Recalls - General

[JT_R1200S]

Speaking of recalls BMW took a little bit of a beating on the 2014 RT's with the shock, and then they had the fuel line recall covering 2005-2009 models. I thought I was clear of recalls but then I took in my 2003 Honda GL1800 I picked up this year and they found a frame crack. Honda just finished completing a warranty frame replacement on the bike, it took about two months but it's done and at zero cost to me. I don't know how it was in the early say 70's and 80's but it appears now that in general recalls are honored with no time limit.

-JT

[Deans BMW]

Depends on the recall.

[bradzdotcom]

it almost makes me throw up a little in my mouth, but i think we have lawyers to thank for that.
fortunately, they screwed themselves on this one, while doing us a favor.

one of the biggest "aw crap" moments in court in the 70~80s was when the lawyer dude points out that the manufacturer was aware of a problem but hadn't reacted. or tried to squirm around it, hoping it would go away.

back then, bike lawsuits went from reasonable, due to an honest mechanical failure, to "you gotta be kidding" like the guy who crashed his yamaha, sued honda...and won. at times it was ridiculous.

bike makers figured out that it was much less of a financially beatdown (and afforded a more forecastable future) if they responded quickly, fixed stuff properly and sprinkled more good cheer with their customers.

costs less, not as many lawyer-holes, no overnight surprises (like that whole atv/cbs thing) happy harmonic customers riding on smiling generous wallets, etc.

sure, there's exceptions, but it has shifted significantly since the 70's and 80's (what little of it i can remember).

and when it comes to recalls, don't believe anything you hear. currently one of the companies has discovered minor cracks in wheels. it's cosmetic, not a structural thing, but the wheels will rust over time if left alone.
three weeks later that turns into a guy asking me if i'd heard about the "exploding wheels" yet.
(comes with a story about a guy on the freeway, rear, then front wheels spontaneously explode, guy dies, etc)

sheesh!

[lkchris]

The word "recall" has a very specific legal meaning in the USA.

They are sanctioned by the USA Federal government and cover ONLY emissions and safety issues as determined by the government and do not expire. The manufacturer is required to inform the current owner by mail that a fix is available or will be soon. Records are kept that the work has been performed. The fix is always free.

If the problem is discovered first by the manufacturer (RT shock) it all still applies.

You can still get your late '70s front snowflake wheel replaced if records for your VIN show it hasn't been done.

For your R1100S, there's a service bulletin and new parts to replace your original throttle cable and associated cover--it's not a recall and you have to pay for it. Stuff like that is obviously free while still under warranty, but you have to demonstrate you have a problem.

For the R1200s, the fuel pump flange cracking generated an official recall. The excessive fuel strip failures did not--rather BMW (likely) extracted $$ from its supplier and now warranties these parts for 12 years. Clearly they think the latest versions won't fail.

[bradzdotcom]

not sure if it's still true, but there were voluntary and mandated recalls.
voluntary meant they found and fixed something.
the other one was where they get their hand slapped and some gov'mnt entity with acronyms that makes them do it and prove it.

[lkchris]

If there's a safety or emissions problem, the manufacturer is required to inform the gov't. Obviously some interpretation intervenes. It's past that obviously if a stop riding order is necessary.

Voluntary certainly occurs with nonsafety or nonemissions issues, but these are service actions and not recalls.

[1100s nut]

With regard to the new RT shock problem, BMW stepped up. My dads neighbor has one and bmw called and said we will buy your bike back or give you like $1500 cash, but either way we need to replace your rear shock. I'm impressed. It does build loyalty. The owner tells people, they tell people. They will make back some of that money long term with how they handled this.

[bradzdotcom]

not sure who's shock it is, but they probably bit the bill on that one.
sometimes the vendor coughs up the new product and pitches in a percentage of the replacement time. it's usually not dollars swapped, but comes through as a credit for the next thing the factory buys.
sometimes it's that clear cut, sometimes the finger pointing goes on for years.

wierd part is that sometimes the factory owns part of the company that has to do the make-good. then it turns into professional level bean shuffling.

[1100s nut]

Agree Brad. I have been involved in defective product return before...not fun, but sometimes you can make a positve out of it. Ironically the GM ignition key mess, the dealers love it. I ride with the COO of Hendricks automotive group and he said many people would bring their cars in for the recall, and walk out with a new one.

This latest airbag mess, is a big mess... the mfg, is not making it any better either.

Harley, just had a 100,000 bike recall, something about clutch lever??. Sounds like a simple fix.

[bradzdotcom]

the fix is usually pretty straight forward.
getting the yahoo who owns the thing to bring it in....another challenge.

the benefit to the dealer is that extra things go down when the guy finally drags the bike in. it needs a tune-up, tires are getting worn down, that left blinker is acting up, etc...

my favorite recall was a very small batch of headlight modulators that i was fortunate enough to be part of. the manufacturer asked for them back, because they were flashing twice as fast as allowed by law (i think it was 3.5 times a second...something like that).

i still have mine. works great. startles the herd of cagers every time.
gonna send it in someday for a weaker one....not.

[Meeni]

I had a recall performed on the routing of the ingnition harness, that did smooth some poor running in hot weather condition. 2004 R1100s build nov. 2003/