I'm thinking of a new bike and have some questions about BMW R1200GS?

[Bams]

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I have noticed a number of "high" 80-90000 km GS s about for sale and now within my financial reach and I’m getting tempted but was wondering and have some questions for the BMW owners?

1/ Is that high kms for these bikes I’m thinking these bikes could do double this without to much trouble engine wise ( but I’m wondering about the rest of the bike???)

2/I hear about talk of alot of final drive problems on this model on line but the BMW mechanic I talked didn’t know what I was on about ????

3/He did mentioned tho these bikes can have ABS problems if the brakes haven't been maintained properly and gave the feeling you really need to have them service by a agent. Myself been an ex mechanic many years ago I still like to maintain on my own bikes and feel that’s part of the fun. Is this not a reality with these bikes? as these bikes seem high tech do you need special tools and knowledge to work on these bikes and are they out of reach of the knowledgeable tinkerer???

4/ Do they have any other problems i should look out for ?
5/I can only imagine these bikes have hellishly expensive parts I really don’t want to get involved with a ongoing costly machine I have only ever owned Jap bikes and rebuilt some and they have been very kind to me and cheap to run and really I didn’t need to do alot to them in general. Is this the same with owning a BMW GS

I don’t mean to be abit sceptical but after working on European cars in the Uk during my OE after doing an apprenticeship on Toyotas in NZ ” Oh my God” Toyotas were reliable.
But the Beemer looks good to me and I’m tempted I just want to know if this is the bike for me.
And I would like to know more about the down sides and problems you may have at these kms I don, t want to knock the bikes just want to know more about them for all I know it could be all good news.

I think thats enough said Thoughts????

[Gremlin]

BMW Owners usually come within two categories. Those that barely ride it and polish it to death, bought because they own a BMW car, or similar. The other group bought it because it's the tool to do the job. I'm in the latter, having done 52,000km since Jan 2011 and I couldn't ride it for 6 months of that... I still use another bike for commuting stuff.

1) Engine wise as you say, they are pretty damn bulletproof, unless you are trying to destroy it (and it still takes a bit of doing ).

2) Bad news travels fast I guess, and owners will always share negative experiences before positive experiences. Yes, they seem to fail more than shafts of other bikes? Some say the shaft has failed, when really it's the final drive seal that's leaking. Treat that seal as a consumable. Sometimes it lasts 10's of thousands of km, I had one that lasted 7k. Bike was under warranty, it was replaced free. It's also possible people don't notice it leaking and the shaft runs out of oil?

3) European bikes in general are quite high tech, requiring factory tools to check faults, run diagnostics etc. BMW's do usually come packed with more electronics than your average bike, so it's more to go wrong. However, if you want those features, imho, BMW have the edge when it comes to experience at getting them right. Some manufacturers are only just playing with traction control, BMW has been at it for years.

4) Apparently the GS headlight has a flaw in it that causes the height adjustment to be thrown out, and is virtually impossible to fix without a new headlight... Depending on year, you may also get servo assisted brakes, which have a different set of rules compared to the newer ones that do not have servo assisted. I would say the biggest problem is getting addicted.

5) They are reasonably cheap to maintain, probably not as cheap as your average cheap Honda, but there is a whole more going on. Not as expensive as a KTM that's for sure... I also pay more than average servicing and get some fluids like the final drive changed more frequently simply because I believe it's worth it. That said, some BMW parts are quite reasonable, others are ridiculous. Never buy the BMW pads, cost me >$600 for pads all round at one service. I reckon aftermarket would cost about $150 for the pads (3 calipers). I believe discs are equally ludicrous.

My 2010 GSA basically goes for service every 10k, the final drive seal and a broken headlight are the only two things I can think of, unless I was bringing it on myself adding another accessory. I've been in, and done things I reckon would break another bike, but the GSA keeps on going, so I'm absolutely impressed. I affectionately call it the truck of motorcycles as it is slightly larger than your average bike (and taller than several humans) but man, the limit is the rider... not the bike.

