BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

my 2002 1150 (abs) left me on the side of the road on the Florida turnpike, i put a topic up
yesterday wondering if the rain, it was raining quite hard,had anything to do with the bike
dying out and the response from the board was that it did,from affecting my harness wiring
to water in the kill bottom or in the side stand switch.....as i stood next to the bike waiting
for the side road service i saw many different models bikes doing just fine under some heavy
rain conditions ....i felt like an idiot with my BMW logo on the side and wonder if the bike could
be that delicate to rain. is BMW making such bikes that you can't take them out when is raining??? where is the fun on that??..any takes on this??...thank you

Early this summer, my wife and I were caught in the mountains during a flash flood, and the bike handled perfectly, delivering us to shelter until the storm passed (30+ minutes in the hardest rain I have ever experienced on a bike).

In Boise yesterday we had one heck of a rain storm and my bike was flawless. Both, on the way to work and the way home, the rockster handled the road without a hiccup, plowing through flooded intersections and near zero visibility downpours.

I ride year round (except when there is ice and snow on the roads) and the rain has never caused any problems. Water can be a foe to any vehicle, that’s the nature of the beast, but my bike has handled water crossings and rainstorm like a tank. I never think twice about heading out in the rain. I would also like to add a plug for the Rallye Pro jacket I had on, it's so nice to stay dry, and that jacket delivered

There have been some issues with water getting into the electrics on oilheads, but I don't think it's widespread.
I personally have ridden my '03 R1150R through torrential rain for hours with no ill effects...to the bike...I of course was soaked because my rain gear (or any other that I know of) will not dispel moisture for several hours.

Like the previous posters said, there may be some scattered water-related electrical issues but since we seldom hear about them (unlike certain other issues which shall-not-be-named), I would guess they are rare. I have never talked to anyone who had a similar problem.

I have ridden in some awful rains, including some where cars were pulling off the roads and had no water-related problems. (Except, like Boxer, rail-fear failure) Perhaps when you find out what caused the problem, it will be either a fluke or one of those rare failures. Or maybe something else entirely, that just happened while it was raining.

uchy9999 wrote:my 2002 1150 (abs) left me on the side of the road on the Florida turnpike, i put a topic up
yesterday wondering if the rain, it was raining quite hard,had anything to do with the bike
dying out and the response from the board was that it did,from affecting my harness wiring
to water in the kill bottom or in the side stand switch.....as i stood next to the bike waiting
for the side road service i saw many different models bikes doing just fine under some heavy
rain conditions ....i felt like an idiot with my BMW logo on the side and wonder if the bike could
be that delicate to rain. is BMW making such bikes that you can't take them out when is raining??? where is the fun on that??..any takes on this??...thank you

Mine managed 4+hours of heavy rain in France recently, and has never let me down in the wet.
(even when dropping the heads almost below water level during semi-off roading:
This

is me exiting this "puddle" (you can see me approaching in the background, I went through at virtually the same place, but veered left IIRC)

)

No idea what's wrong with yours.

The first year I had mine(2003), I rode an 80 mile commute every day but ten days of the year. Rain, sleet, and snow. Never an issue. Ten hour ride to WV, all in the rain, no problems.

Hours and hours in torrential rain .... water in my boots, soaked gloves, rain leaking thru the top of my face shield, couldn't see for squat ... but the Beemer soldiered on, never a problem in the wet.

Been caught in the rain more times than I would like, and never had an issue.

priapismic wrote:Hours and hours in torrential rain .... water in my boots, soaked gloves, rain leaking thru the top of my face shield, couldn't see for squat ... but the Beemer soldiered on, never a problem in the wet.

Same experiences on mine - no bike problems, only 'waterproof' gear problems.

Same here. Had ridden the old boy in 8 continuous hours of tropical rain; brought me home. Though I understand the Hall sensor does not like water

Our BMWs have been ridden in drizzle-to-downpour without any water-induced problems: R850R, R1100R, now R1150R (2 bikes). Well, that's not counting the R1200C which was mostly a chromed garage queen. These bikes might have a mechanical/design Achilles heel or two, but the electrics have been robust. The undertank connectors are well-designed, and the fuse/realy box is essentially water-tight.

uchy9999 wrote:my 2002 1150 (abs) left me on the side of the road on the Florida turnpike,
..any takes on this??...thank you

It is not the bike, I would definitely blame FLORIDA rain !!! You think Floridian rain is bad? Wait for the Election day and watch Florida on CNN
Seriously, R1150R does have a few weak electrical spots like Hall Sensor, side stand switch and wire harness.
My riding buddy had problem with the side stand switch on the clear dry day. It just went out for no reason.
On the way from Miami to Vermont Rally , I rode in torrential rain in SC for a few hours and the Hall sensor went bad.
This year returning from WY rally back to Miami, I rode from Atlanta to Miami under the constant rain with no problems at all.
I think, riding South in the rain is Ok, but going North is a problem...