BMW R1200 GSA Rallye
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When driving on bumpy roads, gravel or not, cast wheels bends quite easy. The spoked wheels are much stronger since the flex instead of getting bent.
For those with strong opinions in favour of cast wheelss, well, fine for you. But please, don't tell me what I need or want. I know where I want to go and what is required to get there.
To me, spoked wheels are more suitable, Spoked wheels are a proven concept. A few loose spokes, may be from a screwed up batch, doesn't change the picture. 3 out of my 4 bikes have spoked wheels, and I never had a issue whith any of them. So I intend to stick to spoked wheels.
As for outsourcing production:That is a result of customers wanting to pay less for their products. The factory owners invest in order to make their money prosper, so to get a lower price the production cost has to come down. It may well be that the lose spokes are due to sloppy production, but we don't know for sure, thus jumping to conclusion based on speculation makes no sense.
I realize that BMW wants to make money, and I am happy that they do. (And why shouldnt they? No one wants to work for free. I don't think anyone reading this would show up to work if they did not get paid)
A company with a healthy economy always benefits the customer with better service and availability.
For those with strong opinions in favour of cast wheelss, well, fine for you. But please, don't tell me what I need or want. I know where I want to go and what is required to get there.
To me, spoked wheels are more suitable, Spoked wheels are a proven concept. A few loose spokes, may be from a screwed up batch, doesn't change the picture. 3 out of my 4 bikes have spoked wheels, and I never had a issue whith any of them. So I intend to stick to spoked wheels.
As for outsourcing production:That is a result of customers wanting to pay less for their products. The factory owners invest in order to make their money prosper, so to get a lower price the production cost has to come down. It may well be that the lose spokes are due to sloppy production, but we don't know for sure, thus jumping to conclusion based on speculation makes no sense.
I realize that BMW wants to make money, and I am happy that they do. (And why shouldnt they? No one wants to work for free. I don't think anyone reading this would show up to work if they did not get paid)
A company with a healthy economy always benefits the customer with better service and availability.
Edward Hitler
Registered user
Hello All
After reading this thread last night I checked the spokes on my 4 week old Rallye wheels. Front wheel was fine. Rear wheel I found 4 loose spokes (as in rattled around when you grabbed them between your fingers) and many more with a dull thud when tapping with a screwdriver. Them bike has 1100 miles and just recently serviced by Coopers in Sunderland. Several irate phone calls later and they are going to order a new rear rear wheel. I was told on the phone that if the wheel had just 1 spoke loose they would just tighten but since it has at least 4 they will replace.
Anyway I will keep everyone posted.
Angry Eddy
After reading this thread last night I checked the spokes on my 4 week old Rallye wheels. Front wheel was fine. Rear wheel I found 4 loose spokes (as in rattled around when you grabbed them between your fingers) and many more with a dull thud when tapping with a screwdriver. Them bike has 1100 miles and just recently serviced by Coopers in Sunderland. Several irate phone calls later and they are going to order a new rear rear wheel. I was told on the phone that if the wheel had just 1 spoke loose they would just tighten but since it has at least 4 they will replace.
Anyway I will keep everyone posted.
Angry Eddy
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Errrr..... keep your shirt on, Knutk. Only you know what kind of riding you will be doing on your spoked wheels. If I were going to do any offroading I too would have spoked wheels, or have a spare set or even, more sensibly, buy a more suitable machine that I can pick up when I drop it. If I ever take my GS to Morocco or Patagonia, rest assured I will have spoked wheels on it. Having never been to Norway I have no idea of the mix of riding that is done up there. If you do even 33% offroading, then I guess that having spoked wheels makes sense. In many other parts of the EU and for many on here, I repeat, It's a fashion accessory.
As a fashion accessory it's not much use for high speed riding because cast wheels are far more high speed stable than spoked wheels which is why you will never see sports bikes (except modded) with spokes. Anything over 100mph (160kph) is high speed and these can do 210kph. Sadly for you, you live in Norway where the speed nazi's will happily relieve you of your vehicle and crush it if you are caught speeding too much.
