EWS Immobilizer antenna threadfest

[tpresten]

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

You do not need a harness extender. All you need to carry with the spare antenna ring is a spare key, and the tiny Torx bit (T10 or T15, can't recall) to remove the plastic cover that covers the front of the antenna's harness. Once you remove the plastic cover, you can then disconnect the harness from the failed ring antenna and plug it into the spare antenna, and then hold your spare key inside the spare antenna and start the bike with your regular key in the ignition. Disconnect the spare antenna and ride off. Reconnect it when you wish to restart the bike.

I look forward to the day when the bike will be blue tooth enabled and all you need to carry with you is a credit card sized card in your wallet, when you approach the bike, the bike is enabled, you turn on the switch where the key used to go and hit the starter button. The new Kawi Councours 14 is setup that way now, and its wiring is CANbus controlled. Many drivers now enjoy this keyless feature.

My 2008 Harley Davidson is bluetooth and they make fun of me all the time for driving 1950s technology..hahahah. Its not even categorized as an "adventure" bike although I use it like one.

I was at the BMW dealer yesterday as I have a sickness that I constantly want a GS again since it is the best riding motorcycle made. My wife actually said she would buy me one for Valentines day. A nice fresh 2008 GS ADV, silver,with an EWS antenna ring and all but after reading this post I have remembered why I sold my last two GS's. I fear that some silly problem that BMW knows about (spline, EWS, final drive, etc) will leave me stranded on a vacation. I only get 4 weeks vacation a year and so help me if one of these known issues happened on my trip Hell hath no fury so I have decided to look elsewhere on advrider now...KLR? KTM? Anything but something with this many issues that the Motorrad company will not go public with and tell us at least if the new part is better. Hope Jimmy Lewis gets his bike started.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by tpresten

My 2008 Harley Davidson is bluetooth and they make fun of me all the time for driving 1950s technology..hahahah. Its not even categorized as an "adventure" bike although I use it like one.

I was at the BMW dealer yesterday as I have a sickness that I constantly want a GS again since it is the best riding motorcycle made. My wife actually said she would buy me one for Valentines day. A nice fresh 2008 GS ADV, silver,with an EWS antenna ring and all but after reading this post I have remembered why I sold my last two GS's. I fear that some silly problem that BMW knows about (spline, EWS, final drive, etc) will leave me stranded on a vacation. I only get 4 weeks vacation a year and so help me if one of these known issues happened on my trip Hell hath no fury so I have decided to look elsewhere on advrider now...KLR? KTM? Anything but something with this many issues that the Motorrad company will not go public with and tell us at least if the new part is better. Hope Jimmy Lewis gets his bike started.

As Sir Gadget finely put it, "Vote with your wallet", or something like that.

The trip is an attitude, actually arriving is more of a fact.

[GB]

Hey John,

How many miles on your 07 GSA? If it's lowish, it fits the pattern.. a member of my local club has 120,000km on his 12GS.. no EWS issues.

Carry a spare and you might also wish to permanently remove the plastic cover covering the EWS harness. You will need a T10 or T15 torx bit (tiny).

Btw, when your dealer removes the security screws holding the antenna in place, have them replace them with regular / non security screws. Might as well merge this with the threadfest.

[jpalamar]

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

Hey John,

How many miles on your 07 GSA? If it's lowish, it fits the pattern.. a member of my local club has 120,000km on his 12GS.. no EWS issues.

Carry a spare and you might also wish to permanently remove the plastic cover covering the EWS harness. You will need a T10 or T15 torx bit (tiny).

Btw, when your dealer removes the security screws holding the antenna in place, have them replace them with regular / non security screws. Might as well merge this with the threadfest.

Yes, very lowish in fact. Just over 1000 miles! Have been on the GT and the 1150 for a while . . . yes, will do that and actually, as I said, I have a spare antenna ring I bought and it's the new part no., unless there's a 3rd part no. from the original?

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by Poolside

Waiting on some DOT documents, JP.

