2004 BMW R 1150 RT Owner Complaints

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE .I COULD NOT STOP THE MOTORCYCLE.I WENT RITE THROUGH AN INTERSECTION,THANK GOD THERE WAS NO VEHICLES DRIVING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AT THE SAME TIME.

NHTSA ID

11469284

Incident

Jun 5, 2022

MY MOTORCYCLE KEPT LOSING FUEL. I NEVER LEAVE IT LOW ON GAS, BUT ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WENT TO RIDE IT AND THE TANK WAS EMPTY. SINCE THEN I FOUND A YOUTUBE VIDEO SHOWING HOW TO REPLACE WHAT BMW NEVER SHOULD HAVE INSTALLED, SAYING THIS IS COMMON IN CA BECAUSE BMW DID NOT USE METAL QUICK DISCONNECTS ON THE FUEL LINES; OUR GAS EATS THE PLASTIC. AT LEAST 10 GALLONS OF GAS DISAPPEARED OVER 4 MONTHS LAST SUMMER. THIS IS A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD AND I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, I GUESS. IT ALSO IS NOT CHEAP TO FIX. THE PARTS ARE AROUND $100. BMW SHOULD FIX THIS, OR PAY FOR PARTS SO I CAN DO IT.

NHTSA ID

10994331

Incident

Aug 1, 2016

FUEL LINE QUICK DISCONNECTS ON BOTH SUPPLY AND RETURN FAILED CAUSING FUEL LEAK ON TO ENGINE AND EXHAUST. EXTREME FIRE POTENTIAL. QUICK DISCONNECT SEALS AND COMPONENTS ARE INSUFFICIENT TO HANDLE EXPOSURE TO RAW FUEL, IT IS A POOR DESIGN AND BMWNA SHOULD RECALL R1150RT'S DUE TO THIS FAILURE AND FIRE RISK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10531676

Incident

Jul 24, 2013

Mileage

14,000 mi

THE REAR TIRE BECAME OIL COVERED AND SLICK BECAUSE OF A FAILED OIL SEAL IN THE FINAL DRIVE. THE OIL SEAL HAD FAILED AS RESULTS OF THE FINAL DRIVE BEARING FAILURE. THESE FAILURES CAUSED AN UNSAFE CONDITION AS THERE WAS EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT IN THE REAR WHEEL AND THE REAR TIRE WAS OIL SOAKED FROM THE SEAL FAILURE. THE FAILURE GAVE LITTLE ADVANCED WARNING AS ROAD AND TIRE NOISE CHANGES AND SOUND SIMILAR. I HAVE HAD TWO FINAL DRIVE FAILURES ON THE SAME MOTORCYCLE, THE FIRST 06/04/2006 AT 33,095 MILES AT 25 MPH AND THE SECOND 07/13/2012 AT 74,341 MILES AT 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM.

NHTSA ID

10467341

Incident

Jun 4, 2006

Mileage

33,095 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW R1150RT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FINAL DRIVE ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE REAR END TO SEVERELY KNOCK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT OIL SPILLED OUT FROM THE VEHICLE AS WELL. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THERE WAS A 3-6 MONTH BACK ORDER ON THE PART THAT WAS NEEDED TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,000.

NHTSA ID

10465080

Incident

Apr 28, 2012

Mileage

17,000 mi

FINAL DRIVE, CROWN GEAR BEARING FAILED. NO EARLY WARNING OF OIL LEAKAGE, JUST WENT SUDDENLY WHEN ON CROSS COUNTRY TRIP WHILE IN CO. FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY CAUSING THE REAR WHEEL TO WOBBLE SIGNIFICANTLY, THE OIL SEAL TO FAIL AND REAR LUBE OIL LEAKED ALL OVER REAR WHEEL. (HAVE PICTURE) SAME FAILURE AS DESCRIBED IN ODI NO. 10439549, AND CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED UNDER CAMPAIGN DP12001. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446674

Incident

Aug 29, 2009

Mileage

100,500 mi

FAILURE OF FINAL DRIVE CROWN GEAR BEARING. THE BEARING SHATTERED CAUSING THE SEAL TO BE DAMAGED WITH OIL LOSS. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446408

Incident

Sep 15, 2009

Mileage

42,000 mi

MOTORCYCLE FINAL DRIVE GEAR BEARING FAILURE. GEAR OIL LEAKING FROM FINAL DRIVE. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446382

Incident

Jun 29, 2011

Mileage

66,126 mi

ON I-5 SOUTHBOUND IN BELLINGHAM WA, LEFT LANE AT 60MPH. UP SHIFTED TRANSMISSION AND HEARD GRINDING NOISE, ON CLUTCH RELEASE. MANAGED TO GET TO RIGHT ROAD SHOULDER AND PUSH BIKE TO NEXT EXIT. FOUND CLUTCH DISK SPLINES STRIPPED AND TRANSMISSION INPUT SHAFT SPLINES VERY WORN. THERE WAS NO WARNING OF PROBLEM UNTIL THE SPLINES STRIPPED. UPON RESEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM, FOUND IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM OF THE BMW R1150RT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10442853

Incident

Dec 18, 2011

Mileage

35,680 mi

LOST TRANSMISSION SPLINES AND CLUTCH DISK SPLINES GOING DOWN THE ROAD SHIFTING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. LOST ALL DRIVE TO REAR WHEEL AND HAD TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD, THANKFULLY TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10437234

