WARNING rear brake disk mounting flange failure!

[ajb1]

If you own a

R1200R..........K1200R...............HP2 Megamoto
R1200GS........K1200R-Sport......HP2 Sport
R1200GSA......K1200S...............HP2 Endro
R1200RT........K1300S
R1200ST........K1300GT
R1200S..........K1300R
R900RT

PLEASE READ ON.

The above listed motorcycles use a common rear/final drive unit that incorporates a disk flange arrangement for the rear brake. It has been posted on U.S. as well as foreign based web forms that this flange has developed cracks in the area where the bolts holding the disk to the flange are located.

I personally have had 2 of these flanges develop cracks as described above. Attached is a short online survey. The only purpose for this survey is to deturm how many bikes have been effected by this problem. Please take a moment and visit my survey

As requested here are links to other sites where this problem has been posted
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181453
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=29818.0
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ghlight=flange
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ghlight=flange
http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.c ... eId=360814
Thank you.
Alden

[vodka]

Well, that's one way to get me running out to my beloved 1200R at night with a torch. It didn't seem to mind the attention. Anyway no cracks in my flange.

[boxermoose]

The dude is spamming all the boards with this

Wonder if he's putting together a class action?

Anybody remember Dr. ABS......

[ajb1]

The dude is spamming all the boards with this

Wonder if he's putting together a class action?

Anybody remember Dr. ABS......

Sorry Boxermoose if you feel this is spam. However, I feel that this is important information. I also think that the numbers need to be collected so we the riders of these motorcycle are aware of how many bike are effected.
And, No "no class action". Just the hope that BMW will improve the product.

Ride safe
Alden

[caprug]

18,250 on my 2007 - no cracks.

[gezerbike]

The dude is spamming all the boards with this

Wonder if he's putting together a class action?

Anybody remember Dr. ABS......

Sorry Boxermoose if you feel this is spam. However, I feel that this is important information. I also think that the numbers need to be collected so we the riders of these motorcycle are aware of how many bike are effected.
And, No "no class action". Just the hope that BMW will improve the product.

Ride safe
Alden

You might get a little more attention and add some credibility to you comments by first relating to the members via your profile by adding a little more information. Listing your location as " who Da Nation " doesn't sound like something coming from the mind and mouth of a 58 year old Project Manager who is asking for information. You also might share with the group just what your experiences were, what dealer repaired them, did warranty care take of this, what model do you ride and so on. Until you can put that on the table, I have to agree with Boxermoose that you sound like some sort of disgruntled owner, or person, looking to create trouble. As German as BMW corporate is, they are not going to risk a lawsuit over a " known " issue as serious as you allege. I think the ball is your court to come up with some more info.

[LumpyCam]

I feel that this is important information.

If true it could be important. If only there was a link to corroborate "It has been posted on U.S. as well as foreign based web forms"...

[aso432]

I have a 2006 R1200RT-P. I was changing the rear disc brake and I noticed the cracks. WOW!!!
I had the bike at a dealer a month ago. I guess they dont look for serious problems like this. There should be a recall. I have googled the flange problem and its quite common. I wonder how many motorcycle accidents were caused by this?
If you dont know to look for the cracks you wont see them.
Safe riding.

[deilenberger]

I have a 2006 R1200RT-P. I was changing the rear disc brake and I noticed the cracks. WOW!!!
I had the bike at a dealer a month ago. I guess they dont look for serious problems like this. There should be a recall. I have googled the flange problem and its quite common. I wonder how many motorcycle accidents were caused by this?
If you dont know to look for the cracks you wont see them.
Safe riding.

Interesting 1st post.. almost sounds like a shill..

And since you can't see the results of the survey, and it's really not a complete survey (like - no place to enter the miles that you HAVEN'T had any problem..) The way it's setup - it only will count for people who may have had a problem.

FWIW - I have heard of this. I have not heard of any actual failures which caused a problem. It appears to be quite rare actually (I'm moderator of the hexhead forums for the BMW-MOA website.. and I believe I may have seen one report of it - or that could have been on another forum like Sport-Touring.) The few reports I've seen - it appeared to be on early model hexheads. There are people with quite significant mileage on their hexs without any problem at all with the flange mounts.

So - OP - where's the data - what's coming out of the survey you put together (despite it being somewhat slanted and incomplete..)?

[deilenberger]

Just sorted out the links.. (OP - most of the links you posted don't work.. that happens when you cut and paste shortened links from another website..)

So far as I could find - all the ones that cracked were '04-05 models. BMW has superseded that PN 3 times according to the threads I read - and ours is likely the last revision. It was most prevalent on flanges with metal inserts for the wheel lugs - which no R1200R has.

Just for giggles I looked at mine. It literally took 30 seconds. Shine a penlight at the wheel hub at about the 10AM position - resting your hand on the top of the muffler. Rotate the wheel (bike on centerstand) - look. You can easily see them (and if you want - touch them.)

I think the R1200R can be removed from the scare list at the top of this thread. We have NO reported incidents of it on this forum - and if anyone would have broken one, Joe Finn would be the first.. Calling the failure "quite common" is a very large exageration - it seems limited to 2 model years (one of which didn't make it to the US), and quite limited in scope.

Here are some links that work:

http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=29818.0
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181453
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... ght=flange

To me - it's a look at it when I'm changing tires or brake pads and other then that - forgeddaboutit..

[JohnM]

I'm in w/ Don that this is some sort of shill. It'd be interesting to see if the two individuals posting alarm here (both for the first time) are in fact the same person/ISP.

