Good to see Consumer Reports doing this research.
Years ago the MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council) provided similar data ... but 10 or 12 years ago BMW refused to release dealer data on visits, warranty claims and failures. The reason?

For years the MIC data showed BMW in LAST place of major manufacturers.
Once BMW stopped providing data the BIG FOUR stopped as well. So MIC could no longer provide us with accurate info regards reliability, warranty claims and component failures.

MIC still provide recall information but the OEM's do this as well as it's PUBLIC information. As a side note, BMW were for years number one in recalls among ALL major OEM's.

But I'm betting BMW will be showing better in ALL this data, but still may not be at the level of the Japanese ... where reliability is JOB ONE and has been for 50 years.

Motorcycle Industry Council
http://mic.org/images/2012StatAnnual-ToC.jpg

Shouldn't that read Build yourself a HPN with a BMW engine in it.
I'd love to see the reaction to this post if it was loaded onto the UKGSer worship vessel

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have fun with your helmet!

Questions about how painting the exhaust black will cause non-reflected heat to melt the TT water bottle? Answers about how this will invalidate the warranty, your insurance and make your male parts turn green and fall off? Further questions about getting cream for that?

BMW Club would of course point out that the upper left rear light retaining screw is Phillips when historically an '89 frame would have used slot head. Also they used the wrong engine oil.

Andy

Are these Chinese BMWs ? Never seen bikes broken like this. I was planning a BMW but will have to opt for a KTM now my other choice.

I believe most of the BMW's shown in pics were big twins with a few 650's and 800's in the mix, yes? All the Boxers are made at Spandau, Berlin. Not sure about the P-Twin 800's, some rumors say they were Chinese but now back in
Berlin. The F650 and G650's are Chinese, as are G450 dual sport bikes.

The broken drive housings on the Boxers were, IMHO, the owner's fault. That bike was never meant to be jumped or bashed hard off road whilst carrying a load. But something Mezo isn't telling you is that many of those broken bikes were simply CRASH victims. Hit by cars, flipped or bashed an Armco barrier.

The F650 forks are Showa items, but perhaps very low spec Showa forks? (Honda own Showa). Problem is obvious ... those forks are too skinny for a 450 lb. bike. Also, it's possible Showa had a long period of bad quality assurance?

BMW got sued in Germany and paid out a few claims .... but lots of others got burned, never got paid. Funny thing is, even the new G650 use the same size forks ... and I believe they are still Showa forks.

Showa forks are usually good ... in fact .. world class gear. Never ever heard of such a problem with any other bike ever, using either KYB or Showa. But stuff happens ... Sometimes the engineers misjudge and make mistakes.
In this case I blame BMW. Should have been major recall for ALL F650's and
G650's period.

KayJay, would you buy the new KTM's made in India? The 390 Duke looks good ... would you trust it?

Maybe they don't like the MIC being taken?


As you say, the big ones are put together in Spandau by the gastarbeiten.
Hence the two year warranty on new products?

Herein "Chinese" = Taiwanese, just like Cuba = the USA. i.e. someday.
Kymco - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Dave

Now you mention it, neither have I.

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Dave

BTW weak frame is not that BMW specific after all...

Kymco built the 450 dirt bikes, but Loncin in Mainland China built (still builds)
the F and G650 singles. Loncin and BMW have some sort of partnership ... may still have it? Dunno? So .... over all two Chinese connections for BMW who also build Cars there! None of this is news ... been going on a decade or more.

China: The BMW G650GS Production Country - MotorPartsCentre.Com
BMW Partners with Chongqing Loncin to Make Motorcycles
Loncin Motor and BMW hand in hand again—Loncin signed a long-term contract of new large displacement - loncin

For information, the 2007/2008 BMW G650x (Challenge/Country/Moto) with the FI twin spark 652cc Rotax motor (and finished the Dakar race with Simon Pavey on board) were built in Italy in the Aprilia factory. Hence in my 2013 RR (in sig below) I refer to it as a RBA (Rebadged Aprilia) to hide the shame of riding a Beemer

In more recent times lots of plastic G-bikes probably do come from the China. Never bothered research these as I think they look hideous, before even contemplating their apparent (or not) lack of robustness.

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Brighty's website: TheBrightStuffDotCom

CURRENT RR WITH REGULAR UPDATES: The Wife Takes on Chlamydia: A South American Retrospective

I just looked around new 1200GS and cound't believe how thin and delicate its frame tubes are! no wonder it breaks easily, tubes in my honda nc750x are twice as thick!


look GS frame



e.g. nc750x frame




or super tenere frame, it's massive!

Yep cars landed on top them causing them to flatten out.

Mezo.

[QUOTE]Makes you wonder why they are so heavy then ?

[QUOTE=stevenatleven;496101]got to be engine.

It's not so much FRAMES of BMW twins that break ... it seems to be more the final drives. The pics posted by Mezo pretty much illustrate this.

I have heard of broken sub frames here and there with the big twins but seems most catastrophic failures are final drive related.

And that brings us to weight. BMW have spent MILLIONS of euros in the last 10 years to trim weight from the big GS. They've done well, making the latest R12's lighter and stronger than any GS before. But it's still a heavy bike, even though it rides like a 650!

The R1200GS is lighter weight than the Yamaha Tenere 1200, Guzzi Stelvio,
Aprilia Capo Nord. But the KTM 990/1190 twins are substantially lighter, make more power and usually don't break frames.

Why?

Most of the excess weight on BMW's comes from the Shaft drive system, the trans and the very heavy duty engine. Strong, heavy crank and cases. Luckily BMW finally fired Trans maker Getrag, and now use a lighter, Japanese made trans which is substantially lighter, shifts better and is quieter. Win Win.
But it still is NOT ENOUGH!

KTM somehow does all this with LESS weight, still maintain strength.

But even some BMW chain drive bikes are heavy IE: 800GS P-Twins.
IMO, the 800's are heavier than they should be. Compare engine weight
of the F800's with Yamaha FZ-09 triple (MT-09). The Yam makes more HP, less weight and is a smaller package!
And I'll bet it's reliability is better as well! The F800 series is an OLD Rotax design left over from the 80's.
The Yam triple is ALL new and borrows directly from MotoGP tech.

The SS1000 Sports bikes prove BMW CAN build a lighter bike. Will this mind set of LIGHT IS RIGHT transfer over to the GS line? Dunno?