Glad............

Captain Scarlet said:
That's because, according to your location, you live in cloud cookoo land! :-)

Having met Tim recently I can confirm that irrespective of where he lives he does come down to visit the rest of us once in a while:P
 
Captain Scarlet said:
That's because, according to your location, you live in cloud cookoo land! :-)

Er, no. According to my location, I live in cuckoo land, according to you (and many others) I live in cloud cookoo land. But thanks for the 'complement' Rushy, although I try not to come down too often. :)

JB has no axe to grind merely a factual observation, as was my comment. Perhaps the owners are just shy. I've seen Gazza's, Gerry's and about 3 others at our events.
I do hope that 1200GS owners who are new to the GS world are not made to feel alienated by comments made on this board.

If they are, ............tough.:D

Tim
 
timolgra said:
I do hope that 1200GS owners who are new to the GS world are not made to feel alienated by comments made on this board.

I, for one, couldn't give a toss(er) about the negative comments.

It goes, stops & handles as "sporty" as I want/need on UK roads with the added bonus of capable 2-up touring and the occasional off-road excursion (currently it's better at that than my limited skills) :)

I'm well chuffed with it and certainly can't think of anything else available I'd replace it with.

It gives an excellent grin factor - if it decides to break down, well, it won't be the first bike I've had that does that.
 
Now lookie here

I was peed off when the fule pump controller went belly up 2 weeks ago.

But it was fixed in quick time by me dealer (bike not drugs the latter know nowt about bikes), and since then had a great run out to Wales (again) last weekend.

This bike (the 12) is sporty (ish) in that it can make very good progress and keeps up with and can dominate some sports bikes. A better rider on board than me could probably show many a clean set of heels.

But it is also good for 3 hours at a time in the saddle, as in 3 hours, stop fill up (take a leak) have a drink of water and off again 5 mins later for another 3 hours.

It handles motorways fine up to about 120 MPH (me officer are you sure officer, has that vascar thingy been calibrated recently?????) more than fast enough for the majority of folks.

And what's more when you get to your destination you are still pretty fesh.

I am well chuffed with the bike certainly ticks in all the right boxes for me.

There was another thread about the 12 not being a GS. In some ways I would agree in that I think BM have with this bike taken it out of the traditional GS mould and placed it in a more contemporay mould where it sits now not only with previous GS incarnations but now also with VFR's (Sports tourers) and other more full on tourers (say Pan Europeans).

Why has BM done this probably because they discovered through forums and customer feedback that manyGS riders used their bikes not for off roading per se but for touring. And then having a good time once they reached their far flung destination. So BM have kept the good touring manners and now added extra (sporty) fun when you get there. have they really diminshed it's off road skills??? Depends on who you speak to Si Pavey seems to think not and as he is an off road god, I'll take his word.

Just over 3 houors to go, right must check the BBC weather report and decide where to go this weekend, adios
 
Oi Scarlet boy, *SNAP* I may be getting mine in a couple of weeks (a cancelled order means I've moved up the Q!!) BUT I've got a bit of a balencing prob. I want the BM, need to go to the US with the GF to see her family (before they virtually close the borders!!), the GF is taking her CBT this weekend and would like a Honda CBR125, need to pay the final figure on the BMW finance on my CS before selling it. SO I can only do the GS, Finance and one other OR scrap the lot and sort out the CS and pick up a cheap Fazer for 12-18-24 months!! AAAAHHHHHH What do I do!
 
BJEast said:
Oi Scarlet boy, *SNAP* I may be getting mine in a couple of weeks (a cancelled order means I've moved up the Q!!) BUT I've got a bit of a balencing prob. I want the BM, need to go to the US with the GF to see her family (before they virtually close the borders!!), the GF is taking her CBT this weekend and would like a Honda CBR125, need to pay the final figure on the BMW finance on my CS before selling it. SO I can only do the GS, Finance and one other OR scrap the lot and sort out the CS and pick up a cheap Fazer for 12-18-24 months!! AAAAHHHHHH What do I do!

You apparently doesn't live in My World(tm) as in My World (tm) no man would go to the US to see inlaws, especially as you've already bagged her and there's a big piece of water in between...

And, in My World(tm) My Girlfriend (tm) pays for her own bl**dy bikes... :D

"Don't have a Fazer, man" (Variation of Bart Simpsons: "Don't have a Cow, man")

For people living outside My World(tm) a temporary loan to clear off the CS might be "the thing"...:confused:

:beerjug:
 
Joker LOL!!

