2012 BMW G650GS Sertao Owners

I have just joined the hot start issue club.

I bought the Sertao for a trip I have planed for 2014 (London to Nepal)

I was getting rather concerned reading all posts on here about the hot start issue, I was worried that I wouldn't experance any issues here in the UK but it may start when I was half way across Pakistan.

Twice now on cold mornings (under 5c) the bike has failed to start after a short ride, on both occasions it has started again after waiting just 5 min. I was looking out for the issue so knew not to run the battery down by continuously trying to start it.

I spoke to BMW Park Lane this morning and it is booked in to have its decompression replaced on Monday morning, they confirmed that it was a known issue but said it usually appeared earlier than it had for me (I first noticed it at 700 miles)

Apart from that I love the bike.

How are people finding the pricing of the 'Run in Service'? I was a little shocked when I had to cough up $250 for what amounted to basically an oil change. I don't mind paying that for a full 10k service, but definitely seems a bit steep for an initial service.

I talked to an ex-BMW dealer mechanic who opened up his own shop, and there's absolutely no reason for us to pay that money. He told me to keep the receipt for the replacement BMW oil and filter, and log the miles and work in the service book. There's no requirement for the bike to be inspected by the dealer according to him.

I agree, I was pushed over a barrel when I did the initial servicing, it was only an oil change and 'inspection' that I could have easily done myself. Feel like a chump for taking it in, but needed it setup for a long trip.

I have 13,000km and no warm start issues, although now I'm really sensitive about it and if it doesn't start with one quick push I revert to thinking it has an issue. Anyone hear of an 'official' recall?

Well, I have about 11500km on mine. No hot start issue, just did my last service which included valves, oil, inspection. I cant afford anymore cash giveaway so here on out I'm doing it all solo. I ride year round so I'm interested to see how it holds up in the real cold winter.

I also agree.. I was like WTF!!! It was about $250 here in Canada all in.

Nice post about your ride up to Tuk by the way!

It was about 11c when i stopped and tried to start again. Have rang BMW and they said bring it in for a look but will not get a chance until the new year as the service department is 2 hours away.

I am looking into this to start my world exploration on two wheels. The only concern I have is if the Sertao can manage 2up easily on a long trip (highway speeds) as I want to take my wife along with me some times.

There are no reviews online of this bike mentioning 2up.

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Rode one a few weeks ago for the weekend. I liked it except for:
1. Rear brake seemed touchy when using while standing on pegs.
2. Pegs are weirdly small, uncomfortable to stand on for a long time even with stiff boots. Yes, this can be easily fixed.
3. Hard to find neutral or shift with big Sidi boots.
4. At 5'11 I felt cramped when sitting.

Other than that, fun to ride! Easy to turn off ABS too.

1. Brakes are a bit grabby, but I've never had a problem or thought it was an issue, may be a personal preference.
2. Agree, I ride dirt with the stock pegs still and actually prefer a smaller peg with big boots, but I do get jeered by my ridding buddies because of the little pegs. Easy to swap out like you said.
3. As the bike breaks in past 500km the gearbox gets much better. I struggled with neutral when I first purchased the bike and was a bit freaked out,but after a hundred KM and on to 1000KM it got better and now it slides in perfectly. The gearbox is actually really tight and I'm confident it will last a while, just takes some break in time.
4. Totally agree, this was the one thing that drove me nutts after purchasing the bike, I'm 6' and my knees would ache. I swapped the seat out for the 'Dakar Seat' which is just the highest of the 3 seats (the Seatao comes with the middle seat stock). If you order the seat from the old F650GS Dakar or just order the new 'high seat' it is waaay more comfortable and gives your legs way more room, its great now, and I like being high in the saddle.

I havent done much riding 2 up on the Sertao, but I did a lot on my KLR which has a lot less power and I never had a problem. Assuming you are not overloaded with gear the bike has no problem doing 2 up, just dial up the suspension. I've seen people cross central america on 250cc bikes, anything is doable.

I had a 2005 R1200GS that I treated like a dirt-bike and it got too expensive to replace broken parts. It was also too heavy to pick up...

I sold it and got the Sertao in June 2012. It was a blast off-road, and I enjoyed every minute on it off-road and as a daily commuter - it never missed a beat (no cold-start issues). I took a few long trips on it with full panniers and camping gear, and I really didn't like spending more than two hours on the highway with it at all. I know that I'm spoiled, because I've seen many people ride cross-country on KLR's, but this is who I am. I have a few long trips planned ahead, and I couldn't imagine spending days and days on the slab with the Sertao so in November I traded it in for a new F800GS. I have to tell you that I took the Sertao to a few off-road dual-sport events and I had a blast! I put over 5,000 miles of pure fun (minus the slab part with full gear) on the Sertao, and I truly miss it every time I take the F800GS off pavement... If you are not as spoiled as I am, then the Sertao could be the best of both world, but for me the 800 fits my needs better.

Again - LOVED the Sertao!

Do a search for the Dakar and two-up....plenty of people have done it.


My wife and I test rode a Sertao two-up and were actually pretty comfortable. I am 6'3" and she is 5'7". I was only for a few miles, but we could contrast it to my KLR we had ridden two-up quite a bit, and the Tiger 955 i had at the time. Ergonimocally it felt better for the two of us than the Tiger and the KLR. The power was slightly better than my KLR 685 which is to say there is enough there to get you around with a passenger. You just need to be on top of the shifting. if i was doing a lot of two-up, i wukd think about dropping the gearing just slightly. There was a pretty sharp contrast between the big triple and the brand new thumper engine in terms of power and vibration, but we had no trouble getting up to speed. I rode an 800 XC the same day, and while I loved the engine, the cramped ergos did not work for us, and I walked away thinking I would get the Sertao. A few months past, and I ended up buying a Super Tenere sort of impulsively through a family member, but am thinking about trading back for a smaller bike, and the Sertao is near the top of the list. In my opinion the Sertao makes for a great day tripper, although it wouldn't be ideal for cruising the interstate all day long. Who wants to do that anyways though?

I have done a few short trips (100 miles) with wife on the non-Sertao G (not highway) and it was fine. Not sure I would want to do same at sustained highway speeds.

Thanks AVNER and SWAMP.
It's as I thought. I'm in love with the concept of the 1200GS and having the ability to ride off tomorrow and commune with penguins in Patagonia if my wife suddenly said 'Go do it.'. But I ride Trials. I love my Montessa 4RT every time I start it. And to jump from a light weight trials bike onto a 12GS means I just can't bump up and down gutters and across curbs in a 5 min run down the shops. The smile factor is just no there for me like it is on a smaller bike. I feel a thumper is what I need. Thanks for your input.

I mentioned slab riding because I live n SoFl and the highway is the fastest way to get to the mountains.

thanks for the info.


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Here I sit at the CA DMV office with a bike that will not start. WTF!!!!!!

Hot start issue?

While in this topic; will it be reasonable to request the fix of this issue from the dealer before taking delivery of the bike and avoid having it altogether?

Looks like this iis a known issue and BMW is aweare. And right now if this cant be done at purchase it will be a deal breaker and go to the other option (wee strom).

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I waited 20 minutes and it fired right up, the dealer is going to get an earful here (as soon as I finish eating my breakfast.)