Remember however, horses for courses, see if it suits your needs. Don't expect to head out on trails and keep up with a 250

[ahebron]

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/

Adrian

[Bams]

Thanks Adrian that was a good site to visit .
I’m not sure now they seem to need a big wallet to keep them serviced and those FDs seem to have alot of expensive problems and random when buying a well used bike .
Gremlin I think your right from what I have read keep replacing the seals and oil in those FDs as regular maintenance and you should be ok, if neglected which they probably do get they seem to chop out the little roller bearing in there in no time with the slightest thought of a bit of water getting in and bang goes your FD they recommend you shouldn’t water blast the FD when cleaning the bike. Surprising considering these machines are designed to cross rivers
Anyway I still think they are still awesome bikes on many levels and if you can afford the ongoing servicing they need and manage there down falls it would be a nice ride but I’m not sure they are for me now I thinking.
Thanks guys for your input

[That looks like fun]

Final drive on my beemer failed (that is such a broad term as to be rendered useless) at 80000kms.
Saying something failed is like saying its fecked, it tells you nothing of value. The large bearing in the final drive collapsed. I replaced the seal and bearing myself for under $300.
An anti anything but the bike I ride person stated he thought that was unacceptable for the final drive to fail.
I asked him how many chains and sprockets he would replace in 80000 kms

My point is, its all relative, everybike has good and bad points. Everything mechanical has the potential to fail. Ride what you enjoy rideing and bugger the rest

[dino3310]

My point is, its all relative, everybike has good and bad points. Everything mechanical has the potential to fail. Ride what you enjoy rideing and bugger the rest

couldnt agree more

[Devil]

I have an '06 R12GSA and it has been the cheapest bike to own i've ever had. Just about to tick over 70,000km and feels just as tight as it did when I picked it up at 14k.

I did have a minor "issue" recently however, which resulted in an insurance claim. But it was a kinda one off thing and hasn't stopped me from loving the bike.

Final drive "issues" have been overstated, downside of the internet really, a squeaky wheel comes to the surface easily.

Love it to bits, will have more GS's.

[sidecar bob]

I have said it on this forum elswhere & I will say it again.
My R1200GS is by far the best bike I have ever owned.
Just thinking about riding it makes me smile.
Its kind of a BMW X5 motorbike.

[gunnyrob]

I'm coming up to 130000 km and love the GS to bits. Had drama's with the clutch, pressure plate etc at 70,000 due to it being an ex-rental and water getting into the dry clutch, which rooted everything out to the tune of $4.5k. (search for gunnyrob's beemer)

That said, it's freakin brilliant and ideal for NZ roads. If I win lotto, I'm getting another.

[Bams]

Final drive on my beemer failed (that is such a broad term as to be rendered useless) at 80000kms.

Na yours was,nt a Final drive Failure that was acceptable wear and tear for any bearing at 80000ks. The bikes I have heard of are experiencing FD failure at 20000 or less kms and they can,t be rebulit there buggered and some have had multple FD Failures.( I think there was a bad bach that got alot of internet time in the UK/US that may have been set up wrong and then there are others that fail due to water getting in due to leaking seals)
What I,m more interested in is you fix it your self did you need speical tools? or could it be done with standard pullers / press that any mechanic would have and did you replace all the bearing eg a full rebuild of the FD.
Also do you do all your own services on the bike or does your bike go into a BMW shop for servicing?

[That looks like fun]

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234400
http://www.bmwlt.com/uploads/lt_final_drive_rebuild.wmv

What I,m more interested in is you fix it your self did you need speical tools? or could it be done with standard pullers / press that any mechanic would have and did you replace all the bearing eg a full rebuild of the FD.
Also do you do all your own services on the bike or does your bike go into a BMW shop for servicing?

Special tools required to service a boxer engine
1) a stool to sit on while adjusting the tappetts

Thats about it

There is no BMW agent in Taranaki, if I ever need the engine rebuilt I will take it out and deliver it to a BMW Workshops or a local engine rebuilder. I have found that if you filter through a lot of shite on the internet you can find some very good information. I am a mechanic by trade. I believe anyone with a moderate mechanical ability can carry out most work and repairs ( other than complex electrical issues. But then, what the hey, I have noticed even the Beemer shops struggle with them)