Well the mother (and GF) are english, she was abducted by the septi.... I mean US citizen :D 2 years ago and she 's not been to see her since, thus we need to pop over there before Oct 1st.

Re her bike, Well due to some mitigating £££ circumstances she can't, so its my prob.

Re Fazer, well if its got 2 wheels I could suffer it till the credit card cooled down (or is that rear trans!!).

Re CS, well thats what the credit card is going to do and then sell it.

Re loan, due to NO credit history (Ex-army out of the country, living in rented places the past 6 years etc etc) I can't even get a Switch card off my bank even with the money I'm on going through there!!!
 
Oi **BJEAST**....

Snap too! :)

In so far as I'm a Berkshire rider, have a GS12 on order and I'm taking my woman to the States at the same time as you! :)

That's where it ends though....

I AM getting my bike pre-delivered to me a week today!!! :)

Seriously mate, even if you have to put that balaclava that your gran knitted you over your head tonight, and get the axe from the shed to hold up you local offie, pub, bank (del as applicable) you just gotta do it buddy!!!!

'Hope' to be riding with you soon - if not maybe I'll bump into you in the States and can buy you a beer to cry into! :)
 
First post. I've been following this forum since the spring when I put down my dollars (Canadian) for the new 1200. Mine was in on March 13 but, hey, this is Canada, so I've ridden it only since April 17. I only tour, one to three day rides, usually in New York State or Pennsylvania.

On my second or third tour, half way through the day, my ABS light kept on blinking after a start and, indeed, the servo was not working leaving me with limited braking. After a short while it kicked in. Happened several more times during the trip and the last go around did not kick in for a good 30 or more minutes. At the same time, guys riding behind me were telling me that my brake light was going on and off erratically. Cutting to the chase, it took two trips to the dealer to learn it was a defective master cylinder.

Since then, the fuel gauge send unit has been replaced (twice) as well as the headlight switch. I had a shock when I brought it in for 6,000 mile maintenance. Just as they were putting it all together with new tires (Tourance replacing Michelins) they found the front wheel was out of true. They told me I had messed up the front wheel so that's not on warranty. I've taken it off road, fire and logging roads, but hey the bike is supposed to be built for that so what the...?

As they were re-installing the front wheel they found a bolt missing from the front brake caliper. Then they (the dealer) tell me that BMW does not provide replacement bolt but the entire caliper needs to be changed! Believe me, that suprised the dealer as much as it did me. Oh and by the way the brakes are only warranted to 4,500 miles and you have 5,400 miles. Anyway they are waiving that one (bike is still in shop after two weeks while BMW was scratching itself about what to do.)

No final drive problem. Yet?

Okay, what do I think? First I should say that throughout, the dealers (I've used two) have been excellent. Actually I used a third dealer (not one I had purchased the bike from) for my 600 mile first maintenance and the technician as it turned out didn't connect one of the spark plugs properly. I couldn't understand why I didn't have the vaunted power but the next dealer corrected that in a hurry so bye bye to the idiot at Budds BMW. It's nice to have a choice.

But the bike is a jewel doing everything you ask of it. None of the above problems have left me stranded so it's easier to be forgiving. But the roads especially of Pennsylvania are about the twistiest, gnarliest roller coasters you'll find anywhere as they're either old paved over logging roads or Indian trails, and the 1200 handles them with aplomb. I did not own predecessor GS models as they would have been just too much to handle for me. You've got to be a big mother to take on an ADV. The 1200 opens up a whole new market for BMW and does it well. If I had to rely on the bike every day of the week I suppose I'd be pissed and it certainly does seem to have more problems than it should coming from a premiere company. But provided you are prepared to exercise a certain degree of tolerance, really not that much, you should have no regrets.
 
schnozz said:
But the roads especially of Pennsylvania are about the twistiest, gnarliest roller coasters you'll find anywhere as they're either old paved over logging roads or Indian trails, and the 1200 handles them with aplomb.

Hey, schnozz, hope you get the bike well sorted soon!

If you think the Pennsylvania roads are good, you need to keep going a little farther south and hit western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee and hit US129 with 318 curves in 11 miles. No typo: 318 curves in 11 miles. And that is quite typical of the roads in the Appalacian Mountains.

