2012 BMW G650GS Sertao Owners

[Hike&ride]

Originally Posted by slider162

I am very interested to hear what your dealer did for the hot start issue. I have the same problem and it is still unresolved after two trips to the dealer. Starts fine, drive a few miles to the nearest gas station, and the damn thing won't start or takes many cranks to start. I don't like that sinking feeling that I am going to be stranded again.

Its a valve problem from what they told me. One of the valves isnt seating right when turned off. BMW gave them a spacer to put in it to make the valve seat right. I went in to the dealer originally for the 600 mile service and i told them i had the issue. Literally the next day they called me and told me BMW gave them the part to fix it finally. Because the "temporary" fix for it was just to adjust the valves, which never was a guarantee that it would work.

So i would call back and ask if they have received the proper stuff to fix it. BMW seems to be keeping the down low on this. They didnt want to give me very much info when i was asking. I had to pry and i snuck back and talked to the tech who actually worked on it too , super cool guy. he wasnt as politically correct and proper about his explanation as the service advisor was. so im not sure if every dealer has received it yet or not. I live in North Carolina, but rode up to chesapeak VA to get it done.

[gus]

Originally Posted by Hike&ride

I have already bought and put on a pair of happy trail bags, that i love.

Pictures are soon to come!

Which model bags did you get and what width? I have a set of the large ones 11.5" I think on my 1200GSA. I like them, especially for the price. On their website they recomend the 6" width for the 650 (you lose 1.5" at the opening) but that seems small for touring. I'd like to be able to store my Darien jacket and pants when commuting to work too.

[Axel F]

Re the hot start issue, there has been a new part released here in the uk as of early May, it is a redesigned compressor lever think its slightly longer. The new part number for the new compressor lever is 11.31.8.540.965. It was fitted on the 9th of May and there have been no hot start issues since, few others over on f650.co.uk with same positive feedback

[Durden]

Originally Posted by Axel F

Re the hot start issue, there has been a new part released here in the uk as of early May, it is a redesigned compressor lever think its slightly longer. The new part number for the new compressor lever is 11.31.8.540.965. It was fitted on the 9th of May and there have been no hot start issues since, few others over on f650.co.uk with same positive feedback

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the purpose of the compressor lever, and how does a longer one resolve the issue? I poked around and couldn't find any info, just wanted to know for my own sake.

[gus]

Originally Posted by Durden

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the purpose of the compressor lever, and how does a longer one resolve the issue? I poked around and couldn't find any info, just wanted to know for my own sake.

I suspect the modified automatic compression release holds one of the exhaust valves open a little more so the motor can turn over a little easier. When warm stabing the starter button the first time sometimes stalls the starter. The second try usually spins the motor. I suspected the motor either did not have a compression release (unlikely on a big single) or it was not working correctly, or the ECM does not advance the timing enough, or the damn battery or starter does not have the capacity to spin the motor fast enough.

I had the hot (no) start issue this morning. Anybody that remembers four stroke singles before it was common to put electric starters on them knows they can sometimes be a bear to start.Those were the days when the compression release was on a short leaver on the left bar and you only forgot to use it once. After your knee and or ankle healed up you always used it after that. You learned the drill to start cold and to how to start hot but that in between could be troublesome to get it right. I used the same method I would on a kickstart bike that would not fire off. Ignition on hit starter button, roll throttle wide open for 2 or 3 seconds until it poped, roll it closed, then it fired up.

My DR 650 fires up when my thumb is about 2" from the starter button. When warm it starts before it makes one revolution.

Hpoefully someone will keep us informed, we know BMW is like Sgt. Shultz. "I Know Nooothing!"

[jonmbakermd]

I just traded in the 1000 pound Harley Davidson Road King for this Sertao, it is nice ride. I road up to Truckee California today in the Snow, really it was snowing. The bike so far has some very good qualities, cruises at 75 MPH without any hesitation, including climbing the mountain. The heated grips saved my hands today, it was extremely cold. Tourtech as you know did the recent bike build up putting $5900 worth of accessories on one. I don't think I will be putting all the bling on but will do some of the standard modes before the next huge trip. The pegs are too far forward and microscopic. Up grade will cost about $400, for 2 inches back and wide enough for a boot to stay on. Some crash protection is in order and maybe some hard saddle bags. Then I should be ready. I plan to ride this to Sturgis this year then will wear out the street tires it comes with. Then put some good dual sport tires and start the planning for the Continential Divide dirt ride. This bike I can ride from my home to the start of any ride and keep going. Like the rest of you I considered the KLR, the Honda 650xl and the KTM 690 endure. I have a KTM 520 EXC and they are high maintience, amazing bike but not something I would ride 6000 miles without needing any work on the bike. I like to ride not work on the bikes. Hopefully this will work.

[Ol'NumNuts]

Hey guys I'd like to pick ur brains a bit, if you don't mind...

Like many, it seems I'm lookn at getting back into bikes after a 20 year break. I'm hearing 'the call'... As they say...

Anyway, the last bike I had was a 650 Katana and I did 34,000 klm in 8 months. I'm not planing that sort of ride again but this Sertao sure seems to tick many boxes for me.

I live in Brisbane, Australia and off the coast here are some amazing Islands I want to get amongst. They are mostly all sand and include Nth & Sth Stradbroke, Moreton, Bribie and of course Fraser Island and about 350 'others'. There's like a million miles of coastal sand tracks waiting/begging to be explored....

Thing is, here in Oz it's nothing to ride 6 or 26 hrs up the highway to get to the start of a few days 'off-road' exploring, so that dual-purpose role is a big 'must-have' for me.

Now that you get where I'm coming from I want to ask two closely related questions...

