2013 BMW R 1200 R Problems

I have read on the BMW forums that the plastic cams that are attached to the throttle bodies will crack. If a crack is spotted the cams need to be replaced because they can fail causing the motorcycle to stop running. This spring while doing my spring maintenance I inspected the cams and found both of the throttle body cams cracked. I replaced both of the cams with after market aluminum cams that cost me over $450 in just parts. I replaced the cams before i has a catastrophic failure while I was riding the motorcycle. Other people have been stranded on the side of the road with this problem. I did not want to be one of them.

The component that fails is called the Fuel Strip (BMW part number 16147697815) and is used for measuring the amount of fuel in the fuel tank. This component is historically known to fail often and this problem is well known by BMW motorcycle dealers and motorcyclists that use this fuel strip. The failure of these Fuel Strips is a safety issue because it can cause loss of power, by running out of fuel, in traffic and/or at speed. Additionally it is a safety issue because it can leave the driver stranded in an unsafe location. The failure can occur at any time including shortly after installation of a new fuel strip. The Fuel Strip has a design flaw that causes these chronic failures.

WHILE RIDING, I RECEIVED A DASH WARNING LIGHT THAT WAS I (UNEXPECTEDLY) COMPLETELY OUT OF FUEL. AT THAT POINT I DID NOT KNOW HOW MANY MILES WERE ON MY TANK, IF I HAD A FUEL LEAK, ETC AND IMMEDIATELY MANEUVERED TO A SAFE LOCATION TO VERIFY MY FUEL STATUS. THANKFULLY I WAS IN A PLACE I COULD DO THAT. TURNS OUT I HAD AMPLE FUEL AND NO VISIBLE LEAKS, HOWEVER THE GAUGE AND WARNING SYSTEMS WERE INFORMING ME OTHERWISE. I ENDED UP RIDING TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION AND CONFIRMED I STILL HAD 3/4 TANK REMAINING, BASED ON HOW MUCH FUEL THE BIKE TOOK TO "TOP OFF". AFTER CALLING THE DEALERSHIP TO CONFIRM THE BIKE'S COMPUTER WILL ALLOW ME TO RIDE (DESPITE NOT REGISTERING ANY FUEL IN THE SYSTEM), I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON MY MODEL AND THEY CAN'T KEEP THE PARTS IN INVENTORY THEY ARE FIXING IT SO FREQUENTLY. BASED ON WEB SEARCHES, OTHERS ARE REPORTING THAT THEY DON'T GET A WARNING THEY ARE RUNNING OUT! BMW MOTORAD STATES THAT THIS PART (THE FUEL STRIP) FAILS DUE TO CORN ETHANOL IN OUR US GAS, AND THIS PART DOES NOT FAIL IN OTHER MARKETS THAT DON'T USE ETHANOL. MY QUESTION IS, HOW CAN THEY SELL A PRODUCT THAT ISN'T ENGINEERED TO WORK WITH THE GAS THAT'S AVAILABLE? WHILE THIS ISSUE HAS A SIMPLE WORKAROUND - KEEP TRACK OF YOUR MILES AS YOU'RE RIDING - THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU COUNT ON THAT GAUGE BECAUSE YOU SIMPLY FORGET TO RESET THE TRIP ODOMETER AT A FILLUP. IF I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE AND RAN OUT DUE TO THE GAUGE NOT INDICATING I WAS LOW, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCENARIO. *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE CEASED WORKING AND REGISTERS EMPTY ALL THE TIME. THE "LOW FUEL" LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DESPITE HAVING GONE ONLY 50 MILES SINCE FILLING THE TANK. VISUAL EXAMINATION CONFIRMS THE TANK IS APPROX. 3/4 FULL. FROM A VERY BRIEF INVESTIGATION, I DISCOVERED THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE R1200R FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I AM REPORTING IN HOPES THAT PRESSURE CAN BE BROUGHT FOR REAL FIX BY BMW INSTEAD OF SIMPLY REPLACING FAULTY FUEL STRIPS WITH MORE FAULTY FUEL STRIPS. SOME OWNERS REPORT HAVING THE STRIPS REPLACED 4-5 TIMES WITHIN A 3 YEAR PERIOD. THE MODE OF FAILURE CAN BE INTERMITTENT OPERATION, CONSTANT "FULL" READING, OR A CONSTANT "EMPTY" READING. SINCE I LIVE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT, I FREQUENTLY CAN BE MANY MILES FROM ANY ASSISTANCE, AND NOT HAVING ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE OF MY FUEL SITUATION COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR