2001 BMW K1200LT Owner Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW K1200 LT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, HE FELT A SLIGHT VIBRATION. AFTER PULLING OVER HER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK ON THE REAR TIRE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE BEARINGS HAD FAILED AND CAUSED THE SEAL TO FRACTURE, CAUSING THE LEAK. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE BEARINGS AND THE SEAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,151. UPDATED 04/10/12*LJ THE DIFFERENTIAL BEARING AND SEAL HAD TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 04/16/12

NHTSA ID

10451469

Incident

Jun 15, 2009

Mileage

45,151 mi

I HAD THE SAME FAILURE AS DESCRIBED IN ODI NO. 10439549, AND > CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED UNDER CAMPAIGN DP12001. GEAR OIL LEAKED. THIS FAILURE HAPPENED 850 MILES FROM HOME AND HAD TO BE TOWED HOME. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446610

Incident

Jul 21, 2010

Mileage

87,000 mi

2001 BMW K1200LT. REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION INTO BMW MOTORCYCLE FINAL DRIVE FAILURES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO BRING THE MOTORCYCLE TO A SAFE STOP, HE DISCOVERED THE REAR BRAKES DID NOT WORK, WHICH FORCED HIM TO USE THE FRONT BRAKES ONLY, WHICH EXTENDED HIS STOPPING DISTANCE. HE WAS ABLE TO BRING THE BIKE TO A SAFE STOP WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON INSPECTION, HE REALIZED THE REAR BRAKES FAILED BECAUSE THEY WERE SATURATED IN GEAR OIL, THAT LEAKED FROM THE FINAL DRIVE UNIT AFTER THE FINAL DRIVE BEARING SEAL FAILED. THE FINAL GEAR CROWN GEAR BEARING FAILED, CAUSING METAL PARTS TO BE CRUSHED BETWEEN THE SPINNING GEARS, TEARING THE SEAL AND ALLOWING THE OIL TO LEAK. THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS THE SECOND TIME THE FINAL DRIVE BEARING FAILED ON HIS BIKE. *JB UPDATED 12/13/11*JB UPDATED 01/05/12.*JB ...UPDATED 01/31/12 *BF UPDATED 02/03/12

NHTSA ID

10439549

Incident

Oct 21, 2011

Mileage

59,310 mi

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC: ANTILOCK ON A 2001 BMW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10341253

Incident

Apr 21, 2010

Mileage

44,000 mi

UNEXPECTED FAILURE OF REAR BEARING ON 2001 BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE. REAR BEARING OIL SEAL ALSO FAILED, CAUSING OIL LEAKAGE ONTO TIRES AND BRAKING SURFACES. VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE IMMEDIATELY AFTER FAILURE, BEFORE OIL IMPAIRED BRAKING ABILITIES. BEARING AND HOUSING WILL BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324890

Incident

Apr 9, 2001

Mileage

91,500 mi

I NOTICED MY BIKE TIRES SEEMED TO BE OUT OF BALANCE, A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION ESPECIALLY AT LOWER SPEEDS. I HAD THE TIRES CHECKED AND ENDED UP REPLACING THEM. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO MOVE TO THE REAR OF THE BIKE AFTER REPLACING THE TIRES, WITH A VIBRATION IN THE FOOTPEGS AND WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP IT FELT AS IF THE REAR TIRE WAS FLAT. I CHECKED THE SUSPENSION AND SET IT TO THE PROPER PRELOAD ON THE REAR SHOCK BUT THE VIBRATION PERSISTED. I SEARCHED ON THE WEB AND FOUND WHERE OTHER BMW MOTORCYCLE RIDERS WITH SHAFT DRIVE HAD EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS WHEN THEIR REAR DRIVE BEARING WENT OUT. I HAD THE MOTORCYCLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A REAR DRIVE FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10250905

Incident

Nov 28, 2008

Mileage

60,200 mi

BMW MOTORCYCLE K1200LT FINAL DRIVE FAILED 300 MILES FROM HOME. HAD TO RENT A CAR TO GET HOME AND THEN BACK AGAIN TO PICK MOTORCYCLE UP. OUT OF POCKET COST OF REPAIRS AND TRANSPORTATION $700. *TR

NHTSA ID

10247463

Incident

Sep 30, 2008

Mileage

30,775 mi

COMPONENT FAILURE, HYDRAULIC BRAKES: ANTILOCK FINAL DRIVE FAILURE BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE

NHTSA ID

10201220

Incident

Aug 2, 2004

I OWN A 2001 BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE. I MAINTAIN IT VERY WELL AND CHANGE LUBRICANTS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. MY WIFE AND I WERE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE NOT FAR FROM OUR HOME WHEN WE FELT A ROUGHNESS AND VIBRATION THAT WORSENED AND WORSENED. HEARING THAT THESE BIKES ARE NOTORIOUS FOR A FAILED BEARING IN THE REAR DRIVE, I STOPPED TO CHECK IT AND THERE WAS GEAR OIL ALL OVER THE REAR WHEEL. EVEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE GEAR OIL SPILLING ONTO THE TIRE WAS THE FACT THAT IT RAN DOWN ONTO THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER! THANKFULLY, WE WERE CLOSE TO HOME, SO WE "LIMPED" HOME VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE THE TOTAL FAILURE HAPPENED. NUMBERS OF OWNERS ARE REPORTING THIS SAME FAILURE WHERE THE GEAR OIL IS SPILLING FROM THE REAR DRIVE ONTO THE TIRE AND BRAKES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10195101

Incident

Jun 25, 2006

Mileage

47,314 mi

FAILURE OF REAR DRIVE BEARING ON K1200LT BMW. *AK

NHTSA ID

10193709

Incident

Jun 15, 2007

Mileage

28,750 mi

BRAKE HOSE RUPTURED CAUSING FRONT BRAKES TO FAIL AND FLUID TO LEAK ON TIRE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10191257

Incident

May 19, 2007

Mileage

47,195 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS THE FUEL LINE FITTING QUICK DISCONNECT CAME LOOSE CAUSING FUEL TO SPILL ON THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED TWICE. BOTH TIMES THE CONTACT REPLACED THE FITTING HIMSELF. THE DEALER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

NHTSA ID

10174160

Incident

Nov 19, 2006

Mileage

44,039 mi

VIBRATION IN FOOTPEGS AND RUMBLING NOISE FROM REAR DRIVE UNIT. CROWN WHEEL BEARING FAILED. CAUGHT IN TIME BEFORE SERIOUS DAMAGE WAS DONE. THIS BEARING IS THE MAIN SUPPORT ELEMENT FOR THE REAR WHEEL ON THIS MOTORCYCLE. PARTS FROM DAMAGED BEARING HAVE TAKEN OUT OIL SEAL WHICH LEADS TO REAR BRAKE AND WHEEL BEING COVERED IN GEAR LUBE. BROKEN BEARING COULD LEAD TO LOCK UP OF REAR WHEEL. GEAR LUBE ON THE REAR BRAKE DISC WOULD LEAD TO LOSS OF BRAKING. GEAR LUBE ON REAR WHEEL WOULD LEAD TO LOSS OF TRACTION. ALL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITH SUBSEQUENT PROPERTY AND BODILY DAMAGE. BEARING AND SEAL WHERE REPLACED. OLD PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10151127

Incident

Jan 25, 2006

Mileage

63,781 mi

THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF REPORTS OF BMW K1200 LT MOTORCYCLES ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AS WELL AS DIRECTLY TO BMW AND AT THE BMW LT OWNERS WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.BMWLT.NET/UBBTHREADS/SHOWFLAT.PHP?CAT=&BOARD=SURVEYS&NUMBER=17109&PAGE=&VIEW=&SB=&O=&FPART=ALL&VC=1 THE COMMON THREAD IS THAT THE BEARING FAILS, THE SEAL LEAKS DUE TO DEBRIS AND THE REAR END DUMPS IT LUBRICATION OIL ALL OVER THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY, TIRE ETC. THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR A MOTORCYCLE!!! ONLY TWO WHEELS TO START WITH!!!! IN LIGHT OF THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 04V297000 FOR LUBE LEAKAGE ON THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY OF ANOTHER BMW MOTORCYCLE PLEASE REVIEW ANY/ALL COMPLAINTS ALREADY RECEIVED BY NHTSA AND READ THE TEXT TO SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON AND RECURRING PROBLEM THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY CLASSIFIED BY THE PEOPLE MAKING THE REPORT. BOTTOM LINE, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER BMW MOTORCYCLES OUT THERE, HUNDREDS OF WHICH HAVE (NOT THEORETICALLY) DUMPED REAR END LUBE ALL OVER THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY WITH CONSEQUENCES IDENTICAL TO CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 04V297000 . OUR GROUP AT THE WEBSITE ABOVE CAN PRODUCE NAMES, DATES, VIN NUMBERS ETC. TO BACK UP THIS CLAIM. PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFORMATION. I CONSIDER THIS FORMAL NOTIFICATION TO NHTSA OF THE SEVERITY OF THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. STEPHEN M. WHITE LEWISVILLE, TX. *NM

