Are 1200 gs's designed to fail

  • Thread starter Thread starter bigal
  • Start date Start date
sorry chris

Sorry chris ,

i did bite , as you can all see lol!!!!

do bmw ever read these forums?

yes i agree , it is down to expectations , i really did some soul searching when i was considering a new bike.

the only one that seemed to fit the bill was the gs and i did expect a premium product at a premium price.

others i considered were

caponord ..... very cheap and capable

multistrada..... not so cheap , great handler though , not built for carrying luggage

v strom ... cheap and cheerful and not really up to the job ( my opinion all you out there!)

varadero .... not really a honda person ( too beige a la billy connolly)

and yes , i was influenced greatly by ewan and charley and i hate maintaining chains.

i guess if they cant sort it out , i will test a caponord but i really want my gsa sorted , i really like its spec (and looks strangely!)

am i being too fussy , are all gs's bolted together on the piss or is mine just a bad one?:mmmm
 
My 1200GS has been a relatively good un .. but I was still worried enough to buy the extended warranty.

I suspect they are not as good as the marketing make them out to be. The 04 ones seems to be the worst. I am worried about my side stand failing like it did on Tobers bike, especially as it gets older and BMW "may" wash their hands of responsibility.

On the other hand .. I have dealt with BMW on several warranty issues (over the years of owning a couple of BMW). If you are persistent .. they do come round. Although they may not be helpful at first. You need to keep going at them. More evidence the better.

The most annoying thing about my bike has been depreciation, but if I keep it for a few more years .. it should level off slightly. However it's stopping me from getting a nice Hypermotard now :(
 
Fuel pump failure

Yesterday on my way home from work my bike just died.

Starter turned it over OK and no messages on the computer.

Tow truck picked it up late yesterday evening - got message from the dealer this morning. Fuel pump failure - they change the pump and the "pump controller" - the "pump controller" was of "the new design" allready, but they change it just in case.

Reason for failure unknown. No water has reached the pump, it was bone dry so that possibility is not there...

Bike will be OK on monday...
 
back to dealer again!!!

My gsa went back to the dealer to have the front end aligned and the vibration sorted.
i left the bike with them for 3 weeks ( my choice due to work and holiday commitments) and went to pick it up.

rode it 30 miles then returned to the dealer and was still not happy.

they had aligned the bars and i can now ride ok without dislocating a shoulder and the vibration seems a whole lot better.

however the screen adjusters which didnt work when the bike was new and were rectified at the first service now no longer work again !!!!

the bodywork is still out of line at the front as are all the brackets.

their demonstrator is the same so i suggest there are quite a few people out there with this problem as the jigs used to manufacture some of the parts must be worn.

i have seen other adventures without this problem so they are not all like it.

had a phone call from the dealer earlier this week saying that they are going to fill out a puma form? to let bmw know i am having an issue and to check whether anyone else has the same problem so i can only live in hope

i really do hope that bmw are as good as you all say when you have a problem
 
1200gsadukem1000fe said:
i really do hope that bmw are as good as you all say when you have a problem
Click to expand...

They seem to be. I had my doubts when I took my GS in to get a buckle in the rear rim looked at and thought I might have a fight to get a new one. No problems though and a new one on the way. :thumb Starter motor sh*t itself in the shop too so a new one ordered as well. :(
 
My Trusty GSA

7 months and 47,000 klms no trouble......cant wait for the R1250GSA!
but the majority of dealers here would not know shit from clay.

Best Australian dealer Coastline BMW at Caloundra in Queensland.
 
GPLongford said:
Yesterday on my way home from work my bike just died.

Starter turned it over OK and no messages on the computer.

Tow truck picked it up late yesterday evening - got message from the dealer this morning. Fuel pump failure - they change the pump and the "pump controller" - the "pump controller" was of "the new design" allready, but they change it just in case.

Reason for failure unknown. No water has reached the pump, it was bone dry so that possibility is not there...

