Are 1200 gs's designed to fail

  • Thread starter Thread starter bigal
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During my 2 week Norway trip last year both Dukes that came along had problems... One had electrical problems, and had had previously... wet electrics that we sorted out by taking off all the plastic, looking for green connectors... replacing all the plastic.... then, later, it got trucked home when the alternator failed...

The other one had an immobolizer problem similar to what happens to the BMW 1200's... couldn't sense the key.... And at least he had a ritual he could go through to get it started, though it took a couple minutes ever time he wanted to start it...

The only other problems out of 7 bikes were on my bike, caused by me dropping it on the ground... twice... and breaking the brake switch... both times... :( fixed by me at the scene...

Al...
 
Hi,

You are quite right about the perception of most bikers about ducati , bmw and most brands in fact.

my point is that ducati shouldnt be singled out , they are an enthusiasts product , and if you arent willing to put the time into them , then you should place your purchase elsewhere.

All bikes are built by humans and not every example of a particular model is going to be equal, no matter what the brand.

i personally know many examples of people with japanese bikes who have had nothing but trouble.

Yes , i have bought into the perception of bmw being extremely reliable and i hope my new bike will prove to be.

people can only speak as they find and i am sorry to hear about the carbs etc on your duke cookie.
what model was this?
early dukes used dellortos and webers but were changed to mikunis ( japanese).

it's a funny old world in manufacture of automobiles and bikes ( an area in which i am employed) and not all changes are for the better , sometimes they are made in the interest of price.

and yes , i saw the hypermotard at donnington and if it had had a larger tank ( 12 litres!!!) it would have been a harder decision between that and the gsa lol!!!!

i think i've made the right choice otherwise i wouldnt be here with the rest of you guys
 
1200gsadukem1000fe said:
i am sorry to hear about the carbs etc on your duke cookie.
what model was this?
early dukes used dellortos and webers but were changed to mikunis ( japanese).
Click to expand...

900ss with mikunis.

fine carbs, but the fcktards at ducati placed them so that road dirt gets sprayed into the mixture screws causing seizure.
later models were fitted with little rubber bungs to stave this off. shame the *factory trained* mechanics servicing the poor thing left them off :rolleyes:
 
cookie said:
900ss with mikunis.

fine carbs, but the fcktards at ducati placed them so that road dirt gets sprayed into the mixture screws causing seizure.
later models were fitted with little rubber bungs to stave this off. shame the *factory trained* mechanics servicing the poor thing left them off :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

aaaaaah , i see it now , can the factory really be blamed for an individual mechanic not doing his job correctly?

would you blame the guys at hammamatsu if your gsxr wasnt serviced correctly by joe bloggs in lowestoft? ( no offfence joe!!!! )

yes , i know that many peoples dealings with a main dealer will influence their opinions and of course that is understandable.

you could service your own bikes though , the 900ss with mikunis is a fine machine ( better with keihin fcr's though) and well within the grasp of a home mechanic , they dont come much simpler and that is part of their charm along with such classics as the boxer engine that we all love.

an engine is an engine as far as servicing is concerned, it's just the control systems that vary.

how many times have we heard people saying about cars that they are sealed units?
thats bull , the thing on top of the engine is a cover , nothing else , and there is a regular old engine with an air filter , plugs , oil and a filter lurking underneath.

i know i am fighting a losing battle with your view on ducati's so i will give up trying but lets just get on with enjoying the gs's.

we are all a little kinky in our motorcycle tastes or we wouldnt like the gs series lol !!!!

remember the difference between kinky and perverted :

kinky is a feather

perverted is the whole duck
 
hold on, hold on

aaaaaah , i see it now , can the factory really be blamed for an individual mechanic not doing his job correctly?

that was after ducati designed the things to be in the shitstorm coming off the front wheel, seizure, carb replacement with bungs. THEN the mechanic failed to replace the bungs.

you could service your own bikes though

must try that one day :blast :D

the 900ss with mikunis is a fine machine ( better with keihin fcr's though) and well within the grasp of a home mechanic , they dont come much simpler and that is part of their charm along with such classics as the boxer engine that we all love.

i learnt all about ducati engines when i rebuilt the gearbox when 4 bearings failed in it at 12K due to poor assembly.

great bike to ride, but a POS as far as build quality went.
 
