NHTSA Investigates R bikes for fires

[notacop]

Maybe some cheese to go with that Whine, Grommit?

[Jim VonBaden]

There is one undeniable trait that appears to be shared by 99% of BMW owners frequenting the internet, and that is the whiner gene. If anything goes wrong, it's labeled a massive problem, pages of text are typed about it, hands are wrung, solutions sought from the aftermarket at any cost, and tons riding tame wasted worrying about it.

 

I think this is a "truism" for any internet forum related to a manufactured device. Pick any vehicle, and from what you read on forums it's surprising everything just doesn't explode as soon as you start the key!

 

I'm a mod over at Palm.Inc's user forum, and the "I'm going to start a class action suit" line really gets old after a while...

 

WyreNut

 

Like the, "For a premium bike BMW should..."

 

Makes me crazy!

 

Jim

[MadDuck]

I had the sight "glass" come out on my 1998 1100RT with no real effects, spit out a little oil which went unnoticed on a long trip. Was hard to read oil level in morning on center stand so swung by dealer to get it checked out. He spotted the lack of sight glass immediately and suggested washing bike more often. Took a bit to get another one installed but did not disable motorcycle. When on sidestand oil would come out so I swung by the Harley dealer and dripped some oil on his parking lot too. I remeber running it a little low for about a week and never really had a problem with oil coming out through that hole.

[TestPilot]

NHTSA closed out its investigation on 23 October. As many suspected, they blamed the problem on idling for excessive periods of time. They concluded that the warning in the Owner's Manual is sufficient and no further action is required.

[Agent_Orange]

"Much ado, about nothin'."

 

That's what I said, and I'ma stickin to it!

[swilson]

Seems to me that the most likely bikes to have this issue would be police bikes, which, in the line of duty, may sit idling for extended periods of time. In addition, when a city / state PD complains, it might not be as easy for BMW to ignore. These bikes may also have fans on the oil coolers which, while keeping the oil temp somewhat under control, will have little effect on case temps.

 

We've lost two sight glasses on 1150GS-Ps at work. One was at the radio shop and the tech left it idling for an unknown length of time. The second was a trainer bike only used when training new riders... left on high idle for at least 20 minutes. The GS-Ps don't have the fan coolers at the RT-Ps have, but I doubt it was a factor.

 

When my GS-P was new to me I was given some bad advice about it needing to be warmed up prior to riding. Left it on high idle for 10 minutes and came back to find the headers glowing orange. ha ha.

 

I know better now and never warm either of my bikes, not even on the coldest of mornings. I only use the high idle if I'm on the bike... and when I've got 2 bars on the temp gauge I kick the high idle off.

[motorman587]

Are these the same people who do not not know coffee is hot. Warning "HOT".

 

Our RTPs, idle for long periods, ie parades, traffic stop, or anything a normal police car does, and none off our 1100, 1150 or 1200 RTPs, have caught fire or melted.

[chrisd]

Here are the facts about the McDonalds coffee lawsuit. If they are the same people who "do not know coffee is hot. Warning "HOT" I'm damn glad they are looking out for my safety. Please take the time to read about Ms. Stella Liebeck, a 79 year old woman. A vascular surgeon determined that Liebeck suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She was hospitalized for eight days, during which time she underwent skin grafting, because McDonalds served its coffee 40-50 degrees hotter than coffee drunk at home.