2019 R1250 GS Hayes Brake Caliper Failure

put down $50 on a 2020 GS , dealer cant release it , glad I still have my trusty 88 gs100 to get around on

2021 R1250GSA also has Bad Hayes Front Brake Calipers

Just so you know, all 2021 R1250GS/GSA models coming from Germany also have the leaking front brake calipers from the factory. You would think that BMW would put on better Calipers on their new 40th Anniversary Edition R1250GSA model. But NO, they have a Stop Sale on all bikes coming in from Germany. I have one setting at the dealer for over 3 weeks waiting on BMW to decide how to fix the problem along with with 10,000 other bike owners. Very SAD!

You would think that since they knew about this problem in 2019 and 2020, they would have found the problem by now instead of shipping bikes with defective front calipers.

Dave - The NHTSA website does not show the 2021 GSA models having having the caliper issue. It does shows (https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/BMW/R%25201250%2520GS%2520ADVENTURE#recalls) a problem with a warning label. If BMW has stopped the sale, it's due to some other issue that they've not told the NHTSA about.

Omega Man said:

If I had to guess, they didn’t send out bikes the would purposely fail.
I doubt BMW will ever be able to state why the Hayes were chosen.
The good thing is that there is a three year warranty.
OM

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I know exactly why BMW went with Hayes on the front calipers and have heard it from multiple sources, including my dealer here in N. Texas. They actually asked BMWNA why they went to the Hayes. BMW went with Hayes because they can brand the calipers as "BMW". Brembo has stopped letting BMW do this with their calipers. Also, Hayes calipers are not cheap. They are quite expensive. Hayes is a high end brake supplier, mostly in the bicycle market. They have a much smaller footprint in the motorcycle market. Because of this, I suspect the cost of the Hayes calipers are actually higher than the Brembos. Lower volume=higher unit cost.

I am a lucky one in that the calipers on my 2019 RT have not leaked. Bone dry. I just recently completed my 12k service myself and got to inspect the calipers closely while flushing the brakes. By all appearances, they are high quality pieces. They are the best brakes I have ever had on a bike.

Really, the reason BMW went to Hayes is not the real question. It's how are they going to fix this debacle. I've no idea. To me, this is just another example of a systemic problem with manufacturers not doing enough to ensure high quality with their vendors so crap doesn't get put on the bike or car. Even Toyota is starting to have more recalls because of defective vendor supplied components.

taran1900 said:

I know exactly why BMW went with Hayes on the front calipers and have heard it from multiple sources, including my dealer here in N. Texas. They actually asked BMWNA why they went to the Hayes. BMW went with Hayes because they can brand the calipers as "BMW". Brembo has stopped letting BMW do this with their calipers. Also, Hayes calipers are not cheap. They are quite expensive. Hayes is a high end brake supplier, mostly in the bicycle market. They have a much smaller footprint in the motorcycle market. Because of this, I suspect the cost of the Hayes calipers are actually higher than the Brembos. Lower volume=higher unit cost.

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“Pride goeth before the fall.”

I would hazard a guess that the issue of rebranding the Brembo calipers came down to an issue of Brembo wanting—and deserving—a higher price per caliper in return for giving up their own branding. In BMW’s eyes that probably negated any price difference between the two vendors, or tipped the balance in favor of Hayes if BMW considered the rebranding an advertising expense.

In the end, it’s not only a QC failure but also a failure to read the customer. Hayes may be an old-line manufacturer and have a rep for high quality in many of their markets, but they are little known in the MC market. Brembo-branded brake components are found across the range of sporting or higher-end European machines like Ducati, Aprillia, etc. If you ask sporting riders, young or old, who makes top-notch braking components you’ll hear Brembo, Tokico, EBC, etc.—but not Hayes. And now, not BMW...


Best,
DeVen

Just saw this posted on the MOA Facebook group...

Looks like it's Official.
My dealer told me today that they received a bulletin from BMW Motorrad stating that they were replacing the front Hayes Brakes on Certain BMW models GS/GSA's/RT etc with Brembo's.
They additionally told me that they are ready to make a first shipment of the new brakes which will more that likely go to Dealers who have customers waiting on getting their bikes repaired with the remaining new bikes still at the port being taken care of in February.
I'm waiting on a 2021 as are many others so hopefully we will see the bikes delivered early in the new year.

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwmoa/permalink/10159005526989379/

So, y'all with bad Hayes calipers are getting Brembos instead. To the gent that bought & paid for a set, time to get a refund...

While we are speculating we should be aware that Brembo has owned much (if not all) of Hayes Lemmerz since 2007. Arguing about the name on the caliper might be akin to arguing Ford vs Mercury. Same corporation, different plant.

lkraus said:

While we are speculating we should be aware that Brembo has owned much (if not all) of Hayes Lemmerz since 2007. Arguing about the name on the caliper might be akin to arguing Ford vs Mercury. Same corporation, different plant.

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I've been scratching my head in re: why BMW wants to put its moniker on the brakes in the first place. They do not make brakes; they buy them from a vendor. Marketing 101 says poll the dealers and customers and use whatever caliper brand they believe is the best and charge accordingly. In a tort action, it never hurts to be able to tell a jury, "We spec'd and used the finest brake caliper in the industry, bar none."

1957mpd said:

I've been scratching my head in re: why BMW wants to put its moniker on the brakes in the first place. They do not make brakes; they buy them from a vendor. Marketing 101 says poll the dealers and customers and use whatever caliper brand they believe is the best and charge accordingly. "

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Maybe for the same reason they put “BMW” on engines made by Rotax, Kymco, TVS, and Loncin,
So they can charge accordingly?