AI Damage2005 BMW R 1200 ST: common problems
Owners of the 2005 BMW R 1200 ST filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and fuel system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 33% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel system 33% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 33% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 17% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 2 complaints (33% of all).
- Fuel system: 2 complaints (33% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (33% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 6 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Throttle cable bell cranks crack due to poor quality plastic material. This causes motorcycle to suddenly lose power as hand throttle no longer works, and engine returns to idle speed. This can lead to a serious safety hazard if this occurs on high speed roadways, freeway etc.
Fuel leaks from the front left side of the motorcycle dripping onto the cylinder head and exhaust pipe. The source of the leak is the quick disconnect fitting at the fuel pump.
1) smelled fuel while riding, saw fuel leaking onto hot motor, stopped immediately. 2) a plastic quick-disconnect coupler had cracked allowing fuel at high pressure to spray onto hot motorcycle engine. Air cooled motor, extreme fire risk. 3) bmw part # is [phone], made by colder products company.
Thus upon noticing this condition I proceeded to replace the plastic with steel parts where as when the male to female threaded plug was changed the plastic fuel pump housing cracked and rendered the motorcycle inoperable until a replacement fuel pump can be shipped from germany.this transfers the fuel under pressure…
Interference fit wheel adapter on final drive axle tube lost it's proper fit causing the rear wheel to develop a wobble greater than 1 mm (3 mm) at 15,750 miles and 18 months of use. Wheel created a handling problem. A new splined adapter was interference fit to the existing axle tube spline on the final drive.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 13,281 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 36% most complained about).
On average one model year of the R 1200 ST has 4 complaints (2 years in the data). This year has 6, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 BMW R 1200 ST?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, fuel system, powertrain. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (50%), smoke, burning smell, fire (17%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 BMW R 1200 ST?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2005 BMW R 1200 ST from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2005 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.