Bag of Spanners

The Mountie

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New to this BMW malarkey having bought a 1200 GS a couple of weeks ago. Generally impressed with handling/performance. Couple of questions though :-

1. is 41mpg about right
2. should the gearbox/transmission sound like a bag of spanners in 1st/2nd/3rd gear while trundling along at slow speed?

Cheers
 
Anywhere between 40 and 50MPG depending how you ride.

Bag of spanners - depends on what you are used to I guess - try using ear plugs ;)

How old is the bike - you could always go to a BMW dealer and take out their demonstrator to compare :thumb
 
Shaft/bevel drive has lots of backlash through the drive train by design, which makes it sound like a bag of spanners. Don't panic its quite normal.

You may also find selecting 1st gear difficult at standstill, there is a trick: Hold the gear lever down with your toes and let the clutch lever out slightly and it should snick into first gear at standstill.

Enjoy the bike.
 
Paul S said:
Anywhere between 40 and 50MPG depending how you ride.

Bag of spanners - depends on what you are used to I guess - try using ear plugs ;)

How old is the bike - you could always go to a BMW dealer and take out their demonstrator to compare :thumb
Click to expand...

Always wear ear-plugs. Bike is 2004, 17k miles.
 
Pukmeister said:
Shaft/bevel drive has lots of backlash through the drive train by design, which makes it sound like a bag of spanners. Don't panic its quite normal.

You may also find selecting 1st gear difficult at standstill, there is a trick: Hold the gear lever down with your toes and let the clutch lever out slightly and it should snick into first gear at standstill.

Enjoy the bike.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I did suspect it was a common noise. First gear selection is exactly how you described. I already had that one sussed though.

I must say it is enjoyable. I meet even keep it! Going to Sunderland in couple of weeks, round trip of 800+ miles, looking forward to that. I'll even get to use the Jesse panniers!
 
New to the 1200GS coming from the F800GS. Im showing 58mpg on the computer, which is a true 56mpg calculating from fill up to fill up provided the speedo is accurate. Its still a lot less than the 72 mpg on the f800.
The shaft is not too bad on mine and clanks a bit, no worse than my earlier R1150s. The thing which worries me most is the awful tick over after prolonged town riding, it feels similar to a problem on the R1150 when one main coil packed in. OK at higher speeds but no bottom end, Im filling up with super next to try overcome this.
Im starting to like this bike but some aspects are pathetic for a 6000 mile old bike. Lumpy tick over, and juddering brakes from 15mph to 0 are the worst.
After the F800 some big minus points on instrumentation are not having a permanent clock on the display and having no instant MPG readout to show how to use the bike economically. I can overlook the very poor fuel gauge which has me on reserve after 160 miles, its a device which on all bikes is way beyond BMWs abilities to resolve.
 
a 1200 should have a good tick over even after prolonged town riding, regardless of fuel octane.

poor thing's probably choked after pottering around at 56mpg :P
 
i can get as much as 54mpg but never ever below 50mpg, been same on my previous gs also.
 
i came from a f800s to the 1200gs. the f800 was a bag ( no a dustbin ) of spanners compared to the 1200.
 
@Sooty09 If your tickover is lumpy it's needing a service or it's not been serviced well.
Juddering brakes would suggest your discs are slightly warped.
They don't all do that, Sir.
 
Yep, I have the warped discs too and the wonky fuel gauge.

Hopefully they'll get sorted under warranty at the next service.

I'm guessing the previous owner either wasn't bothered or had given up.
 
Sooty09 said:
New to the 1200GS coming from the F800GS. Im showing 58mpg on the computer, which is a true 56mpg calculating from fill up to fill up provided the speedo is accurate. Its still a lot less than the 72 mpg on the f800.
Click to expand...

Jeez Sooty, do you ever use the loud pedal:eek: Most GS's is normal condition get between 45 and 50. Mine has averaged mid 40's over it's life but now having fitted a PC3, it's sitting at around 50mpg:thumb
 
The Mountie said:
New to this BMW malarkey having bought a 1200 GS a couple of weeks ago. Generally impressed with handling/performance. Couple of questions though :-

1. is 41mpg about right
2. should the gearbox/transmission sound like a bag of spanners in 1st/2nd/3rd gear while trundling along at slow speed?

Cheers
Click to expand...


Last tankful of VPower unleaded gave me 47mpg, that includes 50mph commutes to work and a couple of high speed 40 mile trips down the A1 and back. I get anywhere between 45 and 50 mpg depending on conditions, 19,000 mile 2010 1200GS. I have to be doing lots of high speed journeys for it to fall to 45mpg.
 
Blart said:
Yep, I have the warped discs too and the wonky fuel gauge.

Hopefully they'll get sorted under warranty at the next service.

I'm guessing the previous owner either wasn't bothered or had given up.
Click to expand...

My BMW extended (not "approved used") warranty didn't cover my warped rear disc...
 
The Mountie said:
New to this BMW malarkey having bought a 1200 GS a couple of weeks ago. Generally impressed with handling/performance. Couple of questions though :-

1. is 41mpg about right
2. should the gearbox/transmission sound like a bag of spanners in 1st/2nd/3rd gear while trundling along at slow speed?

Cheers
Click to expand...

No 1 already answered in posts above
No 2 What sort of spanners, imperial, metric, open end, combinladination, adjustable. What sort of speed are you talking about in each gear?
1st 5mph 2nd 10mph 3 15mph?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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