1200gsadukem1000fe said:
and yes , i saw the hypermotard at donnington and if it had had a larger tank ( 12 litres!!!) it would have been a harder decision between that and the gsa lol!!!!
Click to expand...
.......yes, just realised about the the 12ltr tank - my shortlist is now shorter!!!! Don't think it'd look right with a GSA styleee tank either :) Mind you, having sat on it, I'd suggest its a "12ltr seat"
 
cookie said:
hold on, hold on

aaaaaah , i see it now , can the factory really be blamed for an individual mechanic not doing his job correctly?

that was after ducati designed the things to be in the shitstorm coming off the front wheel, seizure, carb replacement with bungs. THEN the mechanic failed to replace the bungs.

you could service your own bikes though

must try that one day :blast :D

the 900ss with mikunis is a fine machine ( better with keihin fcr's though) and well within the grasp of a home mechanic , they dont come much simpler and that is part of their charm along with such classics as the boxer engine that we all love.

i learnt all about ducati engines when i rebuilt the gearbox when 4 bearings failed in it at 12K due to poor assembly.

great bike to ride, but a POS as far as build quality went.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Here's mine - a 1995 900SS with 41mm Keihin flatslide carbs, and a bunch of other expensive upgrades including a set of Dymag magnesium rims and an Ohlins rear shock:

163264355-M.jpg


Wonderful bike to ride when its working properly, but these models were plagued by a number of serious issues, including cracked frames at the steering head, broken head bolts, seized swingarm bearings, prematurely worn clutches, and a host of electrical problems. I'm told the most recent Ducatis have been radically improved in terms of build quality and reliability though, so I wouldn't judge the brand by its past reputation.
 
EWS

Well, dont know if its due to design, but today my GS refused to start!

EWS! in display - no go!

Sealer have parts in stock so I hope this will be fixed soon. Largest problem is to get the no running bike to the dealer...
 
Nice SS

Really nice ss , arent the fcr's worth every penny?

got mine from chris kelly at california cycle works.

got my new 1200 gsa and the build quality is pants!!!!

bars point to the right when riding in a straight line

rear reservoir cap rubber not seated correctly by the factory and it leaked all over the shaft housing on the way home staining it!!!!

screen does not line up , nor do the screen support brackets.

screen adjusters did not work when i picked it up , sorted at the 600 mile service.

sends my hand numb after 5 minutes anywhere above 4000 revs.

thought i had bought the rolls royce of bikes ( kinda expected a quality motorcycle for my £11,000)

i want it sorted or a new gsa or a bloody refund!

at least my duke

A: LOOKS GOOD ( so does the gsa in a kinky kind of way)

B: DOESNT SEND MY HAND NUMB

C: STARTS FIRST PUSH OF THE BUTTON

D: AND STRANGELY , ALL OF THE PANELS SEEM TO LINE UP AND THE BRAKE CYLINDERS DONT LEAK

do bmw have engineers that can inspect my bike ( ie measure it to some datum points ) cos i suggest that whoever assembled my particular bike had been out on the lash the night before?

heres my fe

fe259.jpg
 
My 2004 1200GS was a pile of crap. At least 9 warranty jobs including 2 clutches and a new gearbox, new subframe, brake servo failure, and a bunch of other "minor" issues which disabled the bike.

I simply didn't trust it any more and got shot of it. I'll never buy another BMW. The disappointment was the worst thing - I really wanted to like it.

Watch out for your frames rusting where the side stand is badly welded on as well. The metal should be getting a bit thin around there now on the older bikes.
 
