UPDATE 12th Feb: I have today had a warrantied shock from BMW fitted to my bike at the dealer at no cost to me. My thanks to the dealer for publicly admitting that this shouldn't have happened, and doing their best to put things right. As far as I'm concerned this issue is now closed.
Glad to hear it's fixed but can't help feeling this only happened due to the publicity as others who've suffered this relatively common problem have had no such joy and end up getting an independent shock specialist to rebuild it at a fraction of the cost. Equally the initial attitude of the dealer seems par for the course across many in the dealer network. The fact they still have such brand loyalty amazes me.
Wow folks - thanks for all the feedback! This is another of those videos that seems to have struck a chord, I've spent the last 3 hours solid answering comments but I can't keep up with the speed they're being generated......I promise to read them all but apologies if I've not been able to answer your comment personally - normal service resumed soon! All the best - TMF
i guess u must be shocked by some of the stories that pop up on here. ... The worst being that many of those stories about failures and cost are true. Sure if you buy one new the first few years u probably be ok but if they get older and rack up the miles many models can become moneypits especially if u cant repair them yourselve. I owned my r1100s for one year (bought 3 years old with less then 10k kms on it) and i put 15000kms on it in that year in between repairing the final drive, gearbox, replacing the rattling throttlebodies and finally replacing the abs pump. I am a mechanic myselve so i can do the work but nevertheless the parts costs rise beyond silly. the main reason i dumped it tho was causse i didnt trust it anymore...in the end i guess bmw ownership can be a joy if your willing to pay up bigtime for stuff that fails tho it really shouldnt given the "good" reputation of the brand.
Well yes BMW could have put a bit of goodwill towards replacement and I think if you persisted then, with dealer backing that may have happened. Everyone slating BMW shock going but I had one going on a Honda at 3 yrs old 20,000 miles and they were not interested either, you will probably also find all the other manufacturers are the same. I replaced my shock with a Wilbers still dear but superior to the Honda one by far. There are manufacturers now making ESA replacements cheaper than BMW and as time goes on more will appear and at better prices. You could also go down the extended warranty route, that is what it is there fore, within limits , of course. Anyway you have used your wits , saved yourself a fortune and sorted it! Hopefully the replacement will last, as I'm not hearing of them all failing everywhere, just the odd few. Great Blog fella .
Some of my mates say BMW actually stands for Buy More Warranty. But when you do buy warranty some items have limitations. From what I have been told the suspension units only has a 30000 mile life span, after that your not covered anyway. Which means BMW does not have much faith in their own product. There is a company in the north west re-furbishes the unit for around £250 The name of the company is Keis suspension. A friend of mine had one done there and he was really happy with the results.
TheMissendenFlyer hi glad you got it fixed . Had alternator probs last year was quoted £1300 . Out of warranty so kicked up a big fuss and managed to pay for labour only but still £504 . My bike same year as yours with around 25000 miles , just not what you expect from a premium bike .
hessel tuit Yeah , HONDA and YAMAHA etc can give problems of course , but don't think l would have to pay nearly £2000 if shock went on my , just a plain shock with remote adjustments. No fancy electronics to go wrong 😩 on my CROSSRUNNER and you can replace the shock for a superior aftermarket one for a reasonable cost as well . Cheers BOB
Recently sold my GS after 11yrs ownership from new. The bmw servicing costs were just becoming ridiculous. Mate has a Super Tenere, when we compared running and maintenance costs, my eyes nearly fell out. Will only buy Japanese bikes from now on.
I went from a Super Ten to a GS. The S10 is a nice enough bike and is deff cheaper to service but it's a bit of a lump compared to the much more nimble GS. Hope it goes well for you.
I looked at the Tenere for years once it came out but it is too tall and too heavy. Especially for my 5'7" frame. I've had FJR's in the past and yes the Japanese bikes are bullet proof. I bought the new GS because they offer a "low" version and it's lighter and has way more power that the Tenere. If Yamaha could get a new lighter weight Tenere that was lower with a shaft drive and a great engine ( like a triple ) I would be all over it. I am nervous about my future with BMW. I also had way to many fixes on my 2011 Multistrada. The europeans just cannot seem to get the quality control in the right place.
I still remember back in 2005 my ex girlfriend telling me the eye watering service cost for her GS 1150. V expensive bikes. You defo pay extra for comfort.
This is why it's always a good idea to have a trusty independent bike mechanic handy, because pretty much all dealers will stiff you once your bike is out of warranty
I’d be asking some questions about the reliability of that shock. 19k miles to failure is ridiculous, I’d want triple that as a starting point. Another poor show by BMW both In customer service and the rip-off part pricing!
The popularity of your RUclips channel seems to have worked in your favour well done. My friend was phoned by his local dealer and to told to cease riding his nearly new R1200RT immediately due to possible rear shock failure. The problem for him was the bike was his sole form of transport. BMW recovered the bike from his place of work and provided a K1600 for the 3 month period it took to fix the bike (lack of shocks due to replacement demand). In the 2 year period he owned the bike there was no time when the bike was not under some form of warranty work.
Shock failure at 19k miles for any bike is bad, let alone one costing as much as yours did. That would suggest to me that the shock wasn't right in the first place. You're a nicer man than Me TMF, I would have named the dealer. In a way it will probably cost them as I'm sure there will be someone if not more who watch this and re think purchasing a GS. A drop in the ocean I know, but a small victory.
Was thinking about getting the R1200R instead of the Triumph Tiger Sport as my next bike, But My Wallet now says no thanks. I've read and viewed just too many stories on poor and extremely expensive BMW service. It seems the reports on bike brand reliability weren't lying after all.
I agree in that there are many, many dicey garages out there (for some reason there are quite a few poorly rated Kawasaki shops here around Zurich), and the stories one hears are very often coloured by the reporter's feelings when things don't go their way, but while I've heard numerous stories about poor BMW service, I have almost nothing about bad Honda service, or in fact even Triumph service here. One mitigating factor, of course, is that BMW bikes, parts and service are simply very expensive, and one should obviously be aware of this when buying their machines, but with those prices also come expectations that one doesn't have with, say Kawasaki or Yamaha, even though their bikes regularly top the reliability charts. KTM also have a less than stellar reputation with regards to reliability attached to their high prices, but not a reputation for poor service. Ducatis, especially older ones, are also in this category. I the end, though, I suppose one can just be unlucky.
... or just be lucky. Recently I had fantastic service from the Ducati dealer in Frauenfeld, and I wasn't even on a Ducati! While out riding the gear shifter peg dropped of my little KTM Duke. I walked back down the road, found the missing bolt, and was able to remount the shifter peg, but only had 2nd and 3rd gear 8-(. 500 metres down the road I see the Ducati logo, and think "a bike is a bike, let's see what they can do." The 2 mechanics there drop everything, test-ride my bike, find a suitable washer to correctly space the shifter peg, locktite it, retest-ride the bike, pump up the tyres, and best of all refused to charge me anything!
That is pretty amazing. I've had similar experiences in out of the way places here in Switzerland from a Honda dealer's place. I used to have a very crappy KLR, but when I broke down down the hill from the village where his shop was, he came and picked up the bike free of charge, which is amazing, because that usually costs a minor fortune here in Switzerland. P.S. Do you live here?
I wouldn't get too excited about the Tiger Sport. Mine fell over while stationary and developed a immobliser fault. Triumph quoted £400 for a new key lock assembly with the possiblity of a good will gesture. I sold the thing and bought a 10 year old Guzzi 1100 Griso which I get far more ownership pleasure from.
Makes a good case for BMW Motoradd extended warranty Insurance (BMW breakdown is included so offsets it a bit), which I've had over the years on my previous BMW's, but not had to use as yet. At least it takes the sting out of a failed part or engine problem, can you imagine the cost of that! Mind you reading the small print the suspension units are only covered up to 30k miles interestingly, everything else appears to be 100k. I still love BMW's though, they are innovators and bring new tech to the bike world, just remember there's a dark side. Keep the videos coming, we all appreciate your efforts and hard work.
I feel your pain TMF and glad you got it sorted. I thought long and hard about posting this comment, as I did not want to use your site to bash BMW, I do love the GS and RT. That said, I had many issues with my GS and although most where rectified eventually, it was always a fight with customer service, every time. What I find interesting in your case is that BMW Customer Service here in the US stated to me that they will use used parts to fix a warranty issue! I had to ask three times to be sure and was told three times, yes, we will use a used part. At the time, I reported the issue, my GS was two weeks old, so couldn’t accept that they would even think of using a used part as a replacement. Horrified, I wrote to Germany for clarification and have yet to receive a reply, some 12 months later. Again, Don’t want to jump on the band wagon but thought it worth a mention. I must say that the dealership stepped up in the end and sorted it out for me but I lost a lot of faith in BMW in the process.
Been working my way through your videos over the last few weeks (been watching Richie and Bruces stuff for a while). Infinitely more interesting and entertaining than the stuff on the box and your production values get better all the time. Keep up the amazing work, its hugely appreciated. Im over the bike and garage envy now!
Going forward.Wilbers is a 1st class replacement shock front and back.We have a guy in SA who does the replacement work.Wilbers build the shock to your weight before fitment.They are also not cheap cheap but better than BMW.Glad you got sorted.
Speaking as a GS fan that is shocking customer service, apart from the cost of the replacement shock. I’ve been thinking of a change next time and this is something else pushing me in that direction, well done for getting the issue resolved so quickly. No way a shock should last less than 20,000 miles, I’d be sending a copy of this video to BMW customer services.😤
I think it sucks, but that's beside the point. I had a Kawasaki once lose it's Nikasil cylinder lining at 14k miles just after a year of ownership. Had to have the bores replated and new pistons and rings on the the two inner cylinders. No sense in complaining. Had it occurred within the warranty period, it's Kaw's responsibility. Afterward it's mine. No sense crying to customer service about it. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. That's life. Hat's off to TMF for finding an excellent way to beat the system.
UPDATE 6th Feb: Just to let you know the dealer has been in contact with me tonight and has offered to fit a free replacement shock to my bike so that I get a new unit, rather than a second hand one.....
Yes but if i had the problem i would have got the same initial reply as you did....there using your situation to boost and now protect there reputation....but only because of your presence on youtube
Cosbro - Exactly, all us little people would have to hand over the cash for the repair. We can't all have RUclips channels to get a price break or “Free” parts. Just a BMW PR tactic going on here.
I left a comment following your latest long term review of the GS about the build quality problems I'd had with my (ex-) 2014 GS with just 700 miles on the clock...that put me off BMWs before, but this just confirms it. Shame because they are great looking, capable and well equipped machines, but if the build quality, reliability and after sales support aren't there , then I'm afraid that all counts for nought! Glad you got it fixed, though, and at a good price too! Good old Nigel!
