Rear Wheel Recall

[Sonor]

Has anyone gotten a letter on this recall yet?

[Dean Wirsing]

I have not.

 

Last week I called BMW Motorrad to make sure they had my name and address associated to my bike (07RT), as I hadn't done that when I bought it used 3 years ago. They told me that the wheel flange recall has not yet been issued, but I would be notified when it does happen.

 

Dean

 

 

 

[TXR1200ST]

I took a look at the online http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/motorcycle_recalls/09/2005/bmw/r_1200_st/ and it shows up there, but when I call the dealer they put in my VIN and it is not showing up there. Seems to me that this is not very well coordinated.

[Guest Kakugo]

Nothing here, but not unexpected.

Manufacturers here consider recalls some sort of an extra. Sometimes you get the letter, more often than not dealer will tell you when you take the bike/car in for servicing.

 

[Dann]

Nothing here, but not unexpected.

Manufacturers here consider recalls some sort of an extra. Sometimes you get the letter, more often than not dealer will tell you when you take the bike/car in for servicing.

 

What about people who do their own maintenance?

Here they have to send you a letter. The dealers will call you also. (It's more money for them)

[roundy]

Just came home to my letter....you have to wait until they contact you again before calling a dealer, massive shortage of parts.

 

To clarify it's the flange and not the "wheel".

[Guest Kakugo]

What about people who do their own maintenance?

Here they have to send you a letter. The dealers will call you also. (It's more money for them)

 

Sometimes I forget there are countries where consumers have something akin to rights instead of being considered cash cows at best and a downright nuisance at worst.

[Sonor]

hey roundy, you are correct - the flange.

 

Still no letter but I am hopeful.

[David Vale]

I wanted it to be done before a trip late May, so I rang my local dealer and they happily booked it in for 11th May, even though I had not yet received a letter.

 

Then the letter arrived and as roundy said, it says that they will write again when they have parts. I wonder whether the dealer will be able to do it.

[CVA-42]

I have two bikes that will be affected by the recall. No letter(s) yet but I stopped by the dealer (again) yesterday to check on the status of the recall. They have still heard nothing beyond the initial heads-up and that's been at least a month. One problem, I was told, is not just the availability of parts in total but also the fact that the big dealers will probably try to corner the market on the needed parts at the expense of the smaller ones.

[David13]

There have been those what have done the thing theyselves.

Change the flange, that is.

They have chronicled their work on advrider.

It's not necessarily that easy of a task, as I saw it, by just skimming over the report.

I think it may go a lot faster with the official factory tools.

But it has been done by the rider/owner/fixer.

dc

[Alfred02]

Yes it has been done.

And quite a few have mucked it up as well.

They then ended up with a far bigger problem and most had to take it then to the dealer to get it fixed properly. Ended up costing them a lot more in then end.

Moral of the story: "Unless you are very confident in what you are doing and have the tools, it might be cheaper to take it to the dealer."

[Motobricker]

I took my 08 RT into the dealer in Oregon for fuel pump-strip recall (again), she said it was something like 440,000 on the recall? That's a lot of flanges to make!

[Jim VonBaden]

There is no official guidance on the recall yet. The parts supply has to be organized, then letters will be sent to the registered owners.

 

That said, if you have cracks, the dealer will fit a new one first, if they have the parts.

 

Jim

[Luma46]

Just a note for Canadian owners who brought their bikes from States. When there was a recall on the fuel pump, I was told that I am not eligible because my bike is not registered in Canadian BMW database.

I gave it another try with local BMW dealer here in Moncton, NB and he said, yes, they will replace this flange for free when they have the part available. So, will see...

[marcopolo]

Just a note for Canadian owners who brought their bikes from States. When there was a recall on the fuel pump, I was told that I am not eligible because my bike is not registered in Canadian BMW database.

I gave it another try with local BMW dealer here in Moncton, NB and he said, yes, they will replace this flange for free when they have the part available. So, will see...

