Totally confused about BMW's

[county]

Do you own or are you willing to buy an Aerostitch suit?

[tomek]

Do you own or are you willing to buy an Aerostitch suit?

or bmw rally suit ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[mellow_gold]

Do you own or are you willing to buy an Aerostitch suit?

 

[SoCalFJR]

Our FJR group did a ride up Angeles Crest a couple years back and a BMW 1200 came along.  On the coke break I went over and chatted a little.  His Beemer was a 2007 and he said the owners were all talking about rear shaft failures and he looked at his every day.  Somebody on another forum who seemed to know what was up said the drive shaft problem comes from the factory setup.  There is a rather lengthy process to shim the rear bearings at assembly.  Some of the workers were using a shortcut and this was the problem.  I presume with any Teutonic thoroughness at all over there they would have dumped the folks doing the shortcuts.  But that would explain the random aspect.

Personally I wouldn't want to be out in the middle of Wyoming on a dark night when the shaft spins loose and leaves you along the road.  It looks like a single digit percentage fail, if the fickle finger hits you it will be at the least horribly inconvenient, at the worst also expensive.  Having said all this my buddy rides a newer 1200GS and it purrs like a kitten.  

In the end if you elect to undertake the mission, you'll pay your money and take your chances.

[Silverbird]

I'm test riding one tomorrow.  Hopefully I will know afterwards if I like it enough to take that chance.  If it's as good as it is on paper, I'll buy one and deal with things if they break.  If I get home and can live without it, I will.  

[viffergyrl]

I just mean the cylinder heads are right out there in the open. Just pop the cover off and go to work.

  Pretty much. You just need three or four hands.

The particular year I have was fairly idiosyncratic... victim of the famous RT 'surge'. However since M.Brane has gone over her with a fine tooth comb and adjusted all her throttle- and valve-related bits, plus disconnected the 'pink' relay, she is a *much* happier camper. I don't think the RT1200 is as problematic with the fuel mapping.

As to the whole final drive issue.... The rubber housing around the shaft (don't go there) was leaking and was replaced under warranty. Otherwise, it's been regular maintenance.  

She is stupid easy to ride and more nimble than one might think. She's the bike that put me on the sport-touring path of belief.  

[RedCBRRider]

If your budget can stand it, buy the bike.  You won't regret it.  I wanted one for years.  I finally pulled the trigger on one this year.  Great bike.  I would rather ride it than the FJR.  I concur with the statements about how well thought out the bike is.  The boxer engine has its own set of characteristics that does not deny its heritage.  It kind of lets you know it is alive and ticking.

I haven't had any problems with my bike, but it is new.  I have a friend with a GS that is an 09.  He rides it all over the place.  About 20,000 miles a year.  No problems for him either.  I have another friend who bought an RT last year.  That bike has been flawless also.  He even hit a large piece of rock in the road last year that blew the front tire and bent the rear rim.  It took a the hit and kept going.  With the damage to the tires and rim repaired, the bike continues to perform without issues.  I know another guy with an 09 RT.  No problems there either.  He also loves the bike.

As for the much ballyhooed final drive failures, I don't know of any personally.  I have been chided about since getting my bike.  Always by non BMW riders.  After all, nobody gets on the internet to complain about their final drive not failing.  I think it is overstated.

Post pictures when you get it.

[falconati]

I think that BMW bikes are roughly as plagued by 'random' issues as any other manufacturer.  I've owned one, and regretted selling it (it wasn't a boxer motor though) and I want an RT.  I'd certainly consider them more sound than the Multistrada issues that some folks on this board have seen.

[R Doug]

One Johnny Rea Honda wuz capable of demolishing two BMWs, so it would be safe to assume that Hondas are twice as good as BMWs.

Do you own or are you willing to buy an Aerostitch suit?

+1 rep points to you both for making me laugh this morning!  


county, the day I picked up my first BMW, I sold my Aerostitch and went with another brand (and not the BMW Rally either).  I suppose I will be shunned at my first BMW event.  

[cruisin]

FWIW: I like the old-school technology of the R1100RT over all the new electronic gizmos.  Don't forget, the 1100RT was named the #1 sport-touring bike in the world four years in a row.  Not many can make that claim and it's not any worse of bike now than it was from 1998 to 2001 while it was #1.  Some contend that the newer technology makes for a better bike, but I'm entirely sold on that notion.   It's true that there have been odd-ball failures among the ranks of a bike brand that is supposed to be known for long range reliability but I think one needs to consider the number of miles driven vs. failures and other maintenance issues.  I don't have the numbers, but $ spent per mile on repairs/maintenance is likely pretty low on BMWs overall as a brand.  That is especially true if you are willing and capable of doing your own work.

