Ex- Off-road school 1200GS

[Jon T]

Hello chaps,

Forgive this incursion from a lurker & occasional airhead poster, but I'd like to mine your collective wisdom. I'm in the position to buy an '06 1200GS, an ex-offroad school bike which has done very little since. it shows little evidence of it's former life, apart from some light gouging in the (spoked) rims & a dent in the LH exhaust. It's only done about 5000 miles, as the guy who bought it from them has been out of the country so it has sat for 2-3 years. It'll need a battery & a service, but I guess should be good to go. My question is, are there any problems inherent in the offroad school bikes I should know about? It seems a pretty basic spec - no abs, luggage or computer, but I guess I'm not too fussed about that. I recon the guy bought it cheap - do they carry a stigma which effects their price going forward? I wouldn't mind too much tbh, as I probably couldn't afford it any other way! Any thoughts either way would be gratefully received - my experience with these things runs out in the points & Bing carbs era!

Cheers, Jon.

 

[Mutley]

You'll find plenty are worried about the provenance of these things because they do get a hard life at the off road school.

The cosmetics get a battering there but they remove / replace the obvious stuff like cylinder head cases.

They are basically but regularly maintained there as they need reliable bikes for the school.

I'd budget for full servicing of the suspension though.

Beggars can't be choosers so if it ain't bent then what does it matter as long as it's good vfm

 

[Loiq]

I've had a couple of schools bikes now they are VFM, have a good look at the ring aerial and the FPC... these bikes do get wet.... alot....

fork seals... was the problem on my HP2... but I had them rebuilt and it's been fine and the final drive bearing did go but that could have been me...

other than that ride it like you stole it and they seem fine....

 

[david a hall]

There will be many views on this, you could buy a mint looking bike and have nowt but trouble, or the off road bike that goes forever,if you ride it and it feels tight and solid then buy it, if it feels shagged then dont, if the price is good then all is repairable (if needs be), its an engine on wheels, it can be fixed

 

[luckylucian]

Check the gearbox, they have a very hard time

 

[Wapping]

Like any second hand bike, if it 'feels' (in it's broadest sense) OK buy it.... If it doesn't, walk away. Another will always come along.

The way I look at it is this. If a punter bought it, rode it for a few weeks and then stuck it in a shed, to sell the following summer... you would buy it (if you were happy) without necessarily ever knowing it had been a school's bike.

Honda sell on 'old' press bikes, I have seen them lined up at Honda Racing in Louth, prior to going to assorted dealers and into the trade. Penny to a pound says few if any of the buyers off the forecourt will know the bikes' history.

I bought an M reg VFR 750 (ex Honda press bike) it was fine.

 

[Wierpig]

Jon,bought one in 06 with 1.5k on it now done 31k.excellent value.been reliable and smooth.forks were bent on mine.difficult to spot with telelever.

 

[Craggy]

Have just been on the BMW off road school, and may I say on a zero mile 2010 model 1200GS and having seen what happens to them – oh, um, and what I did to mine – I’d never even consider buying one.

 

[Jon T]

Thanks for your feedback chaps. One of the problems with using a forum such as this is that you get lots of posts from people whose bikes have problems, and very few people posting to say their bike is fine!
Wierpig - how did you get on with your bent forks? Was it obvious from riding it, and was it covered by any sort of warranty?
I guess with this bike my biggest concern is a major unit - gearbox, final drive - needing replacement early on, before I've got over the financial shock of buying it.

 

[Slowdown]

Thanks for your feedback chaps. One of the problems with using a forum such as this is that you get lots of posts from people whose bikes have problems, and very few people posting to say their bike is fine!
Wierpig - how did you get on with your bent forks? Was it obvious from riding it, and was it covered by any sort of warranty?
I guess with this bike my biggest concern is a major unit - gearbox, final drive - needing replacement early on, before I've got over the financial shock of buying it.

So if you're a pessimist, factor in the price of a replacement FD, gearbox, clutch etc and offer a sum of money accordingly.

However, God loves an optimist......(as do salesmen)

 

[Wierpig]

Felt odd so took them apart to have a look.Sliders would not go back onto stanchions.not visible but obviously bent.was within 6 months of purchase from Bath Rd motorcycles.they sent me new ones foc.If the transmission,engine,final drive are still ok,chances are theyll continue to be.If its a bargain,go for it!

 

[zoltan]

My RT ex demo ( 4 different dealers had it as a test bike for the press ) BMW Club Sec. than had it for 3 years . Now is 5 years old only problem I had , was resolved by BM . I also had a ex press Alfa 157 , lasted 2 weeks . Dealer refunded me the full purchase price.
I believe is down to Karma....Go with your instinct. It should be cheap machine.

 

[WindyChuffer]

Hello chaps,

... I'm in the position to buy an '06 1200GS, an ex-offroad school bike which has done very little since...do they carry a stigma which effects their price going forward?

Jon - If you buy this bike, when you come to sell it, how on earth will anyone know its an ex-off road skills bike? The V5 wont have any of this information on it...and you are not under any obligation to mention anything of its history.

Just a thought.

 

[WindyChuffer]

Have just been on the BMW off road school, and may I say on a zero mile 2010 model 1200GS and having seen what happens to them – oh, um, and what I did to mine – I’d never even consider buying one.

The sound of an inexperienced off roader...

What you would have seen happening to the bikes would have them being dropped multiple times, perhaps sliding down the track a bit on their sides, resulting in nothing more than cosmetic damage.

Thats the beauty of these bikes - they are very tough in this regard.

I speak from personal experience having done 3 x BMW Off Road skills courses, and spanking the living daylights out of my own 2009 1200GSA off road. Its been crashed into a tree, dropped countless times, slid down rock tracks, inverted. Its done the HUMM and multiple off road weekends around Surrey & Wales. But you know what, the worst damage done to my bike was coming off in the wet on the road at 50mph. Having said all that, the damage is purely cosmetic. With the cosmetics rectified, no-one would know !

 

[autogs]

if you buy an offroad school bike,get a gsa as the instructors ride them,crash a little bit less i reckon,i bought an 08 ex school gsa,v good price and no real probs