However, I disagree with your assertion that cast wheels are in any danger of being bent on mere "bumpy" roads. In general terms you will not often find sufficiently "bumpy" roads to bend a cast wheel under normal conditions. What may happen is that the suspension will have to work harder to absorb what the wheels don't. A bent cast wheel will give you fair warning well before a loose spoked wheel. Therefore safer, especially at higher speeds.
I also disagree with (to a degree) your point on outsourcing. EU rules, protections, not to mention taxes to pay for humoungous debts means that production costs are sky-high and so almost ALL EU manufacturers are having to outsource many jobs in order to keep prices down; it isn't just to "make money" but invariably, end cost will be a factor by default.
I do agree, however, that people on here will moan until the cows come home abaout any little thing. And if you go on a Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki, bla, bla forum you will hear the same stories, the same complaints but probably far more about aftersales customer care than you will on any BMW site. That's because it's great and that is one of the main reasons I chose this bike over a Triumph.
happyjoe
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Sorry to intrude.
Alloy wheels can be bent or knocked off true with a simple pothole or unexpected hump on the road.
I have personally seen a R1100R rear wheel go out of whack.
Of course it is "just lucky". Any wheel, alloy or spoke, can be damaged.
Live and let live.
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Potholes, yeah. Hump? Well that rather depends on what you call a "hump". I don't think I ever suggested that a cast wheel couldn't be damaged. Cast wheels aren't that delicate.
By the way, if you find yourselves in the Valencia on your travels and you think you need your wheels trued Motos Ramon in C/Cadiz, 57 in the area of Ruzafa is an old style expert in truing all spoked wheels. I had two made from scratch (with hub supplied) for a XR600 and they are excellent. He can be a little gruff but smile and marvel at his work and he'll be your friend forever.
Easier to fix en-route when BMW won't or can't repair them
We all rode and some still do ride pushbikes, I personally have rebuilt a couple of wheels on my MTB and yes it can be daunting but is doable by almost anybody. I appreciate that trying to tighten and then true up a GSA rear wheel is probably much harder, but surely not an impossible task.
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happyjoe
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I disagree with your assertion above. Cast wheels can be delicate. We both went through the “mere bumpy” roads and one of us had the cast wheel bent or dented straight away.
OTOH, same thing can happen with a spoked wheel. That’s the point.
Just luck.
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Kin ell 
That must have been one hell of a 'ripple'
That must have been one hell of a 'ripple'
That's not a ripple. That's a ditch
Went to CW motorcycles today to get the ESA checked out. Asked them to check the spokes whilst it was there.
Bike had replacement wheels at 800 miles due to spokes coming undone. New wheels have now done 3000 ish miles and IMHO were not right.
1 spoke on rear was officially loose -as in wobble it about and several others out of tune. Front wheel was fine. Wheel came off and was repaired while I waited. All the spokes are now nicely in tune.
I was told a new service bulletin came out today it didn’t get much detail other than 7 spokes or more was a replacement, less than that they now have a tightening and truing procedure to follow.
CW have been great throughout this process.
Bike had replacement wheels at 800 miles due to spokes coming undone. New wheels have now done 3000 ish miles and IMHO were not right.
1 spoke on rear was officially loose -as in wobble it about and several others out of tune. Front wheel was fine. Wheel came off and was repaired while I waited. All the spokes are now nicely in tune.
I was told a new service bulletin came out today it didn’t get much detail other than 7 spokes or more was a replacement, less than that they now have a tightening and truing procedure to follow.
CW have been great throughout this process.
Hey guys, just checking in now I have my bike back.
Chandler's BMW Motorrad in Portslade, Brighton managed to get a pair of wheels off BMW yesterday and today they fitted my new tyres (bought before I was aware of an issue) to the new wheels, completed the service and returned the bike to me. They had it 6 days in all and I felt that service from them was very good - but their coffee machine is not as good as the one at Bahnstormer.
