Riding on relatively straight, two lane state road in rural georgia ( without having any previous issues). Riding approximately 45-50 miles per hour. Bike suddenly began making a clanking noise from the rear wheel. Rode approximately 20 MPH for approximately one-tenth mile to store parking lot. Shut down bike and transported to my residence on trailer.
2002 BMW K1200LT transmission problems
23 complaints (62% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 28,300.
- owner complaints
- 23
- of this car's complaints
- 62%
- typical mileage
- 28,300
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Driveline8
- Driveline: differential unit5
- Manual transmission2
- Manual transmission: floor shift assembly1
- Driveline: center support bearing1
- Automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
BMW K1200LT transmission problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
M/C final drive ball bearing failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition requesting that it open an investigation into model year (MY) 1998-2009 BMW KLT series motorcycles for final drive bearing failures.The petitioner asked the federal safety agency to issue an order that [BMW] be required to recall the affected models for inspection ofcomponent wear and proper assembly of the [final drive] bearing.ODI has reviewed the petition, assessed relevant consumer complaints, and gathered other data in the course of investigating this issue.Based on its review, ODI does not believe that a safety-related defect trend currently exists for final drive bearing failures in the subject motorcycles.Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency's limited resources to accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.However, the agency will continue to monitor information related to this issue and will take further action if warranted.For detailed information, see the Federal Register notice: https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-13779.
DP12001
What 2002 BMW K1200LT owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Odi no. [xxx], and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. Oil leaked over tire and brakes. Noticed the leak when tried to stop and didn't stop as it normally did. Bmw dealer replaced final drive. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001.
Final drive required replacement for grinding, clunking and vibration. Dealer found oil loaded with bearing material and signs of an oil leak.
The linear bearing in the rear drive failed - metal flakes and bearing material appeared in the rear drive oil when the oil was changed. The oil was changed every 3000 - 400 miles and without warning the drive oil became contaminated by a bearing that deteriorated. The bearing cage had not started to fail at this time. The rear drive was removed from the motorcycle, taken apart and upon inspection the bearing was in early stages of complete failure. Upon further inspection and measurement it would appear that the bearing was initially over shimed (greater than the manufacturer specifications called for) at the factory placing undue forces on this linear bearing - thus causing its premature failure. The replacement bearing along with proper shims, as called for in the manufacturer specifications, were placed back into the drive.
Second rear drive failure of 2002 bmw k1200lt motorcycle at 42502 miles first at 17520 miles.
On august 28th, my wife and I were traveling to eureaka springs, arkansas for our 40th wedding anniversary. About ten miles from our destination, the rear wheel drive bearings went out on our bmw k12lt motorcycle for the second time. We were traveling down a steep, winding, mountain road and were extremely worried that the back wheel would lock up and send us skidding down the side of the mountain. God was watching over us and brought us safely into town where we were then stranded. The next day, I found a kind man with a truck and trailer, who hauled us to bentonville, arkansas to the bmw dealer. They repaired the bike in only three hours and were wonderfully kind and helpful. Since the bearings had only been replaced 3000 miles and one month before, they didn't charge us for the replacement because bmw has a one year parts warranty. The local dealers are great, but bmw in uncaring with regard to the safety of the motorcyclists who ride their bikes. This rear wheel drive bearing is a common problem affecting most of the bmw bikes, but bmw has chosen to ignore the problem. They are still building the problem into the new bikes they are selling. The first question the dealer asked me when we arrived in bentonville with the bike was "is the back wheel locked up?" that is the most frightening thing to me about this problem. If your rear wheel locks up while you are leaning into a curve on a mountain road, there won't be any way to avoid a skid and crash. My wife and I could both be killed if this happened. We love bmw bikes and we love riding. However, I firmly believe that bmw should be forced into correcting this deficiency before someone is killed, if they haven't been already. To date, bmw is pretending that there is no problem. The fact that there is a large problem can clearly be seen on the internet and in the magazine articles.
The rear wheel drive bearing on my bmw k12lt motorcycle failed while my wife and I were traveling down the interstate at 70 MPH. Fortunately, there was a road side park nearby. We pulled in and watched the oil run out on the ground from the drive. While trying to get the bike on a trailer, the rear wheel locked up. If that had happened on the interstate, it would have been life threatening, since going into a skid on a motorcycle is extremely dangerous. The cost to have this bearing replaced was almost $700. God was watching over us and kept us from having any injuries from this failure. I have learned that this is not an isolated problem with the k12lt's. It happens to almost all of bmw's bikes. At every bmw rally, one or more people have this bearing go out either going to or coming from the rally. Bmw is aware of the problem, but chooses to ignore it and act like it doesn't exist. In fact, they continue to manufacture new motorcycles with the same problem. It is obvious that they are more concerned about their bottom line than they are about the safety of the motorcycle riding public. I don't know if anyone has been injured or killed as a result of this defective design, but it is only a matter of time until the bearing failure causes the rear wheel to lock up while someone is traveling down the interstate.
I had the final drive bearings and seals malfuntioned on the bmw k1200lt motorcycle. The motorcycle was repaired at ginas bmw in iowa city, ia.
Rear wheel drive failure (crown bearing failure).
Questions about the 2002 BMW K1200LT transmission
Does the 2002 BMW K1200LT have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 23 complaints about the transmission of the 2002 BMW K1200LT, 62% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2002 BMW K1200LT transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 28,300 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 BMW K1200LT transmission?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the BMW K1200LT have bad transmission?
The BMW K1200LT model years with the most transmission complaints are 2000 (40 complaints), 1999 (37 complaints) and 2002 (23 complaints).
Other 2002 BMW K1200LT problems
Brakes 7Fuel system 5Body 1Engine 1Steering 1
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