The official "my '14 RT is on order and nobody will tell me sh!t" thread.

[Hypeman]

Placed my order over a month ago at South Sound BMW in Fife, WA. Was told delivery was 8-10 weeks out. The dealer doesn't seem to know how new bikes in the pipeline will be effected.

 

Salesperson hasn't returned my last two emails and neither has BMWNA.

 

I suppose I need to get on the phone so they can out me on hold and not have any answers?

 

Anyway, I thought I'd start this thread for those waiting on orders to share any updates they receive.

[Mike R.]

I ordered mine 8 weeks ago and it is supposed to be here in 10 days. My salesman told me a week go that mine was unaffected and it would be delivered once it had arrived after standard dealer prep. I didn't believe him.

 

I went and rode a Ducati Multistrada (wife hated the seat, plus she said I am too old to ride a 'kid's motorcycle.'") I went and rode an FJR1300 and though the bike was flawless, and though the wife said "it was more comfortable than my car," I thought to myself "what is special about this?"

 

So after stewing over happy hour we drove through evening traffic to the BMW dealer. I said "what is the deal, I heard they were all on hold." My salesman took me out to the demo that was on the lot and asked me if I wanted to ride it.

 

He then looked me in the eye and said, "in 1 week you will be riding your RT." Then he said, "tell everyone on the Internet that Mike at Foothills BMW in Denver says any RT made after 30 April 2014 is not affected."

 

Then he said he felt that BMW might have used new production to relieve the people that already bought one but BMW chose not to, and that those decisions were made "way above my paygrade."

 

Since there is no other motorcycle, past or present, that I will accept as a substitute, I will have to wait until mine is delivered. I hope that is in 1 week, but if not my wife gave me the go ahead to pick up the '76 RD400 with sunburst heads and DG pipes as an interim commuter. I guess she got tired of watching me stare at the turned off TV set while repeatedly sighing and shifting in my seat.

 

So, that's what I know, and I will let you know on 27 Jun 2014 if he was right.

[Hypeman]

He then looked me in the eye and said, "in 1 week you will be riding your RT."

 

So, that's what I know, and I will let you know on 27 Jun 2014 if he was right.

 

If that comes together, you may be the first delivery since the recall.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you, good luck!

[Davejr1200]

Well, my bike was built the first week of June. It now sits at the dealer in the UK and like everyone else's RT it is affected by the stop notice/recall. BMW UK customer services (really think they should change the name) are completely non-helpful, though luckily I still have my 2012 RT to ride currently. It seems to me that BMW dealers are doing their best but have been given no information and so are making news up in the best light to keep people from making decisions about other bikes.

 

Personally, this will be my 4th RT. I love the new bike but really need to know when it's going to be available as I have trips planned. The longer this goes on with no dates or news, the longer I think it is going to be.

[Alfred02]

From a German forum:

BMW expects to have the re-design and testing done by mid August.

They then will follow with the roll-out ASAP.

So realistically we are looking at end of August the earliest and probably late September to finish them all.

[Davejr1200]

From a German forum:

BMW expects to have the re-design and testing done by mid August.

They then will follow with the roll-out ASAP.

So realistically we are looking at end of August the earliest and probably late September to finish them all.

That's not good news on a couple of fronts. Why a re-design for what they were saying was a manufacturing problem? It being a design flaw fits with how little information they are giving out but is certainly bad news. Secondly, there is a big assumption in the timeline that the new part will pass testing.

[DMilan]

I ordered mine 8 weeks ago and it is supposed to be here in 10 days. My salesman told me a week go that mine was unaffected and it would be delivered once it had arrived after standard dealer prep. I didn't believe him.

 

I went and rode a Ducati Multistrada (wife hated the seat, plus she said I am too old to ride a 'kid's motorcycle.'") I went and rode an FJR1300 and though the bike was flawless, and though the wife said "it was more comfortable than my car," I thought to myself "what is special about this?"

 

So after stewing over happy hour we drove through evening traffic to the BMW dealer. I said "what is the deal, I heard they were all on hold." My salesman took me out to the demo that was on the lot and asked me if I wanted to ride it.

 

He then looked me in the eye and said, "in 1 week you will be riding your RT." Then he said, "tell everyone on the Internet that Mike at Foothills BMW in Denver says any RT made after 30 April 2014 is not affected."

