Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2019 BMW K1600B. 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.
Showing 1–6 of 6
The fuel pump failed in a way that it soaked my left leg with fuel while riding the motorcycle. My safety was at risk from major burns if the fuel had ignited on the exhaust. No warning lights came on.
I'm a recent owner of this motorcycle and have experienced a consistent feeling of what motorcyclists refer to as a "Death wobble" or at a minimum the beginnings of one. It happens during interstate highway speeds and predominantly during heavy traffic and it's magnified even more while approaching and passing tractor-trailers. I've been riding motorcycles both competitively as well as for personal use for well over 40 years and have NEVER experienced this phenomenon with any other motorcycle I've owned, well over 30 different models at this point. The only times I have experienced this type of behavior from a motorcycle was during High-speed racing and, as with this bike, I've been able to correct it by SLOWLY reducing speeds. However, With this bike it's during normal highway speeds (usually around 70+) while approaching traffic. Semi-trailers seem to be the worst culprits, but it happens with regular vehicles as well. Any disturbance in the bike's slipstream seems to cause the wobble. The bike never really loses control but it feels like [XXX] (to put it bluntly) and it forces you to either backoff or try and get around the traffic as quickly as possible. If it is a windy day, the problem is exponentially exacerbated to the point that is truly unsafe to ride. Again, I have NEVER experienced this with any other motorcycle, not even a BMW GT650 Scooter handled traffic as bad as this bike. I feel as there is some sort of defect with the design of the bike that causes this "wobble" when it encounters unstable air. For reference, I also test drove a 2021 version of the exact bike and it experiences the same affects as my 2019 model does. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC, THE BIKE BEGINS TO WOBBLE AND BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL. I LIST AN INCIDENT DATE OF 04/29/2020 BELOW, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT IT ON 04/11/2020.
2 ISSUES 1. WHEN REACHING SPEEDS OF 60+ BIKE SHAKES VIOLENTLY DURING HIGH WINDS OR BEHIND TRUCKS. SWITCHING LANES IS EVEN MORE SCARY. TO ENHANCE THIS ISSUE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS RAISE YOUR WIND SCREEN FULLY AND OPEN UP THE AIR VENTS ON THE SIDES OF THE BIKE. FOR HAVE YOUR PSI ON TIRES AT 40 OR BELOW. 2. WHEN IN RAIN MODE, WHEN I ACCELERATED PASS THE CAP. THE BIKE VIOLENTED STARTED TO RETARD ITSELF SLOWING THE BIKE DOWN BUT THE ENGINE MAKING A VUT VUT VUT VUT SOUND WHILE DOING IT. I HAD NO THROTTLE RESPOND. WHEN I MAKE TO A FULL STOP AND PUT THE BIKE IN NEUTRAL THE ENGINE WAS STILL MAKING THE SAME NOISE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME OUT. I DID A FULL CYCLE AND AND OFF THE BIKE AND THE BIKE WENT TO NORMAL AGAIN. 3. REAR SPEAKERS BLOW AFTER LONG DISTANCE RIDING AT HIGH VOLUME. THIS HAPPEN TWICE ALREADY. ISSUE OF #2 UPLOAD FAULT CODE SHOWN BY MY GS-911 THERE WERE MORE FAULT CODES BUT I DONT KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD MORE THEN ONE.
THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNSTABLE IN ANY WIND CONDITION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT IS SEVERELY BUFFETED SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE FEAR EVEN IN AN EXPERIENCED RIDER. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT, WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE BIKE IS AT THE LIMITS OF THE ENVELOP OF STABILITY AND EXPECT IT TO WOBBLE OR WEAVE INTO DEADLY OSCILLATIONS. THE DEALERS SHOULD WARN PEOPLE NOT TO BUY THIS MACHINE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 50 YEARS ON ALL TYPES OF MOTORCYCLES AND THIS IS THE MOST UNSTABLE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN. BMW NEEDS TO BE COMPELLED TO FIND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS CONDITION AND EITHER REMEDY IT IN SOME WAY OR REPLACE IT. THE FIRST TIME I ENTERED AN INTERSTATE IN SLIGHTLY WINDY CONDITIONS WAS THE SECOND DAY I OWNED IT. I COULD ONLY PROCEED TO THE FIRST EXIT AND COULD NOT REMAIN AT THE 80 MPH POSTED SPEED LIMIT DUE TO THE BUFFETING AND WHAT SEEMED LIKE HUNTING FOR STABILITY. THE BIKE IS NOW PARKED IN MY GARAGE WITH 300 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT A HONDA GOLDWING AFTER OPERATING IT IN 40 MPH CROSS WIND - SOMETHING I WOULDN'T DO WITH THE BMW. THE GW WAS STEADY AS CAN BE KIN THE SAME OPERATION. DO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED BEFORE THE NHTSA DOES SOMETHING? WE NEED ENGINEERING EXPERTS TO EVALUATE THIS DESIGN AND FIND OUT WHY A COMPANY LIKE BMW IS GETTING AWAY WITH THIS.
AT HIGH SPEEDS THE REAR END OF THE MOTORCYCLE SHAKES AND TORQUES LIKE A SNAKE. IT DOES NOT INCREASE WITH WIND. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
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 on this page last refreshed .