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BMW R1200RT Suspension Fiasco to Conclude This Month

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It was only a few months ago, June 6th to be precise, that BMW Motorrad advised owners of the new liquid-cooled BMW R1200RT, who had the optional Dynamic ESA suspension package equipped, to stop riding their motorcycles until a solution to a collapsing rear shock defect could be found.

Ultimately, BMW and its parts supplier decided to replace the rear shock entirely, recalling all the 8,000 units worldwide (950 of which are in the United States) — they made that announcement just a month ago, though have been giving R1200RT owners a varying number of other options as well.

For those R1200RT that elected not to have BMW Motorrad buyback their machines, riding should commence sometime this month. BMW Motorcycle Magazine is reporting that BMW Motorcycle dealers should have replacement shock absorbers in two weeks’ time, and thus be able to begin fixing affected machines.

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Recall

Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider Recalled for Resonance

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The following is perhaps one of the more interesting recalls to come across our desk, and it affects the 2014 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider. It seems that if owners install “certain optional performance electronic control module calibrations” the bike’s ignition switch can go from “IGN” to “ACC”, thus causing the motorcycle to shutoff mid-operation.

The reason for this though is because the aftermarket ECU upgrade allows the 2014 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider to rev its motor beyond the stock 5,600 rpm redline, where at 5,800 rpm a resonate frequency with the ignition switch occurs. Held at this frequency, the key can turn to the accessories position — a dangerous, if not fascinating, show of physics.

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Recall

66,000+ Harley-Davidsons Recalled for Front-Wheel Lockup

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Bad news for 2014 Harley-Davidson Touring and CVO-Touring motorcycles with ABS installed, as the Bar & Shield brand has issued a recall with the NHTSA for 66,421 motorcycles that could potentially see their front-wheel lockup unexpectedly during normal operation.

The problem comes about because the affected motorcycles may have been assembled with the front brake line positioned in such a way that it could be pinched between the fuel tank and frame, causing the front brake fluid pressure to increase. If the fluid pressure does increase, it could cause the front wheel to lockup, and possibly cause a crash. To-date, five such crashes have occurred, with thankfully only minor injuries being reported.

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Recall

Recall: BMW R1200RT Equipped with Dynamic ESA

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After advising owners of the 2014 BMW R1200RT to stop riding their motorcycles if they were equipped with the company’s Dynamic ESA suspension, BMW Motorrad has now begun an official recall with the NHTSA for the faulty rear shock piston rod on the R1200RT.

In its NHTSA filing, BMW of North America says that the piston rod within the rear shock absorber can break without warning, which can cause a loss of stability that in-turn could result in a crash. The issue only affects motorcycles manufactured between November 27th, 2013, to May 5th, 2014, for a total of 950 potentially affected machines in the USA.

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Bikes

BMW Motorrad USA Offering Money, Loaners, and Buyback Options to R1200RT Owners for Suspension Woes

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A reports by BMW Motorcycle Magazine has described what BMW Motorrad USA is offering owners who were affected by the “Do Not Ride” order regarding the BMW R1200RT.

For those that don’t remember BMW Motorrad issued a worldwide statement regarding the 2014 BMW R1200RT, saying that models of the touring bike that were equipped with the Dynamic ESA suspension should not be ridden, as a BMW supplier alerted the German brand that the rear suspension had a defect, which could cause catastrophic failure.

BMW Motorrad hasn’t intimated when a solution could be coming for the affected R1200RT owners, though rumors are a date in August or September. To compensate American riders for this downtime, BMW Motorrad USA has put together three options for RT owners.

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Recall

2014 BMW R1200RT Owners Advised Not to Ride Their Motorcycles – Potentially Critical Suspension Defect

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BMW Motorrad has released a worldwide notification about a potentially dangerous suspension situation, which affects the 2014 BMW R1200RT.

Concerned about the safety regarding the Dynamic ESA electronic suspension package, BMW Motorrad says that there is a potential defect with the system’s rear spring strut.

Since the German motorcycle manufacturer cannot rule that the piston rod could potentially break, BMW Motorrad is advising 2014 R1200RT owners not to ride their motorcycles until further notice.

BMW Motorrad insists that this is a precautionary measure, which the comopany is making in the interests of customer safety, and based on a supplier report.

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Recall

Another Recall for the 2013 BMW R1200GS

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After an a recall early in 2013, involving high oil pressure levels in the transmissions of certain 2013 BMW R1200GS models, BMW was forced to install an oil restrictor to reduce oil pressure at the transmission output.

At the time, BMW was concerned about the high oil pressures in the transmission causing the rear sealing ring to come unseated and leak oil onto the rear tire.

After plugging that leak before any of the bikes managed to reach dealers, and despite installing the oil restrictor, the issue has resurfaced, this time leading to a non-serious accident in Italy, in March of this year.

After engineering analyses were completed last month, BMW determined that the oil restrictor was not sufficient enough to keep oil pressure levels in the transmission from pushing the sealing ring out of place and keeping oil off the rear tire.

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Recall

MV Agusta Recalls Certain 2014 Models for Faulty Hardware

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MV Agusta has announced that it will be recalling 223 motorcycles with production dates ranging from December 18, 2013 through March 10, 2014. The recall affects the 2014 MV Agusta Brutale 800, 2014 MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster, 2014 MV Agusta Brutale 675, 2014 MV Agusta Brutale RR, 2014 MV Agusta F3 800, 2014 MV Agusta F3 675, and 2014 MV Agusta Rivale 800.

According to MV Agusta, it was discovered that that some of its motorcycles were produced using a swingarm pin that is secured by a non-conforming fixing screw, which is subject to potential failure during normal use of the motorcycle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

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Recall

Ducati Recalls 2,000 Panigale Models for Handlebar Switch

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On April 2nd, Ducati North America announced they would be recalling 2,083 of their 1199 Panigale and Panigale S models due to a malfunctioning handlebar switch. The recall affects 1,515 motorcycles manufactured in 2012 and an additional 568 manufactured in 2013.

According to Ducati, “the left handlebar switch may not get power from its connection at the dashboard, preventing the horn, headlight high beam, instrument panel display and right turn signals from functioning.”

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Recall

Recall: 2014 Zero Motorcycles S, SR, DS, & FX

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As you may remember from our previous coverage, things are not looking so good for Zero Motorcycles with several recalls in the past year, including  faulty brake caliper mounting bolts that was issued in August, and a faulty firmware recall that caused certain models to shut down while running.

Now, after an incident with an expert rider in Australia in late February, Zero has discovered that when certain motors are pushed to their limits, the motors rotor may contact the stator, causing the engine to lock up thereby causing the rear wheel to lock up.

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Recall

24,000 Yamaha YZF-R1 & Super Ténéré Bikes Recalled

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Yamaha USA has announced that they will be recalling a combined 24,000 units of the 2012-2013 Yamaha Super Ténéré and 2009-2013 Yamaha YZF-R1 models, due to heat expansion in the headlight.

The heat expansion could cause potential failure of the headlight, which would reduce visibility of the motorcycle to oncoming traffic and increasing the risk of a crash.

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