2002 BMW K1200LT problems & reliability
37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 BMW K1200LT. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 23 | 62% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 3% |
| Steering | 1 | 3% |
| Structure | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 35 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 28,300 miles (middle 50% between 13,905 and 57,505 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I started my bike up at 8:00 am on a warm morning in my garage as I always do, and backed it out while it was idling perfectly. Suddenly smoke began to rise up from the left fairing vent. I shut the engine down and jumped off the bike to determine the source of the smoke. To my surprise, the engine bay was engulfed in…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Nov 4, 2018
“Riding on relatively straight, two lane state road in rural georgia ( without having any previous issues). Riding approximately 45-50 miles per hour. Bike suddenly began making a clanking noise from the rear wheel. Rode approximately 20 mph for approximately one-tenth mile to store parking lot. Shut down bike and…”
Power Train · filed Jul 25, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw k1200lt. While driving approximately 65 mph, the brakes failed without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with brake failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 220,197. The…”
Service Brakes · filed Jun 11, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- M/C final drive ball bearing failure
Defect Petition DP12001 · opened Jan 20, 2012 · closed Jun 20, 2013
Technical service bulletins
6 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 BMW K1200LT.
With the introduction of the new watertight fuse box a change was made from large type fuses to mini fuses. While the correct fuses are installed in the fuse box, the older, large type fuses were supplied in the…
MC611104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 24, 2021
Map data should be stored on a 64 GB SD card. In GARMIN Express the note appears that a maximum of 32 GB is possible.
MC62133778 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2015
Bmw: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty. *rm
SIB-63-02-01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2010
Bmw vehicles: fuel level sensor repairs. Where it is necessary to replace the right or the left side fuel level sensor due to a failure, the entire pump and housing or delivery unit (suction jet assembly) do not need to…
SIB-16-02-09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2009
Bmw motorcycle: wheel speed dependent, clearly audible clanking noise occurs when braking to adjust speed. E series (k25; k25/02; k25/03; k25/11; k25/12; k25/hp; k26; k27; k28; k29; k29/hp; k40; k41; k43; k43/hv; k44…
SB-17927831-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 25, 2009
Bmw motorcycle: engine fuels containing ethanol. Bmw motorrad has no objection to the use of si engine fuels containing up to a maximum of 10% ethanol and imposes no warranty restrictions. Ethanol mixtures in…
SB-00-021-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2007
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2002 BMW K1200LT in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 BMW K1200LT?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 28,300 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.