BMW F800gs fuel injection gumming up....

So I had a 2009 bmw f800gs that never had a problem starting or anything.

I get a 2010 bmw f800gs and the bike won't start.. so after 2,200 miles
I have to call bmw roadside assistance to take the bike to the dealership.
The dealership goes over the bike and says the fuel injectors are clogged.
The dealer says the 2010 bike has smaller jets and more of them then the 2009 bike.. So they have had problems with the bikes stalling out and not starting.. so the dealer says that bmw says that at every oil change to put in their fuel injection cleaner to fix the problem.. well gee I did not even get to 3,000 miles for the suggested fix... I thought this bike was suppose to be dual sport and designed to go across the world in third world countries. So I guess it is time to remake the "Long way round" with a bike that could make in the year 2010.. I am not happy about this and think bmw is going in the wrong direction for a dual sport bike.

After owning a f650gs and now 2 f800gs.. not sure I am going to buy another dual sport from bmw if they are going to fail me on the road!!!

so what do you plan to do? dump it?

Not sure yet.. I love the way the bike rides and where I can take it.. I just not sure whether I trust it...

There is nothing to worry about. The "Government" just certified that 15% ethanol blended gas is not safe for motorcycles. But by that logic 10% blends must be 2/3 as bad for motorcycles, so all these problems the blended gas creates is just a figment of our imagination. All thanks to Archer Daniels Midlands corn lobbyist......

Or you could go and buy yourself a KLR

I agree, EthoCrap is the culprit.
Hope you don't live in a commie state

I don't know about the injector nozzles on the 2010 being smaller :eek1 could be true. If I were one of the Germans that designed the system here's what I'd say:

• Your damned EPA (other countries same issue diff. goverment agency) gives us no choice but to run FI systems; carburators will not meet standards. Carbs. would be more tolerant, and if not more tolerant at least you'd be able to rebuild them on the side of the road.
• On top of that we have to run the bikes so lean to meet emissions standards that we have almost zero leeway for irregular operating conditions (like oh... say - just for example ... crappy gas)
• Your USA "gasoline" with 10% (or more) ethanol is marginal on the best day, crap most of the time.
• Your gas stations do not properly monitor their tanks for water intrusion - very bad for ethnol mixes.
• Yup it sucks, but by the way every bike mfg. has the same issue so if you think switching to some other FI bike is gonna make it better I think you'll be disappointed.

Stepping off the defend-the-engineers soap box: I don't know WTF us owners are supposed to do ... carry a damn test kit and test quality before every fill up - you are 200 miles to the next station and this gas is no good? Then what? Carry a bottle of techron and dump in a couple ounces every tank? .... sigh.......... back to my coffee....

Targeted at motorboats not bikes, but still a good article:

http://www.goldeagle.com/UserFiles/file/Ethanol%20411/Gold%20Eagle%20eGas%20Article%20PSL.pdf

Hate to say it, but we're all in the same boat. It's the fuel. Best medicine is going to be going the additive route until the bike mfr's and suppliers figure out what to do next. Don't hold your breath. But don't hang BMW out to dry either.

I understand not hanging bmw out to dry.. but why did my '09 f800gs go 13k miles with no problems and my '10 f800gs got 2,200 and failed to start. I gas up at the same gas stations with both bikes. I guess I just have to carry a bottle of fuel injection cleaner and put it in every so often. I had to take this bike on a long ride like I did with the 09 f800gs like baja and have it fail like this. Though I know failure could be part of the adventure..

Are you sure you did not piss someone off enough for them to put suger in your gas? Dave

All this talk I read about E10 makes me glad the station down the street sells E0!
But I am not always there when I need fuel.

This Chevron stuff is available at Advanced Auto and places like that for those of us who don't have Chevron stations in our state.

I was a mechanic in the 80's and I recall the growing pains the auto manufactures had with methanol. I recall 50% of the Dodge Omni's that came in the shop you could just lift the carb off the engine as the rubber mount was rotted out. (and that system was designed by VW (German) who did not have to deal with methanol).

On the bright side, sooner or later we will discover that these injectors (Bosch?) are also used in another application, and we will be able to get them cheep. I think I recall my 87 K100 had the same injectors as 90's mustang V6 engines (or something like that)

We should absolutely not have to do this. This is bullshit, BMW should make a fuel delivery system that can withstand crappy gas or 10% ethanol for the life of the bike. We should not have to carry a bottle of fuel system cleaner everywhere we go. Look at the 12GS, you can put crap gas in that thing over and over and it will keep on tickin'. It's been proven on countless round the world excursions. BMW should be able to do the same with the F8. It's a simple fix.

Is this going to be an issue with all bikes or is the f800gs just lucky?

:huh Part# 13 61 7 672 335 same as the old.

I agree!! That is what makes me mad... I am going to figure out how to contact bmw north america and ask them whether this is a real problem or the dealership is blowing smoke!!

Sounds like I am getting some BS from the dealership service department.

Pumkin:
Question: did you fill all the equipment up from the same pump on the same day?
I'm not trying to It's meant as an honest question. Every tanker load of fuel delivered to the station could have different characteristics....
Most of the E10 appears to be passable ... an occasional load apparently really sucks...

Nope.. I typically go to the shell station in town... So one tank of gas who cause this issue then??

Just picked up a 2010 f800, last week. The owner of the dealership told me to avoid SHELL GASOLINE like the black plague. He said thay the nitrogen destroys the fuel pump, will make it flake inside. Just FYI from the southwest.

yes... one tank of crappy gas can be all it takes.... and it could very much be just bad luck.

I walked in to gas station a while back and the water alarm behind the counter was going off ... (all the tanks are instrumented, and if water level in the tanks gets too high then alarm sounds -- it is supposed to mean "panic" --- the gas is potentially contaminated - people may be pumping part water/part gasoline into their cars).

I asked the clerk and the answer was "yeah ... damn thing has been going off for two days ... I called the boss but he don't seem to care" :eek1

I don't want to point fingers, but more Shell gas stations have been "named" more often than any other brand as purveyors of bad gas just based on the threads I am watching....

Sadly only 3,700 miles on my 800 but whenever I leave home I always fill up at my local Shell. No problems yet but I also throw in a bit of SeaFoam now and then. If the dealer has proof then Shell would be liable. I think it's misdirection ... but my mileage always varies.