2009 BMW F 650 Gs US Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 BMW F 650 Gs US, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine850.0%
- Fuel system318.8%
- Driver assistance16.3%
- Electrical16.3%
- Body & structure16.3%
- Exterior lighting16.3%
- Transmission16.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW F 650 GS MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 30 MPH, HE PULLED THE CLUTCH AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN RESTARTED AND WAS OPERATING NORMAL UNTIL HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE CLUTCH AGAIN. THE VEHICLE STALLED A SECOND TIME. THE FAILURE HAPPENED ONCE MORE WHEN PULLING THE CLUTCH. THE DEALER HAD NOT YET BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,750. UPDATED 05/18/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/20/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE BIKE WOULD STALL WHILE COMING TO A STOP OR STARTING FROM A FULL STOP. UPDATED 03/25/11
THE FIRST TIME I RODE MY 2009 BMW F650GS MOTORCYCLE IN THE RAIN, THE ENGINE SIMPLY CUT OFF WHILE I WAS RIDING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON A SIDE ROAD AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE BIKE RESTARTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY IT FAILED AND SUGGESTED IT MAY HAVE BEEN A LOOSE BATTERY CABLE. THE BIKE HAS SINCE SPUTTERED IN THE RAIN, LEADING ME TO FEAR ANOTHER ENGINE CUTOFF WHILE RIDING. THERE IS AN NHTSA CAMPAIGN #09V499000 REGARDING THIS EXACT ISSUE WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL BUT MY DEALER IS NOT AWARE OF IT AND THE BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE I JUST SPOKE WITH INDICATED THAT MY BIKE IS NOT IN THE RECALL. THE INCIDENT DATE AND MILEAGE THAT I LISTED ARE APPROXIMATE. I JUST REMEMBER IT WAS LAST SUMMER. *TR
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
1. RIDING MOTORCYCLE ON CLEAR WARM DAY. 2009 BMWF650GS 2. AFTER ABOUT 100 MILES, AND UPON DOWN-SHIFTING THE ENGINE DIED. THIS LEADING TO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF IN A TURN OR THERE IS NO SAFE AREA TO PULL OVER OR ON A MULTI-LANE FREEWAY. 3. I PULLED OVER, TURNED THE BIKE OFF AND THEN ON. THE BIKE STALLED ABOUT 5 MORE TIMES IN AN HOUR, REPEATING THE PROCESS, BEFORE I HAD IT TOWED TO A DEALER. THEY ADDED A GAS CLEANER (ASSUMING IT HAD BAD GAS). *TR
A 2009 BMW F650GS STALLS WHEN DRIVEN IN THE RAIN. THE STALLING HAPPENS VERY ERRATICALLY AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. GOOGLING FOR "F650GS STALLING IN RAIN" WILL PROVIDE PAGES OF OTHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I'VE SPOKEN TO THE DEALER AND BMW HAS AN OFFICIAL "FIX" BUT HAS NOT EVEN WRITTEN A TECH SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THE PROBLEM LET ALONE PERFORMED A SAFETY RECALL. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE DOCUMENTED ON THE WEB SINCE SEPT 2008. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
MOTORCYCLE STALLS WHENEVER THROTTLE DOWN BELOW 2,000 RPM BRAND NEW BIKE 4 MILES CAN'T KEEP IT GOING DEALER SAID ITS KNOWN ISSUE. DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AND 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE OF A BMW F650GS MOTORCYCLE SEVERE IGNITION FAILURES OCCUR ON A ROUTINE BASIS RENDERING THE MOTORCYCLE UNUSABLE. PROBLEM DEVELOPED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY WITH TRIP COMPUTER REPORTING IGNITION MALFUNCTION DUE TO UNAUTHORIZED KEY IN THE IGNITION, AFTER 40 MINUTES INTO A RIDE. MOTORCYCLE WILL NO LONGER START AND TRIP COMPUTER WILL NOT DISPLAY FURTHER INFORMATION. RE-SYNCHRONIZING THE MOTORCYCLES ANTI-THEFT ALARM ALLOWS THE MOTORCYCLE CLEAN OPERATION FOR A FURTHER 10 MINUTES, AND THEN RESULTS IN THE SAME AFOREMENTIONED IGNITION PROBLEM. THE IGNITION FAILURE OCCURS ON A ROUTINE BASIS, EVEN AFTER A RE-SYNCHRONIZATION TO THE MOTORCYCLE'S ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. THE PROBLEM HAS YET TO BE RESOLVED BY THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
2009 BMW F650GS MOTORCYCLE-CRACKS IN PLASTIC HOLDING GAS TANK-MANY OTHERS ON FORUMS REPORTING THIS ALSO. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
1. HEADLIGHT (LOW OR HIGH BEAM) USAGE. 2. USING THE LOWBEAM OR HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHT OVER TIME CAUSES THE HEADLIGHT REFLECTOR HOUSING TO OVERHEAT AND LOSE ITS REFLECTIVENESS AND TURN BLACK FROM BEING BURNT. 3. THE HEADLIGHT UNIT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH A UNIT THAT IS MORE RESISTANT TO HEAT. NO REPAIRS HAVE YET BEEN COMPLETED. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW F 650 GS MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 30 MPH, HE PULLED THE CLUTCH AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN RESTARTED AND WAS OPERATING NORMAL UNTIL HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE CLUTCH AGAIN. THE VEHICLE STALLED A SECOND TIME. THE FAILURE HAPPENED ONCE MORE WHEN PULLING THE CLUTCH. THE DEALER HAD NOT YET BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,750. UPDATED 05/18/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/20/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE BIKE WOULD STALL WHILE COMING TO A STOP OR STARTING FROM A FULL STOP. UPDATED 03/25/11
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .