BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

This past weekend I took a great 450-mile+/- ride through the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains in north Georgia/U.S.A. Packed my rain gear, tire kit, etc. in my top case, loaded my right pannier with cloths and loaded my left pannier with bike gear, bike registration, insurance card, bike manual, air pump, disc lock, etc. Upon arriving at my initial destination, my left pannier lock unlocked but would not release to allow me to open the pannier to remove my gear. I would appreciate any recommendations anyone with this similar experience may be able to offer, short of blowing the darn thing apart or taking to my local shop for expensive repair or replacement. I can remove the pannier off the RT but can't get the lock to release to open the lid.   

BlueRT wrote: This past weekend I took a great 450-mile+/- ride through the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains in north Georgia/U.S.A. Packed my rain gear, tire kit, etc. in my top case, loaded my right pannier with cloths and loaded my left pannier with bike gear, bike registration, insurance card, bike manual, air pump, disc lock, etc. Upon arriving at my initial destination, my left pannier lock unlocked but would not release to allow me to open the pannier to remove my gear. I would appreciate any recommendations anyone with this similar experience may be able to offer, short of blowing the darn thing apart or taking to my local shop for expensive repair or replacement. I can remove the pannier off the RT but can't get the lock to release to open the lid. 

Turn the key a bit past the stop point it should spring a bit more then it pops open...unless you've tried this. Good luck.


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Not sure which model year you have, but I had a similar issue on my old K1300GT which has the same panniers as the pre-LC RTs.  I tried everything, even had the breakdown guy out who said the only thing he could do was to drill it.  Went to the nearest BMW dealer next day and the mechanic put the key in the lock and whacked it... and it opened.  He only hit it with his hand and was careful to hit it straight because there's a risk of snapping the key otherwise.  You never know.......

Have you over packed it?  So the contents are trying to burst the lock open and in doing so jamming the pegs.  If this is the case  take the pannier off  lay it with the lid up sit on the lid  then release the catch.

I appreciate everyone's replies and recommendations.  My RT is a 2016 Wet Head. I've never had this issue before. When I pack my panniers, I always pack my gear etc. in Adidas sports bags that are the perfect size for the panniers. I found the Adidas sports bags in a YouTube video produced by another RT rider. I am cognizant to not over-pack the sports bags.  I'll give it the old college try and play with the key. If I can't get the darn thing open, obviously, I'm off to my BMW dealer.  Thanks gentlemen.

Thanks for that info about the Adidas bags, for those interested I looked at the video and found that they are called
Adidas Diablo Small Duffel. It seems like they may be discontinued (at least here in Australia), but they can be had online.

pwbike wrote: Thanks for that info about the Adidas bags, for those interested I looked at the video and found that they are called
Adidas Diablo Small Duffel. It seems like they may be discontinued (at least here in Australia), but they can be had online.

Great help with the model type thank you too!!


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I had the same issue with my 07 K1200GT pannier cover. Mine was from overpacking! I learned to lean my leg against and gently push on the pannier cover while pushing the button and it did the trick. Good luck!