Firstly, whist I get this bikes trail-riding limitations.... I'm wondering if any of you have done any serious beach/sand riding? And if you can shed some light on how it goes -or not- in the soft sand? BTW I get the tyre choice/lower pressure, etc stuff too.

Second- I've read on here in the GS twin thread where some guys have tweaked the sprocket sizes to get better on/off road gearing on the 800 but I'm wondering if anyone has tried this on this bike. I know the sprockets are readily available but I haven't heard of anyone doing the changes on this bike? Anyone tried changing sprockets and care to offer some feedback?

:Cheers
Andrew

[twinrider]

Originally Posted by Ol'NumNuts

Firstly, whist I get this bikes trail-riding limitations.... I'm wondering if any of you have done any serious beach/sand riding? And if you can shed some light on how it goes -or not- in the soft sand? BTW I get the tyre choice/lower pressure, etc stuff too.

Second- I've read on here in the GS twin thread where some guys have tweaked the sprocket sizes to get better on/off road gearing on the 800 but I'm wondering if anyone has tried this on this bike. I know the sprockets are readily available but I haven't heard of anyone doing the changes on this bike? Anyone tried changing sprockets and care to offer some feedback?

:Cheers
Andrew

Going down one tooth in the front sprocket improves the bike's dirt manners without impacting comfort on superslab. Throw on Michelin T63s and sand shouldn't be a problem.

[Durden]

Originally Posted by twinrider

Going down one tooth in the front sprocket improves the bike's dirt manners without impacting comfort on superslab. Throw on Michelin T63s and sand shouldn't be a problem.

Ive been using my Sertao on 130km/hr freeway and muddy single track, it handles both beautifully. I think going down a tooth on the front sprocket is a great idea, and will mitigate having to do all the clutch work when going off road.

My only beef is busting my tail light assembly when offroading (read: my fault), Its an easy fix, I just hope its not expensive! On an unrelated note, I got just under 350km on a single 14L tank! I'm sure it would go over 350 before running out, very impressive.

I'm 1500km into owning this Sertao and never been happier with any other vehicle purchase before.

[tmotten]

Originally Posted by Ol'NumNuts

Hey guys I'd like to pick ur brains a bit, if you don't mind...

Like many, it seems I'm lookn at getting back into bikes after a 20 year break. I'm hearing 'the call'... As they say...

Anyway, the last bike I had was a 650 Katana and I did 34,000 klm in 8 months. I'm not planing that sort of ride again but this Sertao sure seems to tick many boxes for me.

I live in Brisbane, Australia and off the coast here are some amazing Islands I want to get amongst. They are mostly all sand and include Nth & Sth Stradbroke, Moreton, Bribie and of course Fraser Island and about 350 'others'. There's like a million miles of coastal sand tracks waiting/begging to be explored....

Thing is, here in Oz it's nothing to ride 6 or 26 hrs up the highway to get to the start of a few days 'off-road' exploring, so that dual-purpose role is a big 'must-have' for me.

Now that you get where I'm coming from I want to ask two closely related questions...

Firstly, whist I get this bikes trail-riding limitations.... I'm wondering if any of you have done any serious beach/sand riding? And if you can shed some light on how it goes -or not- in the soft sand? BTW I get the tyre choice/lower pressure, etc stuff too.

Second- I've read on here in the GS twin thread where some guys have tweaked the sprocket sizes to get better on/off road gearing on the 800 but I'm wondering if anyone has tried this on this bike. I know the sprockets are readily available but I haven't heard of anyone doing the changes on this bike? Anyone tried changing sprockets and care to offer some feedback?

:Cheers
Andrew

No worries with that mate. Just like any bike with a 21" wheel. Have a look over on the Dakar thread as its the same bike with a larger tank. Get some YZ forks for this bike and keep the weight of it and enjoy the state forrest single trails even.

[W5PY]

My tank badges fell off after the first ride in a heavy rain. Apparently, the Chinese glue isn't waterproof...

If you own one, recommend popping the badges off and re-gluing them using emblem adhesive or something similar. On one side, the badge fell off the mounting plate and on the other side, the entire plate fell off, so each side needs to be glued twice:

Tank (glue here) mounting plate (glue here) badge

[alter]

Originally Posted by Axel F

Re the hot start issue, there has been a new part released here in the uk as of early May, it is a redesigned compressor lever think its slightly longer. The new part number for the new compressor lever is 11.31.8.540.965. It was fitted on the 9th of May and there have been no hot start issues since, few others over on f650.co.uk with same positive feedback

I have a 2012 G650GS with the hot start issue as well....I've read all about it online too, but when I spoke to my local BMW dealer they said they have never heard of this issue before, which I found very hard to believe. I have an appointment set up for them to investigate the issue in a few weeks but I'm worried they will pretend nothing is wrong. Has anyone with the hot start issue had problems getting their dealer to fix it? Seeing as how they've never heard of the issue, would it be a good idea for me to write down and give them the part number?

[Durden]

Originally Posted by W5PY

My tank badges fell off after the first ride in a heavy rain. Apparently, the Chinese glue isn't waterproof...

If you own one, recommend popping the badges off and re-gluing them using emblem adhesive or something similar. On one side, the badge fell off the mounting plate and on the other side, the entire plate fell off, so each side needs to be glued twice:

Tank (glue here) mounting plate (glue here) badge

Strange, ive blasten mine with a pressure washer a number of times and nothing has come off. Was it the Sertao words that came off?

[Durden]

Getting the Sertao out this weekend:

[swamp]

I traded in my R1200GS on a 2012 Sertao .

the bike is awesome.


a few pics for ya