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

I have noticed that my front brake line rubs against the face of the speedometer when I turn the bars all the way to the left, as when parking. This has made a small scuff-mark on the face. Has anyone else noticed this? I guess I will be stopping by the dealer some time this week.

utzguy wrote:I have noticed that my front brake line rubs against the face of the speedometer when I turn the bars all the way to the left, as when parking. This has made a small scuff-mark on the face. Has anyone else noticed this? I guess I will be stopping by the dealer some time this week.

I've heard of this on another K1200 forum - allegedly if you swap the routing of the clutch and brake cables over it cures this.

(or wrap a piece of electrical tape around the appropriate part of the hose. )

I don't see how you could swap the brake and clutch lines. And I am NOT putting electrical tape on my K. But I did find mention on another forum of this issue and it appears there is a fix. I will be talking to my service guy tomorrow.

Oh UTZ share that pretty please when you find out. I noticed a wee little rub on my speedo too.


COH (Rich)

Well, for now they just zip-tied the brakeline back to the upper headlight mount. They are ordering a new speedo face and are going to check on other fixes. You can't just use a shorter line as that would make it too tight when turning the bars to the right.
What we found odd was the R they had on the floor had at least 1/2" of clearance over the speedo.

Got my speedo face replaced today. They said they are ordering a new brakeline. They want to check the length against the one on my bike.

I just noticed the same issue myself. When the bars and turned fully to the left as in parking in the "locked" postion, the brake cable kisses the glass(plastic) guage cover. Its starting to scratch ever so slightly. The only problem is, with the current cable length, when the bars are turned fully to the right, there is barely enough length to get the bars all the way over. So, there is no way they could shorten the cable. ?? Not sure what they could do to fix it... Doh! details details!

I had the same problem the dealer used a zip tie, and then cleaned the area with plexus no more scratch but I hate the electrical tie!!!

elementfmfl wrote:I had the same problem the dealer used a zip tie, and then cleaned the area with plexus no more scratch but I hate the electrical tie!!!

spoke with my dealer about this issue. As it turns out, there is a bmw bulletin about this for affected bikes. Its a new brake line and speedo face plate. It solves the problem. So, no more zip ties!

Thanks for the info Silverr, do you know where I can find a copy of the bulletin?

Id like to see this Bulletin to as I got mine new last week which I guess is an 06' model (any way of telling what year it is?)

And my brake line just skims the glass to on full left lock i dont think enough yet to leave a mark but will in time i think!

lee1980 and elementfmfl, i never actually saw the bulletin, the dealer was aware of it. I am not sure how new it is but I would just call bmw headquarters and get the bulletin number from them. Also, the dealer should be able to research it for you now that we know a bulletin exists. Lee, mine was a very slight touch as well and the scratch was slow but growing. Also, I may be mistaken but I think all K12r's were released in the US as 06 models!

Thanks Silverr,

Will see how it goes now upto the 600miles first service mention it if it starts to scratch badly.

Im in the Uk and not sure when the K12's came out is there a way of telling from frame/chassis number what year it is?

Thanks Silverr That is a major pet peeve I have about the bike, spend the money... here fix it with zip ties, if I wanted that I would have stayed with vintage! I know anal retentive, But what r u gonna do.. Thanks Again

lee i am not aware of any way to tell from the vin number but the bmw headquarters could tell you right away from the Vin.

elementfmfl, i know what you mean. The zip tie fix would be frustrating on a new bike of this caliber. Other than the brake line fix and the squeeling brakes at slow stops, this bike has been awesome. Its without a doubt the best all around bike I have ever ridden. I just cant wipe the smile off my face after long rides...

Ok guys called BMW of NA and they could not find an actual service bulletin... Because one does not exist. This problem is not considered to affect the performance of the R so they never issued a service bulletin, however... there is a service (warning) as my dealer called it that is NOT OPEN ENDED the dealer will have to do some digging to find it, and the warning will not pop up with just a vin search. Also it seems even the bikes that where built after they realized the problem may still be affected, so even if your dealer says the issue was resolved before your bike was produced, it may very well still be affected. Now (I'll take a breathe...) I spoke to my service tech and he found the warning (that is a full printed description of the problem and a picture of the fix) and ordered up the parts. I got a call yesterday and they have the parts (shorter brake cable and a new instrument panel glass and cover) and are going to install it this week. Silverr Thanks again!!!! Remeber this IS NOT a open ended campaign, if you have the problem get it fixed now, or love the used and abused look.