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Engine Failure on a relatively new G310GS

13K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Britmech 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm from Singapore, and have been riding a pre-owned G310GS with about 4000km on it. When coming back from a leisurely ride up Malaysia, the engine seized up and locked my rear wheels, before dying completely. Thank god it happened at a low speed, and I was able to control the bike as a result.

After 2 weeks of bureaucratic red tape, my service advisor got my engine tore apart completely, and found that the oil pump was broken into pieces (Probably due to a production defect, as there was no way anything could have damaged it), which inadvertently caused the camshafts to seize up due to the lack of oil.

BMW has approved a new engine for my dealer to order, but the time frame given currently is a few weeks to a month, not including the 2 weeks it took for them to dismantle the engine. That's an awfully long time, considering that it's my daily rider. I've been informed that a loaner or an extended warranty is not an option in Singapore, even for the bigger GSes with problems.

Having said that, the dealer was great in keeping me updated, and were most apologetic. I do hope I get my bike back soon though.

Long story short, I do have serious doubts about the production quality of the bike, the lead time for the parts when it breaks down - And support by BMW (No loaner bike, no extended warranty) for the inconvenience.

Hope this post gives potential owners of the G310GS some things to think about and consider, particularly if you are located in hot regions like Singapore.

As for the bike itself, I've really enjoyed riding it in the city. It's an excellent touring bike as well, as long as you see it for what it is - A 313cc bike.
 
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#3 ·
Sorry to here that, not good.
But I don't think that is confined to BMW . A few years ago my new Ducati 748 with less than 1000 miles on clock, engine let go, in dramatic fashion. New engine ordered under warranty, but took months to arrive because Ducati would not pull an engine off the production line, as they are made for and matched to frames. Its only when they did a production run on engines only would they release one. Which was nearly a year later.
Similar thing happened to a friend of mines Yamaha, that was only 3 or 4 months.
Hope BMW don't adopt same policy for you.
 
#4 ·
Hey Falconone, sorry to hear about your issues. I’m in the US and had a 310GS last year, and I do agree, that the bike has issues. I truly believe that the fact that the bike is made in India by TVS and not BMW has a lot to do about availability of parts and quality of product. I had about 2600miles on mine and the stator failed. Almost 4 months in the shop, with no part in site, no loaner, no nothing. I got BMW to buy back the bike. I loved the bike while I had it, but BMW did come through gave me a great deal on a 750GS and a loyalty check, and now 10 months later, and no issues. If you read the forum here, you will hear about all the problems people are having with their 310 bikes. My advice would be to get rid of it, if you can and get something else. A BMW not made by BMW is not off to a good start. Maybe in a couple years after they get the problems worked out, it will be a reliable bike. (Out of all my bikes, this is the only one that has left my stranded on the road) I hope things work out for you!
 
#5 ·
The way I see it is the 310's are a stepping stone (but also much more than that) for people to get into the larger BMWs, especially in countries that have restrictions for new riders.

There are some problems with the 310's but no more or less than other makes of bikes. Some of the problems can get blown out of proportion on forums. However, one problem that I think BMW does need to address ASAP is the availability of spare parts.

I've had the G310R for over two years with no issues (touch wood) and love the bike. But I will upgrade the bike in a year and a bit to the BMW RnineT Scrambler when my wife can get her unrestricted motorcycle licence.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Thanks for the inputs! I do hope that the new engine will not take as long as Tukemeister's Ducati, fingers crossed. My bike will be issued with a new engine number by the local authorities, as per regulations - So its resale value will be affected.

The bike was indeed bought as a stepping stone until I get my unrestricted licence next year. I thought that it would be a nice introduction into riding a GS before getting a F850GSA or 1200LC next year, but currently having second thoughts about getting another beemer.

The dealer could only cover my towing costs under BMW Assist, so there isn't much compensation for my inconvenience, despite the bike potentially being down for months, for a factory defect.

Defects happen, but for diagnosis and parts to take such a long time causes massive inconvience on my end - Which I now gather is common to BMWs.

As a result, I'm probsbly leaning towards getting the new Africa Twin after I get my unrestricted licence.
 
#12 ·
Engine Replacement Done

Hi,

Would just like to give an update on the situation. The dealer had the engine replaced completely under warranty, and it runs like it did before the breakdown. However I would probably be looking to upgrade to a F850GS or the new AT as said before - The allure of a bigger engine is definitely there, when I get my unrestricted licence!

The bike is great for what it is though.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Thought all/most fuel injected bikes have , tilt switch to kill the engine when on its side.


Not sure if the 310 has one !


Could not find one on parts list so looks like it does not have , checked a few other BMW models can only see one on S1000 K1300 , but the Japanese fit them to most I think.


Bit poor they do not have one.
 
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