I’m so glad you did this video. My 2013 Rear shock went last year and I rang BMW and they wanted £1800 to replace it. They also told me and they were absolutely adamant about this, that you could not rebuild it as the ESA unit was sealed. I managed to take the shock off myself and send it away to a company and had it fully rebuilt for £200. Makes me laugh that when BMW realised it was you they offered to replace it. Keep up the good work on the videos
Ah the joys of GS ownership. My 2007 GS pre electric front and rear shocks went at 20000 miles and within a month of each other. Also had 6 recalls with 80 mile round trip each time to dealer. It broke down on me on tour in Nice the ring antenna round the ignition packed up. When working it was a brilliant bike but put me off getting another. Went Honda Cross tourer and have had NO problems at all in 18000 miles. Keep up the good work. I enjoy watching your videos.
Had a Bmw Adventure last time out, went in for service, there it stayed for two months with a partial engine rebuild, current bike Triumph just coming three years old, not had a spanner on it, just going to change it for latest model, things are not what they always seem, lots of inferiority complex and snobbery can cost you a lot of money, best videos in the business, keep em coming.
Having owned BMW and Triumph the only difference is you've been lucky your Triumph hasn't had an issue that's needed you to test Triumph's customer service. IME they are useless too, in fact that's why I sold my Triumph and bought a second BMW, based on the reliability of my first one - although I'm under no illusions. In general I've found that regardless of the manufacturer with every vehicle I've ever owned over 43 years the service is awful. If you are lucky you get a good one from the factory and that's great, once you have issues you will be pulling your hair out with frustration. I've restored and worked on numerous motorcycles and cars over the years and have had to fix issues on many of the newer vehicles I've owned because the dealers could never solve any of the issues that I reported when taking the car in for a service. Unfortunately most of the time you pay massive amounts of money to have people who are not that bright or knowledgable and that have virtually zero diagnostic abilities work on vehicles. I used to do a lot of work on vehicles for a friend of mine who owned a used vehicle dealership, he would have vehicles he'd bought at auction that had problems and the main dealer would be unable to fix them and he'd come to me. Some of the problems were genuinely tricky to track down, but others were so basic it was mind boggling to think that a main dealer was incapable of fixing them, and that's before you get in to how blatantly dishonest some of them are quoting huge amounts of money for repairs which he refused, that were not needed to solve the issue, working on the basis most people know so little that they are easily fooled.
Glad to hear you got the issue fixed. Although I like my BMW their initials denoting "Bring More Wallet" is never more evident than when getting work done at a dealership.
Isn't the GS suppose to be an adventure bike?! (ON road/OFF road) Rear shock failure like that at 4 years 18000 miles .....blimey it's not as if you've rode around Hawkstone Park MX , however glad you're OK and got it sorted! NB. Thank goodness for Indies and auction sites!
Can you imagine what would happen if you were on some disused road in the outback and your electronic shock died on you. Very poor design and makes buying a BMW very worrying. Glad it all finished so well, good old eBay.
I have a appointment tomorrow at the dealership to get my brake fluid changed. I will definitely ask them about this one. Thank you for the information.
Well IMO the GS is a brilliant bike to ride and normally the service from the dealer is excellent - one isolated case doesn't mean I should write them off entirely in my opinion....everyone deserves a second chance don't they?
Jonathan Meehan In sessence good reasons: Big bike, being tall don't feel ridiculous on one, they sound great, torque is just sweet. They're very well balanced, comfortable for 2 up etc. I know they're expensive to buy and run, just like Italian cars, but you still want one right? Perfectly sensible choice would be a small capacity simple bike, around 300cc, but who buys bikes with their head alone?
Bar-tech yes all good reasons but if I was doing a round the world trip using a lot of offroad tracks, Mongolia India etc the bm is for sure the last bike I would ever trust to take alone, yes I'm sure they are good motorway cruisers but I think that's about it, gimme a 660 teneree or even an Africa twin any day of the week
I have only ever own one BMW bike and never again. In the first 9 months from new the dealer had the bike more than me after me spending 20k.Got my money back and canceled the sale after taking action against BMW and the shocking customer service i received.They would have happily left me with a bike which i could not use and to top it off they said " On the good side we can do ALL the recalls while we have it " Japanese for me from now on
Glad you were able to find a replacement shock. Cost of ownership can be expensive. Especially if you replace with oem parts through the dealer. Yours is the best commentary out there. Good luck.
Well I'm not trying to "expose" anything - just trying to offer a balanced view as I'm always singing the praises of BMW service....this particular instance I found very disappointing....
So glad I found this video. 2 days ago my 2018 GSA Rallye did exactly the same thing. On my way home from work in a moderately quick bend the traction control lit up the dash, the bike then proceeded to crash over every bump the remainder of the journey. Again like you no faults or warning lights indicated a problem and typically BMW don't want to know even though the bike only has 8k miles on the clock. Really isn't good enough for any motorcycle that a suspension unit should fail at this kind of age/mileage. Thankfully I've found a specialist in Croydon that can fully refurb the whole unit which comes with a 2 year warranty👍🏻
@@TheMissendenFlyer T-Tech Suspension in Croydon specialise in rebuilding the BMW Sachs units, modifying/upgrading most of the internals, looking at £250 - £280 if I opt for an uprated spring. They service the units too from £190, they also warranty them for 2 years, all in all seems quite a good deal. When you commented how different your bike felt in the different modes where it hadn't before, makes me also suspect that mine may not have been up to standard when I bought the bike. It has always been serviced by BMW and nothing has ever been highlighted, so was a complete surprise when it failed the other day
Update on the rear shock rebuild from T-Tech Suspension. Absolutely transformed the bike, upgraded internals and a much smoother ride and transition 2 year warranty too, so going to get the front unit done as well. The pictures I received of my stripped down unit looked pretty horrendous for a 4 year old low mileage bike. They offer routine servicing too, so definitely worth considering. The turnaround time was 5 days which included posting out to them, certainly a better option than buying a 2nd hand unit which that is an unknown quantity. Had a few surprises along the way, but so happy with the end result.
I was about about to purchase a new 2018 GS, complete with ESA and TFT, but was a little worried about the legendary servicing costs. After seeing this BMW is off the list and I'll now be considering something more conventional.
Don't let this one instance put you off - I still love the bike and would't have any other! Until now I've never had any reason to complain about BMW bikes or service, quite the opposite in fact....
Before fitting the new BMW shock I would want to know if the replacement is in anyway different to the old one. If it is of identical design you run the risk of further failures and the next time it may not be a pleasant experience out on the road. It would be interesting to find out what is the exact cause of the failure and what action BMW has taken if any to ensure the problem is resolved .
Top marks for sorting at a reasonable price. I had a similar issue with my 2011 Multistrada (along with many, many others!), luckily was under warranty but would have cost over £2K to fix. That experience made me choose new bikes without the fancy electronic suspension. Owning an older one of these highly complicated machines could prove expensive. Should a shock make more than 19K miles? I think so. Does this show BMW dealers in a good light? Think not.
Good for you for doing your homework and being so calm and cool about the situation. It’s gives me hope about getting things done on my bikes. Great video and it’s nice to see how other people live across the pond. Be safe and ride often!!
My RT was a moneypit. They wanted £1500 for a new ABS pump. Went to a specialist in Luton, Scottmoto I think was the name, and he fitted a refurbished one for a fraction of the cost. If you haven't seen an ABS pump, it's an alloy machined part with an electric motor. Outrageous. And who ever heard of a Honda ABS pump failing? No one, ever. Never ever have another BMW.
Great video, just came over your videos today, appreciate the integrity and candid reporting. I was appalled at the BMW pricing. Having watched the Long Way Down - I recall they had a few shock failures - granted the bikes were fully loaded and riding some rough terrain, however they were barely broken in when they experienced the failures. To me the shocks are at fault and whatever engineer introduced this variant needs to revamp the design to ensure longevity and reliability as opposed to reduced production costs and increased profitability. It’s not just a bike, it’s the reputation of an iconic bike and company. Come on BMW - focus on the customer. And yes I’m glad that the finally pulled through, but to me the design/reliability is the issue at heart.
glad to hear you got a good result in the end , i wonder if just ordinary guy of the street , ,ie without 63 thousand friends ,,, would have gotten the same service though.
I own a BMW GS Adventure and I love the bike very much. I feel it’s a top build bike but it’s lacking in two areas. One is the seat and the other the suspension. The seat is fine and I can last on it all day. However, it’s very soft and doesn’t deal well with heavy people. On top it could use some firmness. The suspension works phenomenal. Press of a button and poof! You get different dampening and/or weight compensation for luggage and/or pillion. Top tip: avoid adjusting the preload esa when on the bike. Stand next to the bike while operating the preload esa, this distresses the small electric motor for wear. Second top tip: run the preload at least once every 1000km’s. Do this as described with the first tip. You won’t believe how many people end up with a 2000 Eur bill just because they sat in the bike fully loaded and only used the esa once a year. With clogged up shock threads and a small electrical motor you’re asking for trouble. Last comment, superb action finding a shock on the interweb. Alternative is a hyperpro shock, costs half of a bmw shock and is better. Fun fact: did you know that the previous generation gs shock’s rear spring only costs 18 eur as a stand-alone part for bmw when they put the shock together? That would be their material cost price. Says something about the quality if you compare to other shock manufacturers. Ride save!
Borre Moolenaar Congratulation! Comments should make sense. And yours does! I own a Gsa Lc 2014 and realized the Preload was going up and down just because I started the engine again, after getting petrol. middle adjustment. I wonder if this is a sign of failure in the future. I will follow your advice! Thank you!
I was looking at a 2014 GS at my local dealer today, who are not BMW dealers. They had it from a part exchange. It is in immaculate condition. It would only have 3 months warranty. It costs over ten grand. This reminds me of the anxiety and cost i had of an R1200RT i had in 2013 when the warranty expired. You can pay over £300 a year to extend the warranty. Seeing this video is amazingly timely. I think I’ll just keep to my Speed Twin... cheers as usual. P
wtf!!!!! 4 years old bike with ruined rear shock, that's not right at all. bmw should replace it free of charge( especially for the price of that bike). modern vehicles quality standards, is not what it use to be. My GS is 23 years old and still have the original oem rear shock with no issues whatsoever. well I think, I'll think twice before splashing £12000 plus on a new GS. just disgusting service from BMW
If I ever needed a reason not to step foot in a BMW showroom. Lovely looking machines, mind. Just not worth the hassle. I'll be sticking it out with my trusty Yammy,.
