We don’t see clothing recalls very often here in motorcycle land. However, on December 10, 2020, BMW Motorrad issued an expanded recall for its Club Leather Men’s Jacket. This recall affects all sizes of this jacket sold in Europe. The reason: Detection of an amount of Chromium VI that is above the legal limit, and can cause allergic reactions in some individuals.
If you’re in Europe and you own this jacket, BMW says you should take it to your nearest authorized BMW Motorrad dealership. Employees will take your recalled jacket, and will offer you an unspecified, equivalent BMW Motorrad product in its place.
According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “dermal exposure to chromium has been demonstrated to produce irritant and allergic contact dermatitis.” It also adds that “chromium is one of the most common skin sensitizers and often causes skin sensitizing effect in the general public.” When encountered as an occupational hazard, chromium can have numerous effects on systems throughout the human body, which you can read in detail here.
The initial recall was issued in November, 2020, and previously covered only size M of this jacket, as well as all sizes of the DownTown glove. If you’re a European rider and you own either of these two items, you should contact your BMW dealer to find out next steps to exchange the recalled clothing items.
BMW says it regrets any inconvenience caused. So far, this recall has only been extended throughout Europe, and does not affect items sold elsewhere in the world. However, if you purchased these items elsewhere, you may wish to contact the BMW dealer you purchased them from to ask any questions you may have. It’s unclear if only certain product batches were affected, or whether the suspect jackets and gloves were only sold in certain regions.
In any case, if you have questions or concerns about this or any other items of BMW Motorrad clothing, you should contact your local dealer for assistance.
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Sources: BMW Motorrad, CDC