BMW of North America is recalling certain 2021 through 2024 R 18 motorcycles that were fitted with the optional reverse gear from the factory. Seals on the reverse gear units could potentially deteriorate over time, which could in turn allow moisture inside the unit. This moisture could corrode electrical contacts, increasing the risk of overheating and fire.
If you're an R 18 owner and you're thinking that this sounds familiar, that's because there was a related recall in 2024. That recall also noted the potential for an overheating issue with the optional reverse gear, and attempted to fix it by installing a protective relay. However, as you'll read in the report for this most recent recall, that fix was apparently not sufficient to completely prevent the issue it attempted to address. So if you have an R 18 that was already serviced for the 2024 recall, you'll still need to have this recall service performed as well.