Glad you got it sorted bud. Must admit, even though it’s 4 years old and out of warranty, that seems very bad customer service by your dealer, I wouldn’t be impressed by that and it would push me to another dealership at the very least. Glad you’re all good now 👍
but what do you aspect with all the potholes in the roads where the MF lives..........it is a disgrace, I would not ride there if they gave me a gold clock................nope!!
I've ridden my non BMW bike for about 4 years, done things with it that it wasn't designed for, my shocks still work. That is such a critical component to have it fail so soon and have a dealer say "welp guess you'll have to buy a new one" is not acceptible. So far i'm only due for battery replacement and fork seals replacement. I would really like a GS all the same over my current ride.
That was a right result, I have never owned a BMW and feel it is becoming less likely by the day, unbelievable disregard for customers. Did you get to diagnose the old shock? Can't believe you didn't use Delboy, he could have regassed it with some hot air :-)
I have the exact year & colour GS as you TMF! 5 months ago, I had exactly the same problem. The bike only had less than 4K on the clock and was purchased privately. My local BMW dealership spoke with their customer relationship team and managed to get the new parts for free! All I paid was about £76 for the original disassembly. Needless to say that I was over the moon with their customer service. 🏍👍🏻
A few years ago I bought a used R1200GS. It had around 6000 miles on it and the rear shock was already leaking. The dealer (not a BMW dealership) replaced the leaking shock before selling me the bike. It did not have the ESA suspension, but the dealer said that leaking rear shocks were a common problem with the GS.
2k BMW......could buy half an Himalayan for that! Which I did in fact 👍 Always good to know a quality local bike mechanic as you mentioned. look after the little guys the big boys can look after themselves.
Glad you got the bike sorted, it's been a real pleasure watching you BMW videos over the years. You have to admire BMW for creating brand loyalty for such an apparent engineering masterpiece, considering the amount of issues they appear to have had with it recently. Extortionate prices for BMW goods, service and parts yet we keep sending our hard earned money to Germany... There's a lesson for all of us here, we need to start investing in Britain again !!! I've got a new Triumph Tiger 800 on order. Not strictly 100% British made but it's the closet I can afford.
Hi Matt, Thanks for the tip off. I hope that's not representative of the Triumph 800 models generally. I haven't seen many negative comments about them but we all know mfg isn't perfect so the odd "friday afternoon" product can still occur. I'm also trusting that Triumph will have learned from any issues with the previous 800 and fixed them on the new model.
Recalls are Core Returns. Core: A rebuildable auto part used as a partial trade in for a new or rebuilt part. Well.... it could vary depends on region I guess.
I did look at getting the old shock reconditioned but read somewhere it wasn't possible on these BMW ESA ones - then I found the E-Bay part that seemed the better option...
There are shops here in the States that rebuild ESA shocks but it costs around $450 and if the electric motor was bad, who knows if that can be replaced/repaired or at what cost? I'd say you did well.
Ted Porter Beemer Shop in US will rebuild with Wilbers parts. However, cost is still around $1000 US. You should be able to source WILBERS in the EU. Touratech replacement Shocks are even worse at almost $4000 a pair. Also, Ted has a video of what the process is to rebuild. Might want to check it out and have a spare rear shock out of your old unit.
I had the rear ESA shock on my GS rebuilt by MCT in Stowmarket. Ride in ride out including revalving and a new spring was about £225. Transformed the rear end. Both it and the bearings in the final drive failed in a month - the wife:pound converter saw a lot of use that month!
I'm extremely disappointed and concerned about BMW's response to this issue... I always said I would never own a BMW outside of warranty but my experience with BMW to date has been fine, so I was reconsidering that mindset... but after hearing this and some other rather concerning stories recently, I think I will move my GS on after my finance and warranty simultaneously end.
I was looking at a 2012 800GS as that’s where my budget will allow me to go - Likewise after reading of other people’s experiences when the BMW warranty has expired - sadly I don’t think my budget would allow for BMW parts - so will reconsider the Triumph, Kawasaki and Suzuki models.
@@brianbrooking496 you may want to look at the Older 1200GS out there. I have a 2006 and 0 problems. ( cross my Fingers) but it has been a unbelievably nice Bike. No fancy Electronics to worry about Breaking. I just get on and Ride. I have to manually change the Damping if I’m 2 up or Loaded, but it’s easy to do. It still Rides like a New One. I do all my own Maintenance, so it’s easy to do. You could find a Older Model 1200 cheaper or at the same Price as a newer Model used 800GS.
I was gutted for you TMF when i started watching this vid, but so glad it turned out right in the end. Hope my S1000XR does not suffer the same a bit further down the line, heres hoping.
I’ve read where the new ‘rule of thumb’ for owning German products are to get rid of them once their warranties expire - much like their political situation apparently.
Hi I was about to buy a second hand gs but several dealers have told me they refuse to buy from main dealers because of very expensive claims against them for repairs. They told me never buy one without a very good warranty and sell ASAP once it’s run out. One example, horn failed, new Ecu, bus cam problem £1500 A HORN!
Steven Hill my brother has a brand new Tiger we'll see how he gets on. Personally I just find the Japanese Quality is above a beyond anything eye on the planet. Whether it be Suzuki Mazda Toyota or Yamaha simple quality and reliability. I was big into German engineering but I think hard way on many occasions that the quality was simply not there. Add to this the diesel lies from Vw and Mercedes just adds to the fact that they're playing catch up to the better quality products on the market. My cousin is a mechanic and on any given day I pop into see him 90% of his cars are Audi BMW VW or Mercedes. No not for me. Thanks
Perhaps it's the legendary German arrogance doing it, much like the British manufacturers attitude in the 50s and 60s until the Japanese demolished most of it. Until recently I had never bought anything but Japanese stuff (mostly Suzuki), but after seeing the Street Twin at the MCN show, I took a closer look at Triumph and was impressed by the whole thing, so I bought one. The bike has a quality feel to it and presumably the reliability is hugely improved. I remain optimistic.
I still have to clean my dust covered GSA - although I now have a Sonic Scrubber, Cape Town is in a drought and we are not permitted to wash cars/motorbikes, etc.
I’ve been a fair weather fan of BMWs anyway - this story hurts more than helps unfortunately. Thinking german quality will continue to slide along side their social/political situation...
Crazy. Obviously the dealer would never install an unknown used shock on their warranted bike. But they owed you a real answer. It might be most crazy that you rode the bike in that condition right ha. Glad all’s well now! My ‘05 GS was upgraded to Öhlins front and rear many years ago, designed for real off-road abuse.
I must say BMW really sucks when it comes to taking care of old(current) customers. Fascinating that they don't recognize the fact that it pushes customers over to other brands, which hopefully is better at service.
I have a riding friend that owns a '10 S1000RR, bought used. He loves the bike, is mechanically inclined, and had to do quite a bit of his own work on it. His experiences with the local Beemer dealer became at first a joke, then a cautionary tale, specifically in the case of the 'used parts' thing. The reason this became an issue is that he ran the numbers and realised that without some BMW-specific tools that he needed to buy, it would be cheaper to get the shop to do it. In the end he bought the tools anyway (at great cost) as he was so tired of the runaround.
BMW GB customer service is appalling. In 2015 my new R1200R had an exhaust valve fault which burnt out the wiring after only 59 miles (yes that's five-nine!) leaving me stranded on the Brecon Beacons for 5 hours waiting for BMW Assistance, who were also crap. My dealer, Dick Lovett in Bristol was brilliant, they sorted a new bike (with a slightly better spec) ready for me to collect a few days later. BMW GB were very dismissive (despite the fact I've had BMW bikes continuously since 1977, and currently have 2, my wife has one and a BMW Mini!) and basically said "sorry for your inconvenience". I work for a Korean car company who I'm sure BMW would look down on but we would NEVER treat our customers like I was treated. If it wasn't for the dealer being absolutely brilliant I would never have another BMW, of any kind.
Well done getting around that problem TMF, I would be naming and shaming the BMTrouble-you dealer, and to think that you have not even used the big GS off road in the rough stuff yet. I bought my Yamaha Tracer900 after watching your review and have been very happy with it, so your reviews and comments do have influence. They should look after people like yourself. I've owned one BMW in my 53 years of riding and got stung badly that was enough for me. anyway well done again mate.
Thanks for the kind words - I disagree with "They should look after people like yourself" (I assume referring to the fact I have always been such a public fan of the BMW products and service) - they should look after every customer, I specifically didn't use the trump "I have a you tube channel" card as you shouldn't have too should you.....
Is the dealer aware that you are press? If they are, then kudos to them (even if sucks) for not treating you special. If they aren't aware, how do you manage to conceal it? Fake beard and tattoos, and a georgie accent?
Sounds like the bikes are just like the cars. Overpriced parts and servicing and not much customer service. Especially when your paying £18000. Take care TMF.
My 4 mates have all had trouble with there GS TE models, I'm still "shocked " you guys still buy them , it's one brand I'd never buy , Honda Yamaha any day , glad you got it sorted though sir
A carbon copy of my story today to find the dealer in Dorchester quoting £1400 for a replacement unit. Bike the same age as the one in the video at 4 years. Mine has 10k miles. Never take pillion or luggage. I'm 12 stone. It has been driving me mad trying to understand what the problem has been but the bike has been handling horrifically and at least this failed part explains it. I said that I bought from new to not have massive bills like this for a relatively young bike. I think this is a major problem for them as they should not fail at this stage. The service department said they would put in a good will request and it seems like fingers crossed so will know more on Tuesday. Keen to hear any other stories where dealers replaced this comp so I have some leverage. Thank you!
Very common. Problem on BMW bikes , way to much electronics to go wrong .good news is there are some companies out there that will rebuild the shocks for a fraction of the price of a new one .
Glad you managed to get sorted without having to spend any more with BMW. This sort of horror story about poor BMW reliability and complaints about the high cost of servicing is very common, it put me off buying one and I opted for Yamaha Super Tenere instead.
This is unfortunately the issue with electronic suspension.. £1800 bloody joke! I bet BMW did offer to do it when they realised it was you 😂😂 bet they have your picture behind the counter from now on so can offer you a special service!
A friend has a 2010 R1200RT with ESA. The oem shock(Sachs) started to leak at less than 10K miles. Took the bike to a dealer and the oem replacement was about $2K USD. My friend discovered that he could get a Wilbers replacement shock with the ESA installed by a Wilbers dealer in CA for under $900 with shipping both ways from CT. The dealer had no issue with removing his shock, shipping to CA and then installing the Wilbers shock. He says the Wilbers is much better than the Sachs. There are alternatives if you put some research time in. Plus, the dealer was very willing to go along with approach and having his bike in the shop for some time until the shock arrived.
