BMW Halts ICE Motorcycle Sales in North America Due to Possible Emissions Violation

Bad news for anyone looking to buy a BMW motorcycle in the United States or Canada, as BMW North America just issued a temporary stop-sale on all gas-powered motorcycles. The stop-sale is both temporary and voluntary and affects new and pre-owned bikes. The only model that isn't affected is the CE 04, BMW's new electric scooter.

The reason for BMW's decision has to do with an issue with the evaporative system installed in all its bikes—both new and used. According to a Web Bike World, a notice sent to dealers by BMW claims that a material in the evap system doesn't meet material specifications. BMW highlighted that the issue isn't related to safety, so current owners don't have to stop riding. The issue appears to be directly related to emissions compliance.

“BMW of North America is dedicated to providing vehicles to our customers that meet their expectations. To ensure that our vehicles are of the highest industry standards, BMW performs ongoing testing and evaluation. 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 material specifications," a BMW representative told The Drive.

"As a result, BMW of North America is issuing a temporary, voluntary stop-sale for all new and pre-owned BMW motorcycle models in dealer inventory, except for the CE 04. This temporary stop sale is not safety related and BMW owners may continue to ride their motorcycles as normal.”