BMW R 1200 RT Complaints (2009)

38 consumer complaints on file.

#10641062October 3, 2014
WHEELS, POWER TRAIN
THE BMW MOTORCYCLE WAS BEING RIDDEN AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS WHEN IT BEGAN TO DEVELOP A VIBRATION. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWED AND THE FIRST AVAILABLE EXIT WAS TAKEN. BY THIS TIME THE REAR WHEEL FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO LOCK UP. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS STOPPED AT THE FIRST SAFE PARKING AND A WRECKER WAS DISPATCHED. THE REPAIR FACILITY INFORMED ME THAT THE DRIVESHAFT UNIVERSAL JOINT HAD FAILED AND WAS BEATING AGAINST THE SWING ARM WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN A TOTAL FAILURE. THE DRIVESHAFT IS NOT A TEARDOWN AND INSPECT ITEM AND THEREFORE LEAVES THE RIDER WITH NO WARNING OF IMPENDING FAILURE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10638302September 23, 2014
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
STARTED THE BIKE AND FUEL STARTED SPRAYING ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. TOOK OFF THE FUEL TANK AND THERE IS A CRACK IN THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10609639July 10, 2014
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
BMW MODEL R1200RT YEARS 2005 - 2013 MAY BE SUBJECT TO THROTTLE CABLE ASSEMBLY FAILURE. THE THROTTLE BODY SYSTEM ON THE 2009 YEAR MODEL IS ASSEMBLED BY BING POWER IN NUREMBERG, GERMANY AND UTILIZED BY BMW IN MOTORCYCLES WITH THE 1170 CC BOXER MOTOR. (BING IS A LONGSTANDING COMPANY WHICH IN GENERAL MANUFACTURES FIRST-RATE PRODUCTS.)THE PRIMARY THROTTLE CABLE EXTENDS FROM THE HANDLE BAR TO A SPLITTER FROM WHICH TWO SEPARATE THROTTLE CABLES EXTEND TO LEFT AND RIGHT HAND THROTTLE BODIES WHICH HOUSE THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. THOSE TWO CABLES ARE ROUTED OVER AND ANCHORED TO A CABLE PULLEY MADE OF MOLDED PLASTIC. THIS ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IS ATTACHED TO THE THROTTLE BODY. IF OR WHEN THE PLASTIC FAILS, THERE IS NO THROTTLE AND THE ENGINE GOES TO IDLE, THUS CREATING AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD IF ONE IS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED OR ACCELERATE. IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE THE RIDER COULD BE FORTHRIGHTLY IN HARM'S WAY AND ENDANGERED. THIS SHOULD BE AN URGENT RECALL ISSUE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE PLASTIC PART WITH A SOLID CABLE PULLEY WHICH WILL NOT BREAK. PREVIOUS MODELS USED METAL CABLE PULLEYS WHICH DID NOT FAIL. (SEE THIS BLOG FOR DISCUSSION POSTED BY ANOTHER RIDER, AMONG MANY, WITH THE SAME FAILURE ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.ASVRIDER.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=967780&PAGE=3 ) BMW DOES NOT MAKE THE PLASTIC PART AVAILABLE FOR REPLACEMENT. THUS, A PLASTIC PART COSTING BUT A FEW DOLLARS RESULTS IN THE RIDER HAVING TO REPLACE BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT COMPLETE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLIES AT A COST OF MORE THAN $1,000. THE UNDER-DESIGNED PLASTIC CABLE PULLEY IS NOTHING LESS THAN A HAZARD AND CREATES A RISK TO ONE'S LIFE. A POLICE MOTORCYCLE COP RIDING HIS PATROL R1200RT LOOKED AT THE FAILED PART I SHOWED HIM AND HIS FIRST WORDS WERE, "THAT COULD GET YOU KILLED." I HAVE MADE BING AND BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AWARE OF MY EXPERIENCE VIA EMAIL BUT I CONTINUE TO WAIT FOR THEIR REPLY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10552250November 14, 2013
SERVICE BRAKES
ABS FAILURE. KNOWN ISSUE IN THE BMW COMMUNITY, GOT THE STEADY BURN "BRAKE FAILURE" LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD, AND NO MATTER WHAT I DO CAN'T CLEAR. VERIFIED THAT I'VE LOST ALL ABS FRONT AND BACK. ABS MODULATOR FAILURE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10552157November 13, 2013
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FUEL GAUGE FAILURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE SENDING STRIP. FIRST STRIP FAILED APPROX. 52,000 MILES; SECOND STRIP FAILED WITHIN ONE TANKFUL OF REPLACEMENT. NOW ON THIRD SENDING STRIP. KNOWN PROBLEM ON MULTIPLE YEARS OF BMW MOTORCYCLES WITH NO MANUFACTURER RESPONSE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10543839September 16, 2013
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FUEL STRIP FAILED, GOING FROM APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES TO EMPTY TO --- MILES TO EMPTY IMMEDIATELY. FUEL STRIP WAS REPLACED 5 TIMES IN TOTAL BEFORE I SOLD THE MOTORCYCLE 6/15/13 WITH ~7,500 MILES ON THE BIKE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10538096August 30, 2013
