BMW Motorrad USA have just recalled their S1000 R & S1000 XR motorcycles after it has been concluded that a software update inadvertently caused a deactivation of a safety feature.
In July 2022 a crash and injury sustained whilst riding an XR resulted from an inexplicable loss of handling control. This occurred in France, but then another occurred in Turkey later in September with a similar reported cause.
BMW had already began the investigation into the root cause but another crash in Belgium in December solidified there was a problem.
Their investigation determined that a previous software update had deactivated the anti wheelie function which the rider would not have been aware of, thus causing the motorcycle to react in an unexpected manner thus causing loss of control and led to the crashes.
The motorcycles affected are the R which was manufactured between 26th Feb 2021 & 18th Nov 2022. The XR which was manufactured between 2nd March 2020 & 25th Nov 2022.
Dealerships have already been informed of the situation and owners should be notified by the 28th March to contact their dealers to have the software update to rectify the previous software glitch.
Just over 750 motorcycles have been affected however this figure could be more when considering global sales too. So far the recall is only for the USA, however a quick glance at the UK recall data shows no indication for here. However if in doubt, regardless of your country, contact your local dealership to see if they are aware of this and should your motorcycle be required to have the update. If anything else it is worth getting the bike checked over.