My personal history with BMWs is almost trouble free riding for over 320K miles on the following bikes:

1976 R75/6
1999 R1200C
1998 R1100RT
2000 R1200C
2000 R1100RT  

[Silverbird]

I posted this on another site but, this was my impression of the test ride

Ok, so my current bike is a blackbird with 80,000 miles. I have owned a VFR, Superhawk, CBR600RR, F4i, Bandit 1200 bla bla bla. My Dad has owned a ST1300 and Goldwing, both of which I put over a 1000 miles on. I've been riding since I was 18 and I'm 34 now. Living in Colorado, I have ridden to California 7 times, which ultimately, has been a life altering experience for me and I even wrote a book about it.

On to the test ride. First of all, who hires a stunter with a 675R to sell BMW's?  What a douche, worst salesman I've ever had.

Anyway, I rode it for about 20 minutes and as soon as I let the clutch out, I could see how much character the engine has. So smooth and anyone who considers it to vibrate, I just don't know what to say. It obviously has 1200cc of internal combustion going on down there, but it has a way of blending in and you just don't notice anything negative about it. Lovely. Super light feeing and Iove of the clutch, really nice feel to it. Getting on the highway I got to see how it steers and right away I could tell this is what I would have to give up if I moved away from sportbikes. Not having all that extra weight positioned over the front wheel gives a totally different feeling upon corner entry. I'm sure it a stellar handler, but naturally it could never have that sportbike feel to it.

Once on the highway the only thing I could think was, "I could just ride to Canada right now" Zero turbulence and the screen goes from low enough to cool off to silent almost immediately. All the way up seems kind of distracting to your view of the road, but that's what you get, no big deal.

Getting on the highway, it's funny how I've been hunting for a bike with low-end power and now that I've ridden one, I was hoping for a little more kick up top. It has plenty of power though, not overwhelming...but as I've heard before, "Plenty to get the job done" I kind of find that a little interesting because touring is about focusing your senses on a special organic mindset, and having a real powerhouse undernearth you can be somewhat distracting for some. That's just me though, riding a blackbird always wants you to think about speed, speed, speed, the 1200RT was coaxing me to just enjoy the experience.

So on the way back I was lucky enough to toss it into a 270 degree off ramp. I do believe I had is set on comfort mode but, playing around with the throttle a little while leaned over demonstrated the bike to be kind of inconsistent in the steering. A guy at the dealer said it's the shaft doing it's thing, but forgot to tell him it may have been on comfort. I can only compare it to the ST1300, which I never notice anything like that. I guess it's not a big deal since normally you wouldn't be messing with the throttle like that, but I believe that's called shaft jack?

So I came away under the impression that I will need to give up ab&c for xy&z. It's way better than the ST1300 and after sitting on an FJR1300 an hour later, the RT1200 is a real lightweight. They offered me a bike with 400 miles on it with I believe everything except the radio for 17,250 + tax. I'm not ready though,

[Kneescrubber]

If you've never ridden a telelever front suspension, it'll take some getting used to. Feedback is virtually eliminated. It'll still do what you want it to do but there's a certain amount of "trust" involved.

[sagerat]

I've got an '09 GSA with 17K on the clock (it was an unsold '09 I bought in '10) and I had an '04 GS that I put 24K on before selling.  About two seconds after it sold, I recognized it was one of two bikes I never should have sold ('02 Viffer was the other).  And I had a '75 R90/6 that I put 3k on; never did like the single-disc front brake.

My '09 had the dreaded fuel gauge failure within the first 1,000 miles; replaced under warranty and been fine since.  My '04 never had anything go wrong.  Buddy had an '08(?) RT1200 and had the perfect failure:  the key failed in his garage.  I can't remember the exact years, but BMW had a brief run of failures on the electronics on the ignition key.  Up to that point he had loved the bike (he was coming off an LT, aka Light Truck), but was so pissed he trailered it over to Portland the next day and sold it.

Two other buddies are boxer riders.  He put 80K on his '04 GSA, she put 65K on her '02 RS.  Both had bought the extended warranty, both had final drive failures.  He's now on '12 F800GS and she's on an '10 GS, so they haven't lost their faith.  

