BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I decided to take my bike out for a ride 2 weekends ago on my usual route. I stop at a light and I smell gasoline (strong). I pull over and I discover a slow drip from the fuel line (CPC connectors). I try to fiddle with the connectors thinking that it's just loose; the leak becomes even worse (dripping on the hot exhaust). I call my friend to trailer the bike to my house.

I get it over to the dealer (Wild West Honda/BMW) and Dan isn't surprised. He states that the ethanol in the fuel blend makes the CPC connectors brittle and fail (I only have 9K miles on the bike). They are in the process of repairing the issue (getting both connectors replaced). This isn't covered under a recall. I would get aftermarket connectors (they make stainless steel ones) and replace both before it's too late.

hrothgar02

The Q/C's might not be listed under a recall, however they should be covered under warranty, if your bike has any left. BTW, the dealer is giving you the run around......my opinion.

The first issue with the bikes where the fuel line clamps on the Q/C's, now as the bikes are coming of age one finds that the Q/C's are begining to fracture. This is primarily due to the fact that the binder (plasticicer) has been driven off the plastic parts by exposure to the elements.

It would be in your best interest to install the metal ones, they can be obtained from Omega and Small Parts Specialties amongst other suppliers.

Good luck.

Hi Hrothgar, there is a recall for the fuel line disconects and crimp connections. Here it is. My May 2003 R was recalled.


BMW K - R Series Motorcycle Recall

NOTE: These recalls are presented as a public safety resource. For more information, visit your local BMW Motorcycle dealer or visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
BMW / K SERIES 2001-2004

BMW / R SERIES 2000-2002 2004

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 04V028000

Recall Date : JAN 15, 2004
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

Potential Number Of Units Affected: 39000
Summary:
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE O-RING CONTAINED WITHIN THE FUEL LINE QUICK-DISCONNECT COUPLING COULD BECOME DAMAGED. THERE IS ALSO A PROBLEM INVOLVING CRIMP-TYPE HOSE CLAMPS, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A SMALL FUEL LEAK.

Consequence:
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, ADJUST ALL CRIMP-TYPE HOSE CLAMPS. ALSO ALL FUEL LINE QUICK-DISCONNECT COUPLINGS WILL BE INSPECTED. IF A LEAK IS DETECTED, THE QUICK-DISCONNECT O-RING WILL BE REPLACED. IF DAMAGED, THE COUPLING WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING FEBRUARY 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Notes:
CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Give your dealer a copy of this .
Regards
AllanJ

Ethanol BLOWS.

And that is coming from a guy in Iowa.

Every service manager that I have talked to has had huge problems with injectors in cars and trucks that run exclusively ethanol.

Not to mention the energy it takes to produce it....etc etc.


At any rate, it is HORRIBLE for rubber.

Thank you for the heads up on the recall. It was the male plastic part of the Q/C that failed (held in place by the metal clip) and not the clamp. I will fight the dealer on this one to see if they comp the service in lieu of the recall.

Heed this advice.

thanks for the info allanj255!

Your welcome Hydra. We need to watch out for re-calls. When I got my recall notice direct from BMW, the dealer knew nothing about it and when they checked there was another for my bike that BMW had not told me about.

hrothgar02,

I have a house in Sugar Land with a Rockster in its' garage and visit Houston frequently. I had encountered the fuel leak issue on my rockster and had it serviced by Wild West twice, within a little over one year interval.

Last time I've asked Dan to replace the faulty plastic with a metallic part - he refused for the reason that "they cannot alter the bike with after market parts" and they can only supply original BMW parts. He also mentioned that the boxers are notorious for this and that there must be something in the gasoline that causes it. First time the bike was in warranty so they did it at no charge. Second time they charged me a lot to do it, somewhere around $250.

I am seriously considering selling the bike and getting a Harley.

