US recall programme for leaking front calipers

richtel

richtel

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There’s news in the US motorcycling press about R1250GS and RT being recalled due to an issue with the front calipers leaking fluid. The remedy, it seems, is replacing the calipers with a different design.

Nothing seen yet as to whether BMW UK will be doing the same, but I wonder if BMW will acknowledge that abandoning Brembo for a relatively unknown manufacturer was not such a smart move.

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2020/08/24/bmw-recalls-r-1250-gs-r-1250-rt-s-1000-rr-and-s-1000-xr-leaking-front-caliper/
 
richtel said:
There’s news in the US motorcycling press about R1250GS and RT being recalled due to an issue with the front calipers leaking fluid. The remedy, it seems, is replacing the calipers with a different design.

Nothing seen yet as to whether BMW UK will be doing the same, but I wonder if BMW will acknowledge that abandoning Brembo for a relatively unknown manufacturer was not such a smart move.

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2020/08/24/bmw-recalls-r-1250-gs-r-1250-rt-s-1000-rr-and-s-1000-xr-leaking-front-caliper/
Click to expand...

Relatively unknown to whom? Harley riders will be well acquainted with them, as will some cyclists. Or heavy plant mechanics for tractors or combines perhaps.

The general feeling seems to be that Hayes have appeared out of nowhere but in reality they've been around for a fair while and are well established manufacturers of brakes, just that most motorcyclists hadn't heard of them. Many have had no problems and actually prefer the feel of them to the Brembos on previous models, so I wouldn't exactly say that they're trash or that it wasn't a smart move to use them. A batch with an issue were identified and are now being fixed, it happens with many suppliers, including Brembo.
 
richtel said:
There’s news in the US motorcycling press about R1250GS and RT being recalled due to an issue with the front calipers leaking fluid. The remedy, it seems, is replacing the calipers with a different design.

Nothing seen yet as to whether BMW UK will be doing the same, but I wonder if BMW will acknowledge that abandoning Brembo for a relatively unknown manufacturer was not such a smart move.

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2020/08/24/bmw-recalls-r-1250-gs-r-1250-rt-s-1000-rr-and-s-1000-xr-leaking-front-caliper/
Click to expand...

Go and have a read on the Ford Pinto incident & Firestone truck tyres / Ford, that will give you an idea why recalls happen so frequently in the US

With regard to the latter part of your post ??
 
Nothing showing on RAPEX as yet (the EUs so called Safety Gate - Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products)
 
This is just our US friends get their bikes checked, because they can't spot a leak. Not all callipers are being replaced and on a Facebook page I frequent (RT), there is a BMW tech, who has replaced seals in leaking callipers with a service kit, it is something to do with the seating of the seal when manufactured, the new part numbers apparently just indicate they have the replaced service pack already installed.
 
Had mine changed during lockdown as they had a leak , could have changed back to the Brembo but the Hayes are better for me as they do not fade with constant use . I did once feel the Hayes were not as good , but once used on a Spain trip I was proved wrong as they never failed , over heated or lost feel or lever travel . A good move from BMW to move away from the norm and try someone different.
 
I'm with you stick...Hayes is better than Brembo that always had too much free play on the lever and felt too soft even after complaining and bleeding the brakes a few times...As for the recall I hear all they change is the rubber gasket on the piston in the caliper on a few units...No big deal ! I had 2 early build units (1250GSA/1250GS) and nothing leaked !
 
Look the Hayes could be even better as in grabbing harder but BMW probably uses a brake pad compound that is not too grabby for the few people who take the GS off-road but compared to the Brembos the Hayes are golden ! Like I said too much free-play and spongy feel even after multiple bleeding...On the GS Hayes calipers work better than Brembo.I don't know if they stop shorter but feel,hardness and lever travel is better and probably the reason why BMW switched.Why a few leaked I don't know...but no big deal as the only change the rubber ring on the brake piston on a few units...I hear it is molded now while before it was cut ?
 
Interesting to hear the range of thoughts regarding the Hayes, thanks- mostly summarised as rather than a cost-cutting exercise, there might be real performance benefits in doing so.

Rather than the leaks being motivation for reverting back to Brembo, perhaps the proof of the proverbial will be to see how many other bikes in the range BMW decides to switch to Hayes. I think the new S1000XR and 1250RT might have Hayes now, but the smaller XR and GS range still seem to have Brembos- which may be nothing more than Hayes not yet having the spread of disc sizes for non-radial calipers.
 
An interesting thread. Some fake news, however:

I read the recall notice on the link. It stated 'Due to the leak, the Bavarian motorcycles fail to comply..."

Last time I looked (on a trip to Berlin 2018) they were being made in Berlin not Bavaria....

So just the Yanks re-drawing the maps again.
 
Gelandestrasse said:
An interesting thread. Some fake news, however:

I read the recall notice on the link. It stated 'Due to the leak, the Bavarian motorcycles fail to comply..."

Last time I looked (on a trip to Berlin 2018) they were being made in Berlin not Bavaria....

So just the Yanks re-drawing the maps again.
Click to expand...

Hi - just a throwback ......BMW = Bavarian Motor Works (but in German of course. ;-). )
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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