Cruise Control Help

[Mike T]

I've been trying to get the Crusie Control working on my '06 R1200RT. The symptoms are that it used to work. The Set light comes on like it sould. The Set light goes off when you use either brake, clutch lever or back off the throttle. All like it should. The only problem is that the cruise does not work. It's been to the dealer 3 times with the following results:

 

1st time) Dealer thought it was the the way the Motolites were hooked up. Said to disconnect all add on itmes and bring back.

 

2nd time) Dealer diagnoised it as a bad ECU control unit and ordered the $455 part.

 

3rd time) Dealer installed new part and no change. They now have to call BMW America to discuss what to do next.

 

Being a bit frustrated, I took the bike for a test ride with the throttel cable disconnected from the control box. When I set the cruise I could see the ribbon that the cable is attached to tighten up inside the box and loosen when the cruise was shut off. This seems normal to me.

 

I decided to pull the tuperware off and have a look. I discovered that the junction box cover where the throttle cables all meet was off. There was a spring laying inside of the box that appeared to hook up to the cruise control plastic semi-circle thing that the cruise throttle cable was attached to. I replaced the spring and put the cover back on and there appears to be correct tension when pulling the cruise control cable and the throttle at the same time. Put it back together but still doesn't work. It seems to me that the cable is not adjusted correctly. I tried tightening up the cable and got the cruise Set button to rev the engine up but it won't stay on.

 

Does anyone know how you should adjust the cruise control cable? It seems like it has too much play in it.

 

The cruise cable does not have any attach points from the throttle box to the cruise unit. Does this seem right?

 

Any other ideas?

 

Thanks

[habaplap]

I had a similar issue. Cruise worked great until i Had the GPS unit installed. Then the cruise just quit working. The dealership was baffled for about 2 weeks then BMW got back to them. BMW explained that there was an odball conflict between GPS and cruise control.

 

When BMW and my local dealer finally got together, the issue was resolved by simpily clipping and isollating a wire on the front harness " i believe" Anyways, if it helps, mu dealer is Irv Seavers in Orange Ca.

 

Good Luck.

 

JD,

[John Bentall]

You are still having this trouble 2 months later!

 

Ask for a loan bike until the dealer manages to fix it. Is there a fault in the wiring loom or one of the sensors?

[Mike T]

OK. The cruise control seems to be working (well sort of). When I hit the set button for a second or two and let go, the Set light lights up but the revs immediately die down. If I hold the button up for four or five seconds, the RPMs start to rev up and eventulally the cruise will hit and maintain the speed I'm at.

 

Is this how it is suspossed to work?

 

It seem as if the cruise control unit has to pick up the slack on the cable (or something) before it sets the throttle to the right position.

 

At this point maybe the dealer can figure out what needs to be done.

[Mdcruiser]

Well, let me add some fuel to this fire.

 

My cruise control went out when the bike had only 500 miles on it -- it never actually went out, rather it would work once every 4-5 times. When I went in for the 600 mile service they said the fix was an easy one, no replacement parts needed.

 

Now the same problem is happening again, at 6600 miles.

 

GPS is now installed, but was not installed when the problem first occurred. I don't think the GPS has anything to do with it, at least not for me. And, to repeat, the Cruise control DOES work occasionally, just not often enough to be relied on.

[Bett]

Does your Bike have the Nav III GPS? If so, this should help. With the GPS turned off or unplugged, the cruse should work fine.

 

I bought my 06 R1200RT in late April 2007. During my test ride the cruse did not work. The BMW tech remembered a service bulletin about this. On my 600 mile service, the issue was corrected, and now my GPS and cruse work perfect. Following is the bulletin, my dealership gave me a copy for my records. I believe the wire removed was intended to keep the motorcycle operator from playing with the GPS while the cycle was moving, like many cars.

 

THE BULLETIN!!!

 

Subject: R1200RT and K1200GT w/ Nav.III - -cruse control not operating.

 

Situation: Cruse control not operating with Navigator III instaled.

 

Cause: Interferance from the speed signal wire at connection X9349 - optional accessory connector. (my note - located below the ignition key switch where the GPS plugs in).

 

Temporary fix: Remove the speed signal wire from the optional accessory connector (X9349). The wire is in the number 2 pin location and is blue with a green tracer (BLGN).

 

Once the wire is removed, slide it in a shrink sleeve and heat the shrink sleeve until all the air bubbles are eliminated. This will protect the wire from the possibility of corrosion.

 

Once a permenent fix has been established a Service Information Bulletin will be published.

 

BMW Mororrad USA.

[Mike T]

I thought I'd give another update on my quest for cruise control functionality.

 

The bike is once again back at the dealers (4th time). I brought in a diagram from realoem.com to show the service manager the cable distribution box that had the cover partially off and the cruise control cable wheel not connected properly to the throttle wheel inside. Also the spring that was laying on the bottom of the box. This is a very poor design by BMW IMHO since the cable distribution box cover is held onto the box with four snap(push on) connector tabs. There are no screws of any kind. What makes the design poor is that the cover actually has a small post on it that holds the cruise control wheel in place inside the box. So if the cover is not tightly snapped closed, the cruise wheel will likely disengage from it's proper location.

 

My problem was that the Set light would come on and off like normal but the crusie would never engage. The fact was that the cruise could not engage because the cable wasn't connected properly.

 

Now my only problem is that the cable seems to have too much slack in it (or I hooked it up wrong) because I have to hold the set button up for about 5 seconds before the cruise unit takes up enough slack in the cable to set the cruise. Once the cruise is set it functions normally.

 

The service manage at the dealer thinks it could be the cruise unit with the ribbon in it that is not quite right and may need repalcing. I agree that this could be the final resolution but time will tell.

