Ilmberger Hugger Failure

[shannonnunley]

Any chance you'd be so kind as to report it to the following email:

Per Roger Albert’s request, I am emailing you to let you know that my Ilmberger hugger (for BMW r1100s) failed on a ride about 4 months ago. It was never recovered, all I had was the mounting bracket still attached to the brake assembly.



There have been several others on the pelican board who have experienced this same failure with the break occurring in the exact same place. There seems to be a weak point that eventually become fatigued and finally fails. One member actually had his failed hugger get caught in the drive area which caused his rear wheel to lock.



I’m sure Roger would provide you more information on the topic as he is one of the most well informed people I know of when it comes to matters relating to BMW motorcycles and specifically the r1100s.

[roger albert]

Thanks.

I hope Mitch doesn't take it as any of us beating up on him or the product. I just hope to set the record straight on the true incidence of failure. Just the facts Ma'am.

later
roger

[shannonnunley]

Least I could do... thanks for the many times you've replied to my posts seeking technical expertise.

[Rapid Dog]

oh sh@t.

[shannonnunley]

Here's the reply...

Shannon Nunley,

There are only 3 failures that I am aware of in the USA excluding Rogers. Ilmberger has sold well over 3,000 of these world wide and there are close to 500 already in the USA. Both Ilmberger and myself offer NO Warranty whatsoever for these parts. The reason being we cannot account for possible abuse, which owners from all over the map may inflict on their respective bikes both intentional or non intentional.

Rogers hugger was sold to him well over 3 years ago and their probably isn't much I can do or offer to him since SO much time has lapsed. Try returning a TV you bought 2 to 3 years ago????

Regards,
Mitch

[motoyoyo]

Originally posted by shannonnunley
... The reason being we cannot account for possible abuse, which owners from all over the map may inflict on their respective bikes both intentional or non intentional.

Perhaps those 3 known failures were due to the improper use and fitment of non-certified rider apparel causing an unbalanced loading thru the seat and frame which adversley affects the hugger mounting.

[shannonnunley]

funny stuff

[Rapid Dog]

Mmmm, could be...where those R1200C boots you where wearing when you discovered the fracture?

[Eron Flory]

I would make 5 then? Mine failed at about 4K miles. I haven't had time to bring back the remaining part to the dealer I got it from yet but will soon, so Mitch will hear about it for sure. I will post a photo of where it broke so that you can compare.

I'll admit it I was wearing non-BMW boots when the failure occured....

Eron

[Eron Flory]

Here's the photo of what was left.



Eron

[shannonnunley]

that's exactly what mine looked like. I'm clearly going to have to break down and get a pair of the magic BMW boots

[boxercup]

Greetings,

Hmmm....

Great topic!

This is a critical failure that can lead to injury or death.

Let us see if we can all analyze this issue and come to some agreement on the risk factor and what we can do about replacements for the failed items from J. Ilmberger.

We have a board here that has purchase power. We buy items and we recommend items for purchase. Products that fail should NOT be on our "S"s. I already have 4 cancelled Ilmbergers due to this post. The manufacturer should listen and If as stated in an earlier post, "Both Ilmberger and myself offer NO Warranty whatsoever for these parts." and " Rogers hugger was sold to him well over 3 years ago and their probably isn't much I can do or offer to him since SO much time has lapsed. Try returning a TV you bought 2 to 3 years ago????"

So be it, >do we buy Ilmberger products, "With NO warranty?"

We can handle this issue diplomatically thru the manufacturer, or if our analysis proves product liability or a product unfit for use, it then becomes a federal issue with DOT/NHTSA. This is an item sold for the attachment to a motor vehicle.

Very simply the hugger coming off in a turn can cause disaster.

Lets all do some investigations and possibly save a life!

The floor is open!

Robert

[dsl]

Boxercup is right about the purchasing power of this board. Assuming the stats are correct, 5 failures out 500 huggers in the US is a mere 1% - a pittance to cover under a long term warranty, especially compared to the bad will created on such a specialized board such as this. Mitch needs to take some serious marketing lessons from our own good Mr. Haynes with his wheel center caps.

The product liability part of the hugger is much more difficult though... I can't see the manufacturer recalling huggers unless many more of us starting crashing from huggers jamming in wheels (knock-on-wood).

[boxercup]

Greetings,

I am just saying that Ilmberger thru it's US rep is playing, "eyes wide shut."

We have the power to put them in a, "eyes wide open" mode.

No warranty?

Again we are a powerful group.

If, "Ilmberger has sold well over 3,000 of these world wide and there are close to 500 already in the USA." That amounts to over $115,000.00 in product sales in the US> They deserve to open their eyes to this issue!

