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My C650GT failure during the 2015 Finger Lakes Rally

The engineers I have worked with all know how to build a quality product. Unfortunately, most customers want CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP !!!! , causing trickle back engineering cost decisions. We have only our cheapskate selves to blame for this.
 
Snowdog said:
The engineers I have worked with all know how to build a quality product. Unfortunately, most customers want CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP !!!! , causing trickle back engineering cost decisions. We have only our cheapskate selves to blame for this.
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What is the old saw? You can build it cheap, high quality, and fast. Pick two.

I think the biggest complaint people have though is that when something goes wrong, many companies are slow to admit fault or offer reasonable solutions. The irritation increases relative to the amount paid for the product.
 
Cheap is what many of us need if we're to have some things. It's not all bad. Jags, BMWs, Maseratis, are all nice and beautiful but a cheap Toyota will do the same job.
 
Just did a 634 mile day on Sunday with "Old Reliable" (my K1200LT, currently with 194,000 miles on the odometer). Ran up to Penn Yan, NY to pick up my camping gear from the friends who were holding them for me. It's been two weeks since I spoke to Country Rode Motorwerks, so I'll call them today to see if they have an update for me.
 
Latest update: Country Rodes is still awaiting parts from Germany. They expect it in this week. I had thought the tow company damaged the heated grips, but they assured me they tested the grips and they still work just fine.
 
All the parts came in, however one of the seals sent was incorrect. The part was reordered and fortunately is NOT coming from Germany; Country Rode is expecting to have the part tomorrow and should be able to begin work on Snoopy...
 
This sounds like it should be reported to NHTSA. It could have caused injury or death.
Did they tell you what they found on disassembly that caused the wheel to lock up?
 
Just heard from Country Rode again. In the process of repairing my bike they found a couple of other bearings that were bad, so those parts have been ordered.

Did I mention "Damned Chinese-made engines" yet??
 
Look at the bright side you are getting some new stuff, probably a belt, a clutch both being expensive and and a bunch of other items all under warranty. Sure it sucks but it is stuff you would have eventually had to replace and pay for.
 
Is there any possibility that all the damage was caused by a bad bearing? A failure like you had is pretty bad but if there are several non-related parts failing that would be very bad, indicating either a poor design or workmanship. One can understand one part failing and causing more damage to an engine but if your engine has several non-related parts failing it looks bad for BMW. Vago, one of this forum's members has over 30,000 miles on his GT. I don't know exactly what problems he's had so far maybe he'll read this thread and let us know.
 
It is possible that all of these problems are related. Since I'm 400 miles from the dealership, I can't exactly see WHERE all the parts are located that have been identified as "bad," but I highly suspect what I'm seeing is a "Domino effect." One failing component leading to the damage experienced by all the rest.
 
Turns out the part wasn't "in-country" after all and has to come from Germany AGAIN. In any event, I got some clarification on what they'd found. The wheel-locking was unrelated to the leaking seal behind the clutch (although that was clearly a problem). The rear wheel BEARING (which, I was assured, is NOT considered a "wearable item") was failing and THAT was what was causing the wheel locking.

So now I wait for that part. And then the dealership turns in all the information to BMWNA and they decide if everything is covered or not...

Updates as I get them...
 
JaimeC said:
Turns out the part wasn't "in-country" after all and has to come from Germany AGAIN. In any event, I got some clarification on what they'd found. The wheel-locking was unrelated to the leaking seal behind the clutch (although that was clearly a problem). The rear wheel BEARING (which, I was assured, is NOT considered a "wearable item") was failing and THAT was what was causing the wheel locking.

So now I wait for that part. And then the dealership turns in all the information to BMWNA and they decide if everything is covered or not...

Updates as I get them...
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Make sure they replace the rear wheel bearing OIL SEALS also. Bad seals/lack of sufficient lubrication may have led to bearing failure. bearing don't just "fail', unless there is excessive loading and/or insufficient lubrication. Even Chinese bearings can't be THAT bad. But Oil Seals? I'd really wonder about them, as the clutch one already went, for you and many others. (it's a RECALL in Europe...)
 
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