2013 BMW R1200GS Telelever Problem Explained in Transport Canada Recall

Earlier this week, we wrote about reports in the Italian media of a delay on deliveries of the 2013 BMW R1200GS because of an issue with the suspension. Transport Canada has now issued a recall notice on BMW‘s new GS – the third to come from the Canadian government agency – that would explain the delay.

According to Transport Canada, the threaded plugs securing the fork tubes to the upper triple clamp may come loose over time on some units. This may cause a fork tube to detach, posing a serious crash hazard. According to MotorradOnline.de, the issue was discovered during BMW’s internal testing, after a GS was put through 60,000 km on the test bench.

The solution seems simple enough. BMW will crimp-lock the fork tubes’ threaded plugs, creating a more secure connection.

The bigger concern for BMW is the number of issues being reported before the R1200GS even gets delivered to customers. Most of the recalled models, including the 54 affected by the Transport Canada recall, are still in the hands of dealers or BMW itself, so these problems should be fixed before customers get their hands on them.

But we’ve already seen a potential transmission oil leak risk and a problem with the traction control software, and now an issue with the front suspension. What other issues will come up after customers put hundreds of thousands of miles on the GS in real world conditions?

Looming over all of these issues is the fatal crash of British journalist Kevin Ash at the R1200GS’ press launch. There is no evidence the accident was caused by any of the issues that have come to light, but with every recall announced, BMW will start to face some serious questions.

BMW tells MotorradOnline.de Ash’s test unit was not affected by the telelever problem but that may not be enough to stop the questions.

[Source: Transport Canada, MotorradOnline.de]

By Dennis Chung