I love my GS BUT

[Rushy]

I love my GS BUT..............

I am getting really peeved about 2 things.

1 How much effort it takes to keep it looking nice
2 every time I wash it I seem to find a new bit of corrossion/flaky paint.

I love the bike and having just covered 9000 miles on my US one I can say I wouldnt want to own any other bike purely because of its breadth of abilities but this poor finish thing is really p**sing me off.

The quality/durability was one of the main reasons I bought the bike. I had one BMW previously , a 1992 K1 16V, it was 5 yrs old and like new save for a few stone chips on the paintwork when I bought it. I kept it for 2 yrs and it still looked like new, OK it had only covered 24000 miles BUT.....

my 2002 1150GS has only covered 11500miles and the finish is poor/crazed/corroded on....

Fork brace (really nasty)
Paralever strut
Paralever
Offside engine casing fins near manifold
All caliper and disc bolts corroded
Rear wheel centre around wheel nuts

I washed it yesterday and a sliver of paint came of the telelever pivot ( painted black on mine) showing corrosion underneath.

None of this is major ( save fork brace), some can be fixed and most is more noticeable to me than others. However what has happened to the legendary BMW finish?

I am concerned that in another 12months or so I will have to dismantle the bike completely and send some major parts off to be sandbalsted and then repainted/powder coated etc just to keep the bike looking good.

I have owned the bike for 16mths now. Last year I used to put a smear of oil on almost all bolts etc after I washed it and spray almost the entire bike ( except near the brakes of course) with a silicon spray.

I popped into Williams BMW this week and their red 1200GS demonstrator has the most horrible corrosion all over the front of the engine casing. Its sort of oozing out from behind the black plastic cover on the front. The problems is getting worse not better by the look of it.

Most of my previous bikes were Hondas, the usual CBRs VFRs etc but my last one was a Valkyrie and I swear it was easier to keep looking nice versus the GS and at 4yrs old and 13000 miles the only finish issues were some signs of lacquer deterioration on the wheels. I am not a dry weather poseur who has to have his bike looking better than new. But I am disappointed that £9000s worth of bike looks tatty with so little use.

I dont really want a big heavy tourer but I am tempted to get a Pan. Its more comfortable on long runs, no buffeting and would just need a wipe over the fairing afterwards to keep it nice!

I love my GS BUT.......................

Ian

 

[Taff]

I popped into Williams BMW ... and their red 1200GS demonstrator has the most horrible corrosion all over the front of the engine casing. Its sort of oozing out from behind the black plastic cover on the front. The problems is getting worse not better by the look of it.

This sounds a bit ominous if the 1200 is starting to corrode already. I have heard that some BMW dealers effectively blame the owners for signs of corrosion (eg you've been riding it on salty roads in winter etc etc) and no doubt in some cases this is true, but this excuse can hardly be used in this case, as the bike is only about 5 months old and hasn't even seen a Winter yet. The legendary build quality was one of the reasons I bought a BMW, but this corrosion seems too common for them to ignore. I suppose you could keep it garaged constantly, but I bought the bike to ride it not look at it. BMW must surely be aware of the problem. I would love to know what they are doing about it. It makes you wonder how other manufacturers manage.

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

i feel your pain.

mine has lasted well so far - but only because I cover it in chain wax for 6 months of the year. i really should not need to do this.

it's a tricky one because the finish on these bikes is undeniably crap - but still no other bike quite 'does' it for me. yet. i'd be loathed to have to change to something else - but eventually I will because as much as I love my GS, I hate the feeling that BM are taking me for a ride - scus the pun!!

pr0ne

 

[DavidHolmes]

You should see mine - 65k and 3 years commuting in all weathers. I am going to keep it through this winter, and then I reckon I will have a real, pukka, 'Rat Bike'.

I have said it before, but I will say it again:
In December 1999 I rode to visit my (then) girlfriends parents on the west coast of Ireland, on a 60k, 1990 K75S.

In December 2001 I rode to visit them again on a 10k, 6 month old R1150GS.

Her father (unaware of the niceties of the English number plate system) actually asked her if I had 'fallen on hard times'.....

 

[darkhorse]

I personally don't worry about the corrosion and a few flakey bits here and there. They are for riding and not admiring, everything in life has a bit of wear and tear on it.

I have cleaned mine about four times, and it has not seen any polish from new, but this hasn't affected the amount of fun I have had on it.

 

[DavidHolmes]

I personally don't worry about the corrosion and a few flakey bits here and there. They are for riding and not admiring, everything in life has a bit of wear and tear on it.

I have cleaned mine about four times, and it has not seen any polish from new, but this hasn't affected the amount of fun I have had on it.

Would have agreed with you a couple of years ago. My K75S got washed by the dealer when (if) I got it serviced.

However, having been told my bike is worth £2500 as a trade in, because of all the corrosion. My wife has done the sums, (she is the accountant in our household, and actually only ok'd the purchase of a new bike as opposed to a s/h one on economic grounds) and the cost in depreciation, plus the cost of a pressure washer, numerous cleaning products etc means that I am unlikely ever to be able to spend joint finance money on another new bike.