EXCERPTS OF AN E-MAIL I RECIEVED TODAY:

"Thanks for the advice on the phone.
Been reading a little about the Ilmberger hugger.and the failures on the
mounting arm...
I dont like the idea of having this happen to me......
THis is starting to get a little rediculous...all I want is a piece of
plastic that will prevent the junk from kicking up into the bikes
undercarriage...."

The power of the board..... We lost 4 sales today, or is it better not to sell a product I have no confidence in?

From now on until this issue is resolved I am not selling any Ilmberger huggers.

Refunds to all.

Safety first! My clients are more important to me than they are to Ilmberger.

The power of informative, current and intellegent board members makes me proud to be a part of this group.

The floor is open.

Robert

[roger albert]

Jeez,

I didn't mean to make such a big deal. Certainly didn't want to cause anyone to lose business. Neither Mitch nor Julius nor Robert. I'm really more worried about someone getting hurt than getting a couple hundred bucks back, or a new unit. To put my money where my mouth is on that, I'll state here and now I'm not looking for a replacement or refund, despite finding the analogy from Mitch missing the point (i.e. recurring defects often are covered outside of the warranty period) Heck, I just took 50 bucks out of my pocket to make a customer happy just last night. Part of the game.

Anyway, sorry if it's impacted you Robert.
Again, it's more a matter of safety and just trying to figure the issue out.

Also, I can't believe that 100% of the U.S. failures are listed on the board, so I'd bet good money that the failure rate is well over 1%

Also, it was a LOT less than 1% of firestone/bridgestone tires that blew out on Explorers. Much less. We have a much higher incidence of failure.

later
roger

[boxercup]

Greetings Roger,

All it takes is ONE failure to cause a phone call in the middle of the night, "daddy is not coming home!"

I sell very select items that I believe are of value to my clients.

Loosing business is OK, I will refund money and I will feel good about it.

My clients are more important, for they deserve the finest.

With this issue raised, we need to step back and get all the facts.

Thanks Roger!

Good nite!

Robert

[arbik]

Greetings,

I'm new to this board, and to the ownership of an R1100S (2004 Prep - 200 miles on it since saturday!).

I have been reading the posts on this, and am concerned! I for one will not be buying an Ilmberger hugger for my ride. The function of the hugger is to keep debris from kicking back onto the undercarriage/exhaust/shock of the bike. The question is, am I willing to accept even a .01% risk of catastrophic failure to protect/keep clean the above mentioned items?
My answer is NO!

where I ride (Angeles Crest HWY) leaves no room for such risks, as I was reminded today during my lunch-ride ...comming up on a motorcycle over the side on the way down the hill....

Having said this, I think we probably have the expertise on this board, to design a simple plastic hugger, with stainless steel fasteners that will do the job, cost a fraction of the CF ones, be paintable, AND not be prone to failures.
Heck, if no one voulenteers for the design work, my brother and I are both mechanical engineers, and we'll do the design. On the other hand, we dont have access to a production facility, nor know any negociating tactics with producers to get quantity buys.

If anyone is interested in doing this, let me know, and I'll get started on it.

Cheers!!

-arbi

[boxercup]

Greetings,

This board is powerful, we now have a design team.....

I have spoken with Arbi and he is a knowledgeable person.

Put a design study together, we will get it to a plastic injection company on Long Island for an estimate.

Welcome Arbi! Enjoy your "S"!

Cheers,

Robert Foster

[fredman]

for the strongest mounting arm, make it round,hollow, stress-relieved, and case- hardened.The metal should be high-carbon steel, or sg iron.There!! I'd have thought it was all CF, or kevlar re-inforced vacuum moulded. I used to work for a company that made the spinnaker poles for the America cup maxi yachts,and New-Zzealand chalenge amonst others, and other FRP products. The wind angles,layers,band width, &turn-around all played part in the rigidity/deflection, and strength of the product, not to mention the type/amount of fibres/resin/curing process etc.etc.etc.
I'd go along with the contact/ fracture/manufacturer's process implementing stress....theories.sounds about right to me.

[boxercup]

Greetings,

It has been found thru a most reliable source that there are also issues with the Ilmberger hugger in Europe.

Further there is no "Road License" for this item in Germany.

Now that this problem has come to light, it dosent take a rocket scientist to realize the stress that occurs at the mounting arm, right above the attachment point on the brake caliper. Every little bump you hit gets translated into that mounting arm. Every revolution of the rear wheel, every rev of the engine....

That is a long arm.

???

Robert