BMW Motorrad issues stop-sale order for all new and some used motorcycles

BMW Motorrad, the German carmaker’s motorcycle-building sister company, has issued a stop-sale order that applies to all new internal-combustion and some used models in North America. While details are vague, the brand allegedly found a problem with the evaporative system in its engines.

“Following a recent quality analysis, BMW is pursuing measures to further evaluate the material used in a component of its motorcycle evaporative system, which may not have been produced to specifications,” BMW wrote in a statement obtained by BMW Owners News.

The company describes the stop-sale order as “temporary and voluntary” and adds that it applies to all new and pre-owned models currently sitting in a dealer’s inventory. BMW stresses that the problem does not affect safety and that owners can continue to ride their motorcycle. We’ll need to be patient to find out precisely what the problem is, when and how it will be fixed, and which models are affected by it.

For context, the evaporative system referred to in the statement traps fuel vapors and channels them back into the engine so that they can be burned. In simple terms, it normally consists of a small charcoal canister connected to the fuel tank and the engine via a series of lines. This system isn’t specific to motorcycles: all new cars sold in the United States since the early 1970s feature a similar setup. In newer cars, the evaporative system (often abbreviated EVAP) is linked to the on-board diagnostic system and can trigger a check-engine light.

We’ll provide more details on this developing story as they become available. Nothing suggests BMW’s cars are affected by this problem.

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