bmw r1150 rt 2004 Complaints

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

clutch failure as a result of misaligned transmission and engine, caused by manufacturer defect. cost to repair; parts and labor = $2,000.00.

Reported in: BURLINGAME CA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10498A94Z

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

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.

Reported in: RALEIGH NC || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A34Z

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: SUPERIOR WI || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A44Z

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

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.

Reported in: MERRILLVILLE IN || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A74Z

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

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.

Reported in: PARK HALL MD || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A44Z

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: ROSWELL GA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A14Z

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE

final drive failed on my 2004 bmw r1150rt. motorcycle has 31,000 miles.

Reported in: FAIRFAX STATION VA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A44Z

TIRES

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

Reported in: LUBBOCK TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: WHITMAN MA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A54Z

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: EVERSON WA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A04Z

POWER TRAIN

motorcycle final drive gear bearing failure. gear oil leaking from final drive. *kb

Reported in: CHELSEA MA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A54Z

POWER TRAIN

failure of final drive crown gear bearing. the bearing shattered causing the seal to be damaged with oil loss. *kb

Reported in: ASHLAND MA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A84Z

POWER TRAIN

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

Reported in: GILROY CA || Crash: Y || VIN #: WB10499A14Z

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: WILLIAMSBURG KY || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A04Z

POWER TRAIN

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.

Reported in: BEAVER DAM WI || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A94Z

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

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.

Reported in: BEAVER DAM WI || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A94Z

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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.

Reported in: HARDY VA || Crash: N || VIN #: WB10499A44Z