 

Why not just get your bike registered in BMW Canada's database? I had the same situation in reverse eighteen months ago when we moved to the U.S., on posting to D.C. I simply called up BMW in New Jersey and gave them the bike details, VIN etc., and they put me in their database. I received a letter of confirmation from them. Since I've arrived, I've had my fuel pump replaced under warranty as part of the "cracked fitting" problem.

[The Rocketman]

My '09 RT finally got added to the recall list this morning. Have an appt at MAX BMW in Connecticut for Saturday, May 9th at 0800 to have the work done.

Dealerships apparently have all tools available and parts should be arriving within days.

 

Year: 2009

Make and Model: BMW R 1200 RT US

March 10, 2015 | Recall Campaign No. 15V-141 Status:

REAR WHEEL FLANGE Remedy Not Available

 

You can check yours by going to this site:

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/us/en/index.html

 

Click on bottom right "Safety Recalls" and type in your VIN#.

[Phil Swain]

I just got my letter ,,it was abit of a suprise really as I only had the bike a couple of months..Its a 05 and been though 7owners.With no BM servicing for a goodfew years..I,m well please with anything for free,hopefully they will service the hub for free..you can but hope!!!

[simskid]

No letter. Had the bike in the shop this week for something else. Dealer took care of it. All good to go.

[Luma46]

Just a note for Canadian owners who brought their bikes from States. When there was a recall on the fuel pump, I was told that I am not eligible because my bike is not registered in Canadian BMW database.

I gave it another try with local BMW dealer here in Moncton, NB and he said, yes, they will replace this flange for free when they have the part available. So, will see...

 

Why not just get your bike registered in BMW Canada's database? I had the same situation in reverse eighteen months ago when we moved to the U.S., on posting to D.C. I simply called up BMW in New Jersey and gave them the bike details, VIN etc., and they put me in their database. I received a letter of confirmation from them. Since I've arrived, I've had my fuel pump replaced under warranty as part of the "cracked fitting" problem.

 

That is what I was trying to do, sent BMW Canada all the documentation. No luck, they said go to dealer. I think what they want is dealer to perform a formal $500 "inspection" before they even start talking to you.

[marcopolo]

Just a note for Canadian owners who brought their bikes from States. When there was a recall on the fuel pump, I was told that I am not eligible because my bike is not registered in Canadian BMW database.

I gave it another try with local BMW dealer here in Moncton, NB and he said, yes, they will replace this flange for free when they have the part available. So, will see...

 

Why not just get your bike registered in BMW Canada's database? I had the same situation in reverse eighteen months ago when we moved to the U.S., on posting to D.C. I simply called up BMW in New Jersey and gave them the bike details, VIN etc., and they put me in their database. I received a letter of confirmation from them. Since I've arrived, I've had my fuel pump replaced under warranty as part of the "cracked fitting" problem.

 

That is what I was trying to do, sent BMW Canada all the documentation. No luck, they said go to dealer. I think what they want is dealer to perform a formal $500 "inspection" before they even start talking to you.

 

I've heard of the $500 BMW Canada charge before, but that was the cost (extortion fee?) of BMW providing a letter on BMW letterhead confirming that any outstanding recalls had been performed on a U.S. bike imported into Canada. Clearly, it was just a disincentive to buy a bike in the U.S. This letter, as I understand it, was required by provincial licensing authorities before they would license the bike and BMW insisted that they, and not a dealer, provide this letter.

[Ponch]

No letter yet here.

[longjohn]

No letter here, but I went to the dealer on Sat. for something else and the mechanic said they have the flange in stock, and did I want to make an appt. for next week, because the part would be gone shortly. That didn't work for me so he squeezed me in at the end of the day. Hooray for Hollywood!!, BMW, that is.

[BMWED]

Anybody have an idea on how long the replacement would take? Do they have to remove the final drive? Hoping I could have it done while I wait, have 3 cracks and they are getting bigger.

