2016 Bmw R1200 Gs problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (5) · Service Brakes (2) · Engine (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw R1200 Gs model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Equipment 2018-03-21 · campaign 18E016000 · 1,571 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain Accessory Windscreens, sold for installation on various motorcycles. Specifically being recalled is Windscreen model number 8531917, sold for use on model year 2012-2018 F700GS motorcycles, Windscreen model number 8544629, sold for use on model year 2015-2018 R1200R motorcycles, Windscreen model number 8546224, sold for use on model year 2014-2018 S1000R motorcycles, Windscreen model number 8551929, sold for use on model year 2015-2018 S1000X
Risk: The darker windscreen can inhibit the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windscreen, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 10, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Exterior Lighting:turn Signal 2017-08-21 · campaign 17E052000 · 9,000 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain accessory turn signals manufactured for 2006-2017 R1200GS, 2007-2008 and 2010-2017 R1200GS Adventure, 2017 F700GS and F800GS, 2013-2017 F800GT, 2015-2016 F800R, 2014-2017 F800GS Adventure, 2014-2016 S1000R, 2015-2017 R1200R, 2016-2017 R1200RS, and 2010-2017 S1000RR motorcycles. As designed, these accessory turn signals may be insufficiently visible to other drivers, and, as such, fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle S
Risk: If other drivers cannot easily see the turn signals, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the turn signals, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Equipment 2017-07-28 · campaign 17V481000 · 47,775 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2017 F800R and F800GT motorcycles, 2014-2018 R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure motorcycles, 2016-2017 S1000XR motorcycles and 2015-2017 R1200R and R1200RS, 2008-2012 F650GS, 2008-2018 F800GS, and 2014-2017 F800GS Adventure motorcycles. When equipped with the optional aluminum luggage cases, the rear reflex reflectors may be partially blocked. The aluminum case mounts for the R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure may also partially block the reflect
Risk: If the rear reflex reflectors are obscured from view, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will install reflectors on the cases or for the case mounts, an additional bracket with rear reflex reflectors, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Suspension:front 2017-07-10 · campaign 17V438000 · 14,626 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2017 BMW R1200GS and BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycles. The motorcycle fixed fork tube may separate from the pressed in seal plug that secures the tube to the upper triple clamp.
Risk: If the fork tube detaches from the sealing plug, the handling and stability of the motorcycle will be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will add an additional fixed fork tube bush. A fork that is sufficiently damaged will be replaced with a modified new part. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Service bulletins (48)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train 2024-08-31 · MC330423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
driveshaft maintenance schedule change
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Power Train 2023-12-13 · MC330423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
since october 2023, a new maintenance schedule is valid for all k5x models. for the first time, maintenance positions for the cardan shaft (driveshaft) are included. notice: 1. the new maintenance schedule is not limited to vehicles affected by the si 33 02 22 (service action: swingarm drain ret
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2023-04-24 · SIB330222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
multiple factors may cause the driveshaft to become damaged; among them are corrosion in certain parts ofthe driveshaft, and wear and tear exacerbated by certain climatic conditions.
Service Brakes 2022-11-08 · MC000222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
bmw motorrad is aware of a number of cases in which the screw connections of the paralever link and/or the rear brake caliper have loosened in customer vehicles while driving.
Structure 2021-11-03 · MC460521 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
stress corrosion cracks may occur on the studs of certain milled footrests from the bmw motorrad special accessories catalog for the gs models.
Showing the 6 most recent of 48 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-05-31 · Service Brakes“rear brake on motorcycle does not stop the motorcycle. after three bmw dealer visits and rear brakes having been bled, the rear brake pedal becomes soft and does not stop the motorcycle. the same problem occurred each time within 2-3 months of the repair. the only way to stop the motorcycle is to use the front brake. the bmw service department …”
2019-08-21 · Service Brakes · 12,000 mi“the rear brake becomes ineffective. dealer says that air invades the rear brake system. bleeding the old brake fluid and replacing it with new brake fluid solves the problem for a few months. then it happens again and the bleeding must be done again. front brake continues to be effective at all times.…”
2018-05-07 · Power Train · 490 mi“while riding the motorcycle at highway speeds, the engine goes into a faulted state spontaneously with no warning prior, the ecu is faulting and putting the engine into "limp mode" which is almost equivalent of completely killing the engine the way it is currently done, and you are left to navigate off the highway in a severely debilitated state o…”
2018-02-01 · Suspension · 600 mi“i was never notified about an important safety recall. no notification via mail, email, phone call, etc. i was only alerted to this recall when i brought my bmw motorcycle back to the bmw dealer for non-related warranty work. the dealer was very surprised i had not had the front fork recall done, and my reply was that i was never notified. this i…”
2017-06-23 · Suspension · 11,500 mi“on may 13, 2017, while riding my 2016 bmw r1200gs with 11500 miles, one of my riding partners noticed oil leaking from the suspension fork tubes. after peeling the rubber boots that cover the stanchions, we noticed that both stanchions on the bike had separated. i wouldn't have known about it, except one of the persons with whom i was riding, had t…”
2017-05-19 · Suspension · 5,500 mi · 💥 crash“i was traveling in on a straight portion of pacific coast highway in huntington beach. there was no traffic around and no debris in the road. i was traveling approximately 40 mph when the handlebar on my motorcycle violently jerked to the left for a split second and corrected itself. this was not normal and very dangerous. i looked at the handl…”
2017-05-15 · Suspension · 4,300 mi“potential critical failure in upper fork tube stanchions.…”
2017-05-06 · Suspension · 11,000 mi“the left stanchion has come loose from the crimped connection at the top of the upper tube. i have seen many other problems with this design on other bikes on the social media forum i track. gs giants on facebook, and also on advrider.com. i took it to the bmw shop today in tulsa ok. i had to show them exactly how it was loose. i have not been in a…”
2016-12-29 · Engine · 7,275 mi“engine warning light and loss of engine power on 6 incidences. 2 incidents - in motion on i-81 highway 1 incident ' stationary on i-81 highway 1 incident - in motion tn-68 highway 1 incident ' stationary tn-68 highway 1 incident ' in motion va-55 …”
2016-08-29 · Engine · 700 mi“cruise control engaged at 75 mph u.s. 59n. the engine behaves as if it shuts off. i engage the clutch and coast to the shoulder of the road. i was surprised that the engine was still running, with a surging idle from 1000-2000 rpms. the instrument panel had two warnings illuminated, yellow "warning" triangle and an engine symbol which bmw d…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.