I currently own a 05 Yam xt660x (Recalled twice, new computer and throttle posistion censor.)The paint is falling off the engine,it eats rear pads and I have to fiddle around with the CO'2 settings to stop it surging,the brake light fails for no reason on occasion and this then kills off the rear indicators, twice the ignition key has physically turned off the bike when in motion! It used to cut out 2 or 3 times a day but this now reduced to once a month,Oh and all the stickers have peeled!These are common and well documented faults, I have now had enough and Im looking at the BMW r1200gs am I doing the right thing?
 
pinball machine ?, clearly a drugs thing!!!

in case you dont know , it's called a dry clutch.

ALL of the best racing bikes have them .

and when i mean racing bikes , i mean D U C A T I , THE most succesful racing company who make bikes.

judging by your list , you need to get some passion into your riding ( HONDA , YEEEEEEEUCH!!!!! , the escorts of the bike world). i have owned a lot of honda's in the past so i am in a position to know.

Honda have brought us such greats as the chocolate cam , the stretching cam chains , the inboard disc and the eccentric cam sprocket.

admittedly , they did design the worlds greatest bike , the c90 , but it's been downhill since then (with a small blip called the rc30)

stick to the facts
( like i have) and if you havent got something constructive to say , keep it to yourself
 
Thank You

Thanks , i'm glad that there are some good ones out there , i was sure that this was the case and yes , it seems that my 11 grand brand new bike is a sack of shit , but at least i can still laugh about it and i am sure that the dealer ( who have been fantastic in all of this ) or bmw will sort it out for me in the end
 
1200gsadukem1000fe said:
pinball machine ?, clearly a drugs thing!!!

in case you dont know , it's called a dry clutch.

ALL of the best racing bikes have them .

and when i mean racing bikes , i mean D U C A T I , THE most succesful racing company who make bikes.

judging by your list , you need to get some passion into your riding ( HONDA , YEEEEEEEUCH!!!!! , the escorts of the bike world). i have owned a lot of honda's in the past so i am in a position to know.

Honda have brought us such greats as the chocolate cam , the stretching cam chains , the inboard disc and the eccentric cam sprocket.

admittedly , they did design the worlds greatest bike , the c90 , but it's been downhill since then (with a small blip called the rc30)

stick to the facts
( like i have) and if you havent got something constructive to say , keep it to yourself
Click to expand...
Hit nerve have I ? :aidan
I don't think we care how dry your clutch is, the fact is it still rattles badly. It's a shame cos the rest of noise is great.
How many races have you won on your Ducaty then?
Not sure why you are ranting about Honda :nenau don't you like them, ? how about Velocette's:D.
 
nerve

Hi Chris ,

just wondering why people used forums to insult people that's all.:confused:

thought that they were a place to discuss things whether it to be agree or disagree and maybe pass on some knowledge

maybe i'm wrong.....

aint lost no races yet..... lol

the point that i was making is that the BRAND NEW £11K bmw i have purchased isnt very good.....FACT.

As a reasonable person , i am willing to give bmw the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance to sort it for me.

in the meantime , i have 2 other bikes that i can ride and depend on
and i am very glad that your gs seems to be ok ( i can only live in hope otherwise extremely low mileage r1200 gsa for sale)

What i would like to know is there anyone else out there who has a gs that isnt bolted together straight , ie the bars and forks and screen out of line?
 
1200gsadukem1000fe said:
Hi Chris ,
just wondering why people used forums to insult people that's all.:confused:
thought that they were a place to discuss things whether it to be agree or disagree and maybe pass on some knowledge
Click to expand...
I didn’t intended to insult you, I just thought I’d have a bit fun when I read you had a Ducati knowing that (uninformed) people always comment on the “distinctive” Ducati sounds:D. I to have had problems with my GS12 and it does annoy me, battery, oil leak & swig arm bearings. It wouldn’t bother me so much if the bike were cheap like my old Bandit.
BUT I do like the ride and style of the GS. I guess it’s all down to expectations.
 
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