RoadVitals

2002 BMW F650GS Dakar Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest Jul 1, 2011
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jun 8, 2003

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 BMW F650GS Dakar. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–3 of 3

Suspension
Filed Jul 1, 2011
Crash reported

THE FRONT AXLE DETACHED FROM THE RHS FORK LEG WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROX 50 KMH DOWN A WASHBOARD SECTION OF A GRAVEL ROAD. I HAD TIME TO LOCK THE REAR BRAKE WHICH SLOW ME DOWN CONSIDERABLY BEFORE FALLING DOWN TO THE RIGHT. OTHER PARTS OF THE MOTORCYCLE WERE DAMAGED.. IE: FRONT TURN SIGNAL, WINDSHIELD, LARGE SIDE PANEL, HANDLEBAR AND HAND PROTECTOR, RHS PANNIER. I DID NOT PURSUE THE MATTER AT THIS TIME, BUT HEARD OF SIMILAR INCIDENT THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN AUSTRALIA, USA INVOLVING THE PRE 2003 MODEL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10410204
Incident
Jun 10, 2011
Mileage
42,500 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Oct 5, 2008
Crash reported1 injury reported

THE FRONT AXLE DETACHED FROM THE RHS FORK LEG WHILST TRAVELING AT APPROX 40KMS/HR DOWN A GRASSY LANE WAY IN A VINEYARD. THE RESULT WAS A VERY HEAVY FALL TO THE RIGHT INTO THE GROUND HEADFIRST & SUBSEQUENT MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR A BADLY BRUISED NECK AND, THE DOCTOR'S TELL ME "SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE TO THE BRAIN" I COMPLETELY DESTROYED A BMW PHASE III HELMET IN THE PROCESS. I BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION AT THIS TIME EVEN THOUGH THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED IN AUSTRALIA DUE TO THE RECENT INCIDENT ALREADY REPORTED TO YOU & SHOWN NOW ON YOUR PUBLIC FILES. BMW AUSTRALIA CLAIMED TO ME AT THE TIME THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER SUCH INCIDENTS WORLDWIDE. I DID NOT BELIEVE THEM AT THE TIME BUT WAS INVOLVED IN A MAJOR PROJECT AND COULD NOT AFFORD THE TIME AWAY FROM THE PROJECT TO PURSUE THE MATTER. THE PARTS FROM MY INCIDENT WERE SENT TO GERMANY FOR STRESS TESTING AND SO THERE ARE RECORDS OF THE INCIDENT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT STRICTLY ON A PUBLIC ROADWAY. BMW CLAIMED TO ME THAT THE TESTING DID NOT SHOW ANY FAILURE IN THE METALS OF THE RHS FORK LEG AND THAT I MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING WHICH I DID NOT. I NOTED AT THE TIME THAT A REPLACEMENT RHS FORK LEG SUPPLIED IN THE REPAIR LOOKED DIFFERENT TO THE ONE WHICH WAS REMOVED BUT I HAVE ONLY JUST BEEN MADE AWARE THEY CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE FORK LEG DURING EARLY 2003 AND ALL MACHINES PRODUCED POST JUNE 2003 ARE FITTED WITH THE REVISED CASTING. I AM NOW ALSO AWARE OF BETWEEN 7 AND 10 SIMILAR INCIDENTS MOSTLY IN THE USA. I WOULD BE PLEASED TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION IF YOU CONSIDER IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO YOU. I AM A MOTOR CYCLIST WITH 35 YEARS AND IN EXCESS OF 1 MILLION KMS EXPERIENCE IN ALL WEATHER AND ALL ROAD CONDITIONS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A PATTERN OF DENIAL IN THE RESPONSE OF BMW TO EACH OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUFFERED AN INCIDENT OF THIS TYPE WITH THE F650GS AND IT CONCERNS ME GREATLY THAT IF SOME COMMONSENSE DOES NOT OCCUR OTHERS WILL ALSO BE INJURED OR DIE. I PREFER THAT MY DETAILS REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10244404
Incident
Aug 31, 2003
Mileage
4,200 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jun 8, 2003

MOTORCYCLE ENGINE SURGED WHICH CAUSED BIKE TO ACCELERATE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. *TT

NHTSA ID
10021239
Incident
Jun 1, 2003

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .