K1200 LT ANY GOOD?

I'm thinking of buying a bike with low pillion seat and armchair comfort so my Mrs can get her little legs onboard, something she can't manage on the GS.
I've seen a few K1200LT's for sale, for reasonable money, but know very little about them. I've ridden several K-series bikes in the past but one of these, so, are they any good, common faults to look out for etc?

Great long distance mile munchers that are surprisingly good on fuel and all day comfort, loads of luggage space especially if you have a topbox rack. Great screen and useful cruise control.

Bad points - pain in the arse to service due to the amount of panels you need to remove, the air filter is under the tank which has to be removed. The gear change linkage can undo itself in the most awkward of situations e.g. on a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada in Spain, it is an easy fix though. Mine used to drain the battery which was down to leakage from the radio, a common issue, I had a battery isolator fitted. They are tyre fussy, I can't remember the ones I used but I used to get big mileage out the rear, it was called a Marathon but can't recall the make.

The biggest problem you will have is once your missus gets used to the luxurious heated seat and back rest you'll never get her on the back of a GS again

I did 50k miles on one, long distance commuting and touring, surprisingly capable. Yep home servicing is a pain but once you've removed the panels a couple of times you'll get the hang of it. Clutch servo is prone to leak around 60k which can mess up the clutch plate, I seem to remember getting the housing drilled to avoid this, it's a fairly basic bike under all that plastic (by modern standards) so fairly simple to look after. I loved mine but squeezing it into bike bays in town became a pain..

spm0912 said:

The biggest problem you will have is once your missus gets used to the luxurious heated seat and back rest you'll never get her on the back of a GS again

I did 50k miles on one, long distance commuting and touring, surprisingly capable. Yep home servicing is a pain but once you've removed the panels a couple of times you'll get the hang of it. Clutch servo is prone to leak around 60k which can mess up the clutch plate, I seem to remember getting the housing drilled to avoid this, it's a fairly basic bike under all that plastic (by modern standards) so fairly simple to look after. I loved mine but squeezing it into bike bays in town became a pain..

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Agree about the seat. When we went back to a GS my mississ asked if it was possible to fit an LT seat on the back

Late K1200 LT's are still going for silly money - you really want an '04 or later, which has the electric center stand and revised engine management.

You are looking at £5k - £6k for a tidy example.

chopper_harris said:

Late K1200 LT's are still going for silly money - you really want an '04 or later, which has the electric center stand and revised engine management.

You are looking at £5k - £6k for a tidy example.

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Not in Ireland . . . . . . http://www.donedeal.ie/motorbikes-for-sale/bmw-k1200lt/6324495 Nothing to do with me.

And your point is ....

You have posted a link to an early, pre-facelift model, which is right on the money for a 2002 bike at £4,050.

Try re-reading my post - 2004-5 facelift bikes are much improved over the earlier model, and consistently reach £5k-£6k

I've always fancied one. Well, until recently when long bike journeys seem to have become a thing of the past for me.

Back in 2004, I had my local dealership's Lux model for a day. I was really impressed with the handling and ride of such a large, heavy bike. The equipment levels were pretty impressive too (still better in some ways than the K1600). The reverse gear meant that you didn't have to worry about parking it the "right way" and the electro-hydraulic main stand was not just practical but good fun too (long stops in traffic? Just press the button, sit with your feet up and ride it off the stand when things start moving again).

The "down lighting" was a good idea too. Slow speed manoeuvring in the dark on an iffy surface was less worrying when you could see what you were dealing with.

Riding it on "proper" roads, it reminded me of my old 7 Series, it seemed to shrink and behave like a much smaller, lighter machine.

To my eye it looks better in the darker colours, the black ones especially look nice. The Darby & Joan Club beige is the worst looking (all it needs is the Paisley patterned seats of a Rover 214 to set off the beige).

It will remain an unscratched itch for me now but I can see no reason why, if the use justifies it, anyone should steer clear (as long as you are prepared to get used to how much needs to be stripped away to get at the bike under the plastic).

chopper_harris said:

And your point is ....

You have posted a link to an early, pre-facelift model, which is right on the money for a 2002 bike at £4,050.

Try re-reading my post - 2004-5 facelift bikes are much improved over the earlier model, and consistently reach £5k-£6k

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Oh dear . . . .Oh dear . I was just trying to help. Good luck with your search Grumpy

Watty100 said:

I'm thinking of buying a bike with low pillion seat and armchair comfort so my Mrs can get her little legs onboard, something she can't manage on the GS.
I've seen a few K1200LT's for sale, for reasonable money, but know very little about them. I've ridden several K-series bikes in the past but one of these, so, are they any good, common faults to look out for etc?

Click to expand...

i have an 03 with 20k miles on it and its a nice bike, very smooth engine although sounds like a bag of spanners at idle...aftermarket stereo installed for ipod etc. single minded bike ie touring only. i would value mine at about 4000.