After the millions it cost them replacing the rear shocks on the new RT when it came out you would have thought they would have changed yours for you, especially at only 19.5k miles and not even two up riding. Dreadful. You hear some real horror stories with BMW.
Well I wasn't expecting that! Heard of oil leaks but this is the first one I've heard of with this problem. As you said it may well of had a problem from new. Glad you were able to sort it, but very concerning for the rest of us GS owners in the future.
Regardless of the BMW warranty period, wouldn't this fail under the "fit for purpose" or "merchantable quality" tests? An £18k bike shouldn't have failing suspension at 19k miles.
That's my view too, they normally do "good will" settlements to avoid court cases. Given we haven't seen TMF's bike doing the Dakar I would have thought they would have done something.....
With this being known now maybe a good will gesture could still happen. This could be bad for gs1200 sales. I for one am not even going to consider one now. So many things about the big Gs can't just be ignored.
Chris Hart you can worry yourself silly reading forums, it's only normally the people with gripes who write in. For a complex machine such as a GS advisable to consider an extended warranty.....
for a couple of hundred quid, no, but... I had a car that was just out of warranty and the gearbox went. Dealers were useless, totally uninterested in helping, just wanted the money. A call to the manufacturer helpline and I got a new gearbox for half price, after they agreed that it shouldn't have failed on a car that old. Always worth bypassing the dealer and gong to the manufacturer, worst they can say is no.
Nightmare. Yet another example of failure from a supposed premium brand. Front forks, shaft seals and bearings etc etc. And what appalling service. Clever electronic systems are fine in phones where they do not get wet or dirty, but the rear shock on a motorcycle is not that sterile environment. Well done for sorting it but still nearly 300 sheets out of pocket. How does everyone feel about their clever, electronic packages? Enfield Himalayan anyone?
Makes you wonder if a second hand GS makes much sense without a full BM warranty. Keep checking that rear wheel bevel box for oil leaks near the gator and play/rumbling in the rear wheel when you grab/turn it. It will fail.
Did you not phone bmw customer care head office and ask them to pay or for atleast a significant contribution. I got 90% towards a head rebuild off vauxhall by phoning them myself, after the dealer tried to charge me £1700 saying vauxhall wouldnt contribute.
Not good news, it's the first time I know of anyone who has had problems with the rear shock. I also have a GS1200 (2017) and I'm already worried about it. Thanks for sharing. Best regards
The RUclips video on the engine teardown of Nick Sanders' Super Tenere engine, after his South American stint, is part of what sold me on this bike. Minimal wear on an engine that was certainly used! It's worth a watch!
Definitely sounds like it was defective out of the box TMF, it’s not like you ride the bike off-road much, or over hard terrain, then you could sort of understand it failing. Many riders use these machines off road in some very demanding conditions and the shocks take the beating. Glad you got sorted.
Yes but if i had the problem i would have got the same initial reply as you did....there using your situation to boost and now protect there reputation....but only because of your presence on youtube
I had exactly the same thing happen to my last R1200GS TE. The damping packed up on a trip to Scotland. When I got home I took it to my BMW dealer only to be told that it needed to be replaced. £1500 plus VAT plus fitting. About £2000 in total!!!!! Fortunately it was covered under my extended warranty. Had to pay a small excess. Interestingly even with an extended BMW warranty claims for suspension is not covered after ( I believe) 35,000 miles! Glad you sorted your problem out at a reasonable price and hope your replacement shock hasn't done too many miles.
I have herd so many stories about expensive problems with the gs. I don't know if I could ever own one sadly. And the way BMW treat their customers is awful.
Normally I find their customer service brilliant.....just this one case I've been disappointed by and thought I'd share it in the interest of balance...
Good to know that it's not always a problem. Hopefully BMW aren't resting on their laurels and will pay attention to build quality for the fans like you.
BMW GB customer service is very good (not the dealers) but they have so much experience at it. Recalls and problems one after the other. Other manufacturers have much fewer. BMW owners are always in and out of their dealers hence the first names tea and coffee.
I had my front GSA shock begin to leak oil about 9 months after the warranty expired. My USA BMW dealer was able to get approval to replace the shock by BMW North America. He said they called those repairs a "grace" situation where they look to see it is a result of poor quality and not the operator's abuse. They recognize the owner is the victim of an unfortunate situation. When you want to ride high tech kit then you want to ride high tech kit. Those that don't can ride cheaper bikes without these headaches. TMF, you got lucky with that find but if it were me I would keep an eye on the replacement. Good luck.
The same happened with the Sachs (i..e the same maker as the BMW) rear shock on my 2013 Multistrada after about 1.5 years (~12,000 km or so I think) - faulty semi-active suspension valve. It was funny from day one but Ducati would not even look at it until a catastrophic failure and error messages appeared. Luckily just before the warranty expired. Not very impressive quality IMO at the price of these bikes. Edit: As an aside, when the valve failed on the Ducati, it was the opposite effect as TMF's BMW, the suspension was locked rigidly, it was like riding on bricks, bloody dangerous, especially in the wet. Of course it finally failed totally on a very bumpy road, two up. We were sore for the next week!
The WP on the KTMs seems to be much better. For example at the front, the compression and rebound damping are in separate forks, they are in the same tube on the Ducatis ... BMW's telelever of course has effectively a single unit for front and rear. The 15/16 SAs had a mysterious clunk in the front forks of a lot of the bikes, that was sorted late 2016 and I've seen no reports of it for 17/18 models. The ride quality and handling of my SA S is much better than the Multi was even with the new shock, which is telling given the KTM has a 19" front wheel. ;) The S-A suspension is effectively "free" versus the cost on the BMW and Ducati "S" models. ;)
Once they have our money and have sold us our bikes they don't care. I would suggest that these are known faults that they want us to believe are isolated incidents but in reality are not. The components are not of sufficient quality or durability failing at such low mileages. Catastrophic failure also has major implications for riders and other road users' safety. Are they waiting for riders and possibly other road users to be seriously injured or killed because of faulty parts?
Guess as more advance thise bikes get, the more they brake down...especially this european bikes.. look at my old strom turning 14years this year..not a bolt thats new on it exept gadget l choose to change...simpel but super bike..new oil and clean filters every year and thats that...
Pleased to see you have her sorted at a realistic price. I love my BMW and all things German motorcycle and cars but they do have shocking prices for parts....as always thanks for sharing TMF 😀👍
So bmw will let you drive off on an unsafe bike, as long as they are not legally vulnerable, but they won't give you a deal on fixing a part on their expensive motorcycle? That is disgusting. I drive past a bmw corporate office pretty regularly and am always struck by how expensive the swanky building must have been to design and build. Yet off you go on a motorized pogo stick
They can't impound the bike if that's what you mean. And Bmw deals are hard to come by more of you either want it or you don't. Some accessories can be agreed on but that's about it. Try getting them to take less than list price for a bike it will never happen
+Ian Docherty and others, of course they can't hold the bike or lock someone in a broom closet . but they Can offer him a loaner, or give him a ride home,or call him a taxi, something! they should not let a customer ride off on an unsafe bike without offering other options. repair shops regularly drive customers to their homes. they should have drove him home and towed the bike. it's not really that complicated
UPDATE 12th Feb: I have today had a warrantied shock from BMW fitted to my bike at the dealer at no cost to me. My thanks to the dealer for publicly admitting that this shouldn't have happened, and doing their best to put things right. As far as I'm concerned this issue is now closed.
TheMissendenFlyer Good on you.🏍👍
Brilliant news!
Loved to have been a fly on the wall at the dealership. AWKWARD.
Result!
Glad to hear it's fixed but can't help feeling this only happened due to the publicity as others who've suffered this relatively common problem have had no such joy and end up getting an independent shock specialist to rebuild it at a fraction of the cost. Equally the initial attitude of the dealer seems par for the course across many in the dealer network. The fact they still have such brand loyalty amazes me.
Wow folks - thanks for all the feedback! This is another of those videos that seems to have struck a chord, I've spent the last 3 hours solid answering comments but I can't keep up with the speed they're being generated......I promise to read them all but apologies if I've not been able to answer your comment personally - normal service resumed soon! All the best - TMF
i guess u must be shocked by some of the stories that pop up on here. ... The worst being that many of those stories about failures and cost are true. Sure if you buy one new the first few years u probably be ok but if they get older and rack up the miles many models can become moneypits especially if u cant repair them yourselve. I owned my r1100s for one year (bought 3 years old with less then 10k kms on it) and i put 15000kms on it in that year in between repairing the final drive, gearbox, replacing the rattling throttlebodies and finally replacing the abs pump. I am a mechanic myselve so i can do the work but nevertheless the parts costs rise beyond silly. the main reason i dumped it tho was causse i didnt trust it anymore...in the end i guess bmw ownership can be a joy if your willing to pay up bigtime for stuff that fails tho it really shouldnt given the "good" reputation of the brand.
Well yes BMW could have put a bit of goodwill towards replacement and I think if you persisted then, with dealer backing that may have happened. Everyone slating BMW shock going but I had one going on a Honda at 3 yrs old 20,000 miles and they were not interested either, you will probably also find all the other manufacturers are the same. I replaced my shock with a Wilbers still dear but superior to the Honda one by far. There are manufacturers now making ESA replacements cheaper than BMW and as time goes on more will appear and at better prices. You could also go down the extended warranty route, that is what it is there fore, within limits , of course. Anyway you have used your wits , saved yourself a fortune and sorted it! Hopefully the replacement will last, as I'm not hearing of them all failing everywhere, just the odd few. Great Blog fella .
Some of my mates say BMW actually stands for Buy More Warranty. But when you do buy warranty some items have limitations. From what I have been told the suspension units only has a 30000 mile life span, after that your not covered anyway. Which means BMW does not have much faith in their own product. There is a company in the north west re-furbishes the unit for around £250 The name of the company is Keis suspension. A friend of mine had one done there and he was really happy with the results.
TheMissendenFlyer hi glad you got it fixed . Had alternator probs last year was quoted £1300 . Out of warranty so kicked up a big fuss and managed to pay for labour only but still £504 . My bike same year as yours with around 25000 miles , just not what you expect from a premium bike .
hessel tuit Yeah , HONDA and YAMAHA etc can give problems of course , but don't think l would have to pay nearly £2000 if shock went on my , just a plain shock with remote adjustments. No fancy electronics to go wrong 😩
on my CROSSRUNNER and you can replace the shock for a superior aftermarket one for a reasonable cost as well .
Cheers BOB
Recently sold my GS after 11yrs ownership from new. The bmw servicing costs were just becoming ridiculous. Mate has a Super Tenere, when we compared running and maintenance costs, my eyes nearly fell out. Will only buy Japanese bikes from now on.