I'm with Andrew, I'll never turn loose of my GSA.  The bike fits me like a glove (seat is marginally comfortable, guess I'm supposed to be standing on the pegs all the time...), handles USFS roads with aplomb, and devours the twisties like a Panzerkampfwagen sportbike.  

There'e a reason the RT and GS/A series has been BMW's top sellers for years.  I will say my Beemers have always had excellent fit and finish.  German logic can be maddening at times, but things are laid out in zee orderly fashion zat you vill follow.  I haven't noticed much difference between Comfort and Normal on the ESA; you will when you click Sport.  Much stiffer ride and more responsive, at that's the way it has felt to me.

The pain of BMW ownership is the boxers do have relatively short maintenance schedules.  Every 6K is an oil change, every 12K  is a valve check/service.  I've got the last true boxer in that '09 still has the nut adjustment, beginning in '10 they went to a shim.  Still, everything is right out there in the open.  Not that I touch anything, I go to either my dealer 120 miles away for warranty stuff or my local independent shop for standard maintenance.  (They service Bend PD's R1200RTP fleet.)

The other thing about a boxer is the engine does feel differently after about 15K to 20K.  About then they seem to settle in and just get smoother.  I've noticed it particularly on my GSA and on my Ural (yeah, it's Russian, but still a boxer).  The boxer engine with its low center of gravity is perfect touring powerplant and the hum they make at 70-75 mph cruising is just pleasant to me.  It's hard to appreciate a boxer motor on a quick test ride, although it sounds as if you got a taste of what makes that engine layout so attractive.

Final thoughts:  Buy an RT and I doubt you'll ever look back with regret.  Don't buy it and you always will.  Deustchland uber alles, baby.  

[miles]

I've owned 2 BMWs with a combined mileage nearly 200k.  

Hey- my first BMW had a combined mileage of nearly 200k!    (I sold it after 176,000 reliable miles).  

My second had 42k when I sold it, and my newest just turned over 10k the other day.

[coucours grad]

I like the BMW bikes, but just do not see where they are worth 10,000 dollars more.

    +1.


     I dont buy BMW cars or bikes because I can get an Asian or Italian bike for at least 6k cheaper that will ride at least as well. It may not have the bells and whistles of the BMW but I like my bikes plain and well maintained. (Having said that I do my own.)



    I dont buy Harley Davidsons for many reasons but first and foremost is price. for what I like in the Harley line I can buy 3 Hondas, 2 Kawasaki's or 2 Triumphs. I dont see the extra cash on the bike in the dealers lot.


    I didnt buy a used 2005 Rocket III because the owner had no proof that a cam/cam chain update or a transmission recall had been installed. I later found that less then 1 bike in 1000 had the actual problems associated with the recalls/product update packages and the problem would present itself within 20000 miles. This pristine Cardinal Red 2005 had 31000 miles on it and over 5 grand in farklesand I let it go at 6 grand. I totally and completely regret that decision.


     Buy what you like, then check the forums and read what problems other people have had and THEN find out what they did to fix it. Personally the only brand I WILL NOT BUY due to reliability problems are the current offerings from China with their spagetti thin chains and pot metal tranny gears.


   BMW's reputation for many decades has been a premium machine at a premium price that if properly maintained will give decades of service.... They have always stood behind their owners and if you can afford it the dealership service is usually second only to Harleys'(speaking on a broad basis and certain dealerships and locals and individual owners WILL be the exception.)......Of course, the Harleys had better have good service departments cause..................................


   Buy what you like, learn to maintain it....Then go out and ride it!

[Kneescrubber]

Hey- my first BMW had a combined mileage of nearly 200k!    (I sold it after 176,000 reliable miles).  

My second had 42k when I sold it, and my newest just turned over 10k the other day.

Well, I am older than you and have spent the last 35 years around BMWs. But that's another story.




Post script: Anyone out there doing long miles on the S1000RR?


















 

[miles]

Post script: Anyone out there doing long miles on the S1000RR?

I just did 2400 miles over five days last week on mine.    

[viffergyrl]

And I believe you did an Iron Butt as well?  

[sagerat]

You can always get a used BMW as around here Beemers don't hold their value as well as Honda.

Of course I got a great deal on my Guzzi as I bought it used and the value had sunk faster than a battleship anchor.  So go test ride a Stevlio or Norge and throw a used one of those into the mix.  

[miles]

And I believe you did an Iron Butt as well?  

Well, that was last month.