In a dramatic move, BMW Motorrad has issued a temporary sales ban on all of its petrol-powered bikes in North America. This applies not only to new bikes, but also to used ones at dealers.

Effectively, it leaves BMW as an electric-only brand in the USA and Canada for the time being, with only the CE 04 scooter on sale, though the smaller CE 02 is on the way.

The problem is a component in the fuel vapour retention system that, “may not have been manufactured according to the material specifications.” BMW gives no more details than that, but it’s likely to be an emissions compliance issue for the North American markets.

The company has emphasised that the sales stop is voluntary, temporary and not safety-related, so customers can continue riding bikes that have recently been delivered – but those waiting for delivery will have to wait a while longer yet.

The surprise is just how wide the ban goes, extending to all model years, and there’s no indication yet as to how long the ban will be in place or whether a fix is imminent or still being worked on.

Jim Freeman, Chairman of the BMF, said, “Odd situation for BMW to find themselves in. That it’s apparently ‘voluntary, temporary and not safety related’ is even more peculiar, in fact it doesn’t stop sales at all, really. If it’s related to evap systems, how big a problem can it be? I assume that there’ll be a recall, but the report doesn’t actually say that, from what I can see. I wonder how many electrics they’re selling in the US? Lots of questions, not many answers, so far. ”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of BMW Motorrad