I went from a Super Ten to a GS.
The S10 is a nice enough bike and is deff cheaper to service but it's a bit of a lump compared to the much more nimble GS.
Hope it goes well for you.
+Oric Al Fair enough!
I looked at the Tenere for years once it came out but it is too tall and too heavy. Especially for my 5'7" frame. I've had FJR's in the past and yes the Japanese bikes are bullet proof. I bought the new GS because they offer a "low" version and it's lighter and has way more power that the Tenere. If Yamaha could get a new lighter weight Tenere that was lower with a shaft drive and a great engine ( like a triple ) I would be all over it. I am nervous about my future with BMW. I also had way to many fixes on my 2011 Multistrada. The europeans just cannot seem to get the quality control in the right place.
I still remember back in 2005 my ex girlfriend telling me the eye watering service cost for her GS 1150. V expensive bikes. You defo pay extra for comfort.
This is why it's always a good idea to have a trusty independent bike mechanic handy, because pretty much all dealers will stiff you once your bike is out of warranty
I’d be asking some questions about the reliability of that shock. 19k miles to failure is ridiculous, I’d want triple that as a starting point. Another poor show by BMW both In customer service and the rip-off part pricing!
Agreed 100%!
Here’s to independent mechanics and our own wrenching! Good for you, TMF!
And cars also rip-off !!
The popularity of your RUclips channel seems to have worked in your favour well done.
My friend was phoned by his local dealer and to told to cease riding his nearly new R1200RT immediately due to possible rear shock failure. The problem for him was the bike was his sole form of transport. BMW recovered the bike from his place of work and provided a K1600 for the 3 month period it took to fix the bike (lack of shocks due to replacement demand).
In the 2 year period he owned the bike there was no time when the bike was not under some form of warranty work.
Shock failure at 19k miles for any bike is bad, let alone one costing as much as yours did. That would suggest to me that the shock wasn't right in the first place. You're a nicer man than Me TMF, I would have named the dealer. In a way it will probably cost them as I'm sure there will be someone if not more who watch this and re think purchasing a GS. A drop in the ocean I know, but a small victory.
Here’s to independent mechanics and our own wrenching! Good for you, TMF!
Agreed!
Was thinking about getting the R1200R instead of the Triumph Tiger Sport as my next bike, But My Wallet now says no thanks. I've read and viewed just too many stories on poor and extremely expensive BMW service. It seems the reports on bike brand reliability weren't lying after all.
I'm not sure any other manufacturer or dealer is any better all the time are they?
I agree in that there are many, many dicey garages out there (for some reason there are quite a few poorly rated Kawasaki shops here around Zurich), and the stories one hears are very often coloured by the reporter's feelings when things don't go their way, but while I've heard numerous stories about poor BMW service, I have almost nothing about bad Honda service, or in fact even Triumph service here. One mitigating factor, of course, is that BMW bikes, parts and service are simply very expensive, and one should obviously be aware of this when buying their machines, but with those prices also come expectations that one doesn't have with, say Kawasaki or Yamaha, even though their bikes regularly top the reliability charts. KTM also have a less than stellar reputation with regards to reliability attached to their high prices, but not a reputation for poor service. Ducatis, especially older ones, are also in this category.
I the end, though, I suppose one can just be unlucky.
... or just be lucky. Recently I had fantastic service from the Ducati dealer in Frauenfeld, and I wasn't even on a Ducati! While out riding the gear shifter peg dropped of my little KTM Duke. I walked back down the road, found the missing bolt, and was able to remount the shifter peg, but only had 2nd and 3rd gear 8-(. 500 metres down the road I see the Ducati logo, and think "a bike is a bike, let's see what they can do." The 2 mechanics there drop everything, test-ride my bike, find a suitable washer to correctly space the shifter peg, locktite it, retest-ride the bike, pump up the tyres, and best of all refused to charge me anything!
That is pretty amazing. I've had similar experiences in out of the way places here in Switzerland from a Honda dealer's place. I used to have a very crappy KLR, but when I broke down down the hill from the village where his shop was, he came and picked up the bike free of charge, which is amazing, because that usually costs a minor fortune here in Switzerland. P.S. Do you live here?
I wouldn't get too excited about the Tiger Sport. Mine fell over while stationary and developed a immobliser fault. Triumph quoted £400 for a new key lock assembly with the possiblity of a good will gesture. I sold the thing and bought a 10 year old Guzzi 1100 Griso which I get far more ownership pleasure from.
Makes a good case for BMW Motoradd extended warranty Insurance (BMW breakdown is included so offsets it a bit), which I've had over the years on my previous BMW's, but not had to use as yet. At least it takes the sting out of a failed part or engine problem, can you imagine the cost of that! Mind you reading the small print the suspension units are only covered up to 30k miles interestingly, everything else appears to be 100k. I still love BMW's though, they are innovators and bring new tech to the bike world, just remember there's a dark side. Keep the videos coming, we all appreciate your efforts and hard work.
I feel your pain TMF and glad you got it sorted. I thought long and hard about posting this comment, as I did not want to use your site to bash BMW, I do love the GS and RT. That said, I had many issues with my GS and although most where rectified eventually, it was always a fight with customer service, every time. What I find interesting in your case is that BMW Customer Service here in the US stated to me that they will use used parts to fix a warranty issue! I had to ask three times to be sure and was told three times, yes, we will use a used part. At the time, I reported the issue, my GS was two weeks old, so couldn’t accept that they would even think of using a used part as a replacement. Horrified, I wrote to Germany for clarification and have yet to receive a reply, some 12 months later. Again, Don’t want to jump on the band wagon but thought it worth a mention. I must say that the dealership stepped up in the end and sorted it out for me but I lost a lot of faith in BMW in the process.
Been working my way through your videos over the last few weeks (been watching Richie and Bruces stuff for a while). Infinitely more interesting and entertaining than the stuff on the box and your production values get better all the time. Keep up the amazing work, its hugely appreciated. Im over the bike and garage envy now!
Thank you for the BMW maintenance update. It is this type of information that is so important in making a purchase decision.
Going forward.Wilbers is a 1st class replacement shock front and back.We have a guy in SA who does the replacement work.Wilbers build the shock to your weight before fitment.They are also not cheap cheap but better than BMW.Glad you got sorted.
Speaking as a GS fan that is shocking customer service, apart from the cost of the replacement shock. I’ve been thinking of a change next time and this is something else pushing me in that direction, well done for getting the issue resolved so quickly. No way a shock should last less than 20,000 miles, I’d be sending a copy of this video to BMW customer services.😤
Why? It lasted beyond the warranty period. That's all you're guaranteed by any mfg.
saddlebag you think 18000 for a shock is acceptable, not in my world, even though I accept its outside warranty it’s hardly had a hard life🙄
I think it sucks, but that's beside the point. I had a Kawasaki once lose it's Nikasil cylinder lining at 14k miles just after a year of ownership. Had to have the bores replated and new pistons and rings on the the two inner cylinders. No sense in complaining. Had it occurred within the warranty period, it's Kaw's responsibility. Afterward it's mine. No sense crying to customer service about it. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. That's life.
Hat's off to TMF for finding an excellent way to beat the system.
very true saddlebag - the bike is only guaranteed for 2 years of use, I've been using mine for twice that, I have no grounds for complaint!
The outrageous thing is the price
UPDATE 6th Feb: Just to let you know the dealer has been in contact with me tonight and has offered to fit a free replacement shock to my bike so that I get a new unit, rather than a second hand one.....
Yes but if i had the problem i would have got the same initial reply as you did....there using your situation to boost and now protect there reputation....but only because of your presence on youtube
Cosbro - Exactly, all us little people would have to hand over the cash for the repair. We can't all have RUclips channels to get a price break or “Free” parts. Just a BMW PR tactic going on here.
And i hope the missenden flyer acknowledges this
They shouldn't even have quibbled. I sold my GS last weekend and was really sad, now I'm not as sad as I thought
Glad they stepped up, no matter what the reason, they did the right thing in the end.
£275 replacement ESA shock. Well done sir. Still cheaper than BMW extended warranty.
I left a comment following your latest long term review of the GS about the build quality problems I'd had with my (ex-) 2014 GS with just 700 miles on the clock...that put me off BMWs before, but this just confirms it. Shame because they are great looking, capable and well equipped machines, but if the build quality, reliability and after sales support aren't there , then I'm afraid that all counts for nought!
Glad you got it fixed, though, and at a good price too! Good old Nigel!
I guess you now have eleven things that you hate about the BMW GS.
:0) ...very true!
Best comment! Thank you for commenting. LOL!!!
I’m so glad you did this video. My 2013 Rear shock went last year and I rang BMW and they wanted £1800 to replace it. They also told me and they were absolutely adamant about this, that you could not rebuild it as the ESA unit was sealed. I managed to take the shock off myself and send it away to a company and had it fully rebuilt for £200. Makes me laugh that when BMW realised it was you they offered to replace it. Keep up the good work on the videos
You've now experienced the reality of BMW customer service, personally I'd never give them a penny.
Nah, I'm sure this is an isolated case, normally they're brilliant (albeit at a price)....
TheMissendenFlyer We have very different idea's regarding brilliant obviously.
@@TheMissendenFlyer iam afraid I a gs owner and recent bmw customer service is been rebuish
Ah the joys of GS ownership. My 2007 GS pre electric front and rear shocks went at 20000 miles and within a month of each other. Also had 6 recalls with 80 mile round trip each time to dealer. It broke down on me on tour in Nice the ring antenna round the ignition packed up. When working it was a brilliant bike but put me off getting another. Went Honda Cross tourer and have had NO problems at all in 18000 miles. Keep up the good work. I enjoy watching your videos.
Had a Bmw Adventure last time out, went in for service, there it stayed for two months with a partial engine rebuild, current bike Triumph just coming three years old, not had a spanner on it, just going to change it for latest model, things are not what they always seem, lots of inferiority complex and snobbery can cost you a lot of money, best videos in the business, keep em coming.
Having owned BMW and Triumph the only difference is you've been lucky your Triumph hasn't had an issue that's needed you to test Triumph's customer service. IME they are useless too, in fact that's why I sold my Triumph and bought a second BMW, based on the reliability of my first one - although I'm under no illusions. In general I've found that regardless of the manufacturer with every vehicle I've ever owned over 43 years the service is awful. If you are lucky you get a good one from the factory and that's great, once you have issues you will be pulling your hair out with frustration. I've restored and worked on numerous motorcycles and cars over the years and have had to fix issues on many of the newer vehicles I've owned because the dealers could never solve any of the issues that I reported when taking the car in for a service. Unfortunately most of the time you pay massive amounts of money to have people who are not that bright or knowledgable and that have virtually zero diagnostic abilities work on vehicles. I used to do a lot of work on vehicles for a friend of mine who owned a used vehicle dealership, he would have vehicles he'd bought at auction that had problems and the main dealer would be unable to fix them and he'd come to me. Some of the problems were genuinely tricky to track down, but others were so basic it was mind boggling to think that a main dealer was incapable of fixing them, and that's before you get in to how blatantly dishonest some of them are quoting huge amounts of money for repairs which he refused, that were not needed to solve the issue, working on the basis most people know so little that they are easily fooled.
