This is a bit of an ode to HEX Code’s newest 'HEX GS-911 WIFI' electronic diagnostic tool for BMW bikes. I’m impressed enough to write it.

Susan and I were happy to get in some riding after HU South Africa last month. Thanks to Daly BMW, we borrowed an R1200GSA to cruise through Sani Pass to Lesotho, and all the way to the Indian Ocean. We even zip lined in our full riding gear at the Lake Eland Game Reserve! Hey, it was raining!
Since we were in South Africa, the home of HEX Code, I connected with them through Touratech South Africa (thanks, Aldo!). They sent me the GS-911 wifi (2nd generation) to test out.

After returning home, I checked the status of my own R1200GSA. It’s amazingly easy to use. I’d already had two issues with my bike this year:

1) ABS light came on. Took it to a dealer for diagnostics to figure out exactly which component needed attention and got it fixed,
2) Engine kept cutting out en route home from HU CanWest. Had to pay for transport from Kelowna, diagnostics, and repairs.

The upshot is that if I had the Hex GS-911 with me, I could have discovered the problem within minutes (at home or on the road) and saved myself a lot of time, hassles, and money. If I had it with me in Kelowna, I could have fixed it myself.

This tool lets you identify the problem BEFORE spending loads on diagnostics. Hindsight is 20/20. It’s an awesome tool and now a part of my regular travel kit. Just wish I had it sooner! Anyone with a compatible BMW and is NOT carrying it is missing out on a great diagnostic tool that could save them major money in the long run.

I’m planning a tech workshop about this tool for CanWest 2017 and other events we go to. You can connect to your phone, tablet, or computer. It supports iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and other platforms. Bring your BMW and we’ll test out your system!

Learn from someone else’s mistake: We know someone (who shall remain nameless) who was in Namibia when his bike decided to get all temperamental. Since he couldn’t figure out what was wrong, he shipped his bike home to Germany, where they fixed it... and shipped it back to Namibia. Who has THAT kind of money and time?? http://www.hexcode.co.za/products/gs-911wifi

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Good kit- I've had mine on board since... goodness... 2008!
Bluetooth link to smartphone
used on broken down Beemers more times that I can remember and at one time at HU Germany when it was at that lovely farm.

Blessed be the 'newbies' eh Grant!!



p.s
It also helps, if you buy one of those, to have a friendly bmw dealership who can cast light on some of the obscure codes. The ability to send these, via a smartphone, by SMS is particularly useful.

The 'real time values' option is also useful to check on the health of the old girl.

I've been using one on our Husqvarna TR650 bikes for a while now. Good piece of kit and has come in handy on numerous occasions. Also nice that it allows me to reset the maintenance reminder after doing my own maintenance.

It is not always helpful though. During some electrical problems on one of the bikes all the GS911 could show me was a "no canbus signal" error, which is a rather useless error message on a bike that does not even have canbus.
Not a fault of the GS911 though, it just reads the info from the ECU.

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Belgium to Nordkapp via Iran | Discover Overland | Destination World

I picked one of these up recently. Haven't needed it for troubleshooting yet but found it to be a useful tool.

Saved us tons of time and money. My wife's f650 redlined and shut off while riding down the road on one of our trips. I couldn't find anything wrong with the bike. A bit later, it happened again. While she was on the phone with the nearest dealership explaining the problem, I hooked up the GS911. The dealership told her that the clutch was going out and to bring it in for a replacement. The GS911 indicated that the battery had disconnected twice. I looked and found that the battery terminals were loose. I tightened the terminals and haven't had another issue in the last 2500 miles. New clutch? No way....