It seems when it comes to long standing issues with bikes from all manufacturers it is up to us, the customers to battle. Those that have the reach would rather not upset the apple cart, and that diminishes them.
Great vid and you are so right regarding the press, they are not helping us the consumer to address the known issues bike manufacturers have with their models. The more we all write to these organisations and the manufacturers highlighting the defects we may get them to sit up and listen and help us resolve our concerns.
Kevin Ash was by far the best motorcycle journalist and his honesty and willingness to take up issues and dig below the surface are sadly missed. Your comments are spot on.
When I was thinking about this I was thinking of Mr Ash. One of the few m/c journos good enough for the mainstream press (The Telegraph I believe). He was a great journalist and someone who maintained independence. Sadly missed.
Correct and it's not just the press many U-tube bloggers do exactly the same, some make a living out of it, the more content they publish the more £ they get. I was lucky enough prior COVID-19, to take a weeks break in winter over on Gran Canary riding a bike around the island. The owner of the bike tour company told me one of the bloggers he invited out at his expense; flights, accommodation tour etc also wanted monetary gain! A shower of chancers I think. Some tell it like it is, most are an extension of the motorcycle press as you say. I have given up on BMW extended warranty insurance; a waste of money, you can get a similar warranty from the AA if you have multiple bikes for much less.
It is such a shame when people go all Hollywood. You Tube does offer the opportunity to make some money but I think it is like most things in life, you are who you are wether you run a channel or you are a milkman. This is fun for me and a nice relief from a very intense full time job with the added benefit of giving me another excuse to ride.
Your observations are spot on. I sometimes wonder if the person who wrote the review actually rode the bike or just wrote the article from a lounge chair. For fear of brand repercussions you never hear the honest cons from them. In this world of information availability I am amazed not to be able to find independent statistical facts. A website that reports factual numbers for example, how many of a particular model sold, how many are still registered after 12 months, 24 months, 5 years, How much money was spent on repairs other than servicing costs, breakdowns under warranty, same issue breakdowns etc. Manufactures would take immediate notice if this information was available.
Good video Highland Rider and spot on. I keep looking at my monthly BMW ON magazine for anything about the TFT connectivity issue... mind you that I'm not holding my breath!
I bought an R100 back in 1978. Multiple issues with it which BMW would not address so same service 44 years later ? I traded it in on a Z1000 and still own the Kawasaki. Swore that I would never buy a BMTroubleyou again .
I could not agree with you more, I have said the same for many years. My wife and I are up in your neck of the woods next week, going up past Loch Lomond on the way up to John O Groats, then down the west coast. I will look out for you! 👍😆
Have a great ride up here, the roads are great. I have a quiet morning so I am sitting here thinking of skiving off work and heading out for an hour or so, but on my Triumph Thruxton.
Hi, thanks for the videos. I've just bought a 2021 RT, not got it yet, coming from London next week, so I'm trying to swot up on all these TFT connection issues. I had a TomTom on my GS which never let me down, hooked up to a Cardo Freecom. Not interested in calls or music on the bike, just need a simple, reliable satnav. I think I'll get a dedicated phone for the bike as taking the cover off and switching my iPhone 11 is too much faff. Re the exhaust flap issue. When my GS was being serviced at BMW Aberdeen, I noticed. when I got home the paperwork said "exhaust flap issue". I didn't even know what an exhaust flap was but found lots of threads about it being a known issue and can be serious. I called BMW Aberdeen and said I wanted it fixed. My bike was under warranty and they replaced the exhaust headers, cost BMW £1600. I was delighted they fixed it - it was under warranty but feel they should have talked to me about it after the inspection. I'm not mechanical at all and have decided that I'll be changing bikes within warranty every 2-3 years. Don't want any Mexican stand-offs when I don't know what I'm talking about. The extended warranty doesn't cover exhaust flap issues. Interesting that BMW haters say "should've got a Honda" I love Hondas but they are having software and paintwork issues now too. My guess is all brands have issues. Maybe see you out riding once I get my RT. Cheers!
Hi GS. Enjoy your new bike, they are fun. The good news is that pretty much all the software issues have been resolved. You do get the odd glitch, but they are the exception and not the rule. A dedicated phone makes sense and I have had one since the start, and means I can change my main phone for what I want and not be stuck with what BMW want me to have. Also, the BMW App is a 'dominant App' so sits above all the others so is always on. You can't have it working 'only when the app is on' and I don't want BMW having permanent access to my main phone. It is also easier when you stop and turn off, especially if like me you keep your cards in your phone or use Google/apple pay. The bike phone doesn't need a sim, although I do have a £6 month sim in mine because I use it for Google maps on my Royal Enfield, and I like Spotify
Well said, hopefully you will get sorted. I have written countless times to various motorcycle magazines about bike security provided by the manufacturers, it’s just pitiful. The bikes manufacturers couldn’t care less if your bike takes less than 30 seconds to be stolen, as long as they have your money. The first question a journalist should ask at a new bike launch is how easy is this bike to steal, and how have they improved the bikes security from the previous model.