 

Will continue to post updates.

[Mike T]

Thought I'd give an update on this. Bike has been at dealer for 4 weeks. They have decided that the problem is the cable distribution box (like I told them it would be). Parts on order from Germany and one $13 part still not here. Bike is not functional now. I asked for a loaner and was told that I could have one for the day but would have to be back that evening. (big help). Since I did not purchase the bike new from a dealer I sort of understand their lack of going above and beyond to help a "customer". Called BMWNA on Thursday to ask them to pay for a loaner so I could go to the BMW Top of the Rockies ralley next week. Was told they would check into it and get back to me. Did not get back to me. Called again today and left voicemail. No word back yet.

 

I asked my son today where the local Yamaha dealer is located. I've owned BMWs for last seven years and I'm finally starting to listen to the rational side of my brain. Any suggestions welcome.

[Don_Eilenberger]

Mike..

 

In looking at your description of the problem - the distribution box cover opening up due to inadequate clamping on the cover, it immediately came to mind that this would be an excellent application of several tie-wraps to hold the cover closed.

 

I would guess this might get you riding again while waiting for the parts to show up.

 

I can understand your frustration, but I'm willing to bet that if a used Yamaha had a similar problem - your dealer experience and experience with Yamaha's distributor might not be a lot better. I could be all wet on this (and if so - expect someone to point it out) - but manufacturers tend to consider used bike owners as sort of 2nd class citizens - no matter what brand it is. At least that's been my experience.

[Mike T]

Thanks Don. I agree with thoughts on used bike owners to be 2nd class citizens at least for BMW Motorcycles. I've always purchased used cars that are about one year old and have had surprisingly excellent service from Audi, GMC and Nissan (although I've never had any major problems that need 4 weeks to repair).

 

You're probably right about the Yamaha but I least I could purchased a New FRJ1300 for less than a used R1200RT.

[John Bentall]

OK. The cruise control seems to be working (well sort of). When I hit the set button for a second or two and let go, the Set light lights up but the revs immediately die down. If I hold the button up for four or five seconds, the RPMs start to rev up and eventulally the cruise will hit and maintain the speed I'm at.

 

Is this how it is suspossed to work?

 

It seem as if the cruise control unit has to pick up the slack on the cable (or something) before it sets the throttle to the right position.

 

At this point maybe the dealer can figure out what needs to be done.

 

Actually that is how mine works. Hit the set button, wait a couple of seconds with my hand on the throttle, then let go. the speed is set. If I let go too soon the speed drops by 3-4 mph before settling. I am living with it because I don't use it often in the UK.

[Mike T]

Latest update. After 4 calls and four days with no return calls, BMWNA says the part I need will ship from Germany on July 25th. This will make 6 weeks without a 2006 Bike. I asked if they could take a part of a new bike and was told that I had to take that up with the dealer. Since I purchased the bike used from a private indivudal, I would not expect the dealer to have to "suffer" because BMW cannot stock parts needed for a 2006 bike. BMWNA finally agreed to ask the dealer to reassemble the bike without the cruise control working (fine by me). Will call me back tomorrow with the results.

 

In the meantime I'm looking into renting a bike myself so I can ride to the Top of the Rockies Rally this weekend.

[GordonB]

What am I missing here?

Why would you allow your bike to be laid up for lack of cruise control?

Put it back together and ride it without the cruise until parts arrive.

Unfortunate yes, fact of life yes.

[Mike T]

What am I missing here?

Why would you allow your bike to be laid up for lack of cruise control?

Put it back together and ride it without the cruise until parts arrive.

Unfortunate yes, fact of life yes.

 

The dealer claimed that the cable distribution box was broken beyond repair and that the new part was needed. In other words the bike could not be put back together to operate without cruise control.

[steve539]

I have had problems with my cruise (05 RT) since purchase. I had it to the dealer at least 5 times. They kept telling me it was fixed and it was not. Finally I dealt with the service manager directly and asked him to take a close look at it. He did and they replaced the main cruise module. Now it works as it should.

[Mike T]

Here's the final update on this saga. Part arrived from Germany last Wed. The service guy at the dealer was on the lookout for it even though BMWNA said it wasn't going to ship until July 25th. The service guy managed to schedule the bike the next day and I was able to pick it up Friday morning and ride to the Top of the Rockies rally!

 

My Hats off for the service scheduler at the dealer for taking a personal interest in trying to help me out.

 

It turns out the problem with the cruise was a defective cable distribution box that came from the factory that way over a year ago. Cruise works fine now.

 

Now a few words on my experience with BMWNA... In short, they were worse than useless. Here's the facts:

 

-They refused to pay for a loaner (not even for 2 days).

 

-They said the bike could not be re-assembled without the part from Germany (The dealer told me the day before that it could be assembled but it would be 4 hours labor that I would have to pay because BMWNA would not pay for the labor twice to tear the bike down on a warranty).

 

-Then BMWNA refused to pay to have the bike reassembled with the cruise not working so I could have a bike to ride for the 5 weeks it took for the part to arrive from Germany (they told me I could pay for 8 hours labor @ $90/hr myself if I wanted to get the bike back running).

 

-I called and spoke to them or left messages over 5 times in one week. They returned my call once.

 

-They told me there was no escalation path beyond the once customer representive I was dealing with.

 

In short, this was the worse customer service I have experienced in many many years. Their mission statment must read "save money for BMWNA first and foremost and the hell with how the customer feels." It seems thier strategy is to force the dealers to pay for any extras to help a customer out. So if you don't buy your bike from a dealer don't expect any customer service from BMWNA.