Early R1200GS - What to look for?

MisterB

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Hi all,

I'm looking at buying an early (04,05) R1200GS. I've had a trawl through the forums and have frightened myself with all the horror stories of what can go wrong! Equally I'm sure there are oodles of very happy GS owners!!

Can I ask please if there is anything specific I need to be looking out for with a 9 or 10 year old GS?

I've read mixed reports of the brakes on the early bikes - anyone got any opinions on those please?
 
the only expensive thing is the abs servo unit,and even now i believe that they can be repaired now by specialists ,rear bearings,well no more expensive to repair than a chain and sprock set on any other bike .
just buy one if it goes wrong fix it ,all bikes have some problems .
 
My 04 had a whole heap of problems but they were all dealt with via the BMW warrantee, it was the quickest 1200 i've owned (of 3) nice bike, but i think i'd try and find an 06+ bike for a bit more peace of mind.
 
Thanks all :-)

I'd be buying from an independent dealer with limited warranty but the couple I've looked at so far have looked incredibly good for their age.

Regarding brakes I'd heard that the ABS is a bit agricultural on the early models, releasing for too long under very heavy braking...
 
I've also heard that 04 bikes were the fastest of the 1200's. I believe they had bigger valves than the later bikes. An ex press bike would be a good bet. Non ABS if possible.
 
If you think ABS is essential then go for it. ABS vrs Non ABS has been discussed at length here before. You could probably read posts for a week or more and be non the wiser. My personal preference is Non ABS - more weight, more to go wrong and more complex servicing. I'll respect your opinion if you chose to differ.
 
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You're right, there are loads of posts on ABS or not!!! And you're right about the weight and complexity. I've generally been of the opinion that those would be worth it when some numpty runs out from behind a parked car on a wet road in town one day. Maybe I do need to revisit that though :-)
 
go for a post 06 bike that has history of fluid changes and servicing !

Even if it has high miles as long it is in good knick you'll know its been looked after

in fact the higher the miles the better as then its been mechanically used rather than a garage queen
 
I waited for an 06 and had a heap of problems. I don't think the 06/07 were much better than the first model years for reliability so getting an earlier one isn't going to be a big deal if it's a good one. Personally I would look for clean one with average mileage.

I would also avoid the ABS - the problem was the servo as much as the ABS - which you didn't get on the non ABS model. The standard brakes were fine.

Finally consider upgrading the shocks to secondhand Wilbers if you can find them - the standard ones will be shagged and it will transform the bike.
 
I think the early 1200's are excellent value for money as they have generally been very well looked after and work/recalls etc have been done a long time ago.

I've had plenty of 05 ish 1200's on my Alaska trips and they all go very well and have been trouble free.

Don't get too hung up with the mileage as the boxer engine is pretty bullet proof and will run into 6 figures easily with no problems. I'd rather have one with a few miles on the clock than one which has been cosseted in a warm garage and only taken out on sunny sundays and polished to within an inch of it's life. I've found they get better with lots of use.

Don't get too hung up with the ABS/Servo brakes. I don't like them but that's personal choice but they seem to work well enough for most people on their bi weekly adventure to tesco.
 
Nearly 40k* on my 2005 ABS equipped GS. The only known problems was the gear indicator thingy going bonkers. This was simply cured by cleaning the multiplug near the gear lever.
The ABS on my previous 2005 GS kept me upright before I got knocked off it.

Mr K on here has an 04/05 model that he's put over 70k on.


*Only 8k of them are mine though
 
If it were me I wouldn't go for an 04. Mine was garbage.

If you do want one, things to look for - corroding frame esp around sidestand mounting, corroding rear light bulb fittings (causes servo failure), heavy throttle due to worn cables and cable guides, get a BMW garage to check on service history/warranty claims. Take the side cover off and look at the fuel pump area & see if it is corroded. Other things you wont be able to see like gearbox failure, fuel pump failure, final drive play at rear wheel etc etc.
 
As a general rule from my experience: the later the model, the better.

The electrically-assisted ABS ('04 to '07) is temperamental, and a pain in the ass to maintain. (My technical article on the subject will tell you everything you need to know.)
The non-assisted ABS on '08 to '13 bikes is much better.

Re. the whole ABS vs. non-ABS argument: I concede that most of the time, it's dead weight you don't need.
But on that day you do need it, it's likely to be a matter of life or death... :rob Comes under the heading of 'Contingency planning'.
 
MisterB said:
Hi all,

I'm looking at buying an early (04,05) R1200GS. I've had a trawl through the forums and have frightened myself with all the horror stories of what can go wrong! Equally I'm sure there are oodles of very happy GS owners!!

Can I ask please if there is anything specific I need to be looking out for with a 9 or 10 year old GS?

I've read mixed reports of the brakes on the early bikes - anyone got any opinions on those please?
Click to expand...

I've had three 1200gs including a 2004 from new. Its true that they arent Honda quality but you will get totally the wrong impression from reading the forums which inevitably are reports of issues. After all. most riders who dont have a problem are out riding rather than posting.

So what to look out for on a 2004/5
1/ BMWs corrode but then so do all bikes. The worst bits are the painted aluminium of things like the engine front cover but given that you are looking at a 10 year old bike you cant expect it to be corrosion free. Just be prepared to repaint bits
2/ Early bikes had servo br4akes which I thought were brilliant. However, if neglected ( so check brake fluid changes every 2 years) they can fail. Contrary to the tripe sometimes written on here, the brakes still work. Just without servo and therefore a much harder pull.
3/ early bikes sometimes had oil leaks between the engine and the gearbox. Check this area
4/ Bevel boxes - applies to all 1200 in RT etc up to the intro of the toilet. The bevel box is a weak design and the bearings can fail. Repair is about £400 if you diy the strip and assembly.
5/ Fuel pump issues due to collection of rain in the electrics.

My 2004 was 100% reliable for the two years I had it. The next bike had the bevel box issue. Current bike no problems yet.

My7 attitude is that the good parts about the bike outweigh the reliability issues. Better a less than perfect GS than a perfectly boring Honda.
 
Brilliant - thank you all very much!

I took an 04 GS for a test ride this morning and was surprised that it didn't like pulling from low revs in a high gear. I know it's a twin but I thought with such a big engine it wouldn't be much different from a big four. Overall it looked in pretty good nick, though there appeared to be a tiny oil leak from somewhere around the front of the shaft drive. Both shaft drive gaiters were on their last legs too.

Certainly a different experience riding a big GS!
 
It certainly is a different experience but one you will quickly grow to love (well I did). If they look good after 10 years and the dealer is prepared to give you a warranty period whereby you can drop it back if you find a problem in the first couple of months then you shouldn't go too far wrong. If the dealer won't give you even 3 months warranty then maybe he knows something you might need to know!

I would have thought that anything that should have gone wrong, probably has in 10 years and has been fixed.

I'm sure your spidey senses will tell you if the dealer is a good one or not.

Enjoy the hunt and best of luck. Ride a few first

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