← New search

1990 BMW R100

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all R100 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 2 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Power Train complaints

2 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2012
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 BMW R100GS MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO RATTLE. THE GEARS LOCKED AND RELEASED TEMPORARILY, BUT THE MOTORCYCLE HAD TO BE DOWNSHIFTED AND SHUT OFF BEFORE THE GEARS WOULD FULLY RELEASE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 BMW R100GS MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO RATTLE. THE GEARS LOCKED AND RELEASED TEMPORARILY, BUT THE MOTORCYCLE HAD TO BE DOWNSHIFTED AND SHUT OFF BEFORE THE GEARS WOULD FULLY RELEASE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

NHTSA ODI #10447105

12,000 miles · Jan 31, 2012
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 BMW R100GS. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION VIOLENTLY RATTLED AFTER THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT THREE TIMES. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 BMW R100GS. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION VIOLENTLY RATTLED AFTER THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT THREE TIMES. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. UPDATED 03/09/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN TOOK THE TRANSMISSION APART, HE DISCOVERED THE GEARS WERE DESIGNED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. BMW CONVERTED A FOUR SPEED TO A FIVE SPEED BY REMOVING THE FLOATING CONNECTION DISKS, ADDING A GEAR AND ALLOWING THE GEAR FINGERS DIRECT GEAR TO THE GEAR CONNECTIONS. WHEN THE BUSHINGS WERE WORN, THE FINGER HIT IN THE THEIR RECEIVER ON THEN NEXT GEAR. IN NEUTRAL, WITH THE CLUTCH ENGAGED THE FINGERS ALL HIT ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. THE FINGERS ON THE CLUTCH SIDE OF THE FOURTH HIT THE SECOND GEAR ALL THE TIME. THE CONSUMER STATED IF HE STEPPED IN ANY GEAR ABOVE SECOND, IT WAS HARD TO BACK TO FIRST GEAR. UPDATED 07/12/12

NHTSA ODI #10445982

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.