Bike will be OK on monday...
Click to expand...

GP? What did they charge you? Had a chum down last weekend (1200GS) and he had the exact same failure. (26K miles) the replacement pump, controller, plus labour was a tad over 500 euro.
 
take the pump energiser/controller/thing out. make sure there's no water ingress & the connections below it are sound. smear silicone grease round the o ring & refit.

whole job takes 15 minutes.

can't see item failing if this simple check is done occasionally :nenau
 
List of problems to date:

Forward driveshaft boot slipped to expose the joint – dealer sorted

Clutch lever microswitch doesn’t work, never has done – makes recovering from a stall difficult.

Front wheel judder on braking – apparently disc warp is within tolerance so that’s fine and dandy.

The speedo is unreliable: 6th gear at 4k revs is not 30mph, similarly neutral at 0 revs, standing on the pavement is not 60mph – apparently there is nothing in the fault memory so the fault doesn’t exist.

Fuel pump electrics have been replaced - corrosion– found while looking for the speedo fault

Bike failed to restart at LeHavre ferry port and I had to push it on to the boat. BMW assist took me home from Portsmouth. Just prior to the failure the gear indicator was being funny – still waiting to see what’s wrong.

Overall I’m not impressed for an 18 month old 6k miles machine.

My Honda CBF6 which is half the price and done twice the miles is fine and has only had routine service and tyres
 
Bought new R12GS in june '05.
Current mileage (1st oct 07) : 36000 miles
Mishaps to date :

Jun 05 Wheels not balanced at delivery (shudders 'till new tyres)
Aug 05 Antennae does not recognize key while on holiday.Tow away. 1 week wait.
Sept 05 Gashandle remains in same position by itself.
Oct 05 Battery tension too low; ABS light blinks.
BMW battery charger faulty.
Feb 06 Headlamp failure at 8000 miles; BMW bulb to be payed for:eek
This happens once more, replacement with Philips bulb, since then no more headlamps gone faulty.
Jun 06 Maintenance : software update : sockets out of order.
Sept 06 Corrosion at distributioncover.
Nov 06 Right indicatorswitch breakdown.
Nov 06 Sensor at rear axle breakdown; no speedometer hence no ABS.
Nov 06 Sensor gear indicator bust.
Mrch 07 Battery won't start engine. My confidance in BMW products being low, replaced with Hawker Odyssey. Since then easy starts, and no more ABSlight hickups.
Mrch 07 Left indicatorswitch breakdown. 1 day wait while on holiday.
Apr 07 Engine breaks down while driving. Tow away. Pump electrics.
Aug 07 Brake disks replaced because warped.
Aug 07 Speedsensor defect; 'some corrosion, repaired with paint':eek
Aug 07 Bike returns from maintenance with faulty fixture of left sidepanel.
Sept 07 Small lightbulb defect while on holday.
Sept 07 Brake disks starting to warp again.
Oct 07 Speedsensor defect.

I am definitely not going to buy a BMW product again.
Even worse : I was in the market for a BMW car.
Cheers, GSband.
 
See previous post

I am definitely not going to buy a BMW product again.
Even worse : I was in the market for a BMW car.
Cheers, GSband.[/QUOTE]


March o4 (one of the first:augie)
mileage 26000.

5600 new gearbox
8000 rear pads
13000 new fork seals
18000 rear pads
20000 front cover (warranty)
21000 driveshaft seal (misting and taking out after market warranty at Pidcock. 50% warranty bike was 8 months out of warranty)

Ridden offroad, on road and yes for sure my next bike is a 1200GS no contest, best bike on the planet:D:D:clap:clap:clap:bounce1:bounce1:bounce1
 
Oh, I forgot : at some stage my dealer replaced a bolt from the center stand 'because it was going to break'.
 
