THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAINT WHICH DUPLICATES VOQ #101404137 MY 1997 BMW F650 MORTORCYCLE SLIPS OUT OF FIRST GEAR. IT DID THIS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. I BOUGHT IT USED FROM A PRIVATE CITIZEN AND TOOK IT TO FRANK'S BMW MOTORCYCLES IN ESSEX JCT VT FOR SERVICE. LESTER PELKEY (OWNER) SAID IT WAS OPERATOR ERROR WHEN IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. HE SAID IT DIDN'T DO IT FOR HIM. I CAN DOWN SHIFT INTO FIRST, LET THE BIKE RUN IN 1ST UP TO A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, STOP, AND SOMETIMES IT SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL, AND SOMETIMES IT WAITS UNTIL I'VE STARTED UP AGAIN TO SLIP OUT (NOT GOOD IN A TURN!), AND SOMETIMES IT STAYS IN FIRST GEAR UNTIL I SHIFT INTO SECOND. IN ALL FAIRNESS, THE BIKE DOESN'T DO THIS FOR MOST PEOPLE. IT SEEMS TO DO IT MORE WHEN WARM, BUT THAT'S NO GUARANTEE. I BELIEVED LESTER PELKEY AS I WAS A NEW RIDER. IN 2004 I BOUGHT A 1999 F650 - BASICALLY THE SAME BIKE). IT DOES NOT SLIP OUT OF GEAR. I'VE SPOKEN TO THE BME REP MARGE CHARNEY, I'VE SPOKEN TO 2ND WIND BMW (WHERE THE BIKE WAS ORIGINALLY BOUGHT BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER) AND OTHERS. NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING. BESIDES HAVING THE BIKE SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE IDLE OR IN A TURN, I CANNOT USE MY FOOT BRAKE AS I HAVE TO HOLD THE SHIFT LEVER DOWN WHEN I TAKE OFF TO ENSURE I DON'T SLIP OUT OF GEAR. THIS IS PARTICULARLY BAD WHEN STOPPED ON A HILL. I HAVE TO DO A DANCE AND HAVE GREAT TIMING TO LET OUT THE CLUTCH, LET OFF THE HAND BRAKE AND ACCELERATE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE TO THOSE I'VE SPOKEN TO ABOUT THIS SITUATIO
1997 BMW Bmw Motorcycle
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train › Manual Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsFINAL DRIVE FAILURE ON 1997 K1100 LT BMW MOTORCYCLE. HAPPENED ON INTERSTATE 295 AT 70 MPH, FINAL DRIVE LET GO WITH NO WARNING. WAS ABLE (BARELY) TO KEEP IN CONTROL, AND GET BIKE TO THE SIDE OF THE VERY BUSY INTERSTATE.
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.