1999 BMW K1200LT transmission problems

Filed May 2, 2014 · Body, Transmission · 15,750 miles · NE · crash

I've owned this bike since 2002 and sill have it. During that time I have experience two rear drive failures as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. At the time bmw was in denial about the issue or claimed that it was rare. Well, I know 6 people with this same motorcycle and we've all had the rear drive fail. I am the only one to have it fail twice. I believe bmw has superseded that large bearing in the rear drive with a new part number and it's holding up better. Anyway, the frost time my rear drive failed the bearing had "pauled" and as it caused [xxx] drag the cage around the ball bearings came apart and took out the seal. Once relieved of it's oil it's not long before the bearing fails. The rear locked and I came to a stop more rapidly than I would have liked. I dropped the bike to the right and did a little body damage to the undercarriage and saddle bags. I was ok but stranded west of frisco colorado. I waited most of the night for a tow truck to come up from denver. I slept on the sidewalk of the bmw dealer that night and had to rent a car and "camp" while waiting for repairs. Missed most of a week of work too. Anyway, the second failure I caught earlier and bought the parts and assisted ion the repair so it cost maybe $600 compare to the bmw repair of $1700. In total that and $100 rental and $50 camping and who knows what a week of worth cost me.

Filed May 2, 2014 · Transmission · 59,000 miles · MI

Same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. This same part has failed three times during the last six year, or approximately every 10,000 miles.

Filed Sep 5, 2013 · Transmission · 33,000 miles · IN

Leaking rear end lube started investigation. Ultimate cause of leak was pending failure of crown gear bearings on bike with paralever style final drive. Replaced bearings and seals as no damage to gear(s) was apparent. Done on trip out west.

Filed Feb 23, 2013 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · KY

The final drive leaked fluid on the rear wheel, the rear drive began to grind and seize. End of ride.

Filed Oct 11, 2012 · Transmission · 42,000 miles · NC

Rear drive seal and bearings failed, leaking oil, loosing braking power, with tire wobble.

Filed Sep 6, 2012 · Transmission · 37,290 miles · TN

This is same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. My 1999 k1200lt has had the final drive rebuilt twice and replaced totally once at bmw dealerships. The first time was a rebuild on 9/25/2004 at 37290 miles after the final drive started grinding. The next was 9/12/07 at 54929 miles with the same circumstances. The most recent was 8/28/2012 at 73001 miles after the final drive failed completely, leaking drive lubrication all over the rear wheel and disk brake. Rear brakes subsequently failed as well. This happened at interstate speeds of 75mph. Costs for rebuilds run $400-600 and the last repair/ replacement of final drive and brakes was $2023.00. My experience indicates that the drives only last 20-30,000 miles. I bought the bike with 11,000 miles on it and I do not know if the final drive had been replaced prior to my purchase. These failures have all been attributed to the faulty assembly of the final drives, which require a very careful measurement of a tapered wheel bearing preload. Most rebuilds blame the failure on too much preload. Newer designs by bmw have replaced the tapered bearing with a better design that does not require the exacting standards for preload. Failures on these units have been drastically reduced.

Filed Jun 29, 2012 · Transmission, Visibility · 20,500 miles · MA

Final drive have being rebuilt one year earlier & again I lost control rear tire while rim start it wobbling out control, bike weight 840 pounds very difficult and with my wife on board thanks god we are alive. Gold star bmw dealer in queens determine that I need a brand new final drive,I was very fortunate to be alive; final drive it was total blown away into little pieces . Repair cost around $1500.00 dollars. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Feb 24, 2012 · Transmission · 46,000 miles · ID

On june 17, 2011 the final drive of my 1999 bmw k1200lt started leaking gear oil from the crown bearing seal. The suspected cause is the crown bearing failure pushed the seal out of place and allowed the gear oil to leak on the rear brake disc and rear tire. This in turn caused the rear brake to fail due to oil on the brake pads and the rear tire to be unstable with oil on it. I replaced the rear drive in january 2012.

Filed Feb 21, 2012 · Transmission · UT

1999 bmw k1200lt. Consumer writes in regards power train final drive bearing failures being investigated under campaign dpi 12001 *tgw the consumer stated the failure of the final drive occurred on four separate occasions, which resulted in gear lube oil leaking on to the highway. The second time it occurred, the final drive seized when the bike was being unloaded from a tow truck at the repair facility. Again, the rear seal, o-ring, roller bearing, gaskets and gear lube had to be replaced. The third time the final drive failed, the repair facility stated the fragments of the crushed bearing had damaged the gears in the power train final drive assembly. The repair included replacing the gears in the final drive, the gaskets, o-ring, bearing and gear lube oil again. The fourth failure, the mechanic stated it would be best to replace the entire drive train, final drive assembly which contained all new gears, gaskets, seals, o-ring, bearings and the housing which held all of the parts. When the bearing failure happened, there was a major oil leak from the final drive unit and the rear wheel wobbled dangerously. The consumer believed the bearing was not adequate to handle the weight, torque and other demands of the motorcycle

Filed Feb 15, 2012 · Transmission · VA

1999 bmw k1200lt. Consumer states motorcycle suffered the beginnings of a final drive failure to the power train and leaked gear oil. *tgw the consumer has since sold the motorcycle.