2008 BMW F 800 St

WHILE RIDING MY BMW F800ST ON A LONG ROAD TRIP, I NOTICED A LOUD SQUEAKING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR WHEEL. MY DRIVE BELT ALSO SEEMED TO BE SHIFTING OUT FROM THE WHEEL. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT WHEN I RETURNED HOME FROM MY TRIP, I RESEARCHED TO FIND THERE WAS A REAR BEARING RECALL 13V-549 FOR 2007-2009 BMW F800ST. MY MECHANIC VERIFIED THE PROBLEM WAS THE REAR WHEEL BEARING PREMATURELY WEARING OUT. I ONLY HAVE 22K MILES ON THIS MOTORCYCLE, SO IT'S OBVIOUSLY PREMATURE WEAR. THE BEARING COSTED ME $965 FROM BMW DEALER PLUS $480 LABOR COST AND $82 IN TAX. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS WHO TOLD ME MY VIN NUMBER WASN'T PART OF THE RECALL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE BEARING WORE OUT PREMATURELY, AND HOW THERE COULD POSSIBLY BE CERTAIN MODELS WHERE THEY USED DIFFERENT BEARINGS, OR INSTALLED IT DIFFERENTLY THAT IT WOULD NOT PREMATURELY WEAR. THEY SAID THEY WOULD CONSIDER MY REQUEST FOR RE-REVIEW. THAT WAS 3 MONTHS AGO, AND I DIDN'T HEAR BACK FROM BMW AT ALL. WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, I COULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT HAD IT FAILED ON MY RIDE HOME.

THE REAR WHEEL BEARING ON THE 2006-2009 F8000ST IS A KNOWN FAILURE ITEM. BMWNA ISSUED A RECALL. SEE: 13V549. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RECALL DOES NOT CONTAIN THE PROBLEM. THE RECALL REQUIRES BMW TO INSPECT THE DRIVE AXLE AND IF THE VEHICLE DOESN'T EXHIBIT ANY SYMPTOMS, THE RECALL IS MARKED AS COMPLETE. THIS IS A SINGLE INSPECTION. IF THE BIKE HAS 8 MILES ON IT WHEN THE INSPECTION IS PERFORMED AND NO ISSUE IS FOUND, THE RECALL IS MARKED AS COMPLETE. IF THE BIKE HAS 100,000 MILES ON IT, AND NO DAMAGE IS FOUND, THE RECALL IS MARKED COMPLETE. IF THE BIKE HAS 100,000 MILES ON IT AND DAMAGE IS FOUND, BMW WILL REPLACE THE AXLE ASSEMBLY ONLY IF AN INSPECTION HAD NOT BEEN DONE PREVIOUSLY. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS IN BMW'S INTEREST TO INSPECT BIKES AND PERFORM THEIR "INSPECTION" AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THEY ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THIS FAILURE IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD. THE REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILING CAN CAUSE THE WHEEL TO SEIZE WHILE RIDING WHICH CAN CAUSE THE OPERATOR TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. BMW HAS TOLD ME SPECIFICALLY THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO RIDE THE MOTORCYCLE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE INSPECTION WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY AS PART OF THE RECALL, THEY ARE UNWILLING TO COVER THE REPAIR COSTS.