 

Then he said he felt that BMW might have used new production to relieve the people that already bought one but BMW chose not to, and that those decisions were made "way above my paygrade."

 

Since there is no other motorcycle, past or present, that I will accept as a substitute, I will have to wait until mine is delivered. I hope that is in 1 week, but if not my wife gave me the go ahead to pick up the '76 RD400 with sunburst heads and DG pipes as an interim commuter. I guess she got tired of watching me stare at the turned off TV set while repeatedly sighing and shifting in my seat.

 

So, that's what I know, and I will let you know on 27 Jun 2014 if he was right.

 

Hi Mike,

 

Seems your guy has gone out on a limb, so to speak. From what I've read here and on other sites, it does not look as though you will be able to ride the new bike. Appears the rejiggered shock has not yet been put into production. I'm surprised that you you were offered a test ride. One local dealer told me that their demo is grounded along with all other RTLC they have delivered or sold. I got a chance to ride it a couple weeks before the "do not ride" announcement.

 

Did you test ride a new 2014 FJR or a used model? Didn't think that Yamaha offered demos. It was flawless, but?

 

Lots of unhappy folks, some just willing to wait it out, shi.. does happen.

Will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

 

patience is a virtue

d'milan

[Hypeman]

Finally heard back from my salesman

 

Me:

"Any more news on my build? Are any of your RT orders in the pipeline progressing at all?"

 

Sales response:

"Nary a thing Brian. Your bike is still waiting its start of production. I have been informed they will not build until they have the resolution available to install, which makes sense.

 

I will let you know when I see production kick in!"

 

So, my build is now in week 5 of "8-10" without any movement. It is nothing more than a number on a spreadsheet.

 

If the above info is true, it should be ready just in time for ski season.

 

I'll probably give it another couple weeks to see if anything new comes to light, but I'm considering pulling my deposit, e-evaluating an order in 2015 or going another direction altogether. I mean, why let BMW hold my money with NO reasonable expectation that a product will be delivered?

 

Open to thoughts on this. #confused

[Kitsap]

Brian,

 

There is only one salesman at South Sound that uses the word "nary".

 

Say hi to Wayne

[Hypeman]

Brian,

 

There is only one salesman at South Sound that uses the word "nary".

 

Say hi to Wayne

 

Give that man a cigar!

 

Kitsap, I modified my post above with thoughts about my deposit. As a South Sound customer, I'd be interested in your take on my specific situation.

[Kitsap]

I like South Sound. I've always been treated well when they can control the situation. The loaner process for them as explained by the manager is a little different/difficult, I won't hash that out here. Having said that it looks like I will hold off and take the cash when the fix finally comes through. Had I not already taken possession of the bike, color matched the top case, had the custom seat made,and thoroughly enjoyed it I would likely have sold it back. I need to find a cheap two wheeler for commuting in the mean time....

 

If I had yet to finalize the purchase like you, I would hold off.

 

Cheers,

 

[Alfred02]

That's not good news on a couple of fronts. Why a re-design for what they were saying was a manufacturing problem? It being a design flaw fits with how little information they are giving out but is certainly bad news. Secondly, there is a big assumption in the timeline that the new part will pass testing.

Pure con gesture on my part now

I think that they are redesigning it well above the requirement and will beef it up to a point that it will be simply impossible for such a situation to re-occur.

[Troppo]

test

[Mike R.]

OK. My salesman finally called me with what I already suspected was the truth. I didn't ask but my guess is that the demo doesn't have ESA. It looked like the base model

 

All 2014 RTs with ESA are effected by the recall. I won't be getting my RT until whenever the fix is engineered and installed on the entire fleet.

 

So to answer about the FJR1300A. Good torque, motor pulls hard, quiet, minimal vibration, super comfortable seating and overall riding position is great. Wonderful passenger seat. Nice styling, nice color. Feels solid, feels like it is part of the most reliable brand. Suspension topped sometimes, but it definitely wasn't dialed in and I would want the FJR1300ES anyway. There is quite a bit of buffet even with the windshield up.

 

So as I said, flawless and for some inexplicible reason it didn't excite me. I have about 15,000 RT rental miles in the states and the alps and all I could think was that I would be "settling" for the FJR.

