2009 BMW R1200 RT problems
Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 BMW R1200 RT. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 49% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (20%) and electrical system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 41 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 49% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 29,000 miles 35 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 13 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 35 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 29,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 30,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
None of these complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 100% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the BMW R1200 RT with enough data (20 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Side stand interlock switch failure on a 2009 BMW r1200rt motorcycle. The switch is designed to prevent the motorcycle from being driven with the side stand in the down position. The switch on my machine failed with the side stand in the up position and the motorcycle being driven down the road at approximately 40 MPH. When the switch failed the motor stopped running, which caused the rear wheel to skid. I was able to pull in the clutch to get out of the rear wheel skid and steer the machine off the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 BMW r1200 rt motorcycle. The contact stated that the rear wheel locked abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was discovered that the drive shaft had exploded. The para lever and boot were destroyed. Both were attached to the frame of the vehicle, similar to how the axle is attached to a passenger vehicle. The dealer advised that they had never seen a drive shaft failure such as the one the contact experienced on a motorcycle.
The gas gauge sensor strip stops working and will read that you have more gas than you actually do. This is extremely dangerous and can cause the rider to run out of gas and be stranded in moving traffic. There are too many complaints from BMW motorcycle owners to ignore this problem any longer! Please make the manufacturer address this problem instead of continuing to profit off of a safety issue. A google search on "BMW motorcycle fuel strip" will give you all the leverage you need.
Fuel strip failed, going from approximately 150 miles to empty to --- miles to empty immediately. Fuel strip was replaced 5 times in total before I sold the motorcycle 6/15/13 with ~7,500 miles on the bike.