Has your GS1200 been reliable...or not?

09 GS, after 5 weeks lost all clocks, all handle bar controls and the heated grips came on without the ignition being on ! diagnosed as the ZFE control unit so that was 5 days in the dealers, then phone call on the day i though it was being returned to say the socket for the ZFE control unit was burnt out, so a new wiring loom complete will be required so another 5 - 7 days in the dealers. THANK GOD its only 10 months old !! so is covered by warranty.....

I'd hate to think what would have happened if i was in the middle of Morroco.
 
les049 said:
09 GS, after 5 weeks lost all clocks, all handle bar controls and the heated grips came on without the ignition being on ! diagnosed as the ZFE control unit so that was 5 days in the dealers, then phone call on the day i though it was being returned to say the socket for the ZFE control unit was burnt out, so a new wiring loom complete will be required so another 5 - 7 days in the dealers. THANK GOD its only 10 months old !! so is covered by warranty.....

I'd hate to think what would have happened if i was in the middle of Morroco.
Click to expand...

You'd have had very warm hands.:comfort
 
12k miles service has showed no surprises.

Previous fixes were under guarantee and not based on an actual issue but preventive recalls. (Brake lines, EWS Ring antenna, Storspannungen im Bordnetz-kondensator modification, software update)

This mighty pig has gives me nothing but fun against acceptable ownership costs, and I intend to ride it for a long time. :D
 
My R1200 Gs has done 17,433 mls in just under 2yrs. Lodes of fun, only had to change headlight bulb 3 times. Due to vibes I guess. Hope to do lodes more as its a cracking bike to ride.
This from one who suffers from ducks disease. :doh
 
Safe to tell now, without touching wood. My 05 did 45k in all weathers until I swapped to a 2010 3 wks. ago. Often ridden in a spirited fashion both in Uk and Europe, but Rainbow serviced by the book. Carefully jet washed immediately after any winter rides and apart from slight front plate corrosion, no issues whatsoever - that's none!

Had a Keihan 'Y' piece and ran sweet and strong all the time. Faultless gearbox, loved Roadsmarts. Reluctant to part, but I rode a demonstrator and capitulated. Someone's going to buy a great bike
 
HI ALL
I must have the worst GSA ever made! I love the bike but seriously, im tiring of the poor life from components. Mines an 07GSA and here is the list so far:
Numerous brake line recalls
New wheels at about 10k
new fuel cap 15k
New clutch 15k due to gearbox oil leak.
New clocks at 20k due to led failure.
new zenon light at 20k due to failure
New rear shock at same.
several front engine plates due to corrosion in warranty period
new clutch at 26k due to another gearbox oil leak - faulty push rod seal
New starter motor at 30k - bike broke down this time.
Intermittent clutch slip at 35k. Unfortuantely, every time ive taken it to the dealers the problem isnt there. no oil leaks, stuck levers etc but it slips every now and then on hard acceleration up a hill. Suspect very small oil leak from previous offending seal.
Front abs sensor failure about 35k. Brake failure lamp on all the time and speedo works when it wants to.

To top it all, on way home from work tonight, M62 closed so I take a detour. Bike feeling rough and handles like shit! When i get hme, i look around and see brown dust around rubber prop shaft seals and oil spray around the rear hub! Bike has about 38k on it but am not really sure because of speedo fault.
My local dealer is really helpful; however I presume as a result of the sales success of BMW I cant get in the workshop for 3-4 weeks!
Anyway am I just unlucky or are these things just not built to last anymore.
Had an 1150gsa before this with 80k on the clock. Only real issues here were corrosion, pick up failure at 50k and bevel box bearings at 55k.

Was planning to go to Bruno on it in August but im not sure it will make it> I thing I will go on my GSXR1000K5 which has 30k on it, been to France, Spain, Germany Holland, Italy, Track days etc - the only issue ive had with this bike ( and believe me its been ridden and wheelied to within an inch of its life) is a blown indicator bulb!
 