 

The RT is exciting the FJR is not. It's hard to put it into words.

 

EDIT: after reading my post I realized my FJ1200 wasn't exciting either, that's why I got the ZX-11 (back in the day.)

[DMilan]

OK. My salesman finally called me with what I already suspected was the truth. I didn't ask but my guess is that the demo doesn't have ESA. It looked like the base model

 

there is one non ESA RT locally as well

A bit misleading yes???

 

ll 2014 RTs with ESA are effected by the recall. I won't be getting my RT until whenever the fix is engineered and installed on the entire fleet.

 

That's what I thought

 

To to answer about the FJR1300A. Good torque, motor pulls hard, quiet, minimal vibration, super comfortable seating and overall riding position is great. Wonderful passenger seat. Nice styling, nice color. Feels solid, feels like it is part of the most reliable brand. Suspension topped sometimes, but it definitely wasn't dialed in and I would want the FJR1300ES anyway. There is quite a bit of buffet even with the windshield up.

 

Sounds really positive to me...the fit and finish is really quite nice.

Today, I called a small local Yamaha Dealership. They will have a bike, no electronic suspension, available to ride next week.

I'm gonna do it.

As for the windshield, it is flat, like the RT, channels air flow right to your helmet. Noisy. Air comes off the top and strikes whatever is in line behind it. I'm sure I'd look for an aftermarket screen or at least install some sort of spoilers.. Laminar LKip etc...

 

 

So as I said, flawless and for some inexplicible reason it didn't excite me. I have about 15,000 RT rental miles in the states and the alps and all I could think was that I would be "settling" for the FJR.

 

I utilize my motorcycles for transportation. Never go out just for a fun ride, I don't need or expect to be exited by every ride. I want a solid, predictable ride. No fussing about, no major quirks. I just need to get to paces.

 

The RT is exciting the FJR is not. It's hard to put it into words.

 

EDIT: after reading my post I realized my FJ1200 wasn't exciting either, that's why I got the ZX-11 (back in the day.)

 

One negative thing I notice about the FJR info that I see... Don't think they get very good fuel mileage. Maybe 4 mpg less that an RT..

 

Thanks Mike, for the straight forward reply

 

[Mike R.]

If you are going to use the FJR for solid, reliable, no drama transportation, it would be perfect.

 

One other reason I was less than thrilled is that the ES model is on allocation, and threre are questions as to when more will arrive. There was not one new FJR1300ES in Colorado.

 

That being the case, the dealer wanted a $500 over sticker price premium, counting all the foo foo dealer addon charges. He would not discount the bike since he would have to hunt for one and have it shipped in. Before they all flew off the shelf they were typically going for $15,900 IOW $1000 off MSRP.

[DMilan]

Ran out of edit time...

 

OK. My salesman finally called me with what I already suspected was the truth. I didn't ask but my guess is that the demo doesn't have ESA. It looked like the base model

 

there is one non ESA RT locally as well

A bit misleading yes???

 

ll 2014 RTs with ESA are effected by the recall. I won't be getting my RT until whenever the fix is engineered and installed on the entire fleet.

 

That's what I thought

 

To to answer about the FJR1300A. Good torque, motor pulls hard, quiet, minimal vibration, super comfortable seating and overall riding position is great. Wonderful passenger seat. Nice styling, nice color. Feels solid, feels like it is part of the most reliable brand. Suspension topped sometimes, but it definitely wasn't dialed in and I would want the FJR1300ES anyway. There is quite a bit of buffet even with the windshield up.

 

Sounds really positive to me...the fit and finish is really quite nice.

Today, I called a small local Yamaha Dealership. They will have a bike, no electronic suspension, available to ride next week.

I'm gonna do it.

As for the windshield, it is flat, like the RT, channels air flow right to your helmet. Noisy. Air comes off the top and strikes whatever is in line behind it. I'm sure I'd look for an aftermarket screen or at least install some sort of spoilers.. Laminar LIP etc...

 

 

So as I said, flawless and for some inexplicible reason it didn't excite me. I have about 15,000 RT rental miles in the states and the alps and all I could think was that I would be "settling" for the FJR.

