R1200XX computer update

[duckbubbles]

I've had my R1200ST a year and 10,000 miles so I put it in the shop for the annual stuff. I'd had a little trouble with the tripmeter resets and told them about it. They put the bike on the computer and installed an updated program. That was two weeks ago. Since then the accessory plugs go dead intermittently, sometimes as much as 90% of the time. I know this since I have my radar detector and radar screamer powered through the accessory plug. The system had worked for a year. The dealer didn't think it was the bike's fault, blaming my wiring. It took some convincing and troubleshooting to get them to see things my way. I now have wired it to the battery directly until this is fixed. I was informed Friday that a "patch" has been issued to be installed into the computer after this update has been done. They can't tell me if it addresses the problem I'm having. Has anyone else encountered similar problems after updates? I read on a GS forum that people are having problems like this after updates. Ain't technology wonderful!

[bmwscoot]

Geeze...

 

I have no answer for you, but thanks for the heads up. I am due to have the scoot in Monday for the 800 mile check. I think I'll tell them to forget upgrades, as everything has been just fine, thank you.

If it ain't broke....

[camfarm]

I don't have an answer germane to your statement, but I think that users are ahead of dealers/service techs on recognizing the CANBUS quirks. These guys at the dealerships are mechanics. BMW have taken the bikes into the realm of electronics. Training info only goes so far.

 

Interesting that the reflexive, "It's your fault." still passes the lips of a 21st Century entrepreneur.

[sprung]

At my 600 miles sevice a few weeks ago I asked my dealer about something I wasn't used to on this bike (e.g. abrupt on/off throttle). He said it sounded normal but would check if there were any software updates. He warned me that some bikes have been experiencing an issue with the power socket when they flash the ECU with update. As it turned out my bike has the latest version and a flash wasn't necessary (built in Oct. '05) but I thought you might be interested to know that some dealers are aware of an issue.

 

BTW: this was Stuart at Morton's BMW in VA, who seems to be quite knowledgable if you have further questions.

[Emoto]

Duckbubbles, I saw someone on another board with this problem, and it seemed that they found a work-around. They said that if they did not power up their accessories until after the bike was running, that they didn't have the intermittent problem. As I said, this was someone else on another board, so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of it, but it would be easy enough to try.

 

Bob

[duckbubbles]

I'll bet I saw the power off startup procedure the same place you did, EMoto. I've tried it and in wouldn't work in my case. About one out of five or six times on startup, the system would work normally for as long as the bike was turned on. But all the other times, it would come on normally, but turn off within a minute or so. After 5-10 minutes it would chirp the screamer on turn on, then after about a minute turn off and repeat as long as you rode. If you can't depend on the detector, it's not worth having.

 

A friend of mine, with a newer model ST has had this same problem since his 600 mile service. He is scheduled to get it back in on May 9. I am awailting the outcome of his "patching" to decide if mine stays as I have it now, or "patch" it up, too.

 

I have dealt with the dealer, Lone Star BMW, in Austin for 21 years. I trust the head mechanic, Mike, to be there with the right stuff. The volume of service has increased to the point that they have a maintenance writer like the car dealers have. The guy is ok, but hasn't been around long enough to appreciate that, most of the time, the customer is not just crazy, but has a real problem. They'll get it fixed one of these days.

 

Thanks for the input.

[Mainuh]

I don't have an answer germane to your statement, but I think that users are ahead of dealers/service techs on recognizing the CANBUS quirks. These guys at the dealerships are mechanics. BMW have taken the bikes into the realm of electronics. Training info only goes so far.

 

Interesting that the reflexive, "It's your fault." still passes the lips of a 21st Century entrepreneur.

 

Michael,

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. These guys are mechanics who are just wandering into the field of computers/electronics. Most of the ones I've spoken to are mortified at the whole CANBUS system and I think the standard answer with ANY issue will be to point at the customer's wiring.

 

Case in point: My friend Brian and I bought matching 05 R12RT's last December and wired them up with Motolights (w/Autoswitch), Hyperlights, tank bag electrification, and GPS power. This was all done to Brian's bike before he put any miles on it. He rode it for 725 miles before taking it in for the 600 mile service without a single electrical issue. At the 600, they also performed an onboard computer update. This update (an open recall according to the service manager)was supposedly designed to eliminate an issue with the OBC (onboard computer) leaving 1-2 circuits open and causing a battery drain that could deplete the battery in 2-3 days. He had never experienced that problem prior to the update. After getting it back from the 600, there was a point where the bike sat for 4 days. He went to start it and low and behold... battery was flat as a pancake.

 

In contrast, my bike received the same update (from the same CD at the dealer) 9 days earlier, and I am NOT having any issues. Our bikes have the exact same accessory wiring, exact. They were done back to back and we ordered the stuff together.

 

My best guess is something glitched during the download to his bike. The dealer swears his download went without a hitch, but that was after hearing stories of a K bike they did a few days earlier (CANBUS) which wouldn't even start after a download. They resent the download and it worked fine after the second try. The service manager also told me that these bikes can only "ever" have 12 computer updates. Sounds like bunk to me. So you throw an $18K bike away after 12 software updates?

 

After lengthy talks with the dealer and mechanic, they agreed to take another look. They wanted to charge 2 hours labor to unhook all our wiring. I asked them for a 10mm box wrench and a pair of needle nose pliers and unhooked it all in under 10 minutes. Interestingly enough, since the upgrade, the bike also won't accept a charge from the special $115 CANBUS charger via either accessory port. The red "charge" light on the charger goes to flashing red after a few seconds indicating an error. The ports do however seem to be sending 12v out when the bike is running. They couldn't explain that either, but it didn't change after we unhooked all accessory wiring. So now we wait... presumably for the bike to discharge and fail to start for them. I asked them 4-5 times to just try the download again since my bike got it and is working fine.

 

A word to all: After this fiasco... I WILL NEVER EVER allow a dealer to run an update on my onboard computer unless it is absolutely designed to cure a problem which my bike would have to be exhibiting before I'd consent. And even at that, like any other software update, it's not usually best to be the first one one your block to try these things. In the computer industry, we call this the "bleeding edge" of technology.

 

Or, the short version as someone else already said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

[Emoto]

It is true that the SW can only be updated around 12-13 times. That will be more than enough because in the next year or two, the various systems will evolve and change, and there will be no further development of the current system.

[loujack]

Mainuh:

Thanks for the helpful advice. Your example of you and your friends experience drives home the important point. I've zero issues to date and for that reason I will NOT allow an upgrade.

 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this post for sharing the info.