Poor build quality

HI ALL
I must have the worst GSA ever made! I love the bike but seriously, im tiring of the poor life from components. Mines an 07GSA and here is the list so far:
Numerous brake line recalls
New wheels at about 10k
new fuel cap 15k
New clutch 15k due to gearbox oil leak.
New clocks at 20k due to led failure.
new zenon light at 20k due to failure
New rear shock at same.
several front engine plates due to corrosion in warranty period
new clutch at 26k due to another gearbox oil leak - faulty push rod seal
New starter motor at 30k - bike broke down this time.
Intermittent clutch slip at 35k. Unfortuantely, every time ive taken it to the dealers the problem isnt there. no oil leaks, stuck levers etc but it slips every now and then on hard acceleration up a hill. Suspect very small oil leak from previous offending seal.
Front abs sensor failure about 35k. Brake failure lamp on all the time and speedo works when it wants to.

To top it all, on way home from work tonight, M62 closed so I take a detour. Bike feeling rough and handles like shit! When i get hme, i look around and see brown dust around rubber prop shaft seals and oil spray around the rear hub! Bike has about 38k on it but am not really sure because of speedo fault.
My local dealer is really helpful; however I presume as a result of the sales success of BMW I cant get in the workshop for 3-4 weeks!
Anyway am I just unlucky or are these things just not built to last anymore.
Had an 1150gsa before this with 80k on the clock. Only real issues here were corrosion, pick up failure at 50k and bevel box bearings at 55k.

Was planning to go to Bruno on it in August but im not sure it will make it> I thing I will go on my GSXR1000K5 which has 30k on it, been to France, Spain, Germany Holland, Italy, Track days etc - the only issue ive had with this bike ( and believe me its been ridden and wheelied to within an inch of its life) is a blown indicator bulb!
 
Came back last night from another 6,000 mile Alaska/Canada trip. Had one burned head light. Mine is an '07 GSA with 48,000 miles on the clock now. Reliable as a deadbolt :augie
 
All these guys who say "stop moaning mines done a milliomn miles no prob"

What would they say if they had the quality experience of many of the people here

Me thinks they would also be saying

A THIRTEEN GRAND BIKE should be better

if it was a 13k car or a 1K telly they would be pi###d off too

I have never had to buy an extended warranty with any of my Honda bikes
or rather should say, have never felt the need , not like my GS

I love the GS and RT but have to say If it were not for Rainbow I would not buy BM
 
slimpickings said:
All these guys who say "stop moaning mines done a milliomn miles no prob"

What would they say if they had the quality experience of many of the people here

Me thinks they would also be saying

A THIRTEEN GRAND BIKE should be better

if it was a 13k car or a 1K telly they would be pi###d off too

I have never had to buy an extended warranty with any of my Honda bikes
or rather should say, have never felt the need , not like my GS

I love the GS and RT but have to say If it were not for Rainbow I would not buy BM
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Sorry, didn't realise you weren't allowed to comment if your bike has been reliable. :rolleyes:
 
I read these posts and begin to wonder whether I've made the right choice.......after all, mine's due to go to Bahnstormer on Monday and have the fuel guage sorted out (09 GSA).

However, a friend of mine has one of those "uber reliable" jap bikes, you know, the ones that never go wrong???? So tell me this - why is the swingarm on his bike corroding, the paint flaking off the headstock and the switchgear (with the kill switch) needing to be replaced because the engine cut out on him whilst on the outside lane of a motorway? Granted, the bike was cheaper (Yamaha Fazer), but it's a 57 plate that's washed, polished, regularly serviced etc. so should've been OK.

