2001 BMW F650GS
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › BMW › F650GS › 2001
These records cover every 2001 BMW F650GS. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 2001 BMW F650GS. Newest first.
Vehicle description: motorcycles. the fuel tank IS equipped with a carbon canister which helps control evaporative emissions from the fuel system. this canister IS mounted to a metal insert that IS integrated into the tank. during the production process, the thickness of the fuel tank material in the area of the insert may be less than intended. as a…
Risk and remedy
Risk
The fuel tank could leak during refueling, possibly resulting in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel tank.
Owner complaints
14 complaints3 involved a crash2 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Structure · Suspension › Front
2001 BMW f650gs front fork failure - while riding on smooth asphalt my motorcycle suffered a catastrophic fork failure during deceleration - braking causing the axle to separate from the fork and causing a one vehicle collision riding it into the esplanade - where the axle retainer bolt secures the…
2001 BMW f650gs front fork failure - while riding on smooth asphalt my motorcycle suffered a catastrophic fork failure during deceleration - braking causing the axle to separate from the fork and causing a one vehicle collision riding it into the esplanade - where the axle retainer bolt secures the axle. repairs completed - replace both upper fork tubes / right side lower and rebuild cost $800 cdn old lower - failure IS available. *Tr
- Structure › Frame and members · Suspension › Front
I was involved in a low speed <=45 mph motorcycle crash with a medium sized dog (approx 50 lbs) back in the fall of 2005. I was riding a 2001 BMW F650 when the dog ran out in front of me and I couldn't avoid hitting it. I approximate the speed of impact around 45 mph. I subsequently lost control…
I was involved in a low speed <=45 mph motorcycle crash with a medium sized dog (approx 50 lbs) back in the fall of 2005. I was riding a 2001 BMW F650 when the dog ran out in front of me and I couldn't avoid hitting it. I approximate the speed of impact around 45 mph. I subsequently lost control of the bike and slide along the pavement for approx 300 ft. the damage to the bike consisted of a broken front fork and bent front wheel rim. I had the bike repaired and insurance covered most of the damages to the bike. I did suffer a knee injury in the crash. *Tr
- Suspension › Front
-Motorcycle -BMW 2001 f650gs -sunny day -straight, rural city street -35mph -crossed railroad tracks -60FT later felt braking from front tire, then bike slid over to left, me to right -personal injury: broken collar bone, bruises, medium road rash, 10 hours at hospital -front fork axle…
-Motorcycle -BMW 2001 f650gs -sunny day -straight, rural city street -35mph -crossed railroad tracks -60FT later felt braking from front tire, then bike slid over to left, me to right -personal injury: broken collar bone, bruises, medium road rash, 10 hours at hospital -front fork axle flange was broken, intact, from main cylindrical shock house, as if someone cut the flange out of the cylindrical shock. -new front shock was purchased, and new shock has design change that includes a stress relieving gusset. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
My wife's motorcycle, a BMW f650gs seemed to be smelling of gasoline while running it. The leak was not evident in drips or a puddle so I began to investigate the bike while consequently doing other maintenance. I found a puddle of fuel under the seat, on top of the fuel sending unit area. Upon…
My wife's motorcycle, a BMW f650gs seemed to be smelling of gasoline while running it. The leak was not evident in drips or a puddle so I began to investigate the bike while consequently doing other maintenance. I found a puddle of fuel under the seat, on top of the fuel sending unit area. Upon closer investigation I found a pin hole sized leak in the fuel tank itself, from which fuel was spraying in a stream. Investigating closer I found that there are minute cracks on the top of the same area, and fuel was coming up through them. *tr
- Fuel system, other
I bought a BMW motorcycle about 3 1/2 years ago. it has been nothing but trouble. it was recalled for faulty rear brake, several fuel injection software upgrages due to horrible stalling problems, and on the message board devoted to the BMW 650 GS, I hear of a number of additional failings. mine…
