'04 / '05 GS1200 Differences?

[Wraithwrider]

Basically the only official differences seem to be cost cutting measures.

A smaller toolkit being one. The handbook was changed at the same time.

It wouldn't surprise me if the next cost cutting exercise is to provide only one real key.

Clear indicator lenses are now an option for extra money.

05 Models were being sold before 05 anyway.

I picked my bike up in Oct 04 and it's supposedly a 05 model and it had the full toolkit. It also has a black silencer with pressure operated valve - now in the loft!

Whether issues such as rear bevel drive problems have been solved on later models remains to be seen.

The fuel pump controller seal has either been changed or modded on all bikes.

I was out with a 12 that's nearly a year and 14,500 miles old today and it's going great, but on it's 2nd back end.

Software has dealt with minor fuelling glitches.

So in terms of significant mods or improvements the answer is no.

And I love mine

Peter

 

[themadprofessor]

I had a look today and I do NOT have one of the exhaust valve thingies on mine. I am told the build date on mine was 10/3/2005.

I see someone else has only received one key as well. Maybe some of these recently delivered bikes were actually old stock so to speak.

I had a really good day despite indifferent weather and clocked up just over 200 miles. I shall post some pictures shortly.

Lovely bike, really pleased - just struggling to keep below 4K revs. Its hard really hard!!

Chris

 

[apoll013]

Let her go..

Took delivery on Tuesday and Dave and Matt from Woolaston specifically said NOT to keep below 4k when running. Let her blow up her skirts was the message. Running in too carefully is not good for bikes. Mechanic warned me about the same thing when I picked up the R1. Bikes tend to use much more oil if you baby them on run-in. This is because the bores need to slightly scuff and scratch - very difficult with modern lubricants that are almost too good. Run your bike in hard if you want it to work well in the future. Up and down the box all the time, no bogging in high gears and let the engine go quite high for short bursts. makes sense to me...

 

[third oilhead]

Re: Let her go..

Took delivery on Tuesday and Dave and Matt from Woolaston specifically said NOT to keep below 4k when running. Let her blow up her skirts was the message. Running in too carefully is not good for bikes. Mechanic warned me about the same thing when I picked up the R1. Bikes tend to use much more oil if you baby them on run-in. This is because the bores need to slightly scuff and scratch - very difficult with modern lubricants that are almost too good. Run your bike in hard if you want it to work well in the future. Up and down the box all the time, no bogging in high gears and let the engine go quite high for short bursts. makes sense to me...

That was good advice.

 

[MikeP]

If you want an idea of when your bike was built (assembled is probably a better term), take off as many plastic components as you are able.

You will usually see either two "clock" dials with an arrow or a rectangular grid with ten rows vertically and twelve horizontally.

These are dating features. The impressions are altered monthly and sometimes daily in machine presses that produce the mouldings. You may also see similar features in cast metal components.

If there is one "clock" dial with 0 to 9 and one with the usual 12 clockface numbers the one with ten figures is the year of the decade, the one with 12 is the month of the year.

Sometimes there is only one "clock" with an arrow in the centre pointing to the month date and two numbers, one either side of the arrow. These latter numbers are the year i.e 02 etc.

With the rectangular grids, the figures 0 to 9 are the decade years. Look along the horizontal lines to the last box witha 'blob' in it (not always a continuous line of 'blobs', it's the last one that counts. The horizontal line are the months either 1 to 12 sometimes Jan to Dec.

The significance is that all the dates on various bits and pieces should be within a few months of each other. The latest date is the nearest to the assembly.

Manufacturers operate a 'just in time' policy. This means that parts are not stock-piled and parts that find their way onto a vehicle are sometimes only a couple of hours old and maybe three months at most.

This method of vehicle dating has been accepted in criminal courts dealing with Ringing and Cloning for years and is quite accurate.

Those with 1150's, if you want a quick look for a couple of these features the easiest to access are the right-hand side cover over the fuel lines and the deflector over the instruments (two torx screws).

(I just re-read this and decided I should have posted it in Boundless' useless info thread!)

 

[MikeO]

Those with 1150's, if you want a quick look for a couple of these features the easiest to access are the right-hand side cover over the fuel lines and the deflector over the instruments (two torx screws).

Of course, if you used the latter item as a method of dating my bike, it'd say it was built at the same time as Roger Waltons - and his would be 'carbon dated' as my Adv...

Mike

 

[MikeP]

Of course, if you used the latter item as a method of dating my bike, it'd say it was built at the same time as Roger Waltons - and his would be 'carbon dated' as my Adv...

Mike

Ah but everyone knows you ride a "ringer"!

 

[Abi]

Balderstons woes

Doesn't supprise me about Balderstons. When I went last year to book a test ride one of the numpties asked my why? This did'nt instill a lot of confidence so i went straight to Wollaston's where I got fantastic service, a 2005 model and two key's with blank and two alarm blaters. Mine isn't the only tale of woe about Balderstons.

 

[birdseye]

Re: Let her go..

Took delivery on Tuesday and Dave and Matt from Woolaston specifically said NOT to keep below 4k when running. Let her blow up her skirts was the message. Running in too carefully is not good for bikes. Mechanic warned me about the same thing when I picked up the R1. Bikes tend to use much more oil if you baby them on run-in. This is because the bores need to slightly scuff and scratch - very difficult with modern lubricants that are almost too good. Run your bike in hard if you want it to work well in the future. Up and down the box all the time, no bogging in high gears and let the engine go quite high for short bursts. makes sense to me...

So you believe that the average garage employee knows more about running a bike in than the manufacturer who made it, with all his R&D etc?

Next time you need an operation, have a word with your plumber

 

[apoll013]

Strange Metaphore

I am the risk of being condascending here. Forgive me. Personally I would have picked a different metaphore I think to make Birdseye's speculative point.
Should I or any members of my family need surgery in the near future, I would expect my plumber's role in the proceeding's to be marginal. In mocochromatic contrast to: A mechanic (with 30 years experience) and a one of the UK's most respected BMX dealer's pragmatic insight into running-in best practice?

A cliche to me is like a red-rag to a bull...

 

[Tim Angus]

On my journey to Portmerion over Easter (as you do) I called in to see BVM at Stroud, who informed me that BMW are shipping bikes now with one key and one plastic one. Anyone who got more probably got an earlier build and should consider themselves lucky!
That the problem when cost accountants replace engineers, we pay more in the end.