I feel sorry for people who have a list as long as their arm of faults and clearly there are some cases that are unacceptable. However, for people who have had simple issues such as batteries fail, try to remember that no manufacturer is perfect and I'm sure other bikes have similar gremlins. :rob

Just my opinion though :hide
 
gs reliability?
I had an 04 1200,did 20k on it with nothing more than a headlight bulb failure,toured all over europe without it missing a beat,i do all my own servicing including a fd oil change every 6k or 12 months,in my opinion,properly maintained and sensibly ridden you can expect good service from a gs, but any neglect will perhaps invite possible reliability issues,i also don,t advocate pressure washing.Although no product can be 100% perfect as faults can occur, but generally with a little tlc i still think a gs is a good bet.My 04 bike was running better then ever when i traded up to a 2010 dohc bike recently,and if it serves me as well as my old bike i,ll be well happy,
 
I hope you're right..

I'm trading in my 08 honda transalp for a 2010 R1200GS, I hope you are right about reliability issues, I would hate to have problems from the word go...

How are you finding your 2010 model? :beerjug:
 
Have a chat

Jedmeister said:
I read these posts and begin to wonder whether I've made the right choice.......after all, mine's due to go to Bahnstormer on Monday and have the fuel guage sorted out (09 GSA).

However, a friend of mine has one of those "uber reliable" jap bikes, you know, the ones that never go wrong???? So tell me this - why is the swingarm on his bike corroding, the paint flaking off the headstock and the switchgear (with the kill switch) needing to be replaced because the engine cut out on him whilst on the outside lane of a motorway? Granted, the bike was cheaper (Yamaha Fazer), but it's a 57 plate that's washed, polished, regularly serviced etc. so should've been OK.

I feel sorry for people who have a list as long as their arm of faults and clearly there are some cases that are unacceptable. However, for people who have had simple issues such as batteries fail, try to remember that no manufacturer is perfect and I'm sure other bikes have similar gremlins. :rob

Just my opinion though :hide
Click to expand...


Hi there, I think we live quite close to each other.. I'm considering getting a 2010 GS, would be nice to have a chat about them.. cheers.
 
Just run in with 4k in 10 months and running well, Im new to the GS and I have to admit the number of posts about problems did make me think about whether I made a mistake but.... no mistake a wonderful bike.:aidan
 
Funny old thing...reliability

I'm on my third GS in almost 6 years. Did about 30k on the first 1150 without incident. Then an ABS pump failure, for which dealer wanted £1400 to fix, prompted a quick trade in to an almost new 06 GSA. Another 30k without incident got me to an 09 GSA which is currently 7k old. Been to Budapest twice on business and will be going again in September. No faults experienced. Although mine spends almost all of its time on motorways around Europe, one up with panniers and top bag, at 85 to 90mph, I don't ride it at all aggressively and probably never see more than 3k revs in any gear other than top. I own it because its physical size provides comfortable accommodation for my long legs that I have yet to find elsewhere. For some reason the 1200RT, which would otherwise suit my purposes better, (electric screen and cruise control) appears to have been built for a smaller person?

I like it, want it to get me to where I need to be, so ride it with a degree of mechanical sympathy. You may say I shouldn't need to, and you may well be right, but in my experience as an aerospace engineer, life just isn't like that.
 
i have a 05 1200gs from new no probs till18k then gearbox input shaft seal blew, now at 28k and 1400 miles from home and on route to corfu crankshaft oil seal has blown leading to a slipping clutch.
a tentative ride back from venice ive now been waiting 4 weeks for a repair but my local dealer tells me that bmw out source there seals and the company has gone bust. so when can i expect my bike back on the road, next week? next month? next year?
not appy.
 
rogerdodge said:
crankshaft oil seal has blown leading to a [...]ive now been waiting 4 weeks for a repair but my local dealer tells me that bmw out source there seals and the company has gone bust. so when can i expect my bike back on the road, next week? next month? next year?
not appy.
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Roger, get the part number from your :) dealer and call a few German dealers. They may have the part in stock. Shipping won't be much.

If that doesn't work, get the dimensions off a workshop manual and call around a few engineering suppliers.

Good luck,
Achim
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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