2009 BMW R 1200 R Complaints

FUEL GAUGE FAILURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE SENDING STRIP. FIRST STRIP FAILED APPROX. 52,000 MILES; SECOND STRIP FAILED WITHIN ONE TANKFUL OF REPLACEMENT. NOW ON THIRD SENDING STRIP. KNOWN PROBLEM ON MULTIPLE YEARS OF BMW MOTORCYCLES WITH NO MANUFACTURER RESPONSE. *TR

FUEL STRIP FAILED, GOING FROM APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES TO EMPTY TO --- MILES TO EMPTY IMMEDIATELY. FUEL STRIP WAS REPLACED 5 TIMES IN TOTAL BEFORE I SOLD THE MOTORCYCLE 6/15/13 WITH ~7,500 MILES ON THE BIKE. *TR

AFTER STARTING THE MOTORCYLE AND ALLOWING FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF WARMING UP, I HEADED TO THE GAS STATION TO FUEL UP IN PREPARATION FOR A LONG RIDE THE NEXT DAY. AS A FORCE OF HABIT I CHECKED MY RANGE AND ODOMETER READINGS AND FOUND THE RANGE WAS NOTICEABLY LOWER THAN IT SHOULD BE DISPLAYING FOR THE MILES USED ON THE TANK. AS I RODE THE COUPLE OF MILES TO THE GAS STATION THE RANGE CONTINUED TO DROP PRECIPITOUSLY, 5-20 MILES AT A TIME EVERY FEW SECONDS UNTIL IT REACHED ZERO AND DISPLAYED "---" FOR A RANGE TO EMPTY AFTER RIDING JUST OVER ONE MILE. AFTER FILLING THE TANK FULLY, THE GAUGE DID NOT RESET OR CHANGE IN ANY WAY. I TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FUEL STRIP, AKA FUEL LEVEL SENSOR, GONE BAD. I AM NOW AWAITING THE PART TO ARRIVE SO MY 3RD FUEL STRIP REPLACEMENT CAN GO AHEAD. (MY SECOND OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY 2012, THE THIRD IN AUGUST 2013.) MY MOTORCYCLE HAS JUST 24,000 MILES AND IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD (BY 3 MONTHS). I FIND IT ALMOST UNFATHOMABLE THAT SUCH AN ESSENTIAL PART AS THE FUEL GAUGE CAN CEASE TO FUNCTION FOR NO APPARENT REASON, WITH NO WARNING ON A MODERN VEHICLE. ADD IN THE DENIALS FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT A PROBLEM EVEN EXISTS AND IT GETS TOTALLY MADDENING.

THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED THAT I HAD 40 MILES LEFT AND WAS ON RESERVE AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. TWO MILES LATER, ON THE WAY TO STOP FOR GAS, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SPUTTERED ON A BUSY INTERSTATE AND DIED. I HAD NO POWER AND MANAGED TO SAFELY COAST THROUGH TRAFFIC TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SLOSH THE TANK BACK AND FORTH AND START THE ENGINE AGAIN AND MADE IT SAFELY TO A GAS STATION 4 MILES DOWN THE ROAD WHERE I FILLED UP A BONE DRY TANK STILL TELLING ME I HAD 38 MILES LEFT ON THE TANK. THIS WAS THE FIRST STRIP TO MY KNOWLEDGE ON THIS BIKE THAT FAILED. I HAD IT REPLACED FOR $300 BY BMW. THE SECOND ONE FAILED IN A SIMILAR FASHION, EXCEPT THIS TIME BECAUSE OF THE SHOULDER I CRASHED INTO A RETAINING WALL. SEE ODI NUMBER : 10498389 FILED AFTER THAT EPISODE. *TR

RIDING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH TRAFFIC, THE FUEL GAUGE BEGAN ACTING ERRATICALLY, SHOWING MORE FUEL, THEN LESS FUEL FOR A FEW MILES BEFORE THE MOTORCYCLE RAN OUT OF FUEL, ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH AS THE ENGINE QUIT. WAS ABLE TO CHANGE LANES AND GET TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT A CRASH. I FEEL THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE FUEL GAUGE (WHICH IS FED DATA FROM A FAULTY FUEL STRIP) READS MORE FUEL THAN THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY HAS, IF THE ENGINE RUNS OUT OF FUEL AND STOPS, THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IN PLACES WITH HIGH TRAFFIC COUNTS AND SPEED. *TR

FUEL SENSOR STRIP FAILURE. INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL DISPLAYED. LOW FUEL LIGHT INOPERATIVE. UNEXPECTED NO FUEL AND ENGINE STOPS AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, FIRST STRIP WAS REPLACED, THE SECOND STRIP ALSO FAILED. A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTORCYCLE REPORTED ON THE FORUMS. *TR ...UPDATED 03-13-13 *BF THE CONSUMER SUFFERED A SORE WRIST AND SHOULDER FROM THE CRASH INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER.. 04/22/2013 *JS

THE DIGITAL STRIP FUEL GAUGE SIMPLY FROZE IN THE FULL POSITION, IT NO LONGER REGISTERS NOR DOES THE MILES REMAINING DIGITAL READOUT. *TR

FUEL STRIP (FUEL LEVEL SENSOR) FAILS RENDERING A FALSE "EMPTY" READING ON MY FUEL GAUGE. THIS IS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE FUEL SENSOR STRIP THAT HAS BEEN USED IN VARIOUS BMW "R" MODELS. *TR

2009 BMW R1200RT MOTORCYCLE REAR BEARING FAILURE THAT LED TO A FINAL DRIVE FAILURE. BIKE JUST TURNED 14000 MILES WHEN A GRINDING NOISE OCCURRED AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHERE IT CAME FROM. AFTER STOPPING FOR THE DAY, NOTICED REAR WHEEL HAD 3/8 INCH PLAY AND FINAL DRIVE FLUID LEAKED ALL OVER REAR WHEEL CAUSING NO REAR BRAKES. THE BIKE WAS TRAILERED HOME AND THE ENTIRE FINAL DRIVE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. LUCKILY NO INJURIES ALTHOUGH NO REAR BRAKES. THIS BIKE IS USED ON THE ROAD FOR COMMUTING AND TOURING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW R1200 RT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD EXPLODED. THE PARA LEVER AND BOOT WERE DESTROYED. BOTH WERE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE, SIMILAR TO HOW THE AXLE IS ATTACHED TO A PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN A DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE SUCH AS THE ONE THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED ON A MOTORCYCLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 36,838. UPDATED 08/24/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS SEVERE VIBRATION AT 75MPH FOR 1-2 SECONDS. A FEW MILES LATER THERE WAS VIBRATION AND LOSS OF POWER. UPDATED 06/15/2012 *JS