Hi Duncan, a point well made. Any video I post is an education for me in the comments that come back. I can applaud the work of action groups such as MAG or BMF but there focus seems more on Government which is great, but many of the comments on this thread have pointed to the shift away from magazines and to vloggers, so maybe thats where the influence now lies, in the independent folks who make videos for fun. I suppose that includes me.
There’s too much electronic fuckery on these bikes, the manufacturer says people demand it these days 🤔 I’m not sure of that. I’ve got a ktm 1090s which is a fairly basic bike but ktm have now discontinued it because of emission regulations 🙄 which means I’ll never have another ktm because now my only option would be the new 1290 with more electronic fuckery than you could shake a stick at!!! Cars have long had these electrical issues that cost fucking thousands to partially fix, if your lucky 🙄
Totally agree Julian. All the manufacturers are going down the TFT route and I hear about enough problems from Ducati and KTM to know it is not a BMW exclusive issue.
I understand you pain. How I see it is that the Motorcycle journalist are stuck in the middle. If they dare criticise a particular bike or manufacturer then they start to bite off the hand that feeds them. That’s the reason I like to follow a few RU-vid Vloggers that still have an opportunity to be unbiased. That can give a genuine critique either for or against. It’s the same all around the world. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Peter, yes I agree which puts them into this position of being an extension of the manufacturers marketing department. Falling readership shows lack of relevance to the market place, so they retreat into the bunker of manufacturer sponsorship and become less relevant. Meanwhile keyboard warriors like me can throw hand grenades when we want. As in all business being irrelevant to your customers has rarely been a successful business model
I commented elsewhere that posting these videos is an education for me. What I thought was a BMW issue turns out to be much more widespread, and also far more known in the industry than I thought. Good you could remove yours.
I totally agree with your comments about the motorcycling press. They are just another mouthpiece for the manufacturers. I admire your persistence in trying to get your problems resolved. I had issues with an older 1200 rt and also with my bmw car. It got to the point were it was so stressful trying to get anything done from bmw that I just gave up. I have voted with my wallet and will never buy any Bmw product ever again.
You are not alone Steve. I have had 3 bikes and four cars. My first 3 series bought new in 2005 was wonderful and the service outstanding, but when I changed it in 2008 there was a noticeable change in service levels. By the time I bought my 5 series in 2014 the service and quality had dropped off a cliff, so I put the drop down to corporate strategy rather than divisional problems. I used to play golf with the UK Sales Director for Mercedes and they went through similar problems, but got hammered in the motoring press. He could never get his head round how BMW continually get away with what they do. I am a bit like a rubber ball though and keep coming back, so I have no one else to blame. The advantage is that I expected problems so when they came I did not get mad, I am just a thorn in their side.
Love my 2006 RT. Man these new 1250's look amazing, but I don't like all the tech they put on them. The 06 is so simple. Beautiful bike, man. Good luck, safe riding.
When I do these posts I learn a lot from those like you who comment. One of those lessons is the importance of the growth of vloggers on RU-vid and that some like TeaPot and Miissenden Flyer have subscriptions and views far in excess of the motorcycle press and in fact have become the new face of motorcycle promotion and discussion. I was looking at a Michael Neeves MCN video earlier that was 3 months old and had 10k views. Missenden Flyer gets that in the first hour of his posts, and my own oldest vid is at around 6k after 3 months, so the power is shifting.
On my vehicle build document, not sure what’s it’s really called, it has a list of specs about my actual bike. Manufacture date etc. also it says “ exhaust re-treatment “ then “no information” Is this the issue?
@@simonhantler8062 You get a light on the dash, mine was amber. The bike can run a little rough but to be honest I never noticed any performance issue, just the light. The bike runs fine if the flap sticks open which is the usual problem. It is very rare but if it sticks closed you cannot start the bike. When you start the bike the flap is opened by exhaust gasses, then through riding the grease burns away and when you stop the flap doesn't close. Mine went after riding for 3 hours, my first long ride.
Well said, I rejected my BMW RT and swapped it in for a GS. My dealership was absolutely fantastic but even they told me that they were not getting supported by BMW whatsoever
4 times now I’ve switched the bike on and everything is suddenly in Polish, re-set to factory settings to get English back… mind you on the plus side I now know what Factory Settings looks like in Poland !!
I've got 100km with my new bike, RT 1250. Same issues with the connectivity. Media is working from time to time. I hope that the update will really come and solve the issues.
