2005 BMW R1200 Rt

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW R1200. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE CYCLE, IT FAILED AND FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE FRONT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE LOCAL DEALER (HAP'S CYCLE SALES, INC, 2530 17TH ST, SARASOTA, FL, 34234) WAS CONTACTED AT 941-365-3443. THE CONTACT TOOK THE FUEL PUMP APART AND CONFIRMED THROUGH THE PHONE WITH THE DEALER THAT THE COUPLING TO THE FUEL PUMP OF THE FLANGED HAD FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CYCLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE CYCLE. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V617000 (FUEL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 17,120.

DRIVE SHAFT U-JOINT FAILURE RIDING ON INTERSTATE 5. BIKE STARTED TO VIBRATE AND WHEN CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED, VIBRATION STOPPED. RELEASED CLUTCH AND VIBRATION STARTED AGAIN. DEPRESSED CLUTCH AGAIN AND PULLED TO SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE DRIVE SHAFT LOCKED UP. PULLED BACK REAR BOOT ON FINAL DRIVE AND THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE SWING ARM SHAFT. BMW DEALER DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED U-JOINT BUT COULD NOT REPAIR UNLESS THEY REMOVED TRANSMISSION TO REMOVE U-JOINT STUCK ON TRANSMISSION SPLINE. PRICE FOR DRIVE SHAFT ALONE WAS $1,100 DOLLARS PLUS LABOR TO REMOVE TRANSMISSION.

WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN THE MOTORCYCLE INCREASED SPEED AND RPM'S IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT OF THROTTLE I WAS TWISTING. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED IN THE CLUTCH AND RELEASED THE THROTTLE. THE RPM'S CONTINUED TO CLIMB OVER 4000 AND THE ENGINE SUSTAINED THIS LEVEL. THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD ONLY RETURN TO A NORMAL IDLE LEVEL (1100 RPM) IF I FORCED THE THROTTLE CLOSED (FORWARD TWISTING MOTION). THIS MATTER COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING. I DELIVERED THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE BMW DEALER TO HAVE THE MATTER DIAGNOSED. THE BMW MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE PULLEY'S HAD BROKEN ON BOTH THROTTLE BOTH THROTTLE BODIES. I WAS FURTHER ADVISED THAT THESE PULLEY'S ARE MADE OF A MOLDED PLASTIC MATERIAL AND THAT THIS MATERIAL BROKE. THE MECHANIC HAS ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THESE PARTS (ALTHOUGH EXTERNAL ON THE THROTTLE BODIES) ARE NOT REPLACEABLE. THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODIES MUST BE REPLACED. I BELIEVE THAT BMW SHOULD BE RECALL THESE ITEMS FOR THE OBVIOUS SAFETY RISKS RELATED TO THEIR FAILURE.

AFTER FILLING MY BMW MOTORCYCLE WITH GAS I PARKED IT TO VISIT WITH SOME OTHER RIDERS. AFTER A SHORT TIME RETURNED TO MY BIKE TO FIND GAS RUNNING ONTO THE HOT ENGINE AND POOLING ON THE GROUND. LEFT THE BIKE WENT HOME GOT A TRAILER AND TOOK IT HOME. I DRAINED THE GAS, TOOK THE COVER OFF THE GAS TANK AND FOUND THE QUICK DISCONNECT ON THE FUEL LINE CRACKED ALLOWING FUEL TO RUN DOWN THE TANK AND ONTO THE ENGINE. *TR

WHILE RIDING MY BMW R1200RT TODAY I STARTED SMELLING GAS. I RETURNED HOME AND PUT THE MOTORCYCLE IN THE GARAGE. IT HAD A VERY STRONG GAS SMELL COMING FROM IT. I REMOVED THE LEFT UPPER FAIRING TO INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP AREA. ON TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP RAW GASOLINE WAS POOLED AND LEAKING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE GAS TANK TOWARDS THE LEFT CYLINDER EXHAUST PIPE NEAR THE CYLINDER HEAD. THANK GOODNESS ENOUGH GAS HAD NOT LEAKED YET TO RUN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE EXHAUST PIPE! I TURNED THE KEY ON TO ENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP AND PRESSURIZE THE FUEL SYSTEM TO SEE WHERE THE GAS WAS LEAKING FROM. IT IS LEAKING FROM THE FEMALE PLASTIC FUEL FITTING THAT IS PART OF THE PLASTIC GAS TANK. THERE ARE MULTIPLE CRACKS RADIATING FROM THIS FEMALE FUEL FITTING AND I CAN SEE GASOLINE DRIBBLING OUT OF AT LEAST ONE CRACK AT A FAST ENOUGH RATE TO PUDDLE ON TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD EASILY CAUSE A FIRE WHILE I AM RIDING DOWN THE ROAD. *TR