No time to read it all

Somebody said ".... they'll be putting customers off in their droves....." and now I read they have sold 100,000 of them - more than any other BMW model ever made.
(Mine is three years old - no problems at all to report i am afraid.)
 
Fuel pump problem still evident

On the way to last weeks Dragon Rally,my mates 2007 GS1200(less than 5000 miles on the clock)suddenly stopped,120 miles from home and 200 to go.It was recovered to the supplying dealer.Fortunately we were able to bungee his tent etc on my trusty old 1150,and made it to the rally 2 up.The fuel pump was deemed to be the culprit on the 1200,so the problem still exists 3 years into production.This is agaraged bike that is maintained/cleaned meticulously.Needless to say his confidence in the BMW product is severely dented.:nenau
 
It's not unusual to read this sort of stuff on any bike board. www.advrider.com has an entire section called GSpot....lots to read there.

I am new the the GS genre. I recently traded in my R1150R for a GS - which I'll pick up this April.

I wouldn't let the 'negatives/issues' get too much in the way of enjoying this bike. I loved my R very much, and amidst the issues I had with it (drive spline failed twice - both times repaird under warranty) I travelled 70k kms with that bike in 3 years and some of my fondest lifetime memories were on that bike.

I expect to have many amazing miles on the GS once I actually get it. I anticipate having to deal with some issues also.

I found BMW to be very attentive with regard to the warranty - at least in North America. This is one reason I stayed with BMW, as I was looking at other brands when I decided to trade the R.

In 3 years' time I know I'll have more riding memories and experiences than GS failures.

I calculate it like this: number of days riding vs. number of days in the shop. I tend to put a lot of miles on my bikes (even in Toronto with a relatively short season). The number of days in the shop seem miniscule compared to the fun I have when riding. So I deal with it keeping that in mind.

Just my .02 worth :)
 
A new GS

If you are able/rich enough to buy a new bike from a good BMW dealer you should have very little trouble. If you are able to keep a bike serviced by the dealer that sold it, so much the better. that is just common sense.
My 'concesessionnaire' in Lyon, France writes in the magazine 'Moto Marché' .....my object is to offer products 100% reliable; Undoubtedly technology has its limits but one good thing about BMW - it is a maker who can offer reliability of a high standard. Here is a 'small' dealer who has been his own boss for 30 years and 100% BMW for the last 24 years. I have dealt with him, with no complaint, for about 10 of those years and three of my 'bikes -R1100R, 1150GS and 1200GS have come from him.
 
Oh dear

Oh dear what have I done...... over 9 grand on a new motorbike that is fitted with dodgy seals, bearings, and guaranteed leaks warranting complete half bike strip downs . To say nothing about the 1st and second gear clunk that makes pedestrians jump on the pavement and cats run for cover.
Thank goodness Yamaha have just announced they are bringing out their XTZ1200 version next year.
Wet clutch, good old chain and sprockets, smooth quiet gearbox......no leaks...120BHP....HEAVEN INDEED.
:beerjug:
 
BMW TEKKY said:
Oh dear what have I done...... over 9 grand on a new motorbike that is fitted with dodgy seals, bearings, and guaranteed leaks warranting complete half bike strip downs . To say nothing about the 1st and second gear clunk that makes pedestrians jump on the pavement and cats run for cover.
Thank goodness Yamaha have just announced they are bringing out their XTZ1200 version next year.
Wet clutch, good old chain and sprockets, smooth quiet gearbox......no leaks...120BHP....HEAVEN INDEED.
:beerjug:
Click to expand...

Enjoy your Yamaha. :thumb2

How long have you had your BMW and what have been your problems?
 
Is there anything at all which has not went wrong with the 12
Ive not got one, but from what is said in here, there cant be many parts which have not given trouble.
Im not sh*t stirring. Im interested. I might have to get one someday.

I know ..... lets make a list. Copy it and add your reliable component

Question :- What parts of the 1200gs have been totally reliable.(as far as you know)

?
?
?
?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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