2009 BMW F 800 GS US Recalls & Complaints

Incident: October 24, 2009 · Filed: May 4, 2010

FAILURE OF CHAIN AND REAR WHEEL BEARING AT 7139 MILES ON A 8 MONTH OLD BMW F800GS. BIKE WAS TAKEN INTO BMW DEALER FOR NEW CHAIN AS OLD CHAIN WAS LOSING 'O' RINGS REAR WHEEL WAS REMOVED AND AT MY REQUEST BEARINGS CHECKED AS I HAD HEARD OF FAILURES ON FROM THE INTERNET. REAR BEARING WAS FOUND TO BE HIGHLY WORN AND 'GRITTY' FEELING. DEALER REPLACED BEARING UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

Incident: March 1, 2009 · Filed: March 1, 2010

NOTICED A CRACK ON THE SIDE OF THE GAS TANK. THE GAS TANK IS SPLIT OPEN. THIS SEEMS TO GREATLY INCREASE THE RISK OF EXPLOSION DUE TO GAS FUMES IF ANY HEAT SOURCE/SPARK MADE GETS CLOSE. *TR

Incident: February 14, 2010 · Filed: March 1, 2010

FUEL TANK ON NEW (600 MILES) BMW F800GS MOTORCYCLE HAS DEVELOPED A SIX (6") CRACK. SEPARATION IS APPROX 1/16". RETURNED MOTORCYCLE TO DEALER WHERE PURCHASED AND ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RECTIFIED. *TR

Incident: November 23, 2009 · Filed: December 28, 2009

GAS TANKS HAS CRACKS ON BOTH SIDES. *TR

Incident: December 1, 2009 · Filed: December 22, 2009

REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED AT 6000 MILES. THIS COULD HAVE LED TO CATASTROPHIC INJURY HAD I NOT FOUND THE PROBLEM DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. CHECKING THE WHEEL BEARING IS NOT ROUTINE AT 6000 MILES. *TR

Incident: October 26, 2009 · Filed: October 28, 2009

AFTER READING ABOUT SEVERAL FAILURES OF REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON F800GS MOTORCYCLES I CHOSE TO INSPECT THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON MY 2009 BMW F800GS MOTORCYCLE. I DISCOVERED THEM TO BE WORN AND ROUGH FEELING WITH EVIDENCE OF SERIOUS BRINNELING. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS 8800 MILES. UPON DISASSEMBLY I FOUND THE FIT BETWEEN THE WHEEL BORE AND THE BEARING ON THE DISC BRAKE SIDE TO BE TIGHTER THAN A P7 FIT FOR A HEAVY ROTATING OUTER RING WHEEL LOAD. THE FIT ON THE DRIVE SPROCKET SIDE WAS CLOSE TO A N7 FIT. I HONED THE DISC BRAKE SIDE OF THE REAR WHEEL HUB TO A N7 FIT AND REASSEMBLED WITH NEW BEARINGS. *TR

Incident: October 23, 2009 · Filed: October 27, 2009

M / Y 2009 BMW F800GS MOTORCYCLE, BUILD DATE 10/08. REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE NOTED DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT APPROXIMATELY 5,500 MILES. CATASTROPHIC FAILURE COULD RESULT IN REAR TIRE LOCKING UP, CAUSING SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH. BMW DEALER IS REPLACING PARTS UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

Incident: October 13, 2009 · Filed: October 23, 2009

I HAVE A 2009 BMW F800GS. I READ ABOUT CATASTROPHIC BEARING FAILURES HAPPENING ON OTHER F800GS REAR WHEELS AND CHECKED MY BEARING BY HAND WHEN I HAD THE REAR WHEEL OFF AT 8000 MILES FOR TIRE REPLACEMENT. THE BEARING ON THE ROTOR SIDE OF THE WHEEL WAS VERY NOTCHY AND IT WOULD NOT ROLL IN A CLOCKWISE ROTATION UNLESS MUCH FORCE WAS APPLIED. THE BEARING TYPICALLY RUNS IN A COUNTER CLOCKWISE ROTATION IF LOOKING AT THE REAR WHEEL FROM THE LEFT SIDE. THE BMW DEALER IN LAS VEGAS AGREED THAT THE BEARING WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. EXPERTS HAVE EXAMINED OTHER HUBS FROM THIS SAME MODEL AND YEAR AND HAVE DECLARED THAT THE BORE IN THE HUB FOR THE BEARING IS TOO SMALL FOR WHICH CAUSES TOO MUCH CRUSH AND WILL DAMAGE ANY SUBSEQUENT REPLACEMENT BEARINGS THAT ARE PUT INTO THE HUB OVER TIME. BMW MUST BE MADE TO REPLACE OR MACHINE THE HUB SO THAT THE BEARINGS DO NOT FAIL. SOMEONE WILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED IF THIS BEARING HAS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AT SPEED. *TR

Incident: October 15, 2009 · Filed: October 20, 2009

REAR WHEEL BEARINGS FAILING WITH ONLY 7600 MILES. BEARINGS WERE CHECKED DUE TO MULTIPLE INCIDENTS AND CONCERNS ON AN INTERNET FORUM. WHEEL WAS TAKEN TO A WHEEL SPECIALIST WHO CONFIRMED THE WORN BEARINGS AND HAD TO REWORK THE HUB TO ALLOW THE BEARINGS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY SO AS NOT TO WEAR OUT PREMATURELY. BEARINGS WERE ALSO CHECKED BY THE DEALER CONFIRMING THE PROBLEM AND GIVING A WARRANTIED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BEARINGS. *TR

Incident: October 15, 2009 · Filed: October 20, 2009

NO SPECIFIC IDENTIFIABLE EVENT(S) LEADING TO THIS FAILURE. IT MAY BE RELATED TO DEFECTIVE PART, MANUFACTURING OR IMPROPER FACTORY INSTALLATION. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING ON MY 2009 BMW F800GS MOTORCYCLE FAILED AND WAS DISCOVERED AT APPROXIMATELY 8800 MILES. THIS MATCHES APPROXIMATELY THREE DOZEN KNOWN ANECDOTAL REPORTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURE RIDERS INTERNET FORUM OF REAR BEARING FAILURE ON THE SAME MODEL AND MODEL YEAR BIKE. THE CONSEQUENCE OF REAR BEARING FAILURE COULD RESULT IN CRASH, PROPERTY / BIKE DAMAGE AND / OR PERSONAL INJURY. SOME RIDERS HAVE REPORTED ALL OF THE ABOVE. THE LAS VEGAS BMW MOTORCYCLE DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL RECALL FROM BMW BUT THAT HE HAD THE SAME FAILURE ON ANOTHER BIKE TWO DAYS BEFORE MINE. IT WAS REPLACED AS A WARRANTY ITEM AT NO-CHARGE. *TR