BMW G650X Issue Log (xCountry, xChallenge, xMoto)

[andrewgore]

In lieu of the various electrical gremlins a lot (all?) of the G650xCountry owners seem to be running into, I thought it would be a good idea to assemble a list here of just the facts of what is going on with everyones bikes. I want to keep this as factual as possible, without any sort of rif-raff. I feel it'd be a great resource for those who run into issues can reference this post and hopefully diagnose, fix, and be back on the trails ASAP!

Below I've got a simple format. If anyone feels there should be anything added to it to help make this log more descriptive\accurate, please let me know and I will change it quick snap.

Model: (xCountry, xMoto, xChallenge)
Year:
ABS:
Mileage at time of issue:
Date of occurrence:
Modifications (if any):
Description of Failure(s):
Resolution (if any):
Reference Thread:

Again, if there are other things that could be added that would help keep track, let me know.

Andrew

[andrewgore]

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS: No
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 3000mi
Date of occurrence: May 15th 2009
Modifications (if any): Heated grips, power for GPS, otherwise stock.
Description of Failure(s): After a minor crash, bike no longer held a charge.
Resolution (if any): Replaced battery with a Yuasa YTZ10S. Bike has run like a champ since, and holds a charge quite nicely.
Reference Thread: NA

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS: No
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 4000mi
Date of occurrence: June 16th 2009
Modifications (if any): Heated grips, power for GPS, otherwise stock.
Description of Failure(s): Engine lost all power from mid range to top end. Felt like a plug was stuffed in the exhaust.
Resolution (if any): Dealer found the Catalytic converter had broken inside exhaust. Exhaust was replaced with aftermarket unit.
Reference Thread: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479425

Andrew

[slide]

model x-country
ABS
2007
mileage 400
no mods
bike would not start. battery would not accept a charge. took battery to dealer who tested & agreed battery is dead. replaced under warranty.

**************

mileage 2,000
during heavy rain riding, LCD display blanked. remained blank during rain. slowly returned (faded in) when rain stopped (took 30 minutes to return)

**************

mileage 8,000
all warning lights on or flickering all the time. includes oil warning light. took to dealer who saw the display. tested for error codes. no codes. lights went out during test (dealer said).

**************

Mileage 11,000
Same as first. Bike will not start (no starter - not even a click) Headlight will not come on. LCD display shows some wonky messages. Remove battery & hike to auto repair place. Nice lady opened up for me & let me put battery on charger / tester. Battery will not hold charge.

This one is far away and by the time I gave up, it was night & Sunday. I will try to recover the bike Wednesday. This occurred after several days straight riding - maybe 800 miles in 3 days so it wasn't like the bike ever sat. I switched off to stretch my legs (take a leak) & bike is dead dead dead. First time same thing - switch off and it won't switch on again.

****************


Can't help but note that over the same time I've owned this bike, our two Triumphs (Tiger 1050 & new Bonnie) have not had a glitch or any unscheduled maintenances

[5Chord]

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS: Yes
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 1500-3500
Date of occurrence: Numerous, Feb-Jun
Modifications (if any): none
Description of Failure(s): Periodically the bike would not start. After a time (Usually 10 min) it would start up without any problems. It would resurface many times without pattern. The exception would be, that it would always start when cold. It would also flash A15 occasionally. It probably means low battery.
Resolution (if any): The shop said it was a defective battery and this is a known defect. They replaced it under warranty, however the problem did not get resolved. Later the same day I picked it up, the bike failed to start at a routine dry cleaning stop. It started again 10 min later.
Reference Thread: NA

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS:YES
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 4000
Date of occurrence: June 26th 2009
Modifications (if any): Heated grips, PIAA lights, otherwise stock electrically.
Description of Failure(s): When at a routine ATM stop the bike would not start. It did not come back to life. It would also flash A15 occasionally. It probably means low battery.
Resolution (if any): Replaced battery with a Yuasa YTZ10S and charged the OEM BMW battery. While the OEM battery was run down quite a bit, it did accept a charge and I put it back in the bike after a few days as per instructions from BMWOM. My original plan was to get it back in the shop, but the way they dragged their feet the last time, I decided to just carry an extra battery and see if I could figure it out. Even with a full charge, you could hear that the OEM battery doesn't have the same cranking power. Also, the shop used non-standard hardware for hooking up the battery and used pieces of rubber as spacers under the nuts. I used the nuts that came with the Yuasa when I put the OEM back in.
Reference Thread: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480302

[xcountry rider]

Model: xCountry
Year: 2007
ABS: Yes
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 6000mi
Date of occurrence: August 30th 2007
Modifications (if any): Autocom system for bike to bike and ipod, otherwise stock.
Description of Failure(s): After bike turned off for one hour, no power to anything
Resolution (if any): Replaced main 15amp fuse, no problems since
Reference Thread: NA

[onemoreokie]

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS: No
Mileage at time of issue: approx. 500 miles to current 3000 miles
Date of occurrence: November 2008-Present
Modifications (if any): No Canister (problem was there prior to removal),
LED tailight, various cosmetic changes.
Description of Failure(s): Bike will start and idle initially and then after a few miles die when clutch is engaged. Bike refuses to idle when restarted. Issue resolves itself after 5 min-2 hours of sitting. No fault codes thrown when taken to dealer. This has happened maybe once every 3 weeks since buying the bike. (My hand is never on throttle when engaging starter)
Resolution (if any): Waiting to be picked up to return to dealer when they decide on a game plan to trouble shoot.
Reference Thread: NA

[DRONE]