I WAS RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE IN A 50MPH RESIDENTIAL ZONE IN FAIRLY HEAVY EVENING TRAFFIC WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO SEVERELY MISFIRE AND STUMBLE / SPUTTER. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE BECAUSE THE ENGINE THEN DIED AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE WITHOUT TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE BEHIND CAME VERY CLOSE TO ME SINCE THE BIKE SO RAPIDLY SLOWED WITHOUT MY BRAKELIGHT ON TO INDICATE A SLOW DOWN. THE BIKE WOULD NOT RESTART AND I HAD A FRIEND TRAILER IT TO MY HOUSE, SINCE THIS WAS AT NIGHT AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. UPON INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THE GAS TANK WAS BONE DRY, WHICH CAME AS A HUGE SURPRISE SINCE THE GAS GAUGE SHOWED A 1/4 TANK REMAINING AND OVER 100 MILES TO GO BEFORE EMPTY. I PUT A GALLON OF GAS IN IT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN THE MORNING AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE FUEL SENSOR FILM STRIP TO THE TUNE OF $265.68, WHICH MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED EXCEPT FOR THE $50 DEDUCTIBLE. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AS THE OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN RADICALLY DIFFERENT. *TR

THIS FAILURE IS NOT LIMITED TO THE 2005 BMW R1200RT. THE SAME FUEL PUMP IS USED FROM 2005-2009 IN THE RT1200RT AND R1200GS. THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE CRACKS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE CYCLING AND LEAKS, SENDING RAW FUEL DOWN THE LEFT FAIRING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE VEHICLES LEFT EXHAUST PIPE AND IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENTS. THE MOTORCYCLE FAIRING EFFECTIVELY CAPTURES THE FUEL VAPORS CREATING A SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR FIRE. IN ADDITION, LEAKING FUEL, STREAMING ALONG THE LEFT FAIRING IS EXHAUSTED ON THE RIDERS LEFT LEG, CREATING SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR THE RIDER EVEN AFTER DISMOUNTING THE VEHICLE. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE THE COMBINATION OF HIGH FUEL PRESSURE AND NEGLIGENT DESIGN CREATE SUBSTANTIAL RISK FOR RIDERS OF THE IMPACTED VEHICLES. CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FAILURE ARE OUTLINED BELOW: 1. RIDERS BECOME FUEL SOAKED AS FUEL LEAKS DOWN THE LEFT FAIRING AND THEN IS FORCED BY FAIRING AIRFLOW DYNAMICS ON TO THE RIDERS LEFT LEG. 2. FUEL VAPORS, CAPTURED BY THE FAIRING AND HEATED BY THE EXHAUST PIPE BECOME EXTREMELY VOLATILE AND COULD LEAD TO A FIRE AND/OR EXPLOSION. 3. FUEL VAPORS RISING FROM THE FAIRING AND EXITING THE TOP OF THE FAIRING BETWEEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND FUEL TANK, ARE BLOWN BY AIRFLOW INTO THE RIDERS FACE. THE CARCINOGENIC ASPECTS OF FUEL INHALATION ARE DOCUMENTED. EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY SUGGESTS THAT THE HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE WAS INADEQUATELY DESIGNED FOR THE FUEL PUMP OUTLET PRESSURES. THE NON-METALLIC (COMPOSITE) PUMP HOUSING COMBINED WITH A COMPOSITE HIGH-PRESSURE DISCONNECT FITTING IS UNSUITED FOR THE PART. HIGH PUMP PRESSURE EXPANDS THE COMPOSITE HIGH-PRESSURE FITTING CAUSING IT TO READILY LOAD THE FUEL PUMP HIGH-PRESSURE QUICK DISCONNECT FLANGE. OVER TIME, PRESSURE CYCLING CAUSES THE QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE TO CRACK ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK. *TR