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Recall: BMW R1200RT Police Bike

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I was just talking last night to my Two Enthusiasts Podcast co-host Quentin Wilson about the recent recall for BMW light reflectors, saying that I bet that we will see another recall from BMW Motorrad – the German brand likely now under the microscope after its service bulletin turned massive recall on the GS front-end.

It seems that I didn’t have to wait long to be correct with the assumption, as BMW Motorrad has another recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this one affecting the 2014-2017 BMW R1200RT Police model

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Recall

Nearly 30,000 BMW Motorcycles Recalled for Reflectors

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BMW Motorrad continues to have recall trouble during the 2017 riding season, this time the German brand is recalling 29,281 units from various models, for an issue with the optional aluminum luggage cases, which may block the view of the bikes’ rear reflectors.

The recall affects seven models in total: 2013-2017 BMW R1200GS, F800R, and F800GT motorcycles; 2014-2017 R1200GS Adventure motorcycles; 2016-2017 S1000XR motorcycles; and 2015-2017 R1200R and R1200RS motorcycles.

With the luggage pieces installed, the bikes fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment,” hence today’s news.

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Reviews

Welcome to the A&R Superbike Deathmatch

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Hello and welcome to Asphalt & Rubber’s 2017 Superbike Deathmatch – our take on the motorcycle media’s superbike shootout review format, and the solitary path for a motorcycle to become A&R’s Superbike of 2017. Booyah!

What makes the Superbike Deathmatch different from other shootouts, you might ask? Well for starters, instead of renting a track out for a day, and spending only a limited amount of time on the plethora of machines available, we decided instead to take a lesson from college basketball’s very own March Madness.

That’s right, we are using a single-elimination head-to-head bracket system to find out which superbike is the best of the best, and thus worthy of being our Superbike of 2017. Think of it like a two-wheeled Thunderdome: two bikes enter, one bike leaves.

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Bikes

BMW HP4 Race Engine Life Set at 5,000km

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If you’re in the market for a BMW HP4 Race – the carbon fiber clad superbike from Bavaria – the $78,000 price tag might not be all that you’re spending on, as BMW Motorrad has a few items in the fine print that you might want to be aware of – the first being the engine life.

According to documents sent to BMW Motorrad dealers in the United States, the 212hp inline-four engine for the BMW HP4 Race comes with an expiration point of 5,000km (roughly 3,100 miles), at which point the entire engine will have to be replaced. Yup, you read that right.

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Bikes

Carbon Fiber BMW HP4 Race Priced at $78,000 for USA

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Before the machine officially debuted in China, we got our first taste of the carbon-clad BMW HP4 Race at the 2016 EICMA Show in Milan. At that time, all we knew about this track-only motorcycle was that it would be built in limited quantities, and thus would not be cheap.

In China, we learned that pricing across “the pond” had been set at £68,000 / €80,000 for the UK and EU markets, respectively. And now, we finally get word regarding how much the BMW HP4 Race will cost American buyers, as BMW Motorrad USA has set an asking price of $78,000.

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Rumors

Variable Valves Coming to the BMW R1200GS?

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While the current crop of BMW R1200GS model motorcycles are being recalled for issues with their front suspension, the future of the venerable GS line continues to evolve, as Motorrad Magazine is reporting that the boxer-twin engine that powers the R-series will be getting variable valve timing (VVT).

Motorrad is also reporting that the engine displacement will also see a bump, up from 1,170cc to 1,250cc for the next-generation of R-series machines, which should mean that the water-cooled motor should get a healthy (and much needed) bump in power, to help compete in this hotly contested segment.

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Bikes

2018 BMW S1000RR Spotted with Updates

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At eight years old, the BMW S1000RR has aged remarkably well, due in part to a healthy update for the 2015 model year.

But, when compared to the cutting edge bikes in the market right now, the venerable “RR” does seem to be lacking some modern touches, so it shouldn’t surprise us to see the German brand updating its machine for the 2018 model year.

Caught testing by the busy lenses at Motorrad Magazine, the 2018 BMW S1000RR appears to be an all-new motorcycle, with several noticeable changes to the chassis, and rumored changes to its four-cylinder engine.

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News

BMW Motorrad Sales Grow 9.5% in First-Half of 2017

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The motorcycle industry is generally full of doom and gloom this year, but BMW Motorrad continues to post record sales, as it boasts of a record first-half of the year, with 9.5% growth.

In the first six months of 2017, BMW sold 88,389 units to customers, up from the 80,754 units sold in the first-half of 2016. That growth is attributed mostly to progress made on the European continent, says BMW, which is up 12.9% so far this year.

Those European numbers break down as follows: France: 9,447 units (+21%); Italy: 9,099 units (+15%); Spain 5,573 units (+8%); and UK/IE 5,410 units (+14%).

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Bikes

BMW Motorrad USA Issues “Stop Sale” on the R1200GS

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What started out as a worldwide service campaign for the water-cooled BMW R1200GS models is turning into a massive global recall for the German motorcycle manufacturer, as now the United States has joined the United Kingdom in issuing a recall on the popular ADV machine.

Accordingly, BMW Motorrad USA has issued a “stop sale” to BMW dealers, as documents for a recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are being readied for release.

The recall sees BMW Motorrad dealers inspecting the fixed fork tube on R1200GS models produced between November 2013 and June 2017. If the inspected motorcycle has an excessively large gap between the fork pipe and the seal plug, then the fork cannot be repaired by the dealer, and must be replaced.

If no gap is present (or if the gap is of an acceptable distance), BMW dealers must still press in a sleeve on the fork, before returning the bike back to the owner. With over 150,000 motorcycles potentially affected worldwide, this recall will be a massive undertaking for BMW Motorrad.

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Recall

BMW Motorrad UK Recalls R1200GS Forks, America Next?

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Last week, BMW Motorrad made the interesting move of releasing a worldwide service campaign for the BMW R1200GS and its fixed fork tubes, which may get damaged from hard impacts.

The service campaign affects R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure models made between November 2013 and June 2017, which by our math means that over 155,000 motorcycles are involved in this service campaign.

Taking things a step further now, Visordown now reports that BMW Motorrad UK has issued a recall for the affected liquid-cooled R1200GS and R1200GSA motorcycles, within its market.

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Recall

Don’t Call It a Recall, BMW Issues Worldwide Service Campaign for BMW R1200GS Motorcycles

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Water-cooled BMW R1200GS owners will soon be getting a call from their local dealership, as the popular adventure-touring machine is getting a worldwide service bulletin that affects models made between November 2013 and June 2017.

The service bulletin concerns the fixed fork tubes on the BMW R1200GS and BMW R1200 GS Adventure models, which can suffer damage from high stress incidents (going over an obstacle, riding through a pothole, etc), and subsequently fail.

By our math, this service bulletin affects over 150,000 motorcycles, making it a massive global undertaking for the German motorcycle brand, for its flagship model.

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