Has your GS1200 been reliable...or not?

[E. Buygum]

2008 1200GS 15k miles from new and flawless although I did get a bit cold once when I was out on it. I might have ordered different extras had I known about UKGSER before purchasing but, there again, with tales of FPC, EWS and Final Drives etc. I might have ordered a Tiger. (Which would have been a shame even though the Tiger is a very nice bike).

 

[Wingit]

08 12k.......................not one fault very happy

Ditto

 

[CaptainSlow]

The only problem with my '09 GS is that it hasn't stopped raining since I bought it at the begining of October and I get wet as the roof leaks.

 

[theop]

05 GS I just sold.... owned it for three years, more than any other bike ever.

I would not call it reliable or well made either as it wasn't, BUT it was a hoot to own and ride. A very very enjoyable bike. Mind you, I did eventually had enough of the s**te quality and expensive repairs and it has put me off getting another.

I ll wait for Yam Super Tenere or ideally Honda's belated answer to the GS...

 

[bod]

Don't get your hope's up!

05 GS I just sold.... owned it for three years, more than any other bike ever.

I would not call it reliable or well made either as it wasn't, BUT it was a hoot to own and ride. A very very enjoyable bike. Mind you, I did eventually had enough of the s**te quality and expensive repairs and it has put me off getting another.

I ll wait for Yam Super Tenere or ideally Honda's belated answer to the GS...

I saw an 05 plate Honda Varadero the other day! It was more corroded than any GS I have ever seen.

 

[theop]

not just corrossion I m referring to... Just general flimsiness of fittings, and all other ailments: leaks, bearings, electrics etc.... and its not generic to all BMW's. It is my impression that the first couple of years of GSs and RTs up to 06 have been worse than the later ones...

btw, never liked the Varadero, too heavy, too boring and too bad at most things, but I m pretty sure rusty or not it can survive without its dealer many eons longer than any current BM...

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

2 xGSA 1x GS SE Nay Bother

 

[Stumpy]

I had a 2006 1200 from new for 2 years and 24,000 miles.
In that time I had the following items replaced

3 batteries
1 front engine cover
1 starter motor
1 gearbox

I loved my GS but slowly lost confidence in the bike and the brand and won't be buying another.

 

[Rosahane]

I've has three GS's and the only failure I had was with the first one - a '05 - where the oil started leaking out of the rocker box cover

I suppose the build quality wasn't totally to blame as this happened as a result of a dimwit eighteen year old in an Octavia RS deciding to suddenly change lanes not noticing me in the gap he was going for and sideswiping me

The oil leaked when the rocker cover slid along the road and whacked off the median kerb! You would think that BMW could make them stronger

Before that, no problems and no problems with the two I've had since

 

[JPB]

04 GS, owned 4 years, 19,000 miles, annual trip over the water, no problems. Maybe I just live right!

 

[doggydog]

Here's my contribution, the 1200GS is the most expensive fault ridden bike I've ever come across, as someone stated earlier, in three years this bike has more faults than all my others put together. I have had many Hondas, Suzukis and a couple of previous BMs
EWS, gear selector,ABS, rear disc, heated grips, battery and headlight....need I go on.
The bikes only done 7,500 miles I dare not go any distance on it, if BMW think supplying parts under warranty is goin to keep me sweet they are severely mistaken.

 

[geotim]

Has anyone ever thought ....

For all these people who have massive problems and general downers on the GS (of any vintage) ...

Why are you still riding them?

If you are not riding them, why are you on this site?

There must be something positive about them ...

(I had a 4th hand 2004 1200 for a year and now am lucky enough to have a 2009 GSA - loved the first one and think the GSA is the mutts nuts ... if it breaks I will get it fixed, hopefully under warranty if necessary ).

 

[AdamA]

For all these people who have massive problems and general downers on the GS (of any vintage) ...

Why are you still riding them?

If you are not riding them, why are you on this site?

Because I got shot of the unreliable 04 GS bike and replaced it with a much more (so far) but not totally reliable GSA.

Things go wrong with some of them. It's a fact.
Some people can get over it, some can't. That's another fact you may or may not get over.

 

[geotim]

Doesn't bother me that much - SEP (somebody else's problem!).

I enjoy mine!

 

[NorthernBoy]

Why are you still riding them?

No, I'm not, I got rid of it because I did not trust it any more.

If you are not riding them, why are you on this site?

Because I replaced it with a newer one, which is much improved.

I'd not recommend the first run of 1200s to anyone, as the rate of general deterioration on mine, and the long list of faults can't really be put down just to being unlucky. You're unlucky if one of your valves is from a faulty batch and fails under stress, not if your frame rusts, your rear light fitting corrodes through, your front plate corrodes, your brake caliper bolts rust in the first week, and so on.

My first one was very badly built, with poor quality control, it did not suffer from an unforseeable fault that just needs to be put down to bad luck (well, actually, it had those too, with the clutch failure, electrics failing, defective batteries, heated grips failing...)

 

[herrdirektor]

So has your GS 1200 / GSA been reliable overall?...or not?

Yes. (So far, after 12k miles) My Majestic had the following (BMW initiated) modifications under warranty:

* Software update
* New EWS ring
* New longer brake lines
* Capacitor thingy-something fix (Bordnetz-kondensator)

All was done by my dealer during regular maintenance. I never had any issues with the GS.

 

[foggie]

Wow,

And Hi all - this is my 1st post on the forum!

I have just spent a two weeks searching ebay/MCN for a decent 1200 GS but maybe I need a rethink!

With the funds I have I was looking for a low mileage upto 2005 model but looks like I would be buying into a whole heap of trouble

I'll keep an eye on this post with interest and dig out the Honda catalogue I think.

Foggie

 

[NorthernBoy]

With the funds I have I was looking for a low mileage upto 2005 model but looks like I would be buying into a whole heap of trouble

Some were bad, some were not, but none seemed to be as well constructed as the 1150s. The new model fixes all sorts of issues that came up on the earlier one.

 

[Brooner]

I have an '08 plate facelifted GS, done 11.5k so far.

The only major issue I had was the EWS failure which resulted in it being recovered on the back of a wagon. The bike was returned cleaned
Oh, and a headlight bulb failed....

I dont think the problem is that BMW's are unreliable / badly designed or built.
I think the issue is there is an image of percieved quality (cant get better than German engineered and "The Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan from the cars)
A friend of mine had a GSXR1000 which failed to start (at home) because of water ingress to the main fuse box, they called the dealer as the bike was only a few months old, and were told to phone the AA as they get a years cover from new.

It could be worse.

 

[jimmystewpot]

London To Sydney

Hi There,

My bike is a 2007 R1200GS Adventure. So far it has not had any issues except a left hand heated grip that stopped working. I've just completed a 6 month ride from London to Sydney often taking the least usable road without having any problems. I would have to say its been the best dual purpose bike I've ever had. (That's coming from Hondas, yamahas and Husqvarnas).