The 1995 BMW R1100rsl has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,275 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING97V1730001997-10-081,275 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES. THE OWNER'S MANUAL WARNS THE RIDER NOT TO LEAVE THE ENGINE RUNNING UNNECESSARILY WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE IS STATIONARY AND TO RIDE OFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING.
Consequence
IF THIS WARNING IS IGNORED AND THE ENGINE IS LEFT RUNNING AT AN INCREASED SPEED ABOVE IDLE WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS AT A STANDSTILL WITH THE AIR STREAM REQUIRED FOR COOLING MISSING, THE EXHAUST SYSTEM TEMPERATURE WILL RISE CONSIDERABLE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy
OWNERS WILL BE SENT A WARNING LABEL FOR THEIR MOTORCYCLE AND AN OWNER'S MANUAL INSERT.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
WHEELS
1
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
1
Total complaints4
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Failure of the large bearing in the final drive assembly. The seal did not leak prior to failure. *tr”
“A number of similar complaints by other bmw riders who have experienced the same problem over the internet site([REDACTED])has promped this complaint.thank you for investigating this issue. No safety defect listed in summary. *ak”
“The tires were always inflated at the pressures recommended by the manufacturers. The front wheel would bend because of its three spoke design and the soft allow used. Replacement was originally $600 plus labor and later, the price was dropped to $400 plust labor. The company refused to…”
“Manual transmission exhibits unsafe shifting characteristics: dificult to shift from 1st to 2nd gear without getting hung-up in neutral, sometimes drops from higher to lower gear unexpectedly. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1995 BMW R1100rsl as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.