I started this thread on the subject over on AdvRider.
In post #1 I quote from the October 2023 BMW official statement.
An excerpt (emphasis added):
"BMW Motorrad has decided to make a change to the maintenance schedule for the R 1200 and R 1250 models in the interest of customer satisfaction. During ongoing field observations, it has been determined that occasional damage may occur to the cardan shaft of the above models, which could affect the function of the drive. In individual cases, propulsion can be lost. These complaints occur to a greater extent in the R 1200 GS and R 1250 GS models as well as government vehicles in the series than in the road models. Against this background, a service campaign was decided on for these models in 2022, as part of which the cardan shaft will be replaced at 60,000 km and, at lower mileages, checked for previous damage to the universal joints using a specially developed test method.
Cardan damage occurs extremely rarely in the road-oriented models of the R 1200 and 1250 families. The more moderate chassis geometry (lower articulation angle of the cardan shaft in the swingarm) as well as the usage profile without any terrain component ensures a significantly lower load level on the component.
Nonetheless, BMW Motorrad has decided to adapt the maintenance schedule for all models in the interest of customer satisfaction over the service life and as a preventative quality measure.
,
The mileage-related replacement of the cardan shaft is free of charge for customers over the entire life of the vehicle, even if the replacement limit has been reached several times and regardless of the vehicle's age. Depending on the country, affected customers with vehicles up to model year 2023 will either be given an insert for the operating instructions during their next visit to the workshop or sent directly with an information letter. From model year 2024, the maintenance plan is already included in the operating instructions; affected customers will no longer be informed separately."