REAR VIEW MIRRORS ARE FUNCTIONALLY USELESS. THE LOCATION OF THE MIRRORS ON THE VEHICLE IS SUCH THAT, WHEN PROPERLY ADJUSTED, VISION TO THE REAR IS ALMOST COMPLETELY OBSTRUCTED BY THE IMAGE OF THE OPERATORS HANDS AND FOREARMS IN EITHER MIRROR. IN SHORT, THE MIRRORS ARE NOT LOCATED FAR ENOUGH FROM THEIR ATTACHMENT POINT ON THE MOTORCYCLE. THIS RESULTS IN THE OPERATOR'S REPEATEDLY HAVING TO TAKE HIS OR HER HANDS OFF THE HAND GRIPS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SEE TO THE REAR. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DANGER TO THE OPERATOR IN THREE SIGNIFICANT WAYS. FIRST: REMOVING HANDS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE'S POSES SUBSTANTIAL RISKS TO SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. SECOND: MAKING CONSTANT MOVEMENTS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SEE TO THE REAR PRESENTS A SERIES OF DISTRACTIONS THAT COULD ENDANGER NOT ONLY THE OPERATOR BUT THOSE AROUND THE OPERATOR AS WELL. THIRD: MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, THE LOSS OF VISION TO THE REAR VIA THE REAR VIEW MIRRORS POSES THE RISK OF DEATH TO THE OPERATOR WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN IN A SITUATION WHERE ANOTHER VEHICLE MIGHT BE PASSING THE MOTORCYCLE AT THE TIME OF THE TURN. THE RESULTING COLLISION MIGHT WELL BE AVOIDED WITH A CLEAR VIEW TO THE REAR. AT PRESENT, OWNERS OF THESE MOTORCYCLES ARE PUT UPON THEMSELVES TO REMEDY THE SITUATION BY MAKING THEIR OWN MODIFICATIONS TO THE VEHICLES. THESE COME IN THE FORM OF AFTER-MARKET EXTENDERS WHICH COME IN A VARIETY OF SIZES FOR THE PURPOSE. THE EXTENDERS ARE, HOWEVER, NEITHER MANUFACTURED BY BMW. CERTIFIED FOR USE IN THE APPLICATION OR STANDARDIZED IN ANY WAY. THIS CERTAINLY DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO REMEDY THE SITUATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. *TR

RIDING MOTORCYCLE IN WARM TO HOT WEATHER. WHEN CORNERING OR DOWNSHIFTING FOR STOP MOTORCYCLE SURGES LIKE NOT TAKING FUEL THEN STALLS AND WON'T IMMEDIATELY RESTART. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD WHEN POSSIBLE, AFTER A MINUTE, BIKE CAN RESTART AND SOMETIMES MAKE A FEW MORE MILES BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. ABLE TO "LIMP" BIKE HOME. STARTED AROUND 5000 MILES- BIKE TO DEALER ONCE AND WASN'T FIXED - BACK AT DEALER NOW, THEY SUSPECT FUEL PUMP, BUT IT IS UNKNOWN IF THIS WILL FIX PROBLEM. I CONSIDER THIS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THIS HAS LEFT ME STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES IN REMOTE AREAS AND ON SIDE OF HIGHWAYS AND BUSY CITY STREETS. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, IT COULD RESULT IN A CRASH DUE TO SUDDEN STOP IN TRAFFIC. FIRST OCCURRED AROUND APRIL 10, 2010 IN TX. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW F 800 ST MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUOUSLY STALL WITHOUT WARNING WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES BUT WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT THE FAILURE COULD POTENTIALLY BE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC, (CLEAR WEATHER, 45 DEGREES, SUNNY, DRY) I WAS FOLLOWING BEHIND A DUMP TRUCK. HE STOPPED, AND I APPLIED MY MOTORCYCLE'S BRAKES. THEY GRABBED, AS THEY ALWAYS DO, BUT THEN RELEASED. I CONTINUED TO SQUEEZE THE BRAKES, HOPING THE ABS WOULD RE-APPLY, BUT IT NEVER DID. THE FRONT END OF MY BIKE SLID UNDER THE REAR OF THE DUMP TRUCK AT ABOUT 5MPH, DAMAGING THE WINDSCREEN, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, AND RIGHT MIRROR. THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) IS NOT RELIABLE ON THIS MOTORCYCLE! *TR

I WAS RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE AT A STEADY HIGHWAY SPEED. I HAD BEEN RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE AT A STEADY HIGHWAY SPEED FOR 30 MILES CONTINUOUSLY. ENGINE CUTS-OUT COMPLETELY, WITH NO WARNING. MOTORYCLE ROLLS TO A STOP, I SWITCH ENGINE OFF, WAIT ONE MINUTE, CYCLE START SEQUENCE, ENGINE SOMETIMES STARTS, SOMETIMES DOESN'T. I AVOIDED HIGHWAY TRAFFIC WITH SOME DIFFICULTY, AS THE MOTORCYCLE SLOWED ABRUPTLY. I TURNED ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS . THIS HAS HAPPENED 8 TIMES. MOTORCYCLE IS AT DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. *TR