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
AFTER STARTING THE MOTORCYLE AND ALLOWING FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF WARMING UP, I HEADED TO THE GAS STATION TO FUEL UP IN PREPARATION FOR A LONG RIDE THE NEXT DAY. AS A FORCE OF HABIT I CHECKED MY RANGE AND ODOMETER READINGS AND FOUND THE RANGE WAS NOTICEABLY LOWER THAN IT SHOULD BE DISPLAYING FOR THE MILES USED ON THE TANK. AS I RODE THE COUPLE OF MILES TO THE GAS STATION THE RANGE CONTINUED TO DROP PRECIPITOUSLY, 5-20 MILES AT A TIME EVERY FEW SECONDS UNTIL IT REACHED ZERO AND DISPLAYED "---" FOR A RANGE TO EMPTY AFTER RIDING JUST OVER ONE MILE. AFTER FILLING THE TANK FULLY, THE GAUGE DID NOT RESET OR CHANGE IN ANY WAY. I TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FUEL STRIP, AKA FUEL LEVEL SENSOR, GONE BAD. I AM NOW AWAITING THE PART TO ARRIVE SO MY 3RD FUEL STRIP REPLACEMENT CAN GO AHEAD. (MY SECOND OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY 2012, THE THIRD IN AUGUST 2013.) MY MOTORCYCLE HAS JUST 24,000 MILES AND IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD (BY 3 MONTHS). I FIND IT ALMOST UNFATHOMABLE THAT SUCH AN ESSENTIAL PART AS THE FUEL GAUGE CAN CEASE TO FUNCTION FOR NO APPARENT REASON, WITH NO WARNING ON A MODERN VEHICLE. ADD IN THE DENIALS FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT A PROBLEM EVEN EXISTS AND IT GETS TOTALLY MADDENING.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10525757July 19, 2013
POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW R1200 RT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED GREASE COVERING THE BRAKES AND REAR WHEEL. THE GREASE CAME FROM A BROKEN REAR DIFFERENTIAL/FINAL DRIVE. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE FINAL DRIVE RIGHT ANGLE GEAR BOX NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,580.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10514560May 31, 2013
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
MOTORCYCLE RAN OUT OF FUEL DUE TO FUEL SENSOR FAILURE. BOTH ANALOG AND DIGITAL GAUGES SHOWED 40+ MILES REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANK. VEHICLE WAS IN FAST LANE OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND MY EMERGENCY STOP REQUIRED STATE PATROL ASSISTANCE DO TO THE LOCATION OF THE STOP. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10499353February 19, 2013
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
RIDING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH TRAFFIC, THE FUEL GAUGE BEGAN ACTING ERRATICALLY, SHOWING MORE FUEL, THEN LESS FUEL FOR A FEW MILES BEFORE THE MOTORCYCLE RAN OUT OF FUEL, ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH AS THE ENGINE QUIT. WAS ABLE TO CHANGE LANES AND GET TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT A CRASH. I FEEL THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE FUEL GAUGE (WHICH IS FED DATA FROM A FAULTY FUEL STRIP) READS MORE FUEL THAN THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY HAS, IF THE ENGINE RUNS OUT OF FUEL AND STOPS, THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IN PLACES WITH HIGH TRAFFIC COUNTS AND SPEED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10492199January 10, 2013
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
AT THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP, WHERE THE FUEL LINE QUICK DISCONNECT IS THREADED INTO THE HOUSING, MULTIPLE CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10485368November 21, 2012
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR HAS FAILED (TWICE) AND HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE BMW MOTORCYCLE DEALERSHIP. THE LATEST FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY EITHER AND WILL EVENTUALLY BE REPLACED AGAIN BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRES IN FEB 2013. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10485317November 20, 2012
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
THE DIGITAL STRIP FUEL GAUGE SIMPLY FROZE IN THE FULL POSITION, IT NO LONGER REGISTERS NOR DOES THE MILES REMAINING DIGITAL READOUT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10485221November 19, 2012
