Thousands of bikes have been voluntarily recalled this year for free safety checks.
There have been 25 separate motorcycle recalls in Australia so far in 2013 compared with 21 last year.
Triumph scored the most at eight, followed by BMW with five, Kawasaki four, Ducati three, and Harley-Davidson, Suzuki and Husqvarna two each.
The latest recall is by BMW for their 2006-2009 model F 800 S (pictured at top) and F 800 ST which have incorrect driveline tolerances that can allow corrosion to weaken the rear wheel bearing leading to excessive play and sudden failure.
Like all voluntary safety recalls, the repair is done for free and owners are notified.
Manufacturers typically become aware of a fault due to an incident and then contact their relevant authority to issue the recall.
In Australia, it’s the Department of Infrastructure and Transport and in the US it’s the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The system seems to work quite well and in Australia, the department has never had to make a recall mandatory.
While motorcycles continue to improve in technology, safety and performance, there are so many working parts that faults can occur.
Sometimes they are minor, but sometimes they can have major safety ramifications.
While owners are usually notified, they should also periodically check with their dealer to ask if any safety recalls are relevant for their bike.
Or you can check the Australia recall website or the US site.
Safety recalls affect not only original owners, but subsequent owners.