Blue Kool-aid

Always had good experience with my BMWs..all cycle parts fit and finish cannot be beat. Dealer service is pretty much the same for all bikes these days so don't let the naysayers give you grief..It will serve you well and is second to none when it comes to gobbling up the miles and you will arrive at your destination not feeling beat up by the trip...
 
Agreed - these are really well built bikes for the most part they last a long time if looked after. I have found that parts are readily available for the Airhead (it is an '83 model) and even aftermarket stuff is generally of high quality.

Pete
 
Looks good to me! There is a Motoscan app that works on Android phones. With a connecting cable from the diagnostic port to a Bluetooth device like OBDLink LX (and the later bikes like yours do not need the connecting cable, the OBDLink LX should plug directly into the port) you can use the ultimate thingversion of the app to see and reset codes and update values in the various electronic boxes. Another product, the GS911 can also be used to accomplish the same thing, The Motoscan app route is cheaper, especially if you already have an android phone. Though you can pickup a phone on eBay for $20.00 or so. It only needs to do Wi-Fi and Bluetooth - no cellular connection needed. There are YouTube videos on the Motoscan app by a rider in Greece that are worth watching. Just remember that to your dealer BMW means Bring More Wallet!
 
Mellow FYI. I was talking to a coworker the other day that owns several modern BMW motorcycles. He tells me that the ECU tracks both the mileage and the age of the oil. Once it has been determined the oil needs to be changed the ECU decreases the engine output by 30%. He then told me that ECU needs to be reset after an oil change to get full engine power restored until the next time this occurs. Otherwise, the bike will only operate at a max of 70% of the power output if the ECU has not been reset after an oil change. He also informed me that a dealer oil change is about $150 or so. I am just sharing this information that he told me.
 
Brillot2000 said:
Mellow FYI. I was talking to a coworker the other day that owns several modern BMW motorcycles. He tells me that the ECU tracks both the mileage and the age of the oil. Once it has been determined the oil needs to be changed the ECU decreases the engine output by 30%. He then told me that ECU needs to be reset after an oil change to get full engine power restored until the next time this occurs. Otherwise, the bike will only operate at a max of 70% of the power output if the ECU has not been reset after an oil change. He also informed me that a dealer oil change is about $150 or so. I am just sharing this information that he told me.
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I don't see anything like that in the manual and have not seen any of that in any forums. The oil change interval is 6,000 miles.
I have the OBD Bluetooth and Motoscan app so I can reset anything.

I'll report back at mile 6,001. :biggrin:

Many owners do their own maint and never take the bike to the dealer.. that's the camp I'll be in.
 
Mellow said:
I don't see anything like that in the manual and have not seen any of that in any forums. The oil change interval is 6,000 miles.
I have the OBD Bluetooth and Motoscan app so I can reset anything.

I'll report back at mile 6,001. :biggrin:

Many owners do their own maint and never take the bike to the dealer.. that's the camp I'll be in.
Click to expand...

I think that the key thing is that the "change oil" indicator must come on. If you change the oil before that light comes on (i.e. before the engine decides it is time for an oil change) then the "power-down" would not occur.

Now, I cannot confirm that the engine powers-down if that occurs, but in BMW cars, there are definitely a number of engine conditions which result in reduced power output and so having such a system on the company's motorcycles would not be out of the realm of possibility IMO.
 
Mellow said:
I don't see anything like that in the manual and have not seen any of that in any forums. The oil change interval is 6,000 miles.
I have the OBD Bluetooth and Motoscan app so I can reset anything.

I'll report back at mile 6,001. :biggrin:

Many owners do their own maint and never take the bike to the dealer.. that's the camp I'll be in.
Click to expand...
Again, I am only passing along the information provided to me. I have no desire to own a BMW motorcycle or car.

Good luck finding out more about the previous information that I had presented.
 
Brillot2000 said:
Again, I am only passing along the information provided to me. I have no desire to own a BMW motorcycle or car.

