPECT ALL OF THE K1600 SERIES BIKES FROM THIS FACTORY TO ASCERTAIN HOW MANY OF THEM WERE SHIPPED WITH THIS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS DEFECT. THE FACTORY SHOULD INSTITUTE NEW PROCEDURES TO GUARANTEE THAT THESE MOTORCYCLES CANNOT BE SHIPPED IN THIS HAZARDOUS CONDITION TO UNSUSPECTING BUYERS. *TR

MY BRAND NEW BMW MOTORCYCLE PULLS HARD TO THE LEFT AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS CAUSES EXTREME FATIGUE TO MY ARMS AND BACK. THE LEFT PULL WILL TAKE THE BIKE ACROSS THE CENTER LANE RAPIDLY UNLESS CONSTANT PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE RIGHT BAR TO KEEP THE BIKE GOING STRAIGHT. NUMEROUS OWNERS ARE REPORTING THAT THEIR BRAND NEW BIKES ARE DOING THE SAME THING. SO FAR, BMW HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AS THE BIKE GOES LEFT VERY QUICKLY UNLESS CONSTANT PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE HANDLEBARS TO FORCE IT GO STRAIGHT. OTHER OWNER'S ARE REPORTING VERY STRANGE TIRE WEAR TO THE FRONT TIRE. *KB

THE BIKE HAS PULLED TO THE LEFT FROM THE TIME I PURCHASED IT. BMW DEALER TESTED IT AND VERIFIED THE PULL TO THE LEFT. LAST WEEK A STEERING PART WAS REPLACED AND THE DEALER SAID IT WAS FIXED. AFTER RIDING IT I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT FIXED. STILL PULLS TO THE LEFT - PERHAPS NOT QUITE AS MUCH AS BEFORE THE "REPAIR". *KB