+1. Sadly. Sell it, to BMW if necessary. Buy another brand. Life is too short, for all of us.
My $23,000 Boat Anchor thanks BMW
- Thread starter IRODEMINE
- Start date
Ulrich
Well-known member
Wait a minute ... you had 3 (three) R18s do this to you? ... no way (IMO) ... one I can see slipping past QC ... maybe ... but 3 in a row ... I don't buy it!
I’m understanding this is three different models, but nonetheless, if I buy an explorer and a mustang and uncover all sorts of weird faults to where ford has to buy them back, pretty sure I’m done with ford.
IRODEMINE
Member
lol, no 2 K1600B and now this R18B. Yes, I should have already been done with BMW. Unfortunately I guess as I said when they are right, they are the best. I just haven’t had one that was right since 2019.
I’ve owned HD and Indian and have mixed feelings and opinions about the bikes themselves which are just that, about the bikes so.
BMW takes their stale previous year inventory, when able, and turns them into whatever they want in the same line for the current year. For instance, check out the 2021 k1600B in “Kalamata”….limited edition color. No kalamata left Germany in kalamata color. There were zero replacement parts pre painted offered by BMW. After purchase found this out and was told by BMW, “hope you know a good painter”. Serious that’s what they said. With mine you could literally see under the paint the outline of pinstripes that the GTL came with. That is just one example.
This R18B didn’t leave the factory as a bagger, to add to it with mine, I want to stress this, with MINE, it clearly had a mishap which resulted in the unacceptable riding conditions after arriving at the dealership which is located in Modesto Ca.
I have repair orders PDI RO left open for for over a month with tech internal time on the Ro for “completion of assembling bike”. Again, just one example.
The ring fell off the rack or tech layed it down or whatever, they can’t argue against their own repair orders. Again, just one example. More documents in my possession state as blue as the sky is blue, the bike did not come from Germany to New Jersey to the dealer. I’m not going to spend anymore time typing all of it.
I’m wore out as well guys, I’ve got a couple attorneys I’m speaking with. All I’m saying is be cautious, keep an open mind, look at it from the perspective of BMW and dollars and sense and what they need to do when in the position the pandemic put them in in regards to not losing money. That’s all that matters to them and they will and have done things that this time I refuse to let them walk away from with just a simple buy back. My objective was to hopefully have another read this thread and hopefully wasn’t confused but understood enough to offer assistance to me moving forward. I don’t need assistance in hiring an attorney for the sake of having it bought back. Sorry, I’m pissed and have taken this experience personal after the previous two bikes. I’m going to do everything I can to not allow them to keep doing this and bury the dealership as deep as possible, the one located in Modesto Ca…..they are dirtier than dirt and it’s not ok…….everything isn’t as it appears to be guy with these Pandemic bikes.
I’ve owned HD and Indian and have mixed feelings and opinions about the bikes themselves which are just that, about the bikes so.
BMW takes their stale previous year inventory, when able, and turns them into whatever they want in the same line for the current year. For instance, check out the 2021 k1600B in “Kalamata”….limited edition color. No kalamata left Germany in kalamata color. There were zero replacement parts pre painted offered by BMW. After purchase found this out and was told by BMW, “hope you know a good painter”. Serious that’s what they said. With mine you could literally see under the paint the outline of pinstripes that the GTL came with. That is just one example.
This R18B didn’t leave the factory as a bagger, to add to it with mine, I want to stress this, with MINE, it clearly had a mishap which resulted in the unacceptable riding conditions after arriving at the dealership which is located in Modesto Ca.
I have repair orders PDI RO left open for for over a month with tech internal time on the Ro for “completion of assembling bike”. Again, just one example.
The ring fell off the rack or tech layed it down or whatever, they can’t argue against their own repair orders. Again, just one example. More documents in my possession state as blue as the sky is blue, the bike did not come from Germany to New Jersey to the dealer. I’m not going to spend anymore time typing all of it.
I’m wore out as well guys, I’ve got a couple attorneys I’m speaking with. All I’m saying is be cautious, keep an open mind, look at it from the perspective of BMW and dollars and sense and what they need to do when in the position the pandemic put them in in regards to not losing money. That’s all that matters to them and they will and have done things that this time I refuse to let them walk away from with just a simple buy back. My objective was to hopefully have another read this thread and hopefully wasn’t confused but understood enough to offer assistance to me moving forward. I don’t need assistance in hiring an attorney for the sake of having it bought back. Sorry, I’m pissed and have taken this experience personal after the previous two bikes. I’m going to do everything I can to not allow them to keep doing this and bury the dealership as deep as possible, the one located in Modesto Ca…..they are dirtier than dirt and it’s not ok…….everything isn’t as it appears to be guy with these Pandemic bikes.