Good luck finding out more about the previous information that I had presented.
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Sure, no problem. you have to have some type of reset tool either the GS-911 or an android phone/BT OBD/Motoscan app (Thanks @RedBird ). Even on the Tracer I needed an OBD tool as I put it on the center stand and started it and put in gear - that throws a fault code and when you turn off the bike it won't start again until you clear the code.

My initial impressions of the bike are great. It's comfortable, efficient, quiet and just fun. Even though it's not light, it feels pretty light. I expected it to be more like the Super Ten and more tractor like but it's surprisingly smooth.

The price is between the goldwing and goldwing tour and the trade in they gave for the Tracer was crazy.

I don't have any negative comments on the bike so far. The side panels come off easily to get to some stuff and the paint quality and fit / finish are great.

No idea how good the seat is yet. It's at least a 300 mile seat, I need a good long trip to play with that but I switched jobs a couple months ago so won't have any accrued vacation for a while.

This is on par to being the best motorcycle I've ever had... maybe too early to say that but it has sparked my touring interest again that I haven't had since my Wing or ST1300....
 
Ah to be young again. IIRC, Frosty has some sort of E-tool for his F800GT.
I turn into a mass of quivering goo every time I try and reset the clock on my Subaru Forester...so many screen...so many four way buttons....
 
Chris: +1 on resetting the Forester clock. Absolutely, positively NOT intuitive. I get the manual out every time the time changes. (Note: It takes less than 30 seconds to change clock on my F150.)
 
"Always had good experience with my BMWs..all cycle parts fit and finish cannot be beat. Dealer service is pretty much the same for all bikes these days so don't let the naysayers give you grief..It will serve you well and is second to none when it comes to gobbling up the miles and you will arrive at your destination not feeling beat up by the trip... "

This is more fake news for coolaid drinkers.
My local dealer services police bikes for a local agency that switched from bmws to Honda ST 1300s.
The city's mechanics doing the pickup/delivery reported that the Honda maintenance costs are only 40% of the bmws.
Hard to believe that "Dealer service is pretty much the same for all bikes these days . . . "
Maybe the local dealer just charges 40% of the going rate? Yeh, right.
 
Hey Mr. Naysayer Super Dave indeed...My comments are based on actual facts and you are quoting heresay from somebody claiming to know how the motorcycle service dept is actually run. Yes the Honda's are truly remarkable ..I have two and they have performed very well, But just inquire at both BMW and Honda facilities on the cost of a tire change or steering head bearings or fuel pump exchange and you will end up pretty much the same outlay of your hard earned cash...but beware!..my local Honda dealer quoted $300 for head bearings but ended up almost double that. I have found that the Bmw dealer and mechanics are expert in their trade and have obviously been trained to a high degree....The Honda dealer also covers Kawasaki..Yamaha.Suzuki..Razor..Slingshot and others so the poor service tech has to reach out for his service manuals that cover the particular machine he/she is working on...not so in the Bmw shop..they zero in on the job at hand and perform their work
 
I would agree, the single-line dealerships and their mechanics are well trained for the specifics of a given make. I spent a few years as a tech at a Saturn dealership, hardly worked on anything but Saturns, lots of Saturn specific training, got real good at it.

Mellow, enjoy the new BMW, I'm sure it will do well by you.
 
You've arrived. Now you need about $3000 worth of riding gear to fit in. ;-)

The BMW-MOA organization is pretty good... they have an "Anonymous" book that lists all members with codes for "Yes, you can stay here", or "I have tools", "I have a lift", etc. That's been a valuable resource for me over the years.

My '87 R80, bought new, is still running strong, and all parts are still available. Great support.

bmw_R80.jpg
 
Mellow, I too bought my first new to me BMW R1200GS this past July and absolutely love it, and I find it very easy to work on, parts are pricey but, because I do all my own maintenance I'm not bother by that, I make up for it with only my time going into the labor. I almost love working on my bikes as much as I love riding them. Hopefully I'll make it to spearfish this year for the Rally. I was there a week ahead of time in 2020 and thought about staying for the Rally but, when I hit a deer just east of Rapid City and was able to limp home, that's just what I did. Anyway, that's a beautiful bike you bought, many happy and safe miles to you, to all of us!
And Merry Christmas all!
 
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