NHTSA Complaint #10499667 — 2005 BMW R1200 RT

I WAS RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE IN A 50MPH RESIDENTIAL ZONE IN FAIRLY HEAVY EVENING TRAFFIC WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO SEVERELY MISFIRE AND STUMBLE / SPUTTER. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE BECAUSE THE ENGINE THEN DIED AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE WITHOUT TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE BEHIND CAME VERY CLOSE TO ME SINCE THE BIKE SO RAPIDLY SLOWED WITHOUT MY BRAKELIGHT ON TO INDICATE A SLOW DOWN. THE BIKE WOULD NOT RESTART AND I HAD A FRIEND TRAILER IT TO MY HOUSE, SINCE THIS WAS AT NIGHT AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. UPON INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THE GAS TANK WAS BONE DRY, WHICH CAME AS A HUGE SURPRISE SINCE THE GAS GAUGE SHOWED A 1/4 TANK REMAINING AND OVER 100 MILES TO GO BEFORE EMPTY. I PUT A GALLON OF GAS IN IT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN THE MORNING AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE FUEL SENSOR FILM STRIP TO THE TUNE OF $265.68, WHICH MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED EXCEPT FOR THE $50 DEDUCTIBLE. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AS THE OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN RADICALLY DIFFERENT. *TR