2018 BMW K 1600 Gtl

WHILE RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (60+MPH) NEAR SEMI TRUCK TRAFFIC. THE AIR FLOW COMING OFF OF THE TRUCK WOULD IMPACT THE MOTORCYCLE, THE BIKE WOULD WOBBLE SIGNIFICANTLY MAKING IT VERY HARD TO CONTROL AND ON THE CUSP OF LOSING CONTROL. THE SAME WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THERE WERE CROSS WINDS OF 30+MPH. IN BOTH OF THESE CONDITIONS THE BIKE BECAME DANGEROUS TO RIDE. THIS WOBBLE HAPPENED EACH TIME I WAS NEAR A TRUCK ON A HIGHWAY AND IN SIGNIFICANT CROSS WINDS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BMW K 1600 GTL. WHILE RIDING AT APPROXIMATELY 50-60 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED TO VIBRATE ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WOBBLING IN THE STEERING AND SUSPENSION WAS MORE NOTICEABLE WHILE RIDING BEHIND A HIGH PROFILE VEHICLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO GRAND JUNCTION BMW (LOCATED AT 2747 CROSSROADS BLVD, GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81506, (970) 245-0812) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO OPERATE. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2018 BMW GRAND AMERICA THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER AUTHORIZED THE GRAND AMERICA BE REPLACED WITH THE CURRENT VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2.

THIS IS A NEW, 2018 MOTORCYCLE PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER ON 4/6/2019 WITH 6 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AFTER A SHORT TEST RIDE THROUGH SEVERAL SHORT BACK-ROADS AROUND THE DEALERSHIP I DECIDED TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP AND HEADING HOME ON THE INTERSTATE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE ISSUE REVEALED ITSELF. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS A DANGEROUSLY AGGRESSIVE LEFT PULL. CONSTANT PULLING OF THE LEFT BAR AND/OR PUSHING OF THE RIGHT BAR IS REQUIRED FOR THE VEHICLE TO TRACK PROPERLY. EASING OFF OF THE PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN THE MOTORCYCLE INITIALLY LEANING AND TURNING LEFT. IF NOT CORRECTED BY REAPPLYING THE PULLING/PUSHING OF THE HANDLEBARS THE BIKE WILL AGGRESSIVELY PULL LEFT ACROSS LANES OR INTO ONCOMING LANES. I NOTIFIED THE SALES PERSON OF THE ISSUE AND WAS ADVISED TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY (4/12/19) TO BE CHECKED. UPON ARRIVAL THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND SCHEDULED ANOTHER DATE (4/17/19) TO BRING THE BIKE IN. UPON INSPECTION AND A TEST RIDE THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT HE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE BUT HE SAID THE WIND WAS BLOWING STRONGLY AT THE TIME OF HIS RIDE. HIS SOLUTION WAS TO ADJUST THE FRONT TIRE AIR PRESSURE AND SEND ME ON MY WAY. THIS PULLING IS DANGEROUS NOT TO MENTION EXTREMELY FATIGUING BY CONSTANTLY HAVING TO CORRECT THE TRACKING OF THE BIKE. BECAUSE OF THE CONSTANT EFFORT INVOLVED TO CORRECT THE TRACKING OF THE BIKE I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE MORE THAN A FEW MILES AT A TIME. I HAVE TRIED RIDING IN DIFFERENT LANES AND IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS IN THOSE LANES ALL WITH THE SAME RESULTS SO THE CROWN/GRADE OF THE ROAD IS NOT CAUSING THE ISSUE.

I OWNED A 2012 MODEL OF THIS BIKE FEW YEARS BACK AND I HAD THE SAME SYMPTOMS ONLY APPARENT IN THIS MODEL OF BMW BRAND BIKES. THIS PROBLEM WELL KNOWN IN THE BMW RIDERS COMMUNITY AS "PULLING TOTHE LEFT" ISSUE ONLY ON K1600GTL MODEL BIKES SINCE YEARS. SOME PULLS EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE IN NATURE AND SOME MILDER. BMW IGNORES IT YET ALL SERVICE CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. AT LEAST HALF OF THE BIKES OF THIS MODELS ON THE ROADS ARE EFFECTED. BIKE REQUIRES CONSTANT PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE RIGHT IN ORDER TO TRACK A STRAIGHT LINE ON A STRAIGHT AWAY ROAD. IF PRESSURE EVEN SLIGHTLY RELEASE BIKE MOVES ON TO THE LEFT AND ON A SINGLE LANE ROADS IT MEANS TOWARDS TO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HOPE BMW IS NOT WAITING TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY UNTIL SOMEONE GETS KILLED. IF ALL CURRENT AND PAST BMW K1600GTL OWNERS WERE SURVEYED I AM SURE YOU'LL FIND AT LEAST 50% OF THEM WILL SAY YES THEY HAVE THIS ISSUE. BUT NOT MANY ARE AWARE THAT THEY CAN NOTIFY AUTHORITIES LIKE YOU GUYS AND ONLY COMPLAIN IT TO THEIR SERVICE CENTERS AND WHEN BMW SAYS "TOUGH LUCK" THEY KEEP CONTINUE TO RIDE THEIR $30,000 BIKES THEY ARE STUCK WITH. NO OTHER SIMILARLY DESIGNED BMW TOURING BIKES HAVE THIS ISSUE. SO IT IS A MODEL SPECIFIC PROBLEM. SAME WAS ON A 2012 MODEL AND 6 YEARS LATER STILL SAME PROBLEM EXIST ON A 2018 MODEL. THIS SYMPTOM CAUSING FATIGUE ON LONG RIDES WHICH RESULTING LESS PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HANDLE BAR AND AS A CHAIN REACTION BIKE BEGINS TO PULL LEFT MORE AND MORE AGGRESSIVELY.

BMW INTRODUCED THE K1600 MOTORCYCLE IN 2011. AT THAT TIME CLOSE TO 50% OF THE UNITS SURVEYED (210 OUT OF 424) WANT TO STEER LEFT (INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC), UNLESS YOU COUNTER STEER TO THE RIGHT. HERE IS A LINK TO THE ONLINE POLL AND SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION BY THE OWNERS: HTTP://WWW.K1600FORUM.COM/FORUM/BMW-K1600-GENERAL-DISCUSSIONS/1425-BIKE-PULLS-ONE-SIDE-POLL.HTML I JUST PURCHASED A NEW 2018 K1600B BMW MOTORCYCLE AND IT TOO WANTS TO DRIFT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, UNLESS THE BIKE IS STEERED TO THE RIGHT. THIS REQUIRES CONSTANT PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT, SO ANY DISTRACTION CAN CAUSE THE BIKE TO VEER TO THE LEFT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ADDITIONALLY, IT WILL CAUSE UNEVEN TIRE WEAR, INCREASING COSTS TO THE CONSUMER FOR NEW TIRES ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS. BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE SINCE 2011 AND HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT IT IN OVER 7 YEARS. BEFORE I PURCHASED THE BIKE, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE DEALER TO CHECK TO ENSURE THE BIKE DID NOT PULL TO THE LEFT AND WAS ASSURED IT WOULD BE DONE. AS IT WAS ONLY 20 DEGREES WHEN I PICKED UP THE BIKE I HAD TO TRAILER IT HOME. BUT, UPON DOING THE FIRST RIDE, SURE ENOUGH IT DRIFTS TO THE LEFT. I WOULD LIKE BMW TO ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THE BIKES THAT PULL TO ONE SIDE.