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE GAS GAUGE SENSOR STRIP STOPS WORKING AND WILL READ THAT YOU HAVE MORE GAS THAN YOU ACTUALLY DO. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE THE RIDER TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND BE STRANDED IN MOVING TRAFFIC. THERE ARE TOO MANY COMPLAINTS FROM BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS TO IGNORE THIS PROBLEM ANY LONGER! PLEASE MAKE THE MANUFACTURER ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO PROFIT OFF OF A SAFETY ISSUE. A GOOGLE SEARCH ON "BMW MOTORCYCLE FUEL STRIP" WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE LEVERAGE YOU NEED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10446392February 3, 2012
POWER TRAIN
IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FROM OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS TO REPORT THESE TO THE NHTSA, I AM ADDING MY OWN INFORMATION: DURING A TIRE-CHANGE SERVICE, THE DEALER'S MECHANIC NOTED THAT THE BEARING IN THE REAR WHEEL FINAL DRIVE HAD BECOME "CRUNCHY" AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPON POINTING OUT THE PROBLEM, I WAS ABLE TO DETECT THE RESISTANCE IN THE WHEEL MYSELF. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BEARING UNDER WARRANTY AND ON COMPARISON WITH A NEW BEARING, THERE WAS DEFINITELY RESISTANCE AND A LACK OF SMOOTH FUNCTION IN THE ORIGINAL BEARING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT OTHERS WITH SIMILAR PARALEVER FINAL DRIVES HAVE ENCOUNTERED SERIOUS BEARING FAILURE RENDERING THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY UNABLE TO PROCEED NORMALLY, SOMETIMES WITH A MAJOR LEAKAGE OF THE FINAL DRIVE LUBRICANT. I BELIEVE MINE WAS SIMPLY CAUGHT EARLY ENOUGH TO AVOID A MORE DRAMATIC FAILURE. *KB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10415574July 28, 2011
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
2009 BMW R1200RT MOTORCYCLE REAR BEARING FAILURE THAT LED TO A FINAL DRIVE FAILURE. BIKE JUST TURNED 14000 MILES WHEN A GRINDING NOISE OCCURRED AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHERE IT CAME FROM. AFTER STOPPING FOR THE DAY, NOTICED REAR WHEEL HAD 3/8 INCH PLAY AND FINAL DRIVE FLUID LEAKED ALL OVER REAR WHEEL CAUSING NO REAR BRAKES. THE BIKE WAS TRAILERED HOME AND THE ENTIRE FINAL DRIVE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. LUCKILY NO INJURIES ALTHOUGH NO REAR BRAKES. THIS BIKE IS USED ON THE ROAD FOR COMMUTING AND TOURING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10415334July 27, 2011
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW R1200 RT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD EXPLODED. THE PARA LEVER AND BOOT WERE DESTROYED. BOTH WERE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE, SIMILAR TO HOW THE AXLE IS ATTACHED TO A PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN A DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE SUCH AS THE ONE THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED ON A MOTORCYCLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 36,838. UPDATED 08/24/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS SEVERE VIBRATION AT 75MPH FOR 1-2 SECONDS. A FEW MILES LATER THERE WAS VIBRATION AND LOSS OF POWER. UPDATED 06/15/2012 *JS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10360679October 15, 2010
STRUCTURE:MOTORCYCLE:KICKSTAND/CENTER STAND, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SIDE STAND INTERLOCK SWITCH FAILURE ON A 2009 BMW R1200RT MOTORCYCLE. THE SWITCH IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE MOTORCYCLE FROM BEING DRIVEN WITH THE SIDE STAND IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE SWITCH ON MY MACHINE FAILED WITH THE SIDE STAND IN THE UP POSITION AND THE MOTORCYCLE BEING DRIVEN DOWN THE ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. WHEN THE SWITCH FAILED THE MOTOR STOPPED RUNNING, WHICH CAUSED THE REAR WHEEL TO SKID. I WAS ABLE TO PULL IN THE CLUTCH TO GET OUT OF THE REAR WHEEL SKID AND STEER THE MACHINE OFF THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO BY-PASS THE INTERLOCK SWITCH IN ORDER TO START THE MACHINE AND RIDE IT HOME. THE ONLY REPAIR WOULD BE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SWITCH. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS THAT ONCE THE MACHINE IS IN GEAR AND MOVING DOWN THE ROAD THE FAILURE OF THIS SWITCH SHOULD NOT CAUSE THE MOTOR OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO STOP UNEXPECTEDLY. THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH. IF THE SWITCH FAILS WHILE THE MACHINE IS BEING DRIVEN DOWN THE ROAD IT NEEDS TO ALERT THE RIDER OF A FAULT BUT NOT STOP THE MOTOR. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME AT 60 MPH I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FILE THIS REPORT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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