2014-2017 BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure Recalled for Fork Issue
BMW is recalling R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure models produced from November 2013 to June 2017 to correct a problem with the front fork. Or at least, in Germany there’s a recall; everywhere else, at least, as of this writing, BMW is calling it a “service campaign” as explained in this Facebook post:
PR semantics? Perhaps. But recalls are announced by government agencies in each market individually, regardless of what a manufacturer calls it, and today, Germany’s federal motor vehicle office officially posted a recall for the GS to address this problem. We expect other government agencies, such as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will follow suit. So yes, this is a recall, affecting about 185,000 units worldwide.
As BMW explains, fork tubes on R1200GS models may get damaged under stress, such as when hitting a pothole. Damaged forks may have a visible gap between the fork tubes and the pressed-in top fork sealing plugs (the area in question is under the dark protective cap at the top of each fork tube in the circle highlighted below).
BMW had previously issued a recall to address a similar issue in early 2013, where fork tubes may loosen due to insufficient torque of a locking bolt. The remedy for that recall required inspecting fork tubes for a gap between the fork tube and the fork tube sealing plug and, in some cases, required crimp-locking the fork tubes.
We’ll have more information about this issue as it emerges, especially if it progresses from a “service campaign” to a full-fledged recall in the U.S.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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