What's high mileage ?

stevem77

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For an 1150GS, what's regarded as high mileage ? I've read a lot about gearbox and final drive issues, at what mileage do they usually start to fail ?

I see there's a chap on here who can refurbish them but that's still a sizeable wedge for a £3K bike, what are the signs of wear or future failure ?

I'm not worried about the engine, they seem to do 100k miles without issue.

What about shocks ? I've had bikes in the past where 20k miles was enough for a rear shock to be well past its best - do BMW shocks suffer like this too ?

Also what's the little covered hole on the left hand side of what looks like the gearbox ? Looks from a picture like a power socket with a hinged cover but it's obviously not.

Are there any bushes of bearings apart from the above which wear and get loose over time ?
 
Your first assumption is correct, but it is a din sized socket not a 'normal' cigarette lighter sized one.

K tech can rebuild and upgrade spring for around £200 per shock often second hand shocks appear.

I got 76k out of my 1100r clutch before it started to slip slightly, I already had a gearbox that it'd rebuilt, so I've not yet opened it up.

I'm expecting worn 3rd gear dogs.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk
 
I remember a few posts over the years of 1100/1150's with several hundreds of thousand miles showing. At least one had 400k...
 
200K

My GS-A passed 200K (KM) in june,,my plan is to travel around Balkan,south to Albania ,in the middle of September,.Maby the last, long, trip.Then the GS-A will retire to short tour,just "around the block"..
 
As a retiring BMW dealer of very long standing here in Spain said to me during a clandestine coffee session last year, out of earshot of his colleagues and employees :-

"The older BMW bikes were strong and durable, designed and manufactured for reliable, unfailing use - and abuse - in an extended service life covering many hundreds of thousand kilometers.
Not nowadays though, which is why I'm giving up the concession here."

Enough said...

IMHO, if you really do want a bike that's made of mostly Chinese components, then buy a Chinese bike, not a new BMW.

AL in s.e. Spain
 
stevem77 said:
For an 1150GS, what's regarded as high mileage ? I've read a lot about gearbox and final drive issues, at what mileage do they usually start to fail ?
Click to expand...

Stop reading the internet and you'll be fine.
 
My mate Dave had 300k miles on his 4 year old 1150GS back in 2006. He used to despatch on it.
 
gog said:
I bet Dave has an arse like Tarzan's feet.
Click to expand...

And so he should, complete with a dose of athletes foot.

Here's the beauty, a proper "working" bike. No unnecessary shiny doo-hickeys, everything has a function and purpose.





 
As far as clutch and input shaft issues go I feel really low mileage bikes are more susceptible than higher miles bikes. Mine went at 30k, when it was 12years old. It had only done about 3-4k in the previous 6years. What little grease bmw had put on the splines had long since dried up. A higher mileage bike would have had a new clutch while the grease was still effective causing less wear. In theory anyway!!!
 
Littledumptruck said:
As far as clutch and input shaft issues go I feel really low mileage bikes are more susceptible than higher miles bikes. Mine went at 30k, when it was 12years old. It had only done about 3-4k in the previous 6years. What little grease bmw had put on the splines had long since dried up. A higher mileage bike would have had a new clutch while the grease was still effective causing less wear. In theory anyway!!!
Click to expand...
I share your thinking . Machines like being used (but not abused - there's a big difference! )
 
High mileage with mechanical sympathy is a far better bet than a low mileage bike that gets caned the few times it is used.

I have had three 1150 GSs, I still have two of them and one has 115,000 on it and has had NO replacement components other than service items or consumables (brake pads and bulbs).
My other one had 198,000 on it, similarly it was still on original suspension (it had never been rebuilt either, just the same shocks it came from the factory with and on the same settings - I never changed them), original wheel bearings, original clutch (yes, thats right, the original clutch and it had only done 198,000 miles).
Prior to that I had an R100RS, that was sold with 334,000 on it - again, other than service and consumables it too was still original, which is why I got £1850 for her even with those miles (about 12 years ago that was too, if you want to put the price into perspective).
Before that, a Ducati Darmah SS900 (they only built 310 and I wish I had it now, they fetch about £25,000). Same deal, all original, 88,000.
18 years I owned a Morini 350 Strada, a well known bike in the Morini Riders Club, she was sold to student of Aberdeen Uni with 187,000 miles and again, was on original parts, except I replaced the steel swing arm bushes with helical cut phosphor brinze ones, so the grease would go right round when the grease gun was applied to the nipple each side.

The reason my bikes do such high mileages with so few troubles? Quite simple, I change the oil and do service ON THE NAIL at 5000 miles. I would sooner do it before than at 5500 miles. They were treated with respect and not accelerated hard, I don't accelerate, I build my speed through the gears. This does several things:
it saves fuel
it makes your tyres go further (1150 Adv, between 12,500 and 15,000 miles per set of Tourances)
it saves wear and tear on the machine
it is what I am competent to do - I am not a good enough rider to go tear arsing around!

So, you see, mileage is but a number, it tells you nothing of how the machine has been ridden or cared for - my 1150s have never been over 5000rpm for instance - yes, I am a woose who is a mobile chicane while everyone else is a riding god....I DON'T CARE HOW FAST YOU CAN RIDE. I ride my way, at my pace, one I am happy with - if you can ride faster, good luck to you. I won't be trying to keep up. :thumby:
 
King Rat said:
High mileage with mechanical sympathy is a far better bet than a low mileage bike that gets caned the few times it is used.

I have had three 1150 GSs, I still have two of them and one has 115,000 on it and has had NO replacement components other than service items or consumables (brake pads and bulbs).
My other one had 198,000 on it, similarly it was still on original suspension (it had never been rebuilt either, just the same shocks it came from the factory with and on the same settings - I never changed them), original wheel bearings, original clutch (yes, thats right, the original clutch and it had only done 198,000 miles).
Prior to that I had an R100RS, that was sold with 334,000 on it - again, other than service and consumables it too was still original, which is why I got £1850 for her even with those miles (about 12 years ago that was too, if you want to put the price into perspective).
Before that, a Ducati Darmah SS900 (they only built 310 and I wish I had it now, they fetch about £25,000). Same deal, all original, 88,000.
18 years I owned a Morini 350 Strada, a well known bike in the Morini Riders Club, she was sold to student of Aberdeen Uni with 187,000 miles and again, was on original parts, except I replaced the steel swing arm bushes with helical cut phosphor brinze ones, so the grease would go right round when the grease gun was applied to the nipple each side.

The reason my bikes do such high mileages with so few troubles? Quite simple, I change the oil and do service ON THE NAIL at 5000 miles. I would sooner do it before than at 5500 miles. They were treated with respect and not accelerated hard, I don't accelerate, I build my speed through the gears. This does several things:
it saves fuel
it makes your tyres go further (1150 Adv, between 12,500 and 15,000 miles per set of Tourances)
it saves wear and tear on the machine
it is what I am competent to do - I am not a good enough rider to go tear arsing around!

So, you see, mileage is but a number, it tells you nothing of how the machine has been ridden or cared for - my 1150s have never been over 5000rpm for instance - yes, I am a woose who is a mobile chicane while everyone else is a riding god....I DON'T CARE HOW FAST YOU CAN RIDE. I ride my way, at my pace, one I am happy with - if you can ride faster, good luck to you. I won't be trying to keep up. :thumby:
Click to expand...

Agree,,that`s why I go on a Tour to Albania/Montenegro with my GS-A,who have 200k long KM on the clock.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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