NHTSA ID

10136125

Incident

Sep 11, 2005

Mileage

12,000 mi

BMW MOTORCYCLE, MODEL K1200LT. RIDING NORMALLY AT 65 MPH ON FREEWAY, OIL LEAKED OUT OF REAR DRIVE UNIT ONTO BRAKES, WHEEL AND TIRE. LOST ALL REAR BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS, TIRE SLIPPED SLIGHTLY ON ROAD. PULLED ONTO SHOULDER, STOPPED BY USING FRONT BRAKE ONLY. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER WHERE REAR DRIVE UNIT WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. OLD PART IS BEING SHIPPED TO MY OFFICE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10136116

Incident

Aug 26, 2005

Mileage

82,400 mi

WIFE AND I GOING HOME FROM WEEKEND TRIP WHEN OUR MOTORCYCLE STARTED MAKING A GRINDING SOUND FROM THE REAR WHEEL. AFTER GETTING BIKE TO SIDE OF THE ROAD I NOTICED OIL COVERING WHEEL, BRAKE AND TIRE. HAD BIKE TOWED TO DEALER, THEY SAID IT WAS THE REAR DRIVE BEARING. THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD A FEW OF THEM GO BAD. WITH 37,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. STILL AT DEALER WAITING REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

10123936

Incident

May 23, 2005

Mileage

37,000 mi

POOR HEADLIGHT -GIVES OUT ABOUT AS MUCH LIGHT AS A CANDLE. *LA

NHTSA ID

10054729

Incident

Mar 20, 2001

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. *AK

NHTSA ID

10048055

Incident

Oct 19, 2003

Mileage

52,000 mi

REAR DRIVE DIFFERENTIAL MAIN BEARING FAILED ON MY BMW 2001 K1200LT MOTORCYCLE CAUSING A WOBBLING REAR WHEEL AND EXCESSIVE NOISE. I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CYCLE UNDER CONTROL AND MAKE IT TO THE DEALER.*AK

NHTSA ID

10032995

Incident

Aug 7, 2003

Mileage

26,705 mi

BROKEN THREADED STUD ON SHIFTER LINKAGE BALL ASSY.

NHTSA ID

10028773

Incident

Jul 18, 2003

Mileage

11,203 mi

STARTED HEARING A GRINDING NOISE FROM REAR OF MOTORCYCLE AND FELT SOME REAR WHEEL WOOBLE. ROAD WITH THE SYMPTOM FOR ABOUT 15 MILES UNTIL I COULD GET TO A TELEPHONE TO CALL CLOSEST DEALER. DEALER SAID TO RIDE IN. TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES AND SYMPTOMS GOT MUCH WORSE. CALLED A TOWING SERVICE AND HAD BIKE TRANSPORTED TO BRATTIN'S BMW IN SAN DIEGO. AFTER INSPECTING REAR WHEEL THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE REAR DRIVE BEARING HAD DISINTEGRATED CAUSE UNKNOWN. REPAIR TOOK APPROX 2 WEEKS DUE TO PARTS. DT

NHTSA ID

769292

Incident

Jul 2, 2002

LEFT SIDE OUTBOARD MIRROR BRAKET FELL OFF. MIRROR BRAKETS WERE POORLY DESIGNED, DESIGN POPPED OUT. WHEN CONSUMER WENT OVER A BUMP IN ROAD, MIRROR POPPED OUT ON THE FREEWAY. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, THERE IS NO WAY TO TIGHTEN MIRROR. *AK *SCC

NHTSA ID

8015997

Incident

Aug 12, 2002

READ DRIVE BEARING/SEAL FAILURE, CAUSING GEAR OIL TO COVER REAR TIRE AND BRAKES.*AK

NHTSA ID

764433

Incident

Jul 14, 2002

DRIVESHAFT FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 65 MPH. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT AFTER COMING TO A STANDSTILL, OIL WAS ALL OVER THE RIM, THE TIRE AND THE BRAKE PADS, THE REAR END WAS SHIMMYING. *SLC

NHTSA ID

8009914

Incident

May 12, 2002

REAR BRAKES WERE MAKING A LOUD NOISE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, AND TECHNICIAN URGED CONSUMER NOT TO USE REAR BRAKES UNTIL A REMEDY WAS FOUND. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

894942