Glad to hear you got the issue fixed. Although I like my BMW their initials denoting "Bring More Wallet" is never more evident than when getting work done at a dealership.
Isn't the GS suppose to be an adventure bike?! (ON road/OFF road) Rear shock failure like that at 4 years 18000 miles .....blimey it's not as if you've rode around Hawkstone Park MX , however glad you're OK and got it sorted! NB. Thank goodness for Indies and auction sites!
Indeed Ian Iain Iaiin Ian.....
Can you imagine what would happen if you were on some disused road in the outback and your electronic shock died on you. Very poor design and makes buying a BMW very worrying. Glad it all finished so well, good old eBay.
I have a appointment tomorrow at the dealership to get my brake fluid changed. I will definitely ask them about this one. Thank you for the information.
Some say 40% of BMW's go wrong, with the initial cost of the bike plus the crap service plus the running costs I can't see any good reason to buy one
Well IMO the GS is a brilliant bike to ride and normally the service from the dealer is excellent - one isolated case doesn't mean I should write them off entirely in my opinion....everyone deserves a second chance don't they?
Jonathan Meehan In sessence good reasons: Big bike, being tall don't feel ridiculous on one, they sound great, torque is just sweet. They're very well balanced, comfortable for 2 up etc. I know they're expensive to buy and run, just like Italian cars, but you still want one right? Perfectly sensible choice would be a small capacity simple bike, around 300cc, but who buys bikes with their head alone?
Bar-tech yes all good reasons but if I was doing a round the world trip using a lot of offroad tracks, Mongolia India etc the bm is for sure the last bike I would ever trust to take alone, yes I'm sure they are good motorway cruisers but I think that's about it, gimme a 660 teneree or even an Africa twin any day of the week
I have only ever own one BMW bike and never again. In the first 9 months from new the dealer had the bike more than me after me spending 20k.Got my money back and canceled the sale after taking action against BMW and the shocking customer service i received.They would have happily left me with a bike which i could not use and to top it off they said " On the good side we can do ALL the recalls while we have it " Japanese for me from now on
Glad you were able to find a replacement shock. Cost of ownership can be expensive. Especially if you replace with oem parts through the dealer. Yours is the best commentary out there. Good luck.
Great story the prices at BMW are absolutely ridiculous a total ripoff I’m glad you are exposing this
Well I'm not trying to "expose" anything - just trying to offer a balanced view as I'm always singing the praises of BMW service....this particular instance I found very disappointing....
That's what I like so much about your channel, TMF. You're by far the fairest, most decent reviewer out there.
So glad I found this video. 2 days ago my 2018 GSA Rallye did exactly the same thing. On my way home from work in a moderately quick bend the traction control lit up the dash, the bike then proceeded to crash over every bump the remainder of the journey. Again like you no faults or warning lights indicated a problem and typically BMW don't want to know even though the bike only has 8k miles on the clock. Really isn't good enough for any motorcycle that a suspension unit should fail at this kind of age/mileage. Thankfully I've found a specialist in Croydon that can fully refurb the whole unit which comes with a 2 year warranty👍🏻
Sorry to hear that Richie - how much is it going to cost??
@@TheMissendenFlyer T-Tech Suspension in Croydon specialise in rebuilding the BMW Sachs units, modifying/upgrading most of the internals, looking at £250 - £280 if I opt for an uprated spring. They service the units too from £190, they also warranty them for 2 years, all in all seems quite a good deal. When you commented how different your bike felt in the different modes where it hadn't before, makes me also suspect that mine may not have been up to standard when I bought the bike. It has always been serviced by BMW and nothing has ever been highlighted, so was a complete surprise when it failed the other day
Update on the rear shock rebuild from T-Tech Suspension. Absolutely transformed the bike, upgraded internals and a much smoother ride and transition 2 year warranty too, so going to get the front unit done as well. The pictures I received of my stripped down unit looked pretty horrendous for a 4 year old low mileage bike. They offer routine servicing too, so definitely worth considering. The turnaround time was 5 days which included posting out to them, certainly a better option than buying a 2nd hand unit which that is an unknown quantity. Had a few surprises along the way, but so happy with the end result.
I was about about to purchase a new 2018 GS, complete with ESA and TFT, but was a little worried about the legendary servicing costs. After seeing this BMW is off the list and I'll now be considering something more conventional.
Don't let this one instance put you off - I still love the bike and would't have any other! Until now I've never had any reason to complain about BMW bikes or service, quite the opposite in fact....
Before fitting the new BMW shock I would want to know if the replacement is in anyway different to the old one. If it is of identical design you run the risk of further failures and the next time it may not be a pleasant experience out on the road.
It would be interesting to find out what is the exact cause of the failure and what action BMW has taken if any to ensure the problem is resolved .
Top marks for sorting at a reasonable price. I had a similar issue with my 2011 Multistrada (along with many, many others!), luckily was under warranty but would have cost over £2K to fix. That experience made me choose new bikes without the fancy electronic suspension. Owning an older one of these highly complicated machines could prove expensive. Should a shock make more than 19K miles? I think so. Does this show BMW dealers in a good light? Think not.
...agreed all round Banditmanuk....
Good for you for doing your homework and being so calm and cool about the situation. It’s gives me hope about getting things done on my bikes. Great video and it’s nice to see how other people live across the pond. Be safe and ride often!!
My RT was a moneypit. They wanted £1500 for a new ABS pump. Went to a specialist in Luton, Scottmoto I think was the name, and he fitted a refurbished one for a fraction of the cost. If you haven't seen an ABS pump, it's an alloy machined part with an electric motor. Outrageous. And who ever heard of a Honda ABS pump failing? No one, ever.
Never ever have another BMW.
I had one fail on my 07 Wing. Stupid money. $1500. I got a NOS one from Germany. 240 euros.
Great video, just came over your videos today, appreciate the integrity and candid reporting. I was appalled at the BMW pricing. Having watched the Long Way Down - I recall they had a few shock failures - granted the bikes were fully loaded and riding some rough terrain, however they were barely broken in when they experienced the failures. To me the shocks are at fault and whatever engineer introduced this variant needs to revamp the design to ensure longevity and reliability as opposed to reduced production costs and increased profitability. It’s not just a bike, it’s the reputation of an iconic bike and company. Come on BMW - focus on the customer. And yes I’m glad that the finally pulled through, but to me the design/reliability is the issue at heart.
Absolutely shocking story😱 19k and a major part fails! You don't even take it off road. I'm disappointed the dealership was not more helpful.
Me too.....
glad to hear you got a good result in the end , i wonder if just ordinary guy of the street , ,ie without 63 thousand friends ,,, would have gotten the same service though.
I own a BMW GS Adventure and I love the bike very much. I feel it’s a top build bike but it’s lacking in two areas. One is the seat and the other the suspension. The seat is fine and I can last on it all day. However, it’s very soft and doesn’t deal well with heavy people. On top it could use some firmness. The suspension works phenomenal. Press of a button and poof! You get different dampening and/or weight compensation for luggage and/or pillion.
Top tip: avoid adjusting the preload esa when on the bike. Stand next to the bike while operating the preload esa, this distresses the small electric motor for wear. Second top tip: run the preload at least once every 1000km’s. Do this as described with the first tip. You won’t believe how many people end up with a 2000 Eur bill just because they sat in the bike fully loaded and only used the esa once a year. With clogged up shock threads and a small electrical motor you’re asking for trouble.
Last comment, superb action finding a shock on the interweb. Alternative is a hyperpro shock, costs half of a bmw shock and is better.
Fun fact: did you know that the previous generation gs shock’s rear spring only costs 18 eur as a stand-alone part for bmw when they put the shock together? That would be their material cost price. Says something about the quality if you compare to other shock manufacturers.
Ride save!
Borre Moolenaar Congratulation! Comments should make sense. And yours does! I own a Gsa Lc 2014 and realized the Preload was going up and down just because I started the engine again, after getting petrol. middle adjustment. I wonder if this is a sign of failure in the future. I will follow your advice! Thank you!
I was looking at a 2014 GS at my local dealer today, who are not BMW dealers. They had it from a part exchange. It is in immaculate condition. It would only have 3 months warranty. It costs over ten grand. This reminds me of the anxiety and cost i had of an R1200RT i had in 2013 when the warranty expired. You can pay over £300 a year to extend the warranty. Seeing this video is amazingly timely. I think I’ll just keep to my Speed Twin... cheers as usual. P
wtf!!!!! 4 years old bike with ruined rear shock, that's not right at all. bmw should replace it free of charge( especially for the price of that bike). modern vehicles quality standards, is not what it use to be. My GS is 23 years old and still have the original oem rear shock with no issues whatsoever. well I think, I'll think twice before splashing £12000 plus on a new GS. just disgusting service from BMW
19k and failed, wow. That is very poor. This is meant to be an adventure bike and it has spent most of its time on tarmac, shocking.
...all of its time on tarmac!
Thats crazy pricing. Glad you find a cheaper and by the sounds of it better part.
I’m happy that you were able get this righted fairly stress free! Yeah it was probably so gradual that you did not notice.
If I ever needed a reason not to step foot in a BMW showroom. Lovely looking machines, mind. Just not worth the hassle. I'll be sticking it out with my trusty Yammy,.
I'm sure Yamaha's have their fair share of problems too - no manufacturer is perfect!
It's amazing how fast a dealership reacts when they get bad publicity.
Glad you got it sorted bud. Must admit, even though it’s 4 years old and out of warranty, that seems very bad customer service by your dealer, I wouldn’t be impressed by that and it would push me to another dealership at the very least.
Glad you’re all good now 👍
Cheers matey - have you taken out the extended warranty on Helga? May be worth considering.....
TheMissendenFlyer No I didn’t know anything about it?! Will check it out, thanks for the heads up 👍
I am lead to believe that the extended warranty doesn't cover the rear shock after 27000 mls ! Worth asking the question before buying .
but what do you aspect with all the potholes in the roads where the MF lives..........it is a disgrace, I would not ride there if they gave me a gold clock................nope!!
I've ridden my non BMW bike for about 4 years, done things with it that it wasn't designed for, my shocks still work. That is such a critical component to have it fail so soon and have a dealer say "welp guess you'll have to buy a new one" is not acceptible.
So far i'm only due for battery replacement and fork seals replacement. I would really like a GS all the same over my current ride.
There's no damping on BMW's prices either. Shocking...
Good job getting it sorted 👍.
Used Rear shock price £270, local trusted independent mechanic...priceless
That was a right result, I have never owned a BMW and feel it is becoming less likely by the day, unbelievable disregard for customers. Did you get to diagnose the old shock? Can't believe you didn't use Delboy, he could have regassed it with some hot air :-)
Glad to see you got the shock sorted, I'm still waiting for the fork recall to be done!
I have the exact year & colour GS as you TMF!
5 months ago, I had exactly the same problem. The bike only had less than 4K on the clock and was purchased privately. My local BMW dealership spoke with their customer relationship team and managed to get the new parts for free! All I paid was about £76 for the original disassembly.
Needless to say that I was over the moon with their customer service. 🏍👍🏻
Nice one!
Is that Paul White the BMW PR man!!
No, I’m the bloke that couldn’t afford to pay £1500 for a new rear dampener!
A few years ago I bought a used R1200GS. It had around 6000 miles on it and the rear shock was already leaking. The dealer (not a BMW dealership) replaced the leaking shock before selling me the bike. It did not have the ESA suspension, but the dealer said that leaking rear shocks were a common problem with the GS.
Got to keep the little workshops going
2k BMW......could buy half an Himalayan for that! Which I did in fact 👍
Always good to know a quality local bike mechanic as you mentioned. look after the little guys the big boys can look after themselves.
Glad you got the bike sorted, it's been a real pleasure watching you BMW videos over the years. You have to admire BMW for creating brand loyalty for such an apparent engineering masterpiece, considering the amount of issues they appear to have had with it recently. Extortionate prices for BMW goods, service and parts yet we keep sending our hard earned money to Germany... There's a lesson for all of us here, we need to start investing in Britain again !!! I've got a new Triumph Tiger 800 on order. Not strictly 100% British made but it's the closet I can afford.
Good luck with that then my mates 800XC has been in the dealer since well before X-mas with an electrical issue that they can't seem to fix.
Hi Matt, Thanks for the tip off. I hope that's not representative of the Triumph 800 models generally. I haven't seen many negative comments about them but we all know mfg isn't perfect so the odd "friday afternoon" product can still occur. I'm also trusting that Triumph will have learned from any issues with the previous 800 and fixed them on the new model.
Great fix mate! Love how you worked a way round this rather than consider the astronomical cost of BMWs answer. Love it when a plan comes together!
Me too - all's well that ends well!
Keep the old shock and get it reconditioned??
Recalls are Core Returns.
Core: A rebuildable auto part used as a partial trade in for a new or rebuilt part.
Well.... it could vary depends on region I guess.
I did look at getting the old shock reconditioned but read somewhere it wasn't possible on these BMW ESA ones - then I found the E-Bay part that seemed the better option...
There are shops here in the States that rebuild ESA shocks but it costs around $450 and if the electric motor was bad, who knows if that can be replaced/repaired or at what cost? I'd say you did well.
Ted Porter Beemer Shop in US will rebuild with Wilbers parts. However, cost is still around $1000 US. You should be able to source WILBERS in the EU. Touratech replacement Shocks are even worse at almost $4000 a pair. Also, Ted has a video of what the process is to rebuild. Might want to check it out and have a spare rear shock out of your old unit.
I had the rear ESA shock on my GS rebuilt by MCT in Stowmarket. Ride in ride out including revalving and a new spring was about £225. Transformed the rear end. Both it and the bearings in the final drive failed in a month - the wife:pound converter saw a lot of use that month!
Oh the miracle of the internet, glad it all came good for you.
I'm extremely disappointed and concerned about BMW's response to this issue... I always said I would never own a BMW outside of warranty but my experience with BMW to date has been fine, so I was reconsidering that mindset... but after hearing this and some other rather concerning stories recently, I think I will move my GS on after my finance and warranty simultaneously end.
Fair enough....I'm sticking with mine, love my GS :0)
I was looking at a 2012 800GS as that’s where my budget will allow me to go - Likewise after reading of other people’s experiences when the BMW warranty has expired - sadly I don’t think my budget would allow for BMW parts - so will reconsider the Triumph, Kawasaki and Suzuki models.
@@brianbrooking496 you may want to look at the Older 1200GS out there. I have a 2006 and 0 problems. ( cross my Fingers) but it has been a unbelievably nice Bike. No fancy Electronics to worry about Breaking. I just get on and Ride. I have to manually change the Damping if I’m 2 up or Loaded, but it’s easy to do. It still Rides like a New One. I do all my own Maintenance, so it’s easy to do. You could find a Older Model 1200 cheaper or at the same Price as a newer Model used 800GS.
I was gutted for you TMF when i started watching this vid, but so glad it turned out right in the end.
Hope my S1000XR does not suffer the same a bit further down the line, heres hoping.
So its replace GS every 4years or before 19000 miles then 🤔🤔🤔🤔 glad to hear you got a replacement shock at a better price stay safe
I’ve read where the new ‘rule of thumb’ for owning German products are to get rid of them once their warranties expire - much like their political situation apparently.
Hi I was about to buy a second hand gs but several dealers have told me they refuse to buy from main dealers because of very expensive claims against them for repairs. They told me never buy one without a very good warranty and sell ASAP once it’s run out.
One example, horn failed, new Ecu, bus cam problem £1500 A HORN!
Japanese ALL THE WAY for bikes and cars . Great video again well constructed . thanks
Or Triumph surely?
Steven Hill OK. And Taiwanese then😉
Steven Hill my brother has a brand new Tiger we'll see how he gets on. Personally I just find the Japanese Quality is above a beyond anything eye on the planet. Whether it be Suzuki Mazda Toyota or Yamaha simple quality and reliability. I was big into German engineering but I think hard way on many occasions that the quality was simply not there. Add to this the diesel lies from Vw and Mercedes just adds to the fact that they're playing catch up to the better quality products on the market. My cousin is a mechanic and on any given day I pop into see him 90% of his cars are Audi BMW VW or Mercedes. No not for me. Thanks
LOL, ok I forgot about that bit.
Perhaps it's the legendary German arrogance doing it, much like the British manufacturers attitude in the 50s and 60s until the Japanese demolished most of it. Until recently I had never bought anything but Japanese stuff (mostly Suzuki), but after seeing the Street Twin at the MCN show, I took a closer look at Triumph and was impressed by the whole thing, so I bought one. The bike has a quality feel to it and presumably the reliability is hugely improved. I remain optimistic.
I had the ABS unit go out went the BMW replacement route $$$$. Ouch. Glad you had a better economic outcome! Cheers!
Did Nigel give you a few minutes for a quick clean around the underbelly of the bike TMF?
I had the same thought watching the video.
Poor Nigel, TMF was standing behind him all the time, Sonic Scrubber in one hand and ACF-50 in the other.
You can't know how desperate I was to get the cleaning kit in there!!!
I still have to clean my dust covered GSA - although I now have a Sonic Scrubber, Cape Town is in a drought and we are not permitted to wash cars/motorbikes, etc.
I bought a brand new ‘basic’ watercooled last June. I had no electrical packs or extras whatsoever, not even heated grips. Happy days!
Damn! That's such a bad service and ridiculous price from BMW! I guess i gonna have to think again about buying bmw..
I’ve been a fair weather fan of BMWs anyway - this story hurts more than helps unfortunately. Thinking german quality will continue to slide along side their social/political situation...
Crazy. Obviously the dealer would never install an unknown used shock on their warranted bike. But they owed you a real answer. It might be most crazy that you rode the bike in that condition right ha. Glad all’s well now! My ‘05 GS was upgraded to Öhlins front and rear many years ago, designed for real off-road abuse.
I must say BMW really sucks when it comes to taking care of old(current) customers. Fascinating that they don't recognize the fact that it pushes customers over to other brands, which hopefully is better at service.
Agreed.....still love my GS though :0)
The Multistrada at 30k is faultless but when the Ohlins go that will be a kick in the head
Without new customers coming to a brand it will die. I could probably buy a BMW in the future, but stuff like this will push me towards other brands.
Glad to hear the dealer came to their senses. Any idea what their motivation might be?
I have a riding friend that owns a '10 S1000RR, bought used. He loves the bike, is mechanically inclined, and had to do quite a bit of his own work on it.
His experiences with the local Beemer dealer became at first a joke, then a cautionary tale, specifically in the case of the 'used parts' thing. The reason this became an issue is that he ran the numbers and realised that without some BMW-specific tools that he needed to buy, it would be cheaper to get the shop to do it.
In the end he bought the tools anyway (at great cost) as he was so tired of the runaround.
BMW GB customer service is appalling. In 2015 my new R1200R had an exhaust valve fault which burnt out the wiring after only 59 miles (yes that's five-nine!) leaving me stranded on the Brecon Beacons for 5 hours waiting for BMW Assistance, who were also crap. My dealer, Dick Lovett in Bristol was brilliant, they sorted a new bike (with a slightly better spec) ready for me to collect a few days later. BMW GB were very dismissive (despite the fact I've had BMW bikes continuously since 1977, and currently have 2, my wife has one and a BMW Mini!) and basically said "sorry for your inconvenience". I work for a Korean car company who I'm sure BMW would look down on but we would NEVER treat our customers like I was treated. If it wasn't for the dealer being absolutely brilliant I would never have another BMW, of any kind.
Well done getting around that problem TMF, I would be naming and shaming the BMTrouble-you dealer, and to think that you have not even used the big GS off road in the rough stuff yet. I bought my Yamaha Tracer900 after watching your review and have been very happy with it, so your reviews and comments do have influence. They should look after people like yourself. I've owned one BMW in my 53 years of riding and got stung badly that was enough for me. anyway well done again mate.
Thanks for the kind words - I disagree with "They should look after people like yourself" (I assume referring to the fact I have always been such a public fan of the BMW products and service) - they should look after every customer, I specifically didn't use the trump "I have a you tube channel" card as you shouldn't have too should you.....
Is the dealer aware that you are press? If they are, then kudos to them (even if sucks) for not treating you special. If they aren't aware, how do you manage to conceal it? Fake beard and tattoos, and a georgie accent?
Sounds like the bikes are just like the cars. Overpriced parts and servicing and not much customer service. Especially when your paying £18000. Take care TMF.
My 4 mates have all had trouble with there GS TE models, I'm still "shocked " you guys still buy them , it's one brand I'd never buy , Honda Yamaha any day , glad you got it sorted though sir
my 2002 yam xjr 1300 has 121000 miles on the clock, shocks and everything else is ok, and she cost £5999 new!
A carbon copy of my story today to find the dealer in Dorchester quoting £1400 for a replacement unit. Bike the same age as the one in the video at 4 years. Mine has 10k miles. Never take pillion or luggage. I'm 12 stone.
It has been driving me mad trying to understand what the problem has been but the bike has been handling horrifically and at least this failed part explains it.
I said that I bought from new to not have massive bills like this for a relatively young bike.
I think this is a major problem for them as they should not fail at this stage.
The service department said they would put in a good will request and it seems like fingers crossed so will know more on Tuesday.
Keen to hear any other stories where dealers replaced this comp so I have some leverage.
Thank you!
Forget leverage unless you have a VLOG as popular as this one :-(
BMW UK warrantied the part for me. Phew
Are you still paying for the labour ?
10% off on one hour of labour. I couldn’t get any better deal than that from UK or the dealer
If you can get it done inside the hour ;-) Better deal than I got, BMW saying because a 2013 bike, despite previous extended warranty.
Very common. Problem on BMW bikes , way to much electronics to go wrong .good news is there are some companies out there that will rebuild the shocks for a fraction of the price of a new one .
sell it
Glad you managed to get sorted without having to spend any more with BMW. This sort of horror story about poor BMW reliability and complaints about the high cost of servicing is very common, it put me off buying one and I opted for Yamaha Super Tenere instead.
This is unfortunately the issue with electronic suspension.. £1800 bloody joke! I bet BMW did offer to do it when they realised it was you 😂😂 bet they have your picture behind the counter from now on so can offer you a special service!
A friend has a 2010 R1200RT with ESA. The oem shock(Sachs) started to leak at less than 10K miles. Took the bike to a dealer and the oem replacement was about $2K USD. My friend discovered that he could get a Wilbers replacement shock with the ESA installed by a Wilbers dealer in CA for under $900 with shipping both ways from CT. The dealer had no issue with removing his shock, shipping to CA and then installing the Wilbers shock. He says the Wilbers is much better than the Sachs. There are alternatives if you put some research time in. Plus, the dealer was very willing to go along with approach and having his bike in the shop for some time until the shock arrived.
Mine had the same problem at 9k miles, I'm looking for a used shock now. Great video!
After the millions it cost them replacing the rear shocks on the new RT when it came out you would have thought they would have changed yours for you, especially at only 19.5k miles and not even two up riding. Dreadful. You hear some real horror stories with BMW.
I think I just got a service person who wasn't quite on top of his game that day....
Well I wasn't expecting that! Heard of oil leaks but this is the first one I've heard of with this problem. As you said it may well of had a problem from new. Glad you were able to sort it, but very concerning for the rest of us GS owners in the future.
Regardless of the BMW warranty period, wouldn't this fail under the "fit for purpose" or "merchantable quality" tests? An £18k bike shouldn't have failing suspension at 19k miles.
That's my view too, they normally do "good will" settlements to avoid court cases. Given we haven't seen TMF's bike doing the Dakar I would have thought they would have done something.....
With this being known now maybe a good will gesture could still happen. This could be bad for gs1200 sales. I for one am not even going to consider one now. So many things about the big Gs can't just be ignored.
Possibly but is it worth all the hassle and bad taste for the sake of the couple of hundred quid I'm out of pocket?
Chris Hart you can worry yourself silly reading forums, it's only normally the people with gripes who write in. For a complex machine such as a GS advisable to consider an extended warranty.....
for a couple of hundred quid, no, but... I had a car that was just out of warranty and the gearbox went. Dealers were useless, totally uninterested in helping, just wanted the money. A call to the manufacturer helpline and I got a new gearbox for half price, after they agreed that it shouldn't have failed on a car that old. Always worth bypassing the dealer and gong to the manufacturer, worst they can say is no.
11 months old 4000 miles rear damper failed, but pre-load still works.
Nightmare.
Yet another example of failure from a supposed premium brand. Front forks, shaft seals and bearings etc etc. And what appalling service.
Clever electronic systems are fine in phones where they do not get wet or dirty, but the rear shock on a motorcycle is not that sterile environment.
Well done for sorting it but still nearly 300 sheets out of pocket.
How does everyone feel about their clever, electronic packages?
Enfield Himalayan anyone?
:0)
bmw gs mk2. NO ABS, NO electronic suspension. Pure basics. All that's needed.
Matthew S r80 gs basic? Yes please would do the job nicely.
Makes you wonder if a second hand GS makes much sense without a full BM warranty. Keep checking that rear wheel bevel box for oil leaks near the gator and play/rumbling in the rear wheel when you grab/turn it. It will fail.
Yikes! I'm watching!!!
Did you not phone bmw customer care head office and ask them to pay or for atleast a significant contribution.
I got 90% towards a head rebuild off vauxhall by phoning them myself, after the dealer tried to charge me £1700 saying vauxhall wouldnt contribute.
Yep, many car manufacturers give a % discount out of warranty. Wouldn't hold my breath for BMW Motorrad and their dealers doing the same!
Not good news, it's the first time I know of anyone who has had problems with the rear shock.
I also have a GS1200 (2017) and I'm already worried about it.
Thanks for sharing.
Best regards
Don't worry - I'm sure this is a rare instance......
Hope so
Which is why, I brought The Rally with only options Heated grips and quickshifter, Lighter more reliable bike Cheaper too!
you hope.
This is also why I bought the Super Tenere without the electronic suspension.
Super Tenere's go on forever
The RUclips video on the engine teardown of Nick Sanders' Super Tenere engine, after his South American stint, is part of what sold me on this bike. Minimal wear on an engine that was certainly used! It's worth a watch!
just watched that, incredible that there was no discernible wear. Great quality engineering
Definitely sounds like it was defective out of the box TMF, it’s not like you ride the bike off-road much, or over hard terrain, then you could sort of understand it failing.
Many riders use these machines off road in some very demanding conditions and the shocks take the beating.
Glad you got sorted.
Yes but if i had the problem i would have got the same initial reply as you did....there using your situation to boost and now protect there reputation....but only because of your presence on youtube
I had exactly the same thing happen to my last R1200GS TE. The damping packed up on a trip to Scotland. When I got home I took it to my BMW dealer only to be told that it needed to be replaced. £1500 plus VAT plus fitting. About £2000 in total!!!!! Fortunately it was covered under my extended warranty. Had to pay a small excess. Interestingly even with an extended BMW warranty claims for suspension is not covered after ( I believe) 35,000 miles! Glad you sorted your problem out at a reasonable price and hope your replacement shock hasn't done too many miles.
So do I! Certainly it feels good but I've no idea how many miles are on the "new" shock....
I have herd so many stories about expensive problems with the gs. I don't know if I could ever own one sadly. And the way BMW treat their customers is awful.
Normally I find their customer service brilliant.....just this one case I've been disappointed by and thought I'd share it in the interest of balance...
Good to know that it's not always a problem. Hopefully BMW aren't resting on their laurels and will pay attention to build quality for the fans like you.
BMW GB customer service is very good (not the dealers) but they have so much experience at it. Recalls and problems one after the other. Other manufacturers have much fewer. BMW owners are always in and out of their dealers hence the first names tea and coffee.
I had my front GSA shock begin to leak oil about 9 months after the warranty expired. My USA BMW dealer was able to get approval to replace the shock by BMW North America. He said they called those repairs a "grace" situation where they look to see it is a result of poor quality and not the operator's abuse. They recognize the owner is the victim of an unfortunate situation. When you want to ride high tech kit then you want to ride high tech kit. Those that don't can ride cheaper bikes without these headaches. TMF, you got lucky with that find but if it were me I would keep an eye on the replacement. Good luck.
The same happened with the Sachs (i..e the same maker as the BMW) rear shock on my 2013 Multistrada after about 1.5 years (~12,000 km or so I think) - faulty semi-active suspension valve. It was funny from day one but Ducati would not even look at it until a catastrophic failure and error messages appeared. Luckily just before the warranty expired. Not very impressive quality IMO at the price of these bikes.
Edit: As an aside, when the valve failed on the Ducati, it was the opposite effect as TMF's BMW, the suspension was locked rigidly, it was like riding on bricks, bloody dangerous, especially in the wet. Of course it finally failed totally on a very bumpy road, two up. We were sore for the next week!
EU Bike Dude How are they doing on KTMs? Not much of a choice there, you have to get them with semi suspension.
The WP on the KTMs seems to be much better. For example at the front, the compression and rebound damping are in separate forks, they are in the same tube on the Ducatis ... BMW's telelever of course has effectively a single unit for front and rear.
The 15/16 SAs had a mysterious clunk in the front forks of a lot of the bikes, that was sorted late 2016 and I've seen no reports of it for 17/18 models.
The ride quality and handling of my SA S is much better than the Multi was even with the new shock, which is telling given the KTM has a 19" front wheel. ;)
The S-A suspension is effectively "free" versus the cost on the BMW and Ducati "S" models. ;)
Once they have our money and have sold us our bikes they don't care. I would suggest that these are known faults that they want us to believe are isolated incidents but in reality are not. The components are not of sufficient quality or durability failing at such low mileages. Catastrophic failure also has major implications for riders and other road users' safety. Are they waiting for riders and possibly other road users to be seriously injured or killed because of faulty parts?
Guess as more advance thise bikes get, the more they brake down...especially this european bikes.. look at my old strom turning 14years this year..not a bolt thats new on it exept gadget l choose to change...simpel but super bike..new oil and clean filters every year and thats that...
Pleased to see you have her sorted at a realistic price. I love my BMW and all things German motorcycle and cars but they do have shocking prices for parts....as always thanks for sharing TMF 😀👍
So bmw will let you drive off on an unsafe bike, as long as they are not legally vulnerable, but they won't give you a deal on fixing a part on their expensive motorcycle? That is disgusting. I drive past a bmw corporate office pretty regularly and am always struck by how expensive the swanky building must have been to design and build. Yet off you go on a motorized pogo stick
not mentioning the publicity and good reviews TMF has given them on the bike.
:0)
They can't impound the bike if that's what you mean. And Bmw deals are hard to come by more of you either want it or you don't. Some accessories can be agreed on but that's about it. Try getting them to take less than list price for a bike it will never happen
Of course, they have no power to prevent you from doing so.
+Ian Docherty and others, of course they can't hold the bike or lock someone in a broom closet . but they Can offer him a loaner, or give him a ride home,or call him a taxi, something! they should not let a customer ride off on an unsafe bike without offering other options. repair shops regularly drive customers to their homes. they should have drove him home and towed the bike. it's not really that complicated