Good luck to you,

Maitre

$250 appears to be way over the top. I would change dealer or get an independant to change the fuel connectors to metal.
Hope you stay with the R

Same thing happened to mine. I was with a couple of other riders and out of town so we had to rig somthing. Had them go to a hardware store and pic up some copper tubing, a a pipe cutter, and a couple of hose clamps. Cut out the connect and stuck the tubbing up both ends of the hose and clamped it. It worked so good that I didn't want to put the quick connects back on. I did though, put 2 new ones on, should have used the metal ones but went back OEM. That was about a year ago so we'll see how long it last. It wasn't that hard to do, $250 does seem high.

So this explains why the dealer replaced the hoses on my bike at the 10000 k service.

If BMW are serious about the products they manufacture, they should have a decent recall regarding the leak and replace the faulty parts with some teutonic metal parts that do not fail.

Seriously, someone could get badly burned if the bike catches fire on the road. Easy to happen with all the gasoline leaking directly onto the hot cylinder head.

had the same problem with mine. Riding along, smelt gas, thought that I may have overfilled the tank, then felt my foot getting wet! Problem is, with the fuel system under pressure gas was pissing out all over the place.

I chanced it and rode the couple of miles home, switching off the engine whenever I came to a stop (no pressure = no fuel leak). I was pretty worried about it dripping onto the hot pipes though!

The dealer trucked the bike to their workshop and fixed it immediately. However, I now get the bike serviced at a non-dealership BMW specialist and having read all this, I think I'll ask them about the metal fittings next time it's in for a service.

Captain K.

captainK wrote:I chanced it and rode the couple of miles home,
Captain K.

At the risk of scaring the crap out of everyone, please see my post (with picture) above. That is my R1150R after it was totally consumed by fire. I was under it for a portion of that time. I went from riding merrily along to being under a burning bike in less than 1/16 of a mile, just a few seconds (though I remember none of it, the distances alone tell me that much). Now I know this doesn't happen often but if I can bring any good out of my own terrible event, for others, it would be to prevent what happened to me. The guy that pulled a burning bike off of me (luckily) said flames were shooting 8 feet high and at one point, were shooting out horizontal. In other photos, the tank looks like it sort of "popped" like a popcorn kernel. When they say "fuel leak in the presence of heat can start a fire" believe them. It did so to me and I have the skin grafts to prove it.

Like I said, don't wanna bum y'all out but if you suspect you've got a fuel leak (or even if you don't... I didn't) get to your dealer, have him inspect the fuel lines and if a recall applies to your bike, get it fixed post haste.

--Doug

Munchmeister,

that's crazy. Have you contacted BMW at all about this issue? If yes, what was their response?

Maitre wrote:Munchmeister,

that's crazy. Have you contacted BMW at all about this issue? If yes, what was their response?

Crazy????????!?!?!

http://www.webbikeworld.com/BMW-motorcy ... recall.htm

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/motor ... /2080.html

There are more references.

If you really want to see crazy, I'll post some more pictures of my burned bike.

munchmeister wrote: Crazy????????!?!?!

http://www.webbikeworld.com/BMW-motorcy ... recall.htm

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/motor ... /2080.html

There are more references.

If you really want to see crazy, I'll post some more pictures of my burned bike.

You misunderstand me. Not what you posted is crazy, but what BMW is doing is crazy. I am on my second leak getting ready for the third and not getting burned, if I'm lucky. How can someone replace a defective part with the same part that will also prove defective within a few months?

I was not asking about the worthless recall as I am fully aware of it. I was asking you what did BMW have to say after you lost your motorcycle as a result of their sloppy manufacturing practice?

Moto

The bike was purchased used, and the seller had also purchased it used. And it was literally burned up as it lay there, while EMT's attended to me. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks and did not think too much about anything other than I was lucky to be alive. As for now, 6 months later, I'm still thinking about what I might do....

I feel for you, buddy. Don't be nice and let the manufacturer off the hook. Good luck to you.