buyers guide for 1200 GSA

[richb77]

I joined the forum a little while ago as i wanted to buy a 1200 GS. well now my Harley has sold i will soon be in the position to buy but REALLY want a GSA.

I dont know a huge amount about the BMW tourers when it comes to reliability and age. Obviously a 1200 GSA isnt going to be too old but mileage wise many used examples are leagues ahead of the piffling 6k my Harley had on the clock.

I would like as low as possible mileage but whats reasonable? Anything i should look out for on higher mileage bike (i.e. 20k+)

Any help or advise would be great.

Cheers

 

[(RIP) Miff]

well now my Harley has sold

Well you've made a good start

 

[Padge]

Four things spring to mind. Fisrt 3 are just pot luck showing no real signs before failing
- Fuel Pump controller... Should be sorted on most bikes
- Ring antenna for immobiliser - again, should be sorted
- RHS valve dropping into engine (ouch)
The fourth is the final drive. Put bike on centre stand and grab the back wheel at 12 & 6 o clock and see if there is any play. Do same at 3 & 9.
A little is allowed but excessive means an expensive rebuild. Excessive backlash may also be a sign of this going.
A worn seal at the back wheel is not a sign of this failing.

Strange thing with all the known issues is they don't seem to be milage dependant so can happen at low or hign milage... or most likely never at all.

Someone may be along shorly with other things to look out for.

Oh, and if anyone mentions CANBUS as a potential problem, they're talking throuh their arse.

 

[nix]

Jusy buy another Harley(V-Rod), far better bike. You'lll be dissapointed with the surprisingly poor build quality.

 

[rossi46]

have you checked whats for sale out there ? ebay, mcn, bmw approved used

 

[Wapping]

CALL FOR INDECISIVE ON LINE ONE.....

Bod here wants to buy a very nice GSA.....

....You have though missed the chance to swap it for a HD, but never mind.....

 

[Gazzabart]

mmmmmm

a few thoughts
do you someone who has one or knows about them
milage is odd with BMW's
because ask anyone with miles on it and many will say the same thing
the more miles on the clock
the better it runs
a full service history is a must
BMW history is favoured
but there are a some really good independants on here
ie Steptoe & Motoscot
if theyve been serviceing the bikes then thats a plus
but best of all is us freaks
if your not sure about anything
just ask
good luck
Gaz

 

[theop]

I joined the forum a little while ago as i wanted to buy a 1200 GS. well now my Harley has sold i will soon be in the position to buy but REALLY want a GSA.

I dont know a huge amount about the BMW tourers when it comes to reliability and age. Obviously a 1200 GSA isnt going to be too old but mileage wise many used examples are leagues ahead of the piffling 6k my Harley had on the clock.

I would like as low as possible mileage but whats reasonable? Anything i should look out for on higher mileage bike (i.e. 20k+)

Any help or advise would be great.

Cheers

As you are coming from a Harley, the aforementioned BMW niggles and cr@p build quality that affects all 1200 model years onwards will be a walk in the park for you...
Try and buy regardless of mileage following the advice above.

Check that the bike has had:
Gearbox leaks (cheap parts, expensive and lots of labour) fixed (they all do it sir)
Final drive replaced recently (20k miles seems a rough indication)
And the electronic recalls of ring antenna and FPC done.

Also, see how clued up the owner is and how clean his/her bike for the age.... I d rather have a 40k 07 bike with 3k of bills that looks clean and costs £7k rather than a 5k 07 bike just out of warranty where nothing has gone wrong for £9k. Definitely.

Also, all forums like these about any types of machine (even Hondas), Porsches etc suffer from negative bias. People are more likely to write in to complain or ask about a problem rather than report everything is perfect. So, the more you read, the more you think about the issues.

As some moderators here say, most bikes are actually reliable and have not experienced any of the 'common' issues. I had mine for 3 years and 15k miles and only got the one leak. Assembly, material quality and finish are not what BMW used to be though. Thats for sure, especially post 2004.

Good luck. After your HD (what was it- I have a 5k mile 2000 Fatboy in the garage), you will really really enjoy the GSA.

 

[Deleted Member I]

CALL FOR INDECISIVE ON LINE ONE.....