[ContraMoto]

The '05 GS I had last year had these cracks. Two others I looked at in recent weeks had the cracks -- looked at four bikes and two of them had cracks in the flange. Not a biggie, but the sellers don't want to hear about a $500 repair that you'll need to undertake before riding the bike safely.

Anyway...it's not a joke or an over-hyped thing. It's a serious problem that BMW refuses to deal with.

I ended up buying an '05 GS without the cracks (but only 15k miles). It has an extended warranty till late 2012 and I just *hope* the flange cracks before then so I can get it replaced on somebody else's dime.

[dbrick]

As ususal, the truth is somewhere between the extremes. The posts in this thread overstate the case and its seriousness. Potentially *any* failure on a single-track vehicle can result in catastrophe. And someone who's never posted before doesn't appear with any built-in confirmation.

On the other hand, the advrider thread Don cited http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... ght=flange is a good examination with pics of what's occurred. Anton Largiader says he has seen several, so I have no problem believing that this failure does happen.

Anton's experienced and capable, and he thinks this cracking results from overtorquing the rear wheel lugs. That sounds reasonable. It might even be the case that the part in question is under-designed for its use. So...take a look at your bike, takes only a few seconds, and if you see cracks, address the issue. Given the number of hexheads on the road, and the paucity of failures, I don't think the issue is as cosmic as first presented here.

[mogu83]

Being 'Old School' and of the crank on it until it squeaks line of thought, I always thought that torquing the lugs on the wheels was a waste of time. HOWEVER in the last few years (decades) with the advent of single sided swing arms and space age alloys, and hearing some of the horror tales caused by using 'mechanics torque', my torque wrenches have now moved to the upper drawers of my tool box and I use them.
I'm not 100% converted yet, but when I'm around something that a magnet won't stick to, out comes the book and the torque wrench.

[hjsbmw]

Have not seen this problem. Good to be aware of it, not good to live a life of worry because of it.
I do use torque wrenches more or less religiously on most things related to the engine, steering, suspension, wheels, brakes for the sake of added peace of mind.

[ContraMoto]

Some years ago, I ran a few brake shops. I quickly learned the high cost of failing to torque everything. Customer complaints and returns dropped measurably when I finally got all the techs using torque wrenches. We added a box to the customer intake form for wheel and caliper torque settings specific to that model car. If I caught you not torquing something, you went home for the day.

For everything other than securing plastic body panels and whatnot, I use a torque wrench. While I have it out to do something, I often go around and check other things just for kicks. Caliper bolts, triple tree bolts...things that take a beating. Most new users of torque wrenches are surprised how much they were over-tightening things.

[deilenberger]

Some years ago, I ran a few brake shops. I quickly learned the high cost of failing to torque everything. Customer complaints and returns dropped measurably when I finally got all the techs using torque wrenches. We added a box to the customer intake form for wheel and caliper torque settings specific to that model car. If I caught you not torquing something, you went home for the day.

Sign of a very good shop. The front-end-tire shop I use I've watched the mechanic's get out their torque wrench with no coaxing from me or the management.. that impressed me as a good mechanic working in a good shop.

For everything other than securing plastic body panels and whatnot, I use a torque wrench. While I have it out to do something, I often go around and check other things just for kicks. Caliper bolts, triple tree bolts...things that take a beating. Most new users of torque wrenches are surprised how much they were over-tightening things.

"Tighten until it turns easy" - I know some people you might be surprised at who still believe their arm is more accurate then a torque wrench. My latest is an electronic torque wrench (Sears, SnapOn also makes one..) Wonderful tool, beeps and buzzes when torque is reached, and then tells you the actual torque you tightened the fastener to.. plus it is both metric (Nm) and SAE (lb/feet) - saves me dragging out the calculator.

[deilenberger]

On the other hand, the advrider thread Don cited http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... ght=flange is a good examination with pics of what's occurred. Anton Largiader says he has seen several, so I have no problem believing that this failure does happen.

Anton's experienced and capable, and he thinks this cracking results from overtorquing the rear wheel lugs. That sounds reasonable. It might even be the case that the part in question is under-designed for its use. So...take a look at your bike, takes only a few seconds, and if you see cracks, address the issue. Given the number of hexheads on the road, and the paucity of failures, I don't think the issue is as cosmic as first presented here.

David - if you read that thread really carefully, it actually appears Anton has heard of failures, but has only seen one - a 2005 if I recall. Since he's in the business of fixing BMWs that's somewhat telling. I can ask him, we're both part of a small group of old IBMWR friends who formed a Yahoo group..

[dbrick]

On the other hand, the advrider thread Don cited http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... ght=flange is a good examination with pics of what's occurred. Anton Largiader says he has seen several, so I have no problem believing that this failure does happen.

Anton's experienced and capable, and he thinks this cracking results from overtorquing the rear wheel lugs. That sounds reasonable. It might even be the case that the part in question is under-designed for its use. So...take a look at your bike, takes only a few seconds, and if you see cracks, address the issue. Given the number of hexheads on the road, and the paucity of failures, I don't think the issue is as cosmic as first presented here.

David - if you read that thread really carefully, it actually appears Anton has heard of failures, but has only seen one - a 2005 if I recall. Since he's in the business of fixing BMWs that's somewhat telling. I can ask him, we're both part of a small group of old IBMWR friends who formed a Yahoo group..

You're right, Don, I misread it. You don't need to ask him. We know he's seen one, ContraMoto has seen three. These are pretty small numbers, and don't change my view that the possibility of this failure has been over-hyped.

[Doug]

I'm in w/ Don that this is some sort of shill. It'd be interesting to see if the two individuals posting alarm here (both for the first time) are in fact the same person/ISP.

I checked, they are different.