IRODEMINE
Member
Please keep in mind, I’m not speaking on anything other than my Bagger and other Baggers I went over on two different show room floors. Your Classic or FE or other R18s I can’t speak on. I can say that here in the US they sell more baggers than others in the R18 family…..this is why mine and the others I went over on showroom floors CLEARLY had numerous areas on them, paint, that shows they WERE NOT painted at the factory
Randy Kahn
Active member
I think I mentioned earlier decades ago as a young man I was in the car business, BMW, Porsche Audi, Toyota, Honda, et. First sales then management. In that 20 year span I took in hundreds maybe thousands of trade ins, so I had the opportunity to drive and examine closely every make and model of car you can imagine. This is my second BMW bike, I've had 10 autos over the years, I am awed by the quality, fit and finish of this anniversary model...so your dilemma/ situation is all the more surprising, not to mention the fanatical focus the parent company places on their consumer satisfaction index....They F'in hound you after the sale for a gleaming customer survey...as you know....
And with that...best of luck, this is my last comment on the subject.
And with that...best of luck, this is my last comment on the subject.
kate_brett
Active member
Buyback = end of stress.
Pursue issue and Cortisol levels climb ( we know what that does ).
Walk away ( buyback ), but promise us you’ll inspect CLOSELY the next purchase before taking possession.
Pursue issue and Cortisol levels climb ( we know what that does ).
Walk away ( buyback ), but promise us you’ll inspect CLOSELY the next purchase before taking possession.
Scott Semone
Well-known member
In all fairness, my Mobel B was purchased as a Model B; however, it has started to take on more of a Transcontinental look... minus the rear top case and extra padded seat.
If you're convinced your bagger was something else, and converted to a Model B; I would think the wheel length and the front rake would remain as the original model? The Model B/TC have different dimensions which you can measure and verify.
There's too many TC and Model B riders that are enthusiastically happy with their R18; don't worry about us and other potential buyers, take care of yourself... TAKE BUY BACK OPTION
If you're convinced your bagger was something else, and converted to a Model B; I would think the wheel length and the front rake would remain as the original model? The Model B/TC have different dimensions which you can measure and verify.
There's too many TC and Model B riders that are enthusiastically happy with their R18; don't worry about us and other potential buyers, take care of yourself... TAKE BUY BACK OPTION
harrisrc740
Active member
Just do a VIN search a you will know immediately what it started as, no changes on that!!!
Ulrich
Well-known member
I was thinking the exact same thing! ... I don't know the 'naming convention' for the R18 but the VIN indicates which model it is/should be including make date and such ... the boys from Max BMW knew exactly, to the 'T', which model mine is by using the VIN ...
I just find it very difficult to comprehend that the bike started as one thing and ended up as something else from factory. I am sorry, I can’t believe that. The frame for the B and TC are different from the rest and that changes the entire ball game. There is no way a FE/Classic metamorphosed into an B on the production line. The factory also would have a production plan/schedule, they just don’t alter the models halfway through the production line on demand.
Either the dealership is dodgy as f**k and there was a Frankenstein experiment that went terribly wrong or I am missing pieces on this puzzle.
The only way a bike can change is the way Scott has done things. He liked 70 % of the TC, not the whole package, therefore he bought a B and added the auxiliary lights, wind deflectors and other bits from the TC (at least this is my impression) and he was able to do so because both bikes are relatively the same, except the touring package.
I can accept that the quality control failed to spot something in particular but not a whole array of things that makes the bike not road worthy.
Watch the video on the production line and you will see the amount of robots assembling things and even quality controlling the bikes by means of scanners which then compares the video with thousands of pictures in the database.
Link below.
Either the dealership is dodgy as f**k and there was a Frankenstein experiment that went terribly wrong or I am missing pieces on this puzzle.
The only way a bike can change is the way Scott has done things. He liked 70 % of the TC, not the whole package, therefore he bought a B and added the auxiliary lights, wind deflectors and other bits from the TC (at least this is my impression) and he was able to do so because both bikes are relatively the same, except the touring package.
I can accept that the quality control failed to spot something in particular but not a whole array of things that makes the bike not road worthy.
Watch the video on the production line and you will see the amount of robots assembling things and even quality controlling the bikes by means of scanners which then compares the video with thousands of pictures in the database.
Link below.
Batt13
Member
Thanks for sharing the informative video
HanseDavion
Active member
Couple things that don't add up here, or at very least need to be explained.