Bod here wants to buy a very nice GSA.....

....You have though missed the chance to swap it for a HD, but never mind.....

Who?? What??

Mine will have too many miles for the fella (21k at the last outing). He wants one from a dealer for £10-11k not a second hand one.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Jusy buy another Harley(V-Rod), far better bike. You'lll be dissapointed with the surprisingly poor build quality.

........

 

[Wapping]

Who?? What??

Mine will have too many miles for the fella (21k at the last outing). He wants one from a dealer for £10-11k not a second hand one.

The bod lives in Newmarket, so not a million miles away and is looking for a 1200 GSA. You wanted to sell yours, which is currently sitting (nicely ACF'd) in your garage and is not appreciating in value.

He has accepted that whilst it's three and a half times the 6,000 his HD has clocked up, he is looking at plus 20,000 milers. The 21,000 careful miles yours has clocked up is just a tads over the 20k figure the fellow mentions and is nothing for a boxer engine, as many bods here will confirm...

You have had no problems with your bike, so it's a good 'un as they say. It was properly run in, as we know, and is in good order. Maybe it's what the bloke is looking for......????

 

[jpooch00]

Another good place to check for info is the ADVRider GSpot forum. Many thousands of posts, both positive and negative there too.

Best wishes and good luck with your impending purchase.

 

[smartrider]

In my experience miles are not an issue. I have had ( Approxamately)
An 02 1150 GS - 2 years 45k no problems.
An 04 1200 GS- 1 year 20k no propblems.
An 05 1200 RT 2 years 36k gearbox oil leak.
an 07 1200 GSA 18 months 27k no problems
Currently 58 late ( 09 small indicator model ) GSA only 18k but no problems.

when I say no Problems none of these bikes have ever not started, broken down in any way, or had bits drop off.

I have had some warrenty issues mostly to do with corrosion but later bikes seem better. The RT had a few sets of discs warped but it turned out to be the wheel that was not true.
All problems have been quickly and courtiosly sorted out by my dealer ( Woolaston)

However I do not like the idea of no warranty as some things that apparantly do go wrong can be expensive but I expect that is true of all brands.

I would agree that they get smoother with miles I recall riding a mates 1150 gs with 90k that was very very smooth ( and he had not had any significant problems )

 

[Deleted Member I]

The bod lives in Newmarket, so not a million miles away and is looking for a 1200 GSA. You wanted to sell yours, which is currently sitting (nicely ACF'd) in your garage and is not appreciating in value.

He has accepted that whilst it's three and a half times the 6,000 his HD has clocked up, he is looking at plus 20,000 milers. The 21,000 careful miles yours has clocked up is just a tads over the 20k figure the fellow mentions and is nothing for a boxer engine, as many bods here will confirm...

You have had no problems with your bike, so it's a good 'un as they say. It was properly run in, as we know, and is in good order. Maybe it's what the bloke is looking for......????

Thanks Richard

But the chap is like many before him .. tyre kicker who will eventually get a £10-11k bike from a dealer. I can't be arsed to entertain such a person.

 

[Wapping]

Thanks Richard

But the chap is like many before him .. tyre kicker who will eventually get a £10-11k bike from a dealer. I can't be arsed to entertain such a person.

Cheer up, soon be:

Year of the metal tiger.... so extra brave!

 

[Deleted Member I]

Cheer up, soon be:

Year of the metal tiger.... so extra brave!

It's going to be a good year for my sign next year

Can't wait .. this year is shit

 

[richb77]

Thanks Richard

But the chap is like many before him .. tyre kicker who will eventually get a £10-11k bike from a dealer. I can't be arsed to entertain such a person.

Ooh i am slightly annoyed at that

I sold the Harley for a couple of reasons.

1) i want a land rover and the sale of the Hog released some funds for that
2) i spent so long and so much customising the Harley i found out i enjoyed that more than riding it. I tried a 1200GS and 1150GS and had so much more fun!

I will not be buying new and prefer to buy private.

I thought i was edging towards an 1150 but its not a done deal. 21k miles is not a concern. I just didnt want mega miles and a dog

Hey. If your still interested in selling when my Harley has been collected (late Feb) i will give you a PM