Ed

[dirtrider]

Morning BMWED

 

 

One of my local dealers is telling riders 3-4 hours (guessing on the high side)

 

It takes me about hour to install the new (steel) flange using mostly homemade tools. (depends on how dirty the area is as cleaning up the crud takes extra time)

 

If the original flange/splines are corroded then extra time yet.

 

Final drive does not have to be removed from bike as the new flange can be installed in place.

[David Vale]

My dealer said 1.5 hours.

[longjohn]

My dealer said 1.5 hours.

Mine too, but I think it took less than that. I went for a lunch.

[Bobber]

I had a rear bearing failure while camping near the Blue Ridge Parkway and went to Eurosports Ashville to have it repaired and they also replaced the wheel flange. They put .8 hours labor on the invoice (under warranty). I was unaware of a recall and had not received a letter. They just replaced it on their own initiative. Good dealer.

 

Bob Sherwood

Statesboro, GA

[dirtrider]

Evening Bobber

 

Was that .8hr in addition to the bearing replacement or was the .8 hr for the entire job?

 

The original flange would have ALREADY been removed to install the bearing so most of the flange replacement R&R labor would be included in the bearing replacement labor.

[Ponch]

May be they just replaced the whole FD.

[David13]

There was a recent post on advrider; he said he had other work done and was out in an hour.

They have full pictorials over there as well but I don't know if anyone ever posted how long it took.

I suspect that when the dealers assigned mechanic learns how to change them, he gets fast at doing it.

Hopefully not too fast, such as to screw something else up.

dc

[Twisties]

We haven't been riding much, but we were thinking of riding the RT's to Dead Center In The Middle Of Nowhere. So, haven't been following this thing. Is it a no ride situation? We could ride the Super Teneres instead and trailer the RTs in later.

 

We haven't gotten letters yet either.

 

 

[lkraus]

Call your dealer - you don't need a letter to schedule a replacement. If you can't replace before the trip, inspect to be sure there are no cracks, and go.

[Alfred02]

No, it's not a "NO Ride" issue

I had in my previous Hexhead multiple haircracks that despite riding the bike hard and often two up, never showed any deterioration.

Just spoke to another rider today, who received the notice in Australia. He never knew about any issue and I checked his bike out while we were parked at Gingers Creek. No cracks at all.

The recall (or campaign) is for everybody who has that part....even if it is in perfect condition and 10 years old.

So don't worry.

Get it done at your convenience.

[RobinW]

I got a letter this week for my '07 cop bike.

It seems they have gone through registration files here to contact current owners.

I've never had this bike at a dealers before.

 

[The Rocketman]

Got mine replaced this morning. The old flange was not cracked, but better safe than sorry. They also replaced:

Lock Ring, O-Ring, Cover, Spacer Ring and 5 screws.

In at 0800, out at 0945.

[dirtrider]

We haven't been riding much, but we were thinking of riding the RT's to Dead Center In The Middle Of Nowhere. So, haven't been following this thing. Is it a no ride situation? We could ride the Super Teneres instead and trailer the RTs in later.

 

We haven't gotten letters yet either.

 

 

Afternoon Twisties

 

 

Probably not a "No Ride" but it sure could be. Really depends on the condition of your existing wheel flange.

 

If no cracks now, or only a couple of small hairline cracks, then you probably won't have any issues.

 

If big cracks in the wheel mounting ears or sizable cracks in the brake rotor mounting ears then (personally) I would make the NO -RIDE call until it was replaced.

 

Something like this happening on the trip would sure get your undivided attention!!!! BELOW PIX- note the brake rotor mounting ears (or what's left of them)

[lawnchairboy]

Mine got replaced a couple of hours ago, no detectable cracks on the old carrier.

[Bernie]

I have 3 cracks and have a appointment for the 27th.

[The Rocketman]

Double and triple check all their work before you leave. My dealer (who shall remain nameless) forgot to tighten my muffler clamp. I realized it after I got home. I re-checked wheel lugs and everything else I could think of, and made the service manager aware of it.

