BMW Motorrad has issued a (temporary) sales ban on all its motorbikes with combustion engines throughout North America. This applies not only to new bikes but also to used ones at dealers. Only the electric model CE 04 is currently released for sale in the US and Canada.

BMW emphasized that the sales stop is voluntary, temporary, and not safety-related. Customers can, therefore, continue to ride their motorbikes that have already been delivered; it is just that dealers are no longer handing over vehicles to customers.

Fuel vapor retention system

The issue concerns a fuel vapor retention system component: “Following a recent quality analysis, BMW is pursuing measures to evaluate further the material used in a component of its motorcycle evaporative system, which may not have been produced to material specifications,” the statement says.

However, BMW does not get more specific in the communication. It is suspected that there may be an emissions compliance issue in North America. Nevertheless, the sale-stop order was voluntary and not issued by any regulatory agency.

All model years

The exact circumstances are unknown, but the scope is considerable – it is not only about new vehicles of a particular production period but all model years.

Moreover, there are no indications yet as to the duration of the sales stop, whether it is a measure that can be implemented quickly, or whether the solution still has to be developed. Unconfirmed sources have stated some dealers expect the sale-stop to last a maximum of three weeks.

The only thing that is clear now is that at the moment, BMW Motorrad of North America is a purely electric brand in North America, even if it is involuntary.