Agree 100%, I recently asked two You Tube bloggers that had the new 1300 gs on Demo from bmw, do they still have the top end rattle on idle , pointed out my 22 oil head R nine t is silent, versus 1200 LC and 1250 Lc . My recently purchased 7k mile 1200 LC is ok, but some are very noisy.
NO one wants to talk about bad news, because if they do then the bike manufacturers stop supplying them bikes. Look at people like Missenden Flyer if he has tested any of the 1300's as he will tell it as it is
@HighlandRider Not sure he will, he gave the K1600gtl a ribbing and he has not got anything of Bmw since, till the GS 1300 he has now. Maybe wait and see if he pours his heart out, the k1600 is not his cup up tea, mainly because he vertically challenged, and it intimidates him,not because its that different from his Goldwing that he can get his feet down, he stated he would not feel comfortable with a pillion . and they probably outsell the Goldwing 6 to 1. He rides round in 4th gear and does not have natural feel for engines or bikes, hence purchasing DCT on Goldwing. Neeves from MCN seems the most and only open minded tester to date.
@@checker3694 I know he didn't like it and does love the Goldwing. Just seen he has the new GS 1300 on long term test, so we will see. Personally, after too many bad experiences I wouldn't touch any new BMW with a barge pole, probably a good used 1250 will be sorted of problems and better value
You maybe asking too much from the press. They usually don't have the bikes long enough to really sort out issues. They essentially provide "ride" reviews. Its the dealers responsibility to work with the manufacturers to sort out product issues and many of the dealers do a good job knowing their reputation is on the line and so are future sales. My BMW service manager is responsive and works to make sure my bike is running to spec.
My dealer is good and has been very supportive. My point here is that the motorcycle press has dwindling appeal and has been losing readers for many years. While all they do is the ride reports and they will soon disappear and that is a shame. Over the years I have learned a lot from the like of MCN, but when they cannot even be bothered to acknowledge a direct email to the editor then you know that the day has come when it is no longer journalists who staff these magazines, but marketing assistants.
Interesting perspectives on who should address defects in a consumer product! Well done to you in approaching the manufacturer and reporting about it, but do really expect support from elsewhere? There are some good experienced journalists around in UK who know their stuff. For every one of those there are 5 RU-vid self annointed experts trying to carve a living out of reviewing bikes and flogging " merch". Even more remarkable are the sycophantic followers who promote this lot into "influencers". I cringe when I read comments from Fred Sprocket that he bought a xyz 750 based solely on the cursory 10 minute car park review produced to generate views. Rant over.
I hope you enjoyed your rant, valid and welcome. It is up to manufacturers to address faults and no one else. Do I expect support from elsewhere? Depends on what you mean by support. Do I expect someone to fight my battles, then no, I am big enough, ugly enough and have enough social skills to fight my own. I, like many others read and watch vehicle reviews when making buying decisions and my own frustration at the lack of good information lead me down this route, a self-appointed expert. I appreciate there are some good motorcyclist journalists out there, but they are a dwindling population. What I expect of them is to inform me about important stuff like problems with bikes longer term (up to 3 years) not to stop me from buying but to help inform my buying decision. Good journalists have helped change the world through great investigation and writing and motorcycle journalists have played their part, but no longer. They have created the gap for the self-appointed.
@@HighlandRider Ride magazine does buying guides and features on older bikes, the ones that I have some knowledge on have been reasonably accurate e.g.Africa Twin, R1200GS..Obviously a road test cannot highlight in-service issues. A German bike mag does a 20,000km strip down . I find it rather surreal at the launch of the Triumph Trident, the UK bloggers were bumping into each other like a rerun of Wicker's Island. I was interested in this bike but at the end of the day professional journalist Nevesy in MCN was the only worthwhile review, IMHO. 4 4 Teeth provide amusement too. That having been said I have derived lots of good info from RU-vid but the rot sets in when channel creators start chasing views and seek to make a living.
@@nikoscosmos It was the same at the launch of the R1250 RT, RU-vidrs riding the same route for an hour and telling us all how amazing the bike was. In my rant I failed to mention that I am a Ride subscriber and I enjoy many aspects of the mag, and I remember the first one launched by Steve Rose I believe as a mag for the rider. In Ride this month is a 'should I trade up' feature on the RT with no mention of the issues affecting many bikes, and these are well known and I am curious how as a journalist you can be so unaware of what is going on, or is ignorance a choice? Matt Wildee at Ride was one of the editors I wrote to and got no response, compared to the MP who is head of the All Party Motorcycling Group who will do nothing but at least responded and acknowledge the issue. 44 Teeth? It is all their fault that I changed. I watched their Christmas John O'Groats to Lands End feature on baggers which was brilliant, and that thought entered my head that it was time I changed bike again. Seriously, I like their stuff most of the time, very entertaining.