Having been for a short ride to start scrubbing the tyres in, and returned home - fewer than 75 miles all in - I had a fiddle with the spokes on the accessible side of the rear wheel. They certainly did not all have the same note when tapped with a screwdriver, most went 'ting', but there were a couple of 'tong's too. No 'clunk' though, which was what the old one did! I will certainly be keeping an eye on these ones.
I chose the Rallye overt the 'Exclusive' in part because I like the look of the spoked wheels. I liked them on my Crosstourer, my R1100GS, my XT660 and XV535 before that and I like them on the Rallye. For me it is an aesthetic choice, but IMHO that is just as valid as any other reason - I don't go more off-road than a gravel track now and then!
I will report back in the event that there is any news.
Cheers
Chris
Chandler's BMW Motorrad in Portslade, Brighton managed to get a pair of wheels off BMW yesterday and today they fitted my new tyres (bought before I was aware of an issue) to the new wheels, completed the service and returned the bike to me. They had it 6 days in all and I felt that service from them was very good - but their coffee machine is not as good as the one at Bahnstormer.
Having been for a short ride to start scrubbing the tyres in, and returned home - fewer than 75 miles all in - I had a fiddle with the spokes on the accessible side of the rear wheel. They certainly did not all have the same note when tapped with a screwdriver, most went 'ting', but there were a couple of 'tong's too. No 'clunk' though, which was what the old one did! I will certainly be keeping an eye on these ones.
I chose the Rallye overt the 'Exclusive' in part because I like the look of the spoked wheels. I liked them on my Crosstourer, my R1100GS, my XT660 and XV535 before that and I like them on the Rallye. For me it is an aesthetic choice, but IMHO that is just as valid as any other reason - I don't go more off-road than a gravel track now and then!
I will report back in the event that there is any news.
Cheers
Chris
By now I think this thread have shed the light on existence of a batch of rear wheels that have their spoke tightening screwed up.
I also think we all agree that this is not good, and reports from the unlucky ones report that they have been well taken care of be respective dealers.
Cast wheels have their strenght and weakneses, and so do spoked wheels. Spoked wheels have proven their strength over many years, so I find no reason to panic just because a bad batch of wheels unfotunately have come off the assembely line.
As for strenght and spoked vs cast wheels I do not intend to start a pissing contest.
However, for my way of riding I have over the years repaired castwheels three times due to damage from seemingly unharmful bumps. I have never dented a spoked wheel. So for my riding the choice is clear cut.
I also think we all agree that this is not good, and reports from the unlucky ones report that they have been well taken care of be respective dealers.
Cast wheels have their strenght and weakneses, and so do spoked wheels. Spoked wheels have proven their strength over many years, so I find no reason to panic just because a bad batch of wheels unfotunately have come off the assembely line.
As for strenght and spoked vs cast wheels I do not intend to start a pissing contest.
However, for my way of riding I have over the years repaired castwheels three times due to damage from seemingly unharmful bumps. I have never dented a spoked wheel. So for my riding the choice is clear cut.
Nobody told Bahnstormer Maidenhead then. I did a cursory check on my 2018 GSA Rallye wheels this morning and immediately found at least 6 loose spokes on the rear wheel. I rang Bahnstormer's service dept immediately and they denied all knowledge of a GSA spoke issue. They promised an immediate call back; needless to say I'm still waiting
Getting just a little tired of this slavish view that older is better.....I have a 23 year old GS PD and just returned from 2700 miles jaunt around Europe....the fecking thing was a nightmare. Rear brake light bulb went only to be followed by front offside indicator bulb.
WTF....immediately called BMW Assist who told me to feck off and buy a couple of new bulbs AT MY OWN EXPENSE!!
Got shot of the pile of shite as soon as I got home.
Easy answer change to a competent dealer
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