Model: xCountry
Year: 2009
ABS: yes
Mileage at time of issue: 3000
Date of occurrence: June 2009
Modifications: HID lights, HotGrips, GPS
Description of Failure(s): battery died after one hour riding with HID lights on. (ABS light came on, low fuel light came on, tripmeter reset to "0". Stopped bike, turned everything off, cycled the key, but battery was dead.) Bump started bike, rode for 30 min without HID's, all OK after that. Did not use HID's again after that.
Resolution:

1. Tested alternator with RPM's at 3000, HID lights "on", HotGrips on "high", headlight on "bright", GPS powered "on" -- voltmeter on bike showed 13.5 volts. So the alternator was putting out enough juice for everything I got. But the battery still died, and after only one hour of riding with just the HID's and the GPS - HotGrips were off.
2. Described problem to dealer - South Sound BMW. They said, "no BMW recall on this battery but it sounds like a bad battery - still covered under warranty - using HID's perfectly fine and should not cause a problem - bring it in and we'll test the battery and replace i if needed."
3. Brought it in. They tested the battery and alternator and voltage regulator -- all OK. Bike running at 13.5 volts at 3000 rpm with accessories off. Voltage dropped to 12.5 volts at 3000 rpm with HID lights turned on. Verdict was that HID lights are too big a draw. The battery will drain out and go flat at 12.5 volts.
4. I'm going to buy an Odyssey battery. It won't fix the problem, but it might take the abuse a little better.

[tdv]

Model: xChallenge
Year: 2007
ABS: no
Mileage at time of issue: 8000-11000
Date of occurrence: latest - 07/24/09
Modifications (if any): leo vince exhaust, sm wheels, ohlins shock, raised bars, custom seat, heated grips, heated vest harness, gps harness
Description of Failure(s):
The bike would blow the main 15A fuse, repeatedly. This first happened before I installed my electrical stuff (grips, etc), so I don't think my wiring causes it (and everything was off when it happend last time). It also flickers the neutral light when on rough road or when it gets hot - not sure if it's related.

The latest fuse blowage incident was just today, it blew the main fuse again in the morning, after running warming up for about a minute. It was foggy and damp in SF, so perhaps it's a factor (it was dump under the seat when I removed it). I had two spares, which it promptly blew just as the ignition is turned on.
I let it sit there for a while, disconnected all my wiring (it is wired through their own fuses, so I just pulled them), and the bike started again (with the last remaining spare fuse), but then after a couple of minutes it blew again. Had to tow it to the dealer (still under warranty) where it remains as of today.

Definitely a short somewhere. It blows just as I turn the key, before I press the starter button. A couple of times it died on me (again, with the fuse) while I was riding (not a pleasant experience), sometimes it dies on warm up.
Would appreciate any ideas.

Resolution (if any): none yet
Reference Thread: none

[MadMax]

Model: xchallenge
Year: 2007
ABS: Yes
Mileage at time of issue: 5,007 mi.
Date of occurrence: 08/06/09
Modifications (if any): Powerlet GPS plug
Description of Failure(s): Battery completely dead after overnight in a hotel. The battery had been replaced by MaxBMW prior to me starting my cross-country trip on 7/17/09. It lasted 3 weeks and 5k miles and gave up the ghost. BMW roadside assistance towed it in a covered trailer 250 mi. to Brown motorworks in Pomona, CA. No charge and no hassle, thank God!
Resolution (if any): BMW dealer just received the Yuasa replacement batteries and put one in for me, covered under warranty.
Reference Thread: N/A

[Flo_Evans]

Model: xChallenge
Year: 2007
ABS: yes
Mileage at time of issue: ~200?
Date of occurrence:
Modifications (if any): emissions canister removed, airbox cover removed
Description of Failure(s): none!
Resolution (if any):
Reference Thread:

Haven't had a single problem... at 4500 miles now.

[Winter Hill Gang]

Model: xMoto
Year:'07
ABS:no
Mileage at time of issue: ~10k
Date of occurrence: Last few weeks (august-sept '09)
Modifications (if any): Lots
Description of Failure(s): Battery won't hold a charge. Fuel sensor/sender is sporatic at best.
Resolution (if any): Awaiting response from Dealer
Reference Thread:

[dmcd]

Originally Posted by andrewgore

I want to keep this as factual as possible, without any sort of rif-raff.
Andrew

Sorry!

Looks pretty good for these bikes. I'll keep a look out for the crank failure at +20k miles. For me that will be around 2019.

[toofast4uu]

2007 X-Challenge

Owned since new

-My left blinker indicator stopped working...6000 miles
-Headlight assemble cracked

BMW warrantied it, no problems at all...

I'm still loving this bike!

[Miss Jane]

Lost the gas from my shock.

Xcountry, 2008, 9,100Km

Last 3,500 km have been fairly tough, outback Oz on dirt roads that we think are OK, but bike endured corrigations, bull dust holes and sand blown over the road. Also high temps, up to 44 degree C in the shade.
Speed: 80 to 95 km/hour
Hit a bump hard at one point, I think that's what did it. Also cracked an elastomer at the bottom of the shock unit.

Does the shock have to be replaced? Can you put the gas back in them?

[petemoss]

Originally Posted by Miss Jane

Lost the gas from my shock.

Xcountry, 2008, 9,100Km

Last 3,500 km have been fairly tough, outback Oz on dirt roads that we think are OK, but bike endured corrigations, bull dust holes and sand blown over the road. Also high temps, up to 44 degree C in the shade.
Speed: 80 to 95 km/hour
Hit a bump hard at one point, I think that's what did it. Also cracked an elastomer at the bottom of the shock unit.

Does the shock have to be replaced? Can you put the gas back in them?

Are repairs/replacement shock covered by warranty?