Re: the ECU and antenna
It is reasonably possible to hardwire a device to take the place of the RFID 'ignition key transponder tag' and ring antenna. The ignition key tag must be read and copied, and the data then programmed into a 'hardwired' device which takes the place of the antenna. A tag reader can be sourced as an commercial-off-the-shelf item, but the hardwired 'ignition key tag' is a design-and-build.

‡ Jim

Not trying to be contentious, but what would be the failure rate of the device you are referring to? Higher, or lower, than the antenna ring?

Jim

[Poolside]

Not trying to be oblique, but the failure rate of any item is based on the design. The 'new part number' antenna ring seems to be working.

The device itself isn't complex. Hardly anything is complex. Like everything else, failure is simple too. Simple to achieve, and simple to avoid.

And from all outward appearances, simple to accept.

[adamr]

Originally Posted by Poolside

Not trying to be oblique, but the failure rate of any item is based on the design. The 'new part number' antenna ring seems to be working.

How do you know that the new one seems to be working? Do you have stats on new vs. old part numbers & failure count?

[Poolside]

There is a home for you here. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309197

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by Poolside

There is a home for you here. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309197

The usher tears your ticket in half and quietly shows you to you seat.....

[Wallowa]

[quote=adamr]How do you know that the new one seems to be working? Do you have stats on new vs. old part numbers & failure count?[/quote]

Damn why JM a person for asking a valid question...everyone was whooping it up about "no numbers, no problem, fantasy, cry-babies" when the EWS issue first came on forum..now when a person asks what makes anyone now trust that BMW fixed a problem that they never acknowledged existed by re-vamping the offending antenna and manufacturing a bullet-proof one with a "new part number" in which the design defect has been corrected, he gets slammed...

Come on, we still don't have a definitive answer after thousands of words and speculations as to exactly why we are getting "EWS" defaults...let alone what specific component failed and why...so how the hell do we sumise that the "new part number" has cured the problem?

Trust with verification.

[Poolside]

Run awaaaaaay! It's the stat checkers!

Even the fake problem creators have quieted down.

[adamr]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...4&postcount=14

sh!t.... mine was replaced with the old '63 part #. Maybe I'll still buy a spare.

[IND GS]

I finally changed out the ring antenna for a new one, luckily the security bolts have been replaced by regular bolts and the mechanic could change out the antenna without removing the handle bar and triple tree. So actually its the antenna ring (which was replaced earlier) that has gone bad. Another thing that I found out was the positive lead on the battery was loose and could not be tightened properly so I had to replace the nut. Could this be contributing to the EWS fault ? Since the bolt was loose, sparks could have occured and sent irregular signals to the EWS...but I dont know for sure. So I will have an spare antenna ring handy in my tool bag. I will postpone installing the stebel horn for now.

[BMW Kurt]

I originally posted this in Spares for an Alaskan Trip but thought it might get more coverage with its own thread.

EWS Ring Antenna Failures

---

Since I will be riding in the boonies this summer in AK this subject has really interested me. I have looked in several forums (UKGSers, Horizons Unlimited, BMWMOA, etc.) and this problem seems to be what I call an "internet epidemic". That means it has happened, but is fairly rare. But, when it is reported on the internet rumors spread like wildfire. Kind of like the FD failures, sure they happen, but not to the majority.
After looking at these forums I found less that ten people that this has happened to and reported. ALL of the failures were on '07 models. Conventional wisdom is that a bad batch of rings were made and if your bike was manufactured in early '07, you may well have a failure.
My model is an '06 so I think I am going to stop worrying and just ride the damn thing. If I had an '07 GS I would most definitely buy an antenna ring as an insurance policy.
Just my opinion and it is worth every penny you paid for it!

[marty hill]

Kurt,

I've got a very early '07. Zero problems and well used. The failures reported seem to happen at very low mileage so if I were you I'd enjoy AK and not worry about spares. I would tend to agree that there were a bad batch. A good pal of mine caught 2 bad ones on a new 12GSA.

HI Ken.