I bought a BMW motorcycle about 3 1/2 years ago. it has been nothing but trouble. it was recalled for faulty rear brake, several fuel injection software upgrages due to horrible stalling problems, and on the message board devoted to the BMW 650 GS, I hear of a number of additional failings. mine stalled since new, I've been through their softwar upgrades that sometimes made things better and sometimes not. now it stalls very badly again, but IS out of warranty so I would be forced to pay bmw's outrageious shop rates to have the problem diagnosed and fixed. by the way, even when BMW was coming out with several software upgrades, they contintually denied the problem. my bike stalls so badly that I am afraid to ride it for fear it will stall at a time when my safety will be put in jeopardy. so, at 3 1/2 years old, it has only 4,000 miles on it. the worst thing I have heard of late IS that there IS a problem with the '01 models (which I have) leaking gas! what's next?! all the bikes should be recalled to both fix the dangerous gas leaks and the dangerous stalling problem. the way most owners are dealing with the stalling IS to disconnect emission control devices, which greatly improves driveability, but of coures then it produces a lot more, probably violating all the pollution standards. I have refused to do that, so I am still stuck with a virtually undrivable motorcycle because I will not disconnect the 02 sensor or the charcoal cannister just to make it run. yet these are about the only types of fixes that seem to work. please investigate and do something about this. you can find many complaints about bmw's defects, and their lack of responsiveness in dealing with them by visiting a message board at f650.com. these bikes are a hazard to both the environment and to the safety of their riders.*mr
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
While coming to a complete stop the vehicle stalled intermittently. once the vehicle was restarted it would perform properly. the dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem. *nm when the vehicle stalled a strong smell of gas was present. *sc *jb
- Electrical system
Year 2001 BMW f650gs motorcycle. for no identifiable reason, the engine idle drops to zero and the engine stalls. if you know to turn the ignition switch off then on again, the idle will be restored when the motorcycle IS started.
- Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices
Mirror on 2001 BMW F650 GS motorcycle folds back. started on hot day. now folds back at 20 mph. *ph
- Vehicle speed control
BMW f650gsa surges and stalls. You can never tell when it's going to do either. One time I was in the redwood forest out by bogeda bay california and before I knew it I was a surging so hard I thougth I was going to be bucked off. The dealer IS aware of this problem and says there's nothing wrong.…
BMW f650gsa surges and stalls. You can never tell when it's going to do either. One time I was in the redwood forest out by bogeda bay california and before I knew it I was a surging so hard I thougth I was going to be bucked off. The dealer IS aware of this problem and says there's nothing wrong. If you keep after them they will say to ride the motorcycle in very high rpm's. I don't think they know what it feels like or sounds like when I'm doing 25mph at 6000 rpms which IS just below the redline limit.*ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Motorcycle stalls at stops and this has presented several dangerous moments. mr
- Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
The two rearview mirrors continually moved and turned inward rendering them useless after reaching highway speeds. Appears to be a common problem with no indication of manufacturer correction. I have been told to return for a new pair if the problem re-occurs at my own loss of time and…
The two rearview mirrors continually moved and turned inward rendering them useless after reaching highway speeds. Appears to be a common problem with no indication of manufacturer correction. I have been told to return for a new pair if the problem re-occurs at my own loss of time and in-convenience. Condition presented a dangerous situation one day while riding in heavy wind and I had to constantly watch over my shoulder where traffic was during this difficult condition.*ak
- Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices
Both mirrors move at ball joint at highway speeds. The hotter the weather the more they move. This brings for dangerous riding when travelling with other cars because the mirrors move out of adjustment fast and you have to constantlly reajust them. I have had them replace under warranty and the…
Both mirrors move at ball joint at highway speeds. The hotter the weather the more they move. This brings for dangerous riding when travelling with other cars because the mirrors move out of adjustment fast and you have to constantlly reajust them. I have had them replace under warranty and the replacement mirrors have the same problem. I have heard from numerouse other bikers with the same model bike that have had the same complaint.*ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Motorcycle stalls out when at intersections or when motor comes to an idle. When riding it backfires allot when accelerating or slowing down. Front rim buckeled where the rim IS welded together front the welding process .heating and cooling of the rim caused this
- Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Intermittently motorcyccle will stall out and die when accelerating or decelerating. But, problem has reoccurred. *ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Motorcycle front wheel separation