 

I utilize my motorcycles for transportation. Never go out just for a fun ride, I don't need or expect to be exited by every ride. I want a solid, predictable ride. No fussing about, no major quirks. I just need to get to PLACES.

 

The RT is exciting the FJR is not. It's hard to put it into words.

 

EDIT: after reading my post I realized my FJ1200 wasn't exciting either, that's why I got the ZX-11 (back in the day.)

 

One negative thing I notice about the FJR info that I see... Don't think they get very good fuel mileage. Maybe 4 mpg less that an RT

Thanks Mike for the straight forward reply..

 

[Mike R.]

I caved. I bought the bike in my new signature line.

[DMilan]

I caved. I bought the bike in my new signature line.

 

Oh Boy...

 

Well, it's only $ right?

I wish you good luck and happiness with it brother.

 

To be frank however, lots of folks seem to bail out of those bikes quickly...

Seems to be a glut of used , low mile K16's out there.

I've seen clean, low mile 2012 K12Gt for as low as 18K recently.

 

don't know why...perhaps it's just the weight

 

enjoy... hope it will be perfect for you.

 

d'milan

[Mike R.]

Well I figure worse case is buy it, ride it and then trade or sell it for a 2016 RT.

 

If I love it I will have a keeper. If I don't love it 2 years on a K1600GTL doesn't sound like the end of the world.

[Nomore76]

To answer some of the FJR questions, I owned a '06 FJR for two years and I wasn't thrilled. It wasn't a bad bike, but it just didn't have much of a personality. Fast forward to current day, I rode my '14 RT for 3,000 miles before the "DO NOT RIDE" recall, and all I can say is I will wait until they can fix it, because I don't want any other bike, including the overweight K1600GT.

 

I think (IMO) the RT is superior to the FJR in every aspect. As far as FJR fuel consumption goes, I just completed a 2,000 mile ride to Colorado with a buddy on his '08 FJR, and my RT took less fuel at every fill up.

[DMilan]

Well I figure worse case is buy it, ride it and then trade or sell it for a 2016 RT.

 

If I love it I will have a keeper. If I don't love it 2 years on a K1600GTL doesn't sound like the end of the world.

 

I did test ride a GTL when they were first released.. Had no real interest in purchasing one, still don't, it's really just too big for my purposes, but my local dealer had it outside and encouraged me to give it go.

 

First throttle by wire I ever twisted. Woa.... strange.

Took some getting used to. The tranny, well, don't want to ruffle any feathers, lets just say I'm not a fan. Including my own 2008 K1200GT.

The clutch was strange too... not crappy like my 2008 K1200GT, which is juddery, howly and may be partly to blame for the misbehaving and clunky transmission.

The clutch on the GTL would take some miles to become accustomed to.

 

That said, once I got the bike on the freeway, set the cruise control and settled in, I remember thinking, hMmmm this is pretty comfy. Almost eerily smooth compared to what I was accustomed to. Not a bad way to roll on the miles, specially if you had a passenger.

 

If I could afford a stable of bikes and had a place to store them, then, sure, why not.

 

I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the new bike.

Guess I'll drop in over there to check out your posts.

 

d'milan

[WBinDE]

My RT was made 5/22/2014 and has been sitting in the New Jersey warehouse since June 11. My dealer told me they aren't shipping any RTs until the fix is available, then they will fix the ones they're holding and release them for delivery. Apparently the NJ operation is more than a warehousing operation, they have techs that can do the work too. The upside of doing the fix at the warehouse is the dealer doesn't have to schedule it in amongst all the rest of the service work (including fixing delivered RTs affected by the do not ride order). So when my bike arrives, they just uncrate it, install farkles, and deliver it.

 

Depending on whose rumor you want to believe, the fix will be available in July, August, or September. Since I was planning a long trip in September, I'm hoping for August. If not, I'll take my GTL. I'd rather have the RT, though.

[Matter]

Brian,

 

There is only one salesman at South Sound that uses the word "nary".

 

Say hi to Wayne

 

Wayne's a good egg. I feel bad for him and all the other BMW salesmen who have to deal with BMW's shit and in the mean time they don't make their living off these bikes. And I bet sales of other BMW road bikes takes a big hit as a result of this disaster.

[Hypeman]

Update on my situation.