Magazines are there to promote themselves and can only do so by keeping tight with manufacturers. This type of medium or many other platforms allow the dissemination of real issues as you do. I have had great service from BMW and equally atrocious. My low mile, just over 3 year old, rotting 2014 GSA the case in point. The local dealer was both helpful and incompetent. Motorrad UK were a total waste of time and did not provide even the courtesy of a call back despite the promise on the web site. I asked them for contract details for Motorrad Germany and they couldn’t even manage that. I vowed that I would not buy another BMW on that alone and a BMW rider since 1984 when service was king.
The press lives out maketing published by these companies and from events organised by same guys. You were right, the bike is great. I got it this week and I will write to you if I will have the same issues. What happened with Shoei helmet?
So which Ducati did you own? I just sold my 2006 St4$ (49K miles put on it) and am seriously thinking about getting one of these (I am tall and heavy, had a new stiffer spring put in the Ducati, made a world of difference)...maybe early next year (I am trying to hold out for a red one to be offered).
Hi Darryl. I had a pearl white Supersport S which was great fun and benefitted with not having a million BHP that is unusable. It coped well with my considerable size. It had one electrical gremlin with a faulty sensor, and the fuel tank was smaller than a tea cup. At the time I had that and a Triumph Thruxton and on the crowded South East roads it wasn't the best, so I sold it. Up here it would have been such fun.
Should it not all have been sorted before bike was sold to you and others. Press will not be interested as they do not want to lose advertising revenue.
That is my point Peter. The motorcycle press are an extension of manufacturers marketing departments, scared of upsetting them rather than their readers. Across the board, sales of MCN and mags have gone off a cliff, because they are just not relevant anymore. It is mediocre journalism.
@@HighlandRider you should be enjoying your new bike rather than having all this hassle. It would p*ss me off big time . I want to ride my bike with out this kind of hassle. BMW have sold a deficient product and you the customer are sorting it out, not to mention the press. It’s not fair really.
@@peterdane9138 I am enjoying my new bike Peter. I rode 70 miles today and apart from a biblical downpour it was as fun as ever. A bike of this size should not handle as good as it does, and I have a lot of fun on it.
And your only just realizing this now? This has been glaringly obvious for ages. Look at the new Ducati V4 Multistrada and it’s hopeless fuel consumption compared to its predecessor. Glossed over as a casual comment if mentioned at all in the press. Owner reviews so much better. The bike press are in a hard spot though, get too negative with a brand and watch the invites dry up. Popular bloggers falling into the same trap unfortunately.
Yep. With you Terry. The only reviews you can even start to trust are ones done by OWNERS, who have bought something with their own money and lived with it. I used to follow a few RU-vid vloggers but soon realised it’s all a sham and un-subscribed. Get invited on a jolly abroad or to a track day, do a few wheelie’s, bit of toilet humor thrown in, have a nice lunch, say nice things. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Hi Terry, I agree. The bike press are in a tough spot, but they have dwindling interest in their publications and for the sake of their own business model they need to do something different. I wouldn't mind if one of them had replied with a 'look we are caught between a rock and a hard place' but my emails were ignored, which wasn't the case for people I emailed outside the industry. Popular bloggers are also as you say falling into the same trap although to be fair to them many have the bikes for a longer than the press launch and do some pretty good in depth reports. It was the reason I started the channel, to give the pure owner experience, good, bad and ugly (that is me!) and that experience is proving wider than I had ever considered.
@@HighlandRider I know your main complaint in this video is about the motorcycling press. But can I echo Peter Dane's comment and suggest that you consider something Japanese. Look at their record for reliability and customer service compared to the European manufacturers you mention. I've had Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki without any issues whatsoever. And if you look past the badges much loved by motorcycling (and motoring) journalists you may get a pleasant surprise. Amongst the Japanese cars I have owned, the only one with which I had problems was a Toyota RAV4 diesel which blew a gasket and warped its cylinder head at 4 years old and 38,000 miles, beyond the three year warranty period. I'd had it from new and it had been regularly serviced by the main dealer, so I was disappointed. Toyota's response came within 24 hours - a new engine fitted free of charge. Now that's customer service.
The Japanese bikes have their problems too. My 2016 Africa Twin had dodgy forks and rotting spokes. My 2018 Honda has flaking engine paint, not great for a three year old bike.
@@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff of course there are problems with all manufacturers but BMW seem to be worse. Known faults that are not corrected left to the owner to sort. They hide behind the illusion of a premium quality bike and it is just not true anymore.
@@peterdane9138 which is probably why I have never owned one. I’m not mad on there service ethos either. Everyone seems to be constantly changing out the shaft oil and greasing the splines? My Triumph shaft is an oil change at first service then sealed for life. The whole draw of a shaft drive is for less maintenance not more?