This pe was opened after nhtsa received 3 voqs concerning alleged front axle separations on certain BMW F650 GS model motorcycles sold for use in the united states (the subject vehicles).complaints involving motorcycles in non-us markets are not counted in this total.after gathering additional information about this…
This pe was opened after nhtsa received 3 voqs concerning alleged front axle separations on certain BMW F650 GS model motorcycles sold for use in the united states (the subject vehicles).complaints involving motorcycles in non-us markets are not counted in this total.after gathering additional information about this subject, we are now aware of four confirmed incidents involving model year 2001-2003 subject vehicles.all four bikes were built before september, 2002.of these, two involve my 2001 bikes and the other two, my's 2002 and 2003, respectively.the incidents occurred in 2002, 2003, and two in 2008.in each instance, the lug fractures are forced fractures rather than fatigue-related.between october 1999 and september, 2002, BMW built approximately 4,300 subject vehicles.after september 12, 2002, all f650gs's were built with reinforced lower fork tubes to reduce, according to bmw,the possibility of any significant fracture that could occur at the fork leg axle lug areaduring a crash.bmw took this action because the subject vehicles are designed for off-road use where crashes (many minor) are common and did not want riders to have to deal with a broken fork as a result.currently, there IS no data conclusively establishing that the subject fork lugs are separating before an alleged crash occurs.additionally, the infrequent, sporadic, and random nature of the failures fails to establish a defect trend currently exists.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10211897The motorcycle will not start. The vehicle battery is empty even though the battery charger was permanently connected to the 12V power socket.
- 10205109Stress corrosion cracks may occur on the studs of certain milled footrests from the BMW Motorrad special accessories catalog for the GS models.
- 10201169Vehicle battery not charged despite the battery charger being connected to the on-board socket (manufactured before 2009)Headlights and rear lights light up intermittently despite the ignition being switched off and the battery charger being connected to the on-board socket.
- 10200262The wiring harness of the F 650 GS and F 650 GS Dakar (R13) models is routed along the right-hand top rail of the frame. Weld spatter on the frame and/or adverse routing in the vicinity of the banjo bolt of the hydraulic spring base adjuster can result in the chafing of the wiring harness.
- 10200257The clutch plates do not tolerate frequent and prolonged operation at the clutch friction zone, causing a shorter service life in motorcycles that see intensive use
- 10193504Leaks have been reported in fork legs. The cause is reported be from oil lubricating film with accompanying dirt/grease ring is incorrectly interpreted to be a leaking fork leg. Investigations have shown that the part is not defective.
- 10037025BMW: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty.
- 10033130BMW vehicles: fuel level sensor repairs. Where it IS necessary to replace the right or the left side fuel level sensor due to a failure, the entire pump and housing or delivery unit (suction jet assembly) do not need to be replaced as well. In some cases, epc does not show that the repair kit IS available separately in the illustration, but it IS available in the parts description. All models. No model years listed.
- 10030825BMW motorcycle: engine fuels containing ethanol. BMW motorrad has no objection to the use of si engine fuels containing up to a maximum of 10% ethanol and imposes no warranty restrictions. Ethanol mixtures in proportions higher than 10% can have an adverse effect on performance and can result in damage to components that come into contract with fuel. No warranty claims whatsoever for damage caused in this way will be accepted. No model years listed.
- 10029624BMW motorcycle: the coolant inlet hose IS not compliant with the applicable BMW specifications. Engine operation can cause the inlet hose to widen and become correspondingly shorter; overtime this contraction in length can cause the hose to work back off the water pump nozzle for enough to allow coolant to escape. No model years listed.
- 10029188BMW mc: wiring harness of motorcycles IS routed along right hand top rail of frame. Weld spatter on frame and/or adverse routing in vicinity of banjo bolt of hydraulic spring base adjuster can result in chafing of the wiring harness. Model years unknown.
- 10028386BMW vehicles: routing ABS front wheel speed sensor cable. The wiring harness front wheel speed sensor periphery plug connection IS mounted on the fork cover at the bottom.
- 10026845BMW motorcycle: replacement of fuel-pressure sensor. Check of position of protective film (F-800 GS only).
Every BMW F650GS model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.