 

BMW Motorrad Customer Relations has assigned "Molly" to my case.

Not sure what she'll be able to tell me that Wayne can't, but I'll take as much help as I can get.

 

I'm actually considering picking up a 2010 K1300GT and rolling that for a couple years if this continues to drag on. Anyone care to talk me in to/out of it?

 

Before the new RT came out I was looking that direction or the C14 as the previous RT never really "fit" me as well. The C14 was taken out of contention due to weight and lack of cruise control. I'm hoping some more info comes soon to help me make a decision, I have a big tour planned toward the end of summer, and don't want really to do it on my VFR.

[Firefight911]

Update on my situation.

 

BMW Motorrad Customer Relations has assigned "Molly" to my case.

Not sure what she'll be able to tell me that Wayne can't, but I'll take as much help as I can get.

 

I'm actually considering picking up a 2010 K1300GT and rolling that for a couple years if this continues to drag on. Anyone care to talk me in to/out of it?

 

Before the new RT came out I was looking that direction or the C14 as the previous RT never really "fit" me as well. The C14 was taken out of contention due to weight and lack of cruise control. I'm hoping some more info comes soon to help me make a decision, I have a big tour planned toward the end of summer, and don't want really to do it on my VFR.

 

I had a K1300GT.....until BMW bought it back under lemon law.

 

IMO, the K13 was my absolute favorite one of all of them. It has the perfect balance of power, comfort, capability, feel, and fun factor all right there. I truly feel that you should take one for a ride. It was so unfortunate that they called the K13 so quickly. It would have been a legend bike, IMO.

 

When checking it out, pay attention to the clutch. In particular, a change in the engagement points under differing conditions. The bike needs to be at full temp to manifest this issue. Also, they had a rash of bad switch controls as they were "new design" at that time. All resolvable through the recall they had on them. There was an engine management recall for new software. Again, all things that a dealer VIN check will ensure are handled. Just make sure yours is done.

 

I can not stress enough, the K13 was one of my all time favorites. I do miss that bike! It carried me many places at very fast speeds. Just ask Whip and Janet about our trip to Colorado as I would engage warp drive, open the mic on my radio and talk until it lost connection with them. Laughing my butt off all day with those antics.

[Matter]

Update on my situation.

 

Before the new RT came out I was looking that direction or the C14 as the previous RT never really "fit" me as well. The C14 was taken out of contention due to weight and lack of cruise control. I'm hoping some more info comes soon to help me make a decision, I have a big tour planned toward the end of summer, and don't want really to do it on my VFR.

 

As a new Connie owner I can tell you it is one helluva bike. As far as weight goes it's only 30-40 lbs more max. My thoughts are get a Throttlemeister and save $12,000 until they get this shit sorted out! However long that may be...

[Hypeman]

An update on my situation. I decided to wait it out and see what happened.

 

It seems my bike is finished. It is awaiting pickup, which was scheduled for 8/24/14, and scheduled for arrival in NYC on 8/31. Bikes have been about 10 days late coming in, they anticipate landfall around 9/10, and delivery here 10-14 days after that. BMW has not let the dealer know what the incentive to take a 2014 will be, only that there WILL be an incentive.

 

We'll see. The pot had better be sweetened to reward my patience.

[johnwarnke]

I ordered a 2014 RTW in late May which was just before the debacle. Today my dealer told me that my bike would be delivered later this month. That is 2 1/2 months later than my original projected delivery date.

 

BMW will throw in a free Nav 5 GPS. That's true for anyone who buys a 14RT whether or not they have been waiting for months like I have. I'm tempted to cancel my order and move my deposit to a 2015. An $800 Nav unit doesn't seem like a very good deal when you consider that our riding season will be over by the time my bike arrives.

[AndyS]

...We'll see. The pot had better be sweetened to reward my patience.

 

And if it isn't, then what?

 

 

[Hypeman]

And if it isn't, then what?

 

Then I may as well wait and pick up a '14 later this fall/winter when the deals are better or '15 next year.

 

I've already missed the tour I'd planned to take on my new RT, so why make payments over the winter unless it's a much better deal?

[Alfred02]

And if it isn't, then what?

 

........so why make payments over the winter unless it's a much better deal?

Can't argue with that logic. That is sound reasoning.