2012 BMW G650GS Sertao Owners

This is a good point, but -- speaking as an ex-parts manager -- a good dealership will still proactively track down owners and suggest service. Make no mistake: Dealerships make money on warranty repairs. I've always found it hard to fathom how and why dealers try to avoid doing warranty work.

In our shop, we'd look at each new bulletin coming in and see whether it applied to bikes we'd sold. If so, we'd call the customer. Same deal with bikes coming in for service. It's not difficult to run a year/model or VIN against a bulletin database to determine what's what. An up-to-date service history for your customers' bikes will let you know what service has been done.

It's not hard to treat your customers well. It flames my butt that so many dealerships don't.

/rant

Agreed!

I don't think so. Mine is about to be done (decomp. lever on order) and I was told that this applies to bikes manufactured BEFORE October 2012. I think it was October. In any case, it's before, not after.

Max, NY ordered up my warranty beak and it'll be in friday
Tires are on so the bike will be totally ready to go! Truck it home and into the nice, bright garage and time to get to work on it
I'll post some pic's as soon as she's finito

I still haven't figured out why some have it and others don't have the problem or what percentage of bikes is effected.

My bike was built in march2012, has 21,000 miles(1/3 on dirt roads) and I haven't seen that problem. The battery dries quickly, springs got wimpy and the tailight fell off. Other than that it's been a good mount.

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That's impressive mileage in a year!

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Iron butt ... Impressive...

So I'm collecting all the gear I need for my trip this summer. I'm looking into some heavy duty tubes. Should I get just one, front? Since I heard if your in a pinch you can actually install the 21' front on the rear.

Has to do with valve clearance. If your clearance is tight, this might mask the problem for a while. If the clearance goes up, the problem shows up.

This is because the decompression lever has a very small initial deflection of 0.7 mm, to be exact. Valve clearance is deducted from that, and then you have the thermal expansion of the cylinder head, that exceeds that of the valve train components.

My bike was usually starting even hot, but harder than when cold. Lately it has been giving me more and more problems. Had to jump start it a few times already. The battery is good, according to BMW. Anyway, new lever is on order.

The reason that not everyone is experiencing the problem the same way is that we probably begin with different valve clearances. And then, the way the clearance changes is different for everyone, depending on many factors, such as type of gas and the style of driving. Sooner or later, the problem will show up for all affected bikes. The new lever has an enlarged initial deflection. I think it is 0.6 mm more than the original 0.7 mm. So 1.3 mm provides more reserve for other variables and a reliable start.

If it sounds crazy to you, you should read this UK thread totally dedicated to this problem: I have been following it even before buying my bike. http://www.f650.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?9864-G650GS-starting-issues

Ozi,

I am sorry, but I would like to resubmit my question about the steering damper. I can't find one for the Sertao specifically. Which one did you use? Ralleymoto (for Dakar)? Any grinding or other mods necessary? Was it just a bolt-on?

Thank you!

Yes Ralle-Moto HERE - I did some minor sanding on a belt sander and sent the photos to ralleMoto after to show how the base plate steps had to be ground to fit inside the fork riser base - no reply - so i called - they seemed un-interested in Sertao or feedback about their product - like I was bothering them? - jeeez , so no idea if you will get the same steps or not? - their attitude sux reeks of grumpy machinists - their kits came with risers for the steering but I already had the TT ones installed. The damper itself works well for/on deep sand - and river crossings :)

Ozi,

Would you post a closeup picture of the damper installed on your bike? How does the pin mount to the frame? Does it interfere with the center trim panel? Any additional info would be greatly appreciated.

How well does it work on a highway at high speed? I am talking specifically about that high-speed wobble.

I was looking at the same one. I wrote to them and asked if they had a damper for the Sertao. They replied and said that no one had returned or complained about it on the Sertao, but they are not marketing it for this bike. Go figure...

When I asked for additional info or drawings (bike specific), I got no more response from them. So I am not really optimistic about my communications with them. I do want to make sure I am ordering the correct thing before I order an expensive part from half way across the globe.

Thank you very much!

So the question I have is when did they or when are they installing the new lever at the factory? My bike was born August 2012. I wonder if it has the new style decompressor?

im still stumped as to why my speedometer will not register after removing the ABS and soldering together all the correct wires and reconnecting the rear sensor.

the speedo and odo run off the rear abs sensor.

any guesses ?

by the way- i did a valve check last night . they were in spec.
also the shorai battery is a little wider than the stock one and makes the oil tank have difficulty connecting to the airbox at one connecting point. not a big deal but worth noting.

I'm no guru. But assuming that our moto is not speedo cable driven and sensor driven, could be the spacing on the sensor? There is normally a gap measurement, you could possible off spec? Just a thought.

If you're trying to pack as light as possible then yes, but I'm rolling with with a tube for each. Not much of an issue for me in terms of weight/space.

I believe it is after October 2012, sorry. I am talking from memory here. Mine will be installed soon, so I will make sure and ask again for that date. I will post it , when I know.