http://bmwr1200gsservicehistory.blogspot.com/

[alecmuffett]

Lookee what I found:

http://bmwr1200gsservicehistory.blogspot.com/

...it's an interesting blog-like list of services and faults and fixes by some guy in the USA who is apparently touring South America.

 

[marcus]

"Within months of purchasing my bike, I began the practice of strapping my top box in place for added security. This, after hearing of others losing their top boxes. Yesterday the strap did not prevent the top box from flying off and bouncing down the road with my laptop inside."

No surprise there then, Snap!


"Speedomoter continues to fail intermittently"

Snap!

"Brake failure warning, EWS and light failure "

Snap!
Havn't read the rest yet.


To be fair though all these (except top box)were faults on my 04GS and have not reoccured on the 06 one for the same amount of mileage

 

[snoopy]

"Right front brake caliper detached"

nice!

 

[alecmuffett]

Likewise I had the fuel-pump controller failure, even after - possibly because of - the gasket replacement.

I shall be reviewing this page so that I am both forewarned and forearmed.

 

[ECM]

This guy got to set his marbels straight.

First he bought the wrong bike (HP2 - adventure type or other hard core off roader should do him right) . Second he bought the wrong set of tires.

Look:

And then he complains!!

[qoute]What I call the R1200GS's "Achille's Heel": inadequate front wheel clearance will allow mud buildup within minutes, with a resulting loss of control. Stopping to clear the mud usually required 15 minutes of work. After cleaning, it was good for about another three or four minutes of riding. (This photo was along Argentina's Ruta 40. Virtually identical conditions were encountered in Panama's Darien Province.)[/quote]

 

[alecmuffett]

This guy got to set his marbels straight.

First he bought the wrong bike (HP2 - adventure type or other hard core off roader should do him right) . Second he bought the wrong set of tires.

Look:
...
And then he complains!!

What I call the R1200GS's "Achille's Heel": inadequate front wheel clearance will allow mud buildup within minutes, with a resulting loss of control. Stopping to clear the mud usually required 15 minutes of work. After cleaning, it was good for about another three or four minutes of riding. (This photo was along Argentina's Ruta 40. Virtually identical conditions were encountered in Panama's Darien Province.)

You say that, and I might agree except I've been following the adventures of my friend Cynthia who is riding round the world on her R80G/S, and who writes this following in her latest epistle:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cmmRTW/

Actually, everyone's been very impressed with the bike (including the
BMW people) as they know the conditions on this continent. Rupert's
only been here 6 months and his bike's almost trashed. I gather even
Africa isn't as hard on the machinery as here.

I had no idea the place is so BIG. In Brazil I was doing 500-mile days
virtually back to back on horrible roads and not getting anywhere. It's
HUGE. I've done nearly 9,000 in the last two months from when I entered Brazil

In short: that's what people down there consider to be a "road", on which you ride "motorbikes" - mud, rocks, and the rough gravel surface called "ripio" which kills tyres and (frequently) people.

So when you say "Get a proper bike for that environment" you are actually suggesting that the R1200GS is not fit for the reputation upon which it is sold - that's it's actually a posemobile, not fit for the rougher parts of the world.

In an environment like this website, perhaps that is not the wisest thing to be saying.

For those who would like to see more of what it's like to go round the world, see:

photos: http://www.cynthia.boxerman.co.uk/index.htm

website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cmmRTW/

 

[Fanum]

This guy got to set his marbels straight.

First he bought the wrong bike (HP2 - adventure type or other hard core off roader should do him right) . Second he bought the wrong set of tires.

Look:

And then he complains!!

[qoute]What I call the R1200GS's "Achille's Heel": inadequate front wheel clearance will allow mud buildup within minutes, with a resulting loss of control. Stopping to clear the mud usually required 15 minutes of work. After cleaning, it was good for about another three or four minutes of riding. (This photo was along Argentina's Ruta 40. Virtually identical conditions were encountered in Panama's Darien Province.)

[/QUOTE]

On mud like that, TKC's clog up almost instantly and they don't clear themselves unless you can get on a different surface and get some speed up

Tourences are fine on normal roads and dirt, gravel etc, and they last a lot longer than TKC's.......probably a wise move given his journey

 

[Shep]

"Right front brake caliper detached"

nice!

He put it down to an error by Mechanics

Shep

 

[Mouse]

I had that mug clogging problem on an F650GS the other week. Horrible thick clay, I thought the brake caliper had seized at first.

I think if you were going to do that sort of terrain on any bike of the GS style, it would be well worth removing the front mudguard.

 

[Shep]

Was it a Touratech front guard that is saw that had louvres? Would these allow the mud to escape

Mind you my drz used to do that in clay, but just mud trapped between the fork leg and wheel

Shep

 

[Pukmeister]

Thanks for that Alec, a great site. He has ridden some serious mileage on his R1200, I'm sure all of us here share most of those bike faults in one way or another. Annoying isn't it, especially for those of us without any remaining warranty.

Considering he claims to be an unemployed Wino, he spends a hell of a lot on his bike and travels !!

 

[fcasado]

I had no idea the place is so BIG. In Brazil I was doing 500-mile days
virtually back to back on horrible roads and not getting anywhere. It's
HUGE. I've done nearly 9,000 in the last two months from when I entered Brazil

Sorry but this is bollocks.

If you travel 500 miles in Brazil and get nowhere you either need a map or you're travelling in circles in the rain forest.

And 9,000 miles in Brazil?Definitely need a map.