Hi again everyone!
This is a generic reply, so you are likely to see it on other biking sites. Reaching out for feedback through multiple forums comes under the heading of research and due diligence. This kind of thing needs to be done before putting together technical courses that take a lot of time in research, compilation and administration.
Secondly, to clear up confusion on the subject of what I do and what my position is:
- I DO NOT directly represent Hex or any of its subsidiaries.
- I represent a joint undertaking between myself and Hex.
- My ultimate aim is to greatly extend the knowledge base that allows BMW riders to do effective diagnostics.
- I'm a dedicated rider myself. I own two running BMWs and three more in various stages of assembly. Coming from that perspective, I want everyone who reads this to be able to spend less time doing diagnostics, and more time riding their bikes.
I've noticed some of the same questions coming up multiple times in different forums. I'll try to explain as best I can:
Regarding concerns that the Academy will simply 'teach a user how to operate the GS-911':
The Academy content will not address basic operation of the GS-911. That topic will be the subject of the revamped GS-911 User's Manual (due for release later this year).
The Academy will aim to teach users how to exploit GS-911's capabilities to do advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting, with emphasis on hard-to-solve problems such as intermittent electrical faults.
Regarding concerns that the information gathered by GS-911 cannot currently be compared to lists of known baseline values:
This is an area I'm aiming to address.
Bear in mind that it is a Herculean task. The only entity that has immediate access to that information is BMW Motorrad. For obvious reasons, they will not simply hand it over.
Regarding concerns that the fault codes gathered by GS-911 cannot currently be compared to an exhaustive list of known fault codes:
As I mentioned above, no one but BMW Motorrad themselves have access to their source code.
For that reason, it's harder and more time-consuming than it sounds to compose a list like this. Much of it would involve A) attempting to simulate every possible failure mode on every compatible bike, and B) decoding code streams that may be unfamiliar - sometimes with no fallback other than educated guesswork.
Regardless of that, this is another subject I want very much to address. Watch this space.
Regarding concerns that no actionable steps are currently given for fault codes and fault conditions:
This is exactly the problem that the Academy aims to address.
As I said in my OP, the whole point is to teach learners how to do BMW Motorrad-specific vehicle diagnostics, with emphasis on hard-to-solve problems.
To those who responded to my original post with suggestions and constructive criticism: Thank you!
You are helping to make the difference between 'Can't be done' and 'Did it last week', and every suggestion will be taken into account going forward.
Nick
