Case History

That Falling Feeling On The R1300 GS

Self-detaching BMW Vario top cases and panniers

Some time in the ’70s, out on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert. Note the bungee cords on the pannier.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were… no, wait. That’s another story, and there were no clocks out on the E50 near Lake Tuz in central Turkey. It was a bright cold day in April, though, and on our XS1100 we were following our friends Cathy and Michel as their BMW R 900 S climbed the gentle slope of an overpass. Then their right-hand pannier fell off and bounced down the slope to come to rest near a surprised farmer hoeing his field.

Cathy and Michel’s bike in Greece with our XS11, before Turkey, notably strapless.

The year was 1979, and just about every BMW owner had straps around his or her BMW-badged and Krauser-made panniers, because Cathy and Michel’s problem was far from theirs alone. Look at any photo from that time and you’ll see for yourself.

Scroll forward to 2024, and it’s déjà vu; straps have made a return to BMW panniers (or “Vario cases”) because they’re falling off brand-new R1300 GSs. This time, though, the cases are not made by Krauser; it’s Touratech in Niedereschach that has the honours. It has not been announced whether Touratech also designed the failing locks, or whether BMW did that. What is certain is that the locking system is not reliable. But unlike the 1970s, when the factory did its best to ignore the many cases of tumbling cases, the relatively few occurrences this time were dealt with quickly.

You can’t say BMW’s luggage set doesn’t look terrific. And it’s electric!

Well, they were supposed to be dealt with quickly. The problems – originally restricted to top cases opening or falling off completely – were supposed to have been fixed back in May, with repair kits and correspondingly improved versions of the cases. This month, however, has the side cases in the gun. Production and delivery were stopped on June 17, and BMW Motorrad released customer information headed “Recall action safety-relevant” on that date.

“As part of the market observation, BMW Motorrad has determined that there may be problems with the locking of the Vario panniers (Original BMW Motorrad Accessories). With all Vario cases, even if they are already equipped with optimised locking hooks and hinges, it is still possible that neither of the two locking hooks engages and the case lid is therefore not securely locked. If this false lock is not noticed, the case lid can open while driving. As a result, objects can fall out and tear off the trunk lid, which can endanger the following traffic. For this reason, all Vario cases with the above part numbers have been blocked again and may no longer be delivered or sold.”

But wait. There’s more – this time it’s back to the straps officially.

“An improved construction status of the Vario panniers is not expected to be available until 2025. In the meantime, the continued use of the cases on the vehicle is only permitted with the securing measure described below (tension belts) after applying a set of stickers to each case.”

You can’t say that the factory doesn’t take the problem seriously. Here’s how to apply a strap!

The original failure affected the Vario top case. On April 10, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority said: “The key can be removed even though the locking flap of the top case has not been closed properly. In this case, the top case is not securely attached to the vehicle and can fall into the traffic area.” A single top case had been affected without damage or accident.

In the US, the NHTSA published a recall for the Vario top case as early as the end of February. It followed this up at the end of March, when it published a safety-relevant recall, specifically related to the Vario panniers for the R1300 GS. It classified as safety-relevant “that the suitcases can open during the journey and both the contents and the lids of the suitcases can fall onto the road, endangering the driver or other road users.” No accidents or injuries were known. BMW Motorrad notified dealers in the United States from 29.03.2024, customers in the United States from 13.05.2024.

If you have a set of R1300 GS Vario cases, return them for disposal and you will at least have the purchase price refunded. Until then, BMW strongly recommends securing the pannier lids with tension straps and stickers with warnings. And here’s the real crunch: In case you didn’t register it above, improved version of the Vario panniers are not expected until next year.

But fear not if you were hoping to get out and about on your new R1300 GS without strapping your bags. Our friends at Wunderlich have come up with the brand new Wunderlich X-CASE System Luggage for the BMW R1300 GS (and many other bikes). The Pannier Sets X36 and Top Case X48 are the cases in question, and Wunderlich is not reluctant to praise their advantages: “Perfect quality look, integral design in black or aluminium colour, optionally with a coded lock. Generous volume (panniers 2 x 36 litres, top case 48 litres), dust and waterproof, functionally well thought out, comfort operation with a reliable quick-release system. All Wunderlich X-CASEs combine robustness and light weight – they are ideal for adventure touring.”