The throttle body has plastic pulleys for the throttle flapper cam. These plastic parts fail. My motorcycle lost power in freeway traffic and I nearly was ran over by traffic when this part failed.
BMW R1200 RT loss of power problems
17 of the 267 owner complaints about the BMW R1200 RT describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 36,838
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The bike is a 2008 BMW R1200RT. The throttle bodies for each cylinder has a plastic cam that is the point of attachment for the throttle cable. That plastic cam broke and completely detached from the bike. I was accelerating to merge into traffic on Interstate 64E at Corydon, IN. Once established in the right lane, the bike suddenly lost power and slowed rapidly while I was approached from the rear by a tractor trailer that had to apply brakes and continuously sounded his horn while abruptly maneuvering to the left lane to avoid me while I was attempting to assess what had just happened. This is a critical safety component and its failure has been documented countless number of times on various owner's group forums for this type of bike. One of which is linked here: https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/91897-throttle-body-more-cracked-cable-camspulleys/ Another: https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?76036-Broken-Throttle-Body-Pulleys-2009-R1200RT/page5 It is apparent the plastic that this throttle body cam is made from deteriorates rapidly causing a significant safety risk. There are aftermarket replacements that are made from aluminum, but they are very expensive. I am asking for a safety recall and that BMW be made to replace these parts with a metal or a material that is less prone to failure.
Throttle body cams broken, no symtoms, could have caused crash from complete power loss to the engine, could have crashed or been hit. Dealer replaced.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW R1200 RT. The contact stated while riding approximately 50 mph, the motorcycle went into a limp mode which resulted in the motorcycle losing power. The motorcycle required a restart to regain functionality. The contact stated that the check engine warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,690.
This is a two-cylinder engine with an independent throttle body for each cylinder. The throttle is actuated by a cable and pulley which rotate the throttle plate on a shaft. The pulley is attached to the shaft with molded plastic. Upon inspection during service, both plastic moldings (both cylinders) were discovered to be cracked and near failure. Failure of this part will cause that cylinder to go to idle power. If the vehicle is in motion, there will be a sudden loss of power, and high vibration until the throttle is closed. Until repair, the motorcycle will be inoperable. This has become a known defect with this series of motorcycles. I repaired mine using an aftermarket aluminum part created to address this problem. Parts cost was $458.
Throttle cable bell cranks/cams crack due to poor quality plastic material. This causes motorcycle to suddenly lose power as the hand throttle no longer works and engine returns to idle RPM. This is a serious safety hazard as failure can occur while entering traffic, turning thru traffic, or traveling on a high speed roadway with no area to pull off. These cracks, (and impending failure of the parts), were discovered by service personnel during service work.
The throttle bodies on this motorcycle are cable-actuated, with plastic pulleys molded onto the throttle spindles. These plastic pulleys were severely cracked and I have replaced them (I still have the old parts). I'm aware of numerous bmw motorcycles of this vintage that have developed cracks in the throttle pulleys. I discovered my problem via inspection in my garage, but I'm currently aware of two other owners for whom the pulleys detached from the spindles while riding, causing a sudden loss of engine power. This problem has also manifested on other bmw motorcycles that use the same engine (e.g. The r1200gs).
First time while pulling out of a parking lot on to a city street the motorcycle suddenly lost power,misfired,cut out and would barely run and would only run at idle or a little above causing loss of control. Second time the same thing happened in the driveway while the motorbike was not moving.the third time this happened on a remote highway while moving at around 60 MPH in a curve (turning).sudden loss of power the engine went into limp mode.I had to pull over to the side of the highway and ride along the side of the road with barely enough power to move along until I could get to a safe place to pull over.on all occasions after turning off the ignition and restarting the engine it seamed to reset and run ok.this is a very hazardous situation especially at highway speeds.after doing some research I have found that this has happened to several other people and it seems that it could be a defect with the ecu and throttle position sensor.
This series of motorcycles has a common problem with cracks in the throttle pulleys on the throttle body. Failure of this plastic part will result in instant loss of power. I have been reading about this problem, and decided to inspect the two throttle bodies on my motorcycle as a precaution. Both of mine were cracked. One of the pulleys has three cracks in it, and would likely have failed within a short time. See photos included with this report.
Fuel gauge stopped responding, leading to running out of fuel while moving. This is a common failure on many bike models from bmw from 2005-2013.the fuel level measuring strip in the fuel tank was replaced by the dealer04. This is an unsafe condition since loss of engine power from running out of fuel can be quite dangerous on a motorcycle
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain motorcycles, exposure of the throttle housing to road debris could fall and become caught between the throttle-body and the engine block.
- Risk
- This could restrict movement of the throttle-cable pulley that, in turn, could affect throttle operation and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a cover over the throttle-cable pulley free of charge. The recall began on may 10, 2005. Owners may contact bmw at 1‑800‑831‑1117.
Recall number 05V172000 · Recall details
Questions about the BMW R1200 RT loss of power
Which BMW R1200 RT years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (5 complaints), 2009 (5 complaints) and 2008 (3 complaints).
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