Boxerworks.com

About a year ago I brought a Very nice looking Snowflake front wheel on ebay, When I got I looked at it looked
good and put it away. Well I took it out of storeage to mount a new tire on it only to find out that it is a first gen.
wheel, With out re-enforceing. Do I have a milstone??? What canI do????

Bob

There is a perpetual recall on those wheels. But it can be tricky...and depending on where you live and what dealer you work with. I think the most consistent thing I've heard is that the dealer is going to want to see the bike VIN to be sure that VIN a) had a snowflake installed and b) that it hasn't already been recalled for that VIN.

You live up in the NE area...I'd call Rusty at MaxBMW and see what kind of suggestions he has for you.

Kurt in S.A.

Hang on to it. One day some old curmudgeon will pay handsomely for it.

Recalled snowflakes should be exchanged for a good wheel, or put into metal scrap for recycling. Don't hold onto it, resell it, or leave it where it can find its way back into the used parts stream.

I can't just re-sell it, or stick someone else with it. How can I find out the vin number list for the wheel. I have
a 81 R100RS that does not qualify for a replacement.
Bob D

Bob -

There isn't a VIN that goes with the wheel. That's why I said typically one shows up with the bike and they check that VIN. I suspect that BMW might have sold replacement wheels that wouldn't necessarily have gone with any bike, so I don't know how those are dealt with. I would contact a dealer and see what they tell you. You might just have a "work of art". Sites to read:

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/19inchrecall.htm
http://robfrankham.co.uk/bike/dreaded_b ... recall.htm (used to work...maybe not anymore)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4234
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php ... -available

Kurt in S.A.

Bob Distelcamp wrote:I can't just re-sell it, or stick someone else with it.
Bob D

Yes, you can, and there's nothing wrong with doing so. List it as what it is: a recall snowflake. If there's people with a reason to buy it, there's nothing wrong with selling it to them as long as you're clear about what it is.

Bob Distelcamp wrote:I can't just re-sell it, or stick someone else with it. How can I find out the vin number list for the wheel. I have a 81 R100RS that does not qualify for a replacement.

Interesting. I also have a '81RS as well with the recalled front snowflake wheel. I do have the later non-recalled wheel so I'll probably just use that when the time comes.

But that's not the reason I'm posting. I seem to recall somewhere, probably here, that BMW was running out of front snowflake wheels. The implication is that they are out of them so they can't replace them. If what I read is so I can easily imagine that BMW would not tool up and make another batch of snowflake wheels (or re-contract with their vendor). For a motorcycle that is over 30 years old I can easily imagine that BMW reckons that they have more than satisfied any obligation they had after 30 years and having made the owners 'whole'.

The good news is that post-recall front snowflake wheels can usually be had through motorcycle breakers, ebay, BMWMOA want ads, and IBMWR want ads. They won't be cheap, but what BMW airhead parts are (other than tube valve cores)?

Ken

Ken -

I'd like to read that...haven't run across it before. It's been said that this recall is perpetual and there's no "that's good enough" level BMW has to get to. They have to continue to work at getting all of the "legitimate" wheels off the road, for those that people decide to turn in. The issue with the VIN is still there, so not sure what BMW is required to do. If you had a legitimate recall and it matched a VIN bike, I can't imagine what BMW would do if they said there were no more replacements. They are bound to remove the wheel from the road but can't leave the owner hanging...a spoke wheel won't do the job. Interesting pickle!

Kurt in S.A.