help me decide: restored 1150gs vs non restored

[vteec]

hello
can you please help me decide between these two bikes please?
one is a 2000 model with 39k kms and never been restored, some rusted bolts and some traces of rust on handle bar and rear frame etc...

the other is a 2001 model with 25k kms.
i had seen the bike before the renovation/restoration, it was stored in a humid garage and had some corrosion in the usual places, especially the fork legs.
the bike now is close to mint the owner is a friend of mine and he spent four months stripping the bike and renovating each part.

what do you think please?
would you prefer a more genuine example with patina on or else a restored one?

thank you

 

[STUBBS]

renovation at 25k

 

[vteec]

hello stubbs
the bike used to be stored in an underground garage.
it had the fork legs slightly corroded, the handlebar and mirrors had minor traces of rust and the rear frame had slight rust where the rear brake fluid reservoir is located.

it was all cosmetic but very unsightly.

 

[Fanum]

I have a feeling that a GS isn't the right bike for you

 

[STUBBS]

hello stubbs
the bike used to be stored in an underground garage.
it had the fork legs slightly corroded, the handlebar and mirrors had minor traces of rust and the rear frame had slight rust where the rear brake fluid reservoir is located.

it was all cosmetic but very unsightly.

sounds normal

 

[Seamaster]

We are missing an important fact between the two bikes, that is the price.

 

[vteec]

hello,

@seamaster both bikes are at the same price.
the un restored one has a number of wunderlich accessories including the power commander style fuel controller, which i am not very keen at, and planned on remove anyway.

@fanum why a GS is not right for me? have a g650 and just sold and f800 to get this 1150

thank you

 

[ahutcheon]

@fanum why a GS is not right for me? have a g650 and just sold and f800 to get this 1150

He probably thinks I'm a proper GS owner: my bike gets washed once a year before its MoT, whether it needs it or not. Except when I forget. But I'm not proud. Or tired.

What's the service history on the two bikes? Both 24k and 36k are relatively big, I'd be buying the one that seems most mechanically sound and ignoring minor cosmetics.

Try choosing one on the toss of a coin, if the coin comes down the wrong way up that'll tell you something...

 

[MikeO]

What's the service history on the two bikes? Both 24k and 36k are relatively big...

36k kms on a 12 year old bike? High?

Try choosing one on the toss of a coin, if the coin comes down the wrong way up that'll tell you something...

 

[Muppet]

36k kms on a 12 year old bike? High?

I think he means high (big) as in cost of service.

If they're both the same price, and the 'restored' (should read tarted up a bit really) one has lower miles and is a year younger, there's got to be only one choice, surely?

 

[Thermo King]

If in doubt buy both. Then you'll have the best of both worlds and one to cannibalise for parts in later years.

TK.

 

[columbus]

Surely there is one that you prefer. Pick that one.

 

[Ian J Hartley]

eeny meeny miny mo!

 

[ChrisH Kerry]

You didn't mention colour - could be an important factor

 

[STUBBS]

best check what oil they both have

 

[ahutcheon]

36k kms on a 12 year old bike? High?

Not high mileage for the age, but if a 39k bike was overdue for the 36k service I'd be taking the cost/effort of the overdue service into account when I decided. Likewise for the 25k bike.

 

[dizzyrascal]

service history

Hi

Service history is only as good as whoever carried it out, I would agree that this is an important factor however all is not equal. I recently bought a low mileage bike with a stamped service record the last one having been undertaken only 300 miles before I purchased the bike.

The more I delved into the bike it became apparent that the mechanic who had carried out the services for the previous owner was well lets say not very good and at £200 a time every couple of thousand miles because that was all that was being covered each year.

There was tape over the ABS lights because they did not go out, it needed a new battery the PO was told it needed the ABS unit looking at. The valves were all set incorrectly with instant gasket applied to the rubber seal. As I say a service record does not always imply what you might expect.

 

[Hay Ewe]

Gut Feel
my 2001 1150 has 151000km on it, good condition, refirbed 2.5 years ago, usuall corrosion in the usual places. I stripped the paint off the wing mirror stalks and repainted, goes like a train.

Its not a new bike, going to have some wear / corrosion / scratches. If you are wanting a perfect bike, either buy the un-restored one and do it yourself or keep looking for a perfect one.

besides, you drop it the first time, it will get a scratch and break the plastic cylinder head guards.

Hay Ewe

 

[Mutley]

Any bike is only as good as the last set of spanners to touch it

 

[metropolis2k]

Service history is only as good as whoever carried it out, I would agree that this is an important factor however all is not equal. I recently bought a low mileage bike with a stamped service record the last one having been undertaken only 300 miles before I purchased the bike.

Same here. Despite a service only a month or two ago, I took my 'new' 1100S to Steptoe and after hearing it run for a few seconds could tell it had all been done wrong.