You fellows coming across the pond, if you're going to be in the Boston area, drop me a line and the first couple of pints are on me.


:beerjug:
 
JohnnyBoxer said:
BMW wouldn't do this as a gesture of goodwill .............because they're just a 'nice' company,

Quite right.........they replace the faulty goods because they 'are not fit for the purpose for which they are intended' and that they are 'not of merchantable quality'.......it took them all of 4 days to authorise the replacement of mine and not a lot longer to authorise the goodwill payment which effectively covered the cost of the ruined portion of our Norwegian holiday.....

If you're not happy with the goods, take 'em back and demand exchange or refund......it's your right, pure & simple........the fact that we're dealing with a relatively hard-to-get BMW motorcycle does not affect the principle.....

Dutch
 
Paragon said:
Oh Dear - yours will be the problem with the final drive - better get them to replace it before you pick it up - or am I too late.

Cheers

Let's take a gamble... get yourself out and actually use your GSA, match my annual mileage and we'll see which final drive packs in first ;)


One condition.. you can't fit Steptoe's heavy duty bearing in place of the original:D

:grndevil :dabone :tears :hapybnce:
 
Taken from AdvRider tonight......................kinda says it all........poor guy!!!!!!!!!!

BMW 1200GS---final drive failure

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just came back from vacation from hell on my 1200GS----after initial fuel modulator failure---3 days--- we went a further three days and had the final drive splines nearly completely worn out---three eights of an inch top to bottom play---chech out your bike as this looks like a weak spot---I have about 4000 kms on it when noticed------put the bike on centre stand and grab the wheel to check for top to bottom play----
 
I'm sure, when all the teething problems are sorted out by the buying test riders, it'll be a great bike.

But they're having trouble doing the miles due to the problems, and when that problems cured, the next problem will appear.

Don't forget, they're still trying to cure the 1150 bevel drive problem, after how many years ? ( seems like they've given up and will just keep on changing them till they're out of warranty, and its then down to the owner.



P.S. They would have loved to give Mcgregor and Boorman the 1200, but couldn't chance any bad publicity.





:eek: :eek:
 
As a point of interest concerning rear drive failure on the 12's. I was lurking in my local BMW dealers workshop one day. They had an ex demo 1200 which had been sold and the mechanic was giving it the once over when he found some play on the rear drive.
"Thats a blow", says I, "the rear drive is shagged out"
"No it isnt" says he, and he went on to explain.
I had thought the final drive was sealed for life. So any wear means a replacement drive unit. I was wrong! It seems the oil is for life, in other words once it is filled, you forget about it. No need to change the oil. BUT, the rear drive is shimmed. So play can be removed by a strip and re-shim, as long as the component parts havnt been damaged due to excessive play.
Sure enough, about an hour later the bike is wheeled out for the customer to collect. I made a bee-line for the bike and checked for play. NONE, all gone, so he must have done like he said and re-shimmed it.
Point I am making is, it is worth checking for any play (holding the wheel at 12 oclock and 6 oclock) and if any appears, scoot down to your local dealer and get them to check it out. Every weekend I check the tyre pressures, and now, for play in the rear wheel.

On the 1150 (which appears to be perfect in certain peoples eyes), my final drive bearing failed at about 42k. Looking at most of the posts this seems to be about the safe life of the bearing. It is a doddle to change, and the bits are quite cheap. In my opinion, it is worth changing it at about this mileage just to be on the safe side.
 
I had play in my 1150 bevel 2 weeks ago, opened it up, bearing fine, so shimmed it .

Its like you said, Only an hour or so.

Haven't done many miles on it since, to tell if it'll last.

:confused:
 
Pehaps something was lost in the translation of a recent owner questionaire. Conclusion:

"Owners of the new 1200 want to spend more time off road"

became

"Owners of the new 1200 want to spend more time off the road"

:D
 
Johnny

ref your recent quote

Taken from AdvRider tonight......................kinda says it all........poor guy!!!!!!!!!! BMW 1200GS---final drive failure

and slso with regards to your comments on the first thread


I think you are trying to convince yourself that you made the right choice buying anothe 1150 in March do you!!!!
I still think the 1200gs is wicked!!!!

Howie:argue
 
Same circumfrence of the bearing, they come in different thicknesses .
 


Back
Top Bottom