WASHINGTON, D.C. – After issuing a “do not sell/do not ride” advisory on the R1200 RT in early June, BMW of North America in June made it official by announcing a recall through NHTSA.

To be recalled are model year 2014 R1200 RT motorcycles manufactured from Nov. 27, 2013, to May 5, according to the NHTSA notice. The affected vehicles have a Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) rear shock absorber supplied by Tenneco Automotive of Belgium. The piston rod within the rear shock absorber can break without warning, causing loss of stability, according to the recall notice.

About 950 bikes are involved. BMW said more than half of the recalled bikes are estimated to have the defect.

“On April 1… BMW initially became aware of this issue through a warranty claim in France, ” the OEM reported to NHTSA. “It was noted that the piston rod of the rear shock absorber broke after approximately 700 miles, collapsing the rear suspension. The defective assembly from France was returned to the supplier for analysis.

“A second warranty claim occurred in Sweden on May 27… after approximately 1,500 miles. By May 30…. slider tool drum endurance tests on production spring strut assemblies were conducted by t he supplier, which replicated the failure observed in the two warranty claims.”

BMW said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.

The recall is expected to begin in July. BMW is notifying owners, and dealers are asked to replace the Dynamic ESA shock absorber free of charge. Owners are still advised not to ride their motorcycles until they have been fixed.

Posted by Mary Slepicka

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