Incident

Jul 25, 2008

Mileage

16,491 mi

SHINKO RAVEN 009 SIZE 120/70 ZR 17 DEVELOPED BLISTERS AROUND 75% OF THE CIRCUMFERANCE OF THE TREAD. THE BLISTERS RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES IN SIZE AND ARE EVENLY SPACED ALONG THE TREAD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CENTER LINE OF THE TIRE. FORTUNATELY THE TIRE DID NOT FAIL BEFORE THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED AND THERE WAS NO CRASH. APPROX 12,500 MILES ON THE TIRE. *TT

NHTSA ID

10425716

Incident

Sep 4, 2011

FINAL DRIVE FAILED ON MY 2004 BMW R1150RT. MOTORCYCLE HAS 31,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10297919

Incident

Dec 28, 2009

Mileage

31,050 mi

THE WAS NO WARNING THAT A FAILURE WAS ABOUT TO OCCUR. I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED ON A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA GA WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. HAD I BEEN IN A MIDDLE LANE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A LIFE ENDANGERING SITUATION. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AND COASTED TO A STOP ON THE LEFT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CLUTCH SPLINES OF DRIVE SYSTEM STRIPPED OUT AT 50,000 MILES. ACCORDING TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE, THESE FAILURES CAN OCCUR AS OFTEN AS EVERY 10-15K MILES BUT MOST FREQUENTLY AROUND 20-25K. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE WITH ABOUT 28K MILES AND SUSPECT THE PREVIOUS OWNER MAY HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I DISASSEMBLED THE VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE CLUTCH PARTS AND THE TRANSMISSION INPUT SHAFT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS A COSTLY REPAIR EVEN THOUGH I DID MOST OF THE LABOR. TOTAL COST FOR ME WAS JUST OVER $1200. THE ONLY PART I HAVE IS THE INPUT SHAFT THAT I USED AS A CLUTCH CENTERING TOOL TO INSTALL THE NEW CLUTCH. *TR

NHTSA ID

10296529

Incident

Sep 23, 2009

Mileage

50,720 mi

PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH / TRANSMISSION INPUT SHAFT SPLINES POTENTIALLY CAUSING MOTORCYCLE TO LOOSE FORWARD DRIVE IN TRAFFIC. FAILURE OCCURRED WITH 28,210 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. RIDING SLIGHTLY UP GRADE AT 50 MPH. SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED FAILURE CAUSED LOSE OF FORWARD DRIVE AND BEING STRANDED IN TRAFFIC. THIS REQUIRED PUSHING THE MOTORCYCLE OUT OF TRAFFIC TO A SAFE LOCATION AND BEING TOWED TO THE REPAIR LOCATION. THIS IS NOT UNPRESIDENTED IN THIS SERIES OF MOTORCYCLES AND APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE MISALIGNMENT OF THE ENGINE / TRANSMISSION INTERFACE AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE. REPAIR INCLUDES THE REMOVAL AND REPAIR OF THE TRANSMISSION; WHICH CAN TAKE AS LONG AS 10 HOURS TO COMPLETE. REPAIR PARTS COST ABOUT $900 DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE AND IDENTIFYING THE CAUSE. THE DEALER COST TO HAVE THIS REPAIR RUNS $2000 PLUS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239865

Incident

Jul 28, 2008

Mileage

28,200 mi

THE FUEL PUMP ON MY 2004 R1150RT BMW MOTORCYCLE FAILED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING HOME FROM WORK ON AN EXPRESSWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, BUT WAS IN DANGER BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF THE PASSING HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC. I BACKED THE BIKE ABOUT 1/8 MILE TO THE PREVIOUS EXIT AND PUSHED IT TO A GAS STATION AND CALLED FOR A TOW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10235920

Incident

Jul 3, 2008

Mileage

68,900 mi

2004 BMW R1150RT FAILURE OF FINAL DRIVE BEARING. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, DENIED BY BMW, AND COULD CAUSE A POTENTIALLY FATAL CRASH IF IT LOCKED UP AT SPEED. OUT RACE FAILS, EVENTUALLY THE BEARING RETAINERS FAIL, AND BEARING COLLAPSES, POTENTIALLY LOCKING UP THE REAR WHEEL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10235119

Incident

Jul 15, 2007

Mileage

38,612 mi

2004 BMW R1150RT MOTORCYCLE- FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT FAILED. BIKE STARTED LEAKING SMALL DROPS OF FUEL. TOOK SIDE FAIRING OFF AND FOUND THE LEAK COMING FROM THE FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT. I DISCONNECTED THE LINE AND FUEL BEGAN POURING FROM THE LINE. THE WHOLE IDEA OF A QUICK DISCONNECT IS FOR THE LINE TO NOT LEAK WHEN DISCONNECTED. CALLED BMW DEALER BIKE SHOP AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE PLENTY REPLACEMENTS IN STOCK BECAUSE THEY FAIL QUITE OFTEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10230109

Incident

Jun 5, 2008

Mileage

33,000 mi

CLUTCH FAILURE AS A RESULT OF MISALIGNED TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE, CAUSED BY MANUFACTURER DEFECT. COST TO REPAIR; PARTS AND LABOR = $2,000.00. *TR

NHTSA ID

10216799

Incident

Feb 1, 2008

Mileage

27,485 mi