First, I am going to assume that if the bike was bought from a licensed BMW dealership, and you bought the bike in the city of Modesto, that means this bike was purchased at BMW Motorcycles of Modesto. Outside of a single negative review regarding a used bike purchase (which I will assume is not related to you), I do not see any evidence that this dealer has any issues. Nor do I see any complaints about them on the BBB website. I believe you mentioned at least twice in this thread what city you purchased the bike in, and that you expressly claimed you purchased this bike at a BMW dealer. I'm not asking you to confirm this, but simply sharing my conclusions from your post.
Regarding the tires - In your first set of pictures, you bike shows it has an Avon Cobra Chrome rear tire, and the wheel is an all-black wheel. Then, in another post, (#14 in this thread), you show a photo of what I presume is the same bike with a Cruisetec rear tire mounted on a two-tone wheel. I can also see the tip of the fuel tank which looks red in color and appears to be an R18 pure (no fender). THEN, in another post, (#35 in this thread), you allegedly show the two tires side-by-side (presumably the front tires), one the original and one the new one you allegedly bought. Yet you claim they are both Commander III's.
Regarding production date vs. shipment from RDC - These bikes come from Germany. Shipping the bike from Germany to the US alone can take on average 15-20 days, and that is just the time it spends crossing the ocean. This doesn't include the time it takes to clear customs through both the EU and the US. Then from customs to BMW's RDC. And then actual shipment from the RDC to the dealer. Even if we were to assume this bike left Germany with the planned intent of going to your dealer asap, I can easily see how that process could take time, hence the discrepancy.
Regarding RO - how much time exactly is listed on the RO? Uncrating a bike, putting it up on a lift, and finishing the assembly can indeed take time.
Regarding the alleged "second paint" job - How do you know the bike was painted again? I have seen parts on these bikes get coated in a black finish, and I believe that is requested by the dealer when the dealer orders them. That said, let's go back to the first set of pictures you post (images 4253 and 4260, specifically). In the wider angle shot I see what looks like a beautifully painted black fender, almost new looking. Yet in the close-up shot its wildly different, and the cables have been pulled further out of the frame for some reason. This wide angle shot is the same photo showing an Avon Cobra Chrome rear tire I mentioned earlier.
I'm only partly through your post and things aren't adding up to me, at all.
I’m as confused as anyone, but I think the pic with the red bike is being used to show the expected frame angle, where his own bike seems to be wonky in comparison. The issue there is that the B sits on a different frame than the non-fairing models (which the red one is). I don’t know how different the frame geometry might be, but he might be comparing apples to oranges.
Erniecat
New member
Internet enthusiast forum. Anyone can post anything from complete gospel to pure fabrication. I guess it is up to us to decide what we believe, but hey it's 5 plus pages of entertainment when snow and frigid temps keep many of us off our bikes. 
Randy Kahn
Active member
I think 99% of us are pretty happy with our bikes, or we would not be on here bullshitting about them. Irodemide is caught in a shit storm that he needs to get out of one way or the other. Personally I'm out of answers...take the buy back If the offer is still good. Sue for 10k in small clams and dump the piece of shit for another 10-12k, and call it a day. Or hire an attorney and sue for costs plus damages. Nothing can be done here.....I'm depressed off and on already if THAT is the goal.Internet enthusiast forum. Anyone can post anything from complete gospel to pure fabrication. I guess it is up to us to decide what we believe, but hey it's 5 plus pages of entertainment when snow and frigid temps keep many of us off our bikes.
Meanwhile my 2023 anniversary model is a F'ing stereling piece of sculpture....just gorgeous, absolutely perfect......it's almost too beautiful to ride!!!
It’s certainly been entertaining to follow this saga! I wholly believe that if this were more people’s experience, that we’d see it up and down this page. People love to get online to post a negative review! It’s the positives we generally see fewer of. I know the sample size for these bikes is small, especially when compared to a street glide or similar, but yeah, the overwhelming trend seems to be that people dig the bike. Have even heard from folks who sold and regretted it, but had to due to other circumstances and nothing to do with the bike.Internet enthusiast forum. Anyone can post anything from complete gospel to pure fabrication. I guess it is up to us to decide what we believe, but hey it's 5 plus pages of entertainment when snow and frigid temps keep many of us off our bikes.
If I was single, I think I'd get a second one for the pool room (an aussie thing). If ever wanting to be single.... I could just get a second one... that would do the job.
Mr. Efficiency
Active member
I have threads. I was sold a bike with a defective engine and leaking clutch lines.