[Bernie]

Double and triple check all their work before you leave. My dealer (who shall remain nameless) forgot to tighten my muffler clamp. I realized it after I got home. I re-checked wheel lugs and everything else I could think of, and made the service manager aware of it.

 

Well, the mechanic wanted to make sure he didn't over tightened anything.

[Heyfrank]

Went to BMW dealership to fix tpm and they inspected my flange. said no cracks but put me down for replacement in June. They said that if there where cracks it was a no ride situation and would not let me take it out if found. Fat chance (or good luck with that). Wrote a warranty slip up that I had to get repaired with in 6000 miles for BMW to do free replacement.

[Alfred02]

Went to BMW dealership to fix tpm and they inspected my flange.They said that if there where cracks it was a no ride situation and would not let me take it out if found....

Funny how they didn't worry about it for 10 years. This flange has been in use since 2005.

[Ponch]

Double and triple check all their work before you leave. My dealer (who shall remain nameless) forgot to tighten my muffler clamp. I realized it after I got home. I re-checked wheel lugs and everything else I could think of, and made the service manager aware of it.

 

Well, the mechanic wanted to make sure he didn't over tightened anything.

 

More likely a victim of flat rate.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Probably not a "No Ride" but it sure could be. Really depends on the condition of your existing wheel flange.

 

If no cracks now, or only a couple of small hairline cracks, then you probably won't have any issues.

 

This, pretty much. I've been checking the spider on my '09 RT after every tire change (wheel is off, easier to see things), with the idea that I would continue to ride unless I found cracks.

 

I wouldn't feel comfortable with hairline cracks, since I don't know how deep they go or how fast they are likely to propagate. Airlines have tons of data on common crack propagation situations on their aircraft, so they know how fast cracks are likely to grow after they're first discovered, and how long they can wait to repair them; things on our bikes are much more uncertain.

[Matts_12GS]

I got my appointment set for 6/10. Now to keep it together that long!

[smiller]

Hopefully not too fast, such as to screw something else up.

Yeah.

 

I inspected the flange on my GT and could find no visual evidence of any cracking. Given that the final drive has been working perfectly, no leaks, etc., I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just leave well enough alone, as in why disassemble and press off/press on parts on a working component, as in I may stand a greater chance of creating a problem than curing one. Would it be crazy just to examine the flange at tire changes going forward and if no cracks are detected then just do nothing?

[ExGMan]

FWIW, there's a 2-page article with photos in the May 2015 BMW MOA "Owners News" aka ON about what it takes to replace the aluminum flange with the new steel version. Look on pages 36 to 38.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Seth

 

 

 

I'm in the same boat. No cracks in my RT flange. I'm just going to keep riding as is & inspecting regularly (at least for a while yet).

 

The down side is -- if you sell the bike privately. As of now it is not illegal to disregard a recall & re-sell but government thoughts on that are starting to change.

 

My worry is not being able to get the update parts in the future so having to sell a non repaired bike. Legal or illegal I suspect a person would be open to a lawsuit if they knowingly sold a bike with an outstanding recall & something involving that area caused an accident.

 

I talked to my dealer about just giving me the flange & spacer ( I just hate having others work on my personal bikes) & so far no-go as they can't give me the flange (& get BMW reimbursement) without closing out the recall & they can't close out the recall until it is completed.

[smiller]

Legal or illegal I suspect a person would be open to a lawsuit if they knowingly sold a bike with an outstanding recall & something involving that area caused an accident.

 

Hi DR

 

Short of BMW sending out certified letters I'm not sure that you could ever prove what a seller knew or didn't know. For instance, this recall is so massive that I'm sure the majority of owners of the affected models are legitimately unaware, and in fact considering all the vehicles I own I'm probably legitimately unaware of one recall or another on something. It would seem impractical to hold every seller of any vehicle liable for damages for selling a vehicle with an outstanding recall, or at least until the notification system becomes a lot more formal and traceable and for practical as well as economic reasons I don't see that happening.

 

Anyway, I think I'm going to stay in the watchful waiting category for now.