I could of course just say, stuff it, I love it, I'll keep it and be happy - only I use my bike to commute, and having passed the 60k mark I have to say I have little confidence in its ability to provide me with 2k a month reliable commuting miles for much longer.

 

[richie]

My GS is ten years old and was unused for seven of those. Since I have had it (the last three years) it has done 50000Miles. It still looks OK (to me) and I only wash it from time to time. I also had a K75S before, which I really liked and it was indeed a much easier bike to keep looking smart.

Like Darkhorse, I am basically not bothered. I paid 6000Euros for a seven year old bike with ten thousand miles it is now a ten year old bike with 50K. If I sell it I could still get 4250Euros for it so its cost me next to nothing over a three year period.

As for buying new on economic grounds, I think not....

 

[~Stef~]

I love my GS BUT..............

I am getting really peeved about 2 things.

1 How much effort it takes to keep it looking nice
2 every time I wash it I seem to find a new bit of corrossion/flaky paint.

Ian

Stop washing it and just ride the bloody thing

 

[Spanish Bob]

the problem isnt your bike its your weather. Move dahn sarf like I did

 

[snodog]

I'm with Stef - stop washing it, - you don't notice the rust as much - try spraying the whole thing with lube of some kind - (not KY, that doesn't work!) - then ride it over a real dusty area - builds up a lovely hard mud shell that slows down the corrosion.

 

[rocks]

Californians.. US..

Umm the clue to the problem may be US.. any chance its a Canlifornian impoort??????

If so.. then bikes sold/made for the US west coast have poor paint.. as they are hardly ever get wet and someof the components are not lacqured or treated as they should be..

Its a common cost cut with bikes made for the US west coast market.. due to the extra tight emiision regs that add to the over heads. Honda's are the same.. honda only single coat some frames and tanks.. to save cash.

So if your bike is a Californian import then it may be suffering from this problem..

My 2000 GS has no rust.. just a few marks and tar spotts.. and 13.5k miles.. i was it with warm water and car wax.. have washed all my bikes that way and dealer.. recons..my bikes are of the better he see's and is always happy to look at one if i am selling.

But cleaning it can be a git..

 

[rocks]

Scott oil spray..

I also use scott oil spray.. anyone else use this stuff. any comments.. started using it on the honda but never kept it long enough to say if it work well or not..

Makes your bike smoke likes its onfire when you first start up after a good spraying.. looks like the red arrows as i head down the road.. and some pools in the cooling fins so pulling into the petrol station i was shocked for a moment and thought my bike was on fire..

luckily it was only smocking.. but isnt smocking bad for you!

 

[Deleted account W]

Re: Scott oil spray..

luckily it was only smocking.. but isnt smocking bad for you!

My Mum likes doing it.

 

[theclowncrusty]

I dont wash mine that often but when i do it gets a right going over... The bike that is.
I find that the corrosion is not that much of a problem, but have spoken to the dealer about the fork brace as a warranty claim. Apart form that i dont think it is any better or worse that most bikes out there. It does have alloy wheels which can be a pain to keep clean, where most seem to be painted cast these days.
I spray mine with a prduct called "Wintawax" in Otober then dont touch it at all till the end of April, A good soak in degreaser and a pressure washer and it all comes off goos as new... The clown :0)

 

[Steptoe]

I don't wash my bike, ( well one jet wash since august) once its dirty it doesn't get any dirtier, fork brace is badly corroded, but whats the point of changing it for another one that'll be in the same condition in a few months.
But i've got no intention of changing or PX'ing it - so i don't have the usual owner worries.

 

[Rushy]

Therein lies the problem i think

I don't wash my bike, ( well one jet wash since august) once its dirty it doesn't get any dirtier, fork brace is badly corroded, but whats the point of changing it for another one that'll be in the same condition in a few months.
But i've got no intention of changing or PX'ing it - so i don't have the usual owner worries.

There lies the problem. I dont need my bike to look A1 mint/better than the next mans BUT i would like the gap betweeen the value of mine and the value of the next newer GS I buy to be as small as possible. Who wouldnt?

I havent bothered with fork brace either beacuse I just know it will only look OK for about 6 to 8 mths and I'll be in the same positon again.

The wife/girlfriend issue is always an interesting one because if you only have to find a couple of grand for your next bike then its not a problem. If that then turns into 5 or 6 grand then you are getting into new kitchen/conservatory money for something thats just a "big boys toy"...BIG PROBLEM.

A mate used to use his Harley Electraglide Sport ( now theres a contradiction in terms!!!) for his daily 90 mile commute. He sprayed the thing with chain oil/wax and left it looking like a rat bike for 6mths of the year but I dont really want to do that. I was using my bike for a short daily commute for 7 mths last year but since Oct its just been and is likely to remain a leisure vehicle.

Richie probably has the right idea - buy the best condition 4 to 5 year old bike you can find, keep it looking OK and the depreciation wont be an issue 'cos its flattened out by then anyway. Question is based on what I saw of the 1200GS demo how easy will it be to find a really nice used example in 3/4/5 years?????

Just a thought and in no way am I attempting to pee off 1200 owners, before anyone starts.

Ian

PS Dave - I'd ride mine more if people invited me to go on trips to Tank testing grounds with them!!!!!!! Anyway 9000 miles in last 3 mths isnt bad?