For two and a half years I complained about the bike's poor performance, the excessive vibration, and the surging. These complaints were made to Brattin Motors (the dealer), Mr. Jarred Webster (of BMW NA) in several phone calls, and several letters and e-mails. For two years Brattin Motors attempted to fix this machine, never questioning that it really had a problem. They supposedly replaced the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator (twice), fuel filter (three times), fuel injectors (both), and the battery (that I am aware of). They pulled the heads and de-carboned the engine.
Do I really believe this would have been done for a non-problem? For two years I suffered through multiple trips to the dealer, several near and actual roadside strandings, and one problem that could have resulted in a fatal accident.
This machine was delivered with three known manufacturing defects. First, it was delivered without a Cat Code Plug installed. This was not discovered for a few hundred miles until my first complaint about poor performance. I was assured, despite claims by BMW that the U.S. Spec R1100's should not be operated without this plug, that no further damage resulted — but I wonder?
Then about 370 miles, the alternator drive belt failed, due to faulty assembly. This left me stranded and I had to have the bike towed into Brattin Motors.
Then with less than 8,000 miles on the bike, the front wheel bearings failed. I shudder to think what would have happened if the front wheel had locked on the freeway at 70 mph during my rush hour commute! When Brattin Motors replaced the bearings, they informed me it would be a few extra days since they had to order the correct size spacers, as the ones from the factory were wrong! So much for the myth of BMW quality and reliability!
The final straw came a few months ago. Suddenly the bike began to vibrate and surge even worse. The freeway performance dropped significantly. If I nailed the throttle at highway speeds the engine kind of went "blah!" with almost no acceleration. The fuel economy, which had been consistent (but poor) for two years, dropped 10 percent. Yet when I again complained to Brattin Motors they "checked out" the bike and pronounced everything was 100 percent perfect. A call to Mr. Jarred Webster resulted in a response of, "I'll let you know the next time I am in San Diego and will check out the motorcycle."
After several months, I have yet to receive this phone call. Well I am sorry, but my college degree is in automotive technology; and engines do not suddenly change this radically without a reason! The only explanation I could come up with was that since my warranty would expire in a few months, let the customer rather than BMW pay to fix it! It truly became time to fold my hand and run! So much for the myth of BMW customer service!
I immediately began to advertise this bike on the Internet and in local publications. Guess what? I got no response whatever! I guess the word is beginning to spread on the R1100 BMWs! Then I was able to make a fair deal on another bike with the BMW as a trade-in. Although I got less than 1/2 of what I put into this 2-1/2 year-old bike, I had no other choice. So much for the myth of high BMW resale value!
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