Loved the test ride but...

[firecat]

Hi,

I am new on here, I joined recently as I am interested in getting a gs.

Last weekend I tried the GS800 and was not convinced by the feel at 80/90 mph on dual carriageway (which will be at least some of the work it will do). I also tried the the 1200. Loved that, very very impressed and tempted although I only had 30 mins or so on it.

However, reading numerous threads on here I am, to be quite honest, a little concerned about the apparent reliability issues. I am used to both off and on road Japanese machinery and its reliability. I am really not sure whether to proceed or to have another look at the Tiger 800/1050 again - or perhaps wait a little longer and have a look at the Honda Crosstourer (1200cc V4) coming out in early 2012.

As I said, I was really impressed with the whole 1200 gs package but as I will be buying a late model second hand I am concerned about reliability. Just how unreliable and expensive are these bikes, can anyone put it in perspective and help me out?

Cheers!!

 

[John Armstrong]

There;s ones that are definitely "Friday" bikes. Get one of those and you will get pi55ed off very quickly with it, get a good one and the sun will shine all the time.

 

[Rushy]

Honda

Why wait for the Crosstourer ? The Crossrunners were hitting the dealers this week and most will have a demo up and running this weekend....although to many on the surface its a parts bin special it has been done with typical Honda thoroughness & attention to detail , the bike press seem genuinely impressed.." so much more than the sum of its parts". Would 800cc and 100bhp be enough?

Plus the Crosstourer looks like it'll retail at around £14k, expensive, and won't hold its value like a Beemer so it could be a pricey ownership proposition.

Final piece of advice ; I own an Audi that I bought new quite a few years ago, I love it (65k miles now) and have had just two small issues with it that were sorted easily and very inexpensively by looking on an Audi forum. It scared the shit out of me when I did though because of all the problems people seemed to be having with the same car. Why so many, mines been fine ? Because many people on forums only post about their bike/car when they have a problem.... I was a prime example. People don't post every month or so to say " my bikes going great and nothings broke again for the last 5k miles in a row" . 40k miles on my last GS and no problems just routine maintenance

My 2p.....

 

[wheeledwidewebb]

You MUST ride the Tiger 800

 

[gwigglesworth]

Remember people only write when they have issues... so lots of people will also be able to say not an issue.. BUT of course they never put that on the web...

 

[firecat]

You MUST ride the Tiger 800

I have already, did not think the gs800 came anywhere near it, I am going to test ride another one again monday - the sound of a triple encourages you to have fun!

I will ride another 1200 soon after but as I said I was very impressed.

 

[firecat]

Remember people only write when they have issues... so lots of people will also be able to say not an issue.. BUT of course they never put that on the web...

that is a fair point!

 

[rodsharp]

I have had 3, cant imagine I will look elsewhere when it comes to replacing this one !!

 

[Rasher]

You are not the only one concerned, I had heard about poor reliability before I joined here but once I read all the stuff here I was even more concerned!

For me it will be gone by 20k hopefully before the "inevitable" FD failures / Top End Explosions etc. which seem to be the reall worry with £1500 an upward repair bills. In the mean time I will be carrying a FPC around on tour as this seems like the most likely thing to break down and at £90 it is better than a ruined holiday.

The other option is to keep up the warranty year on year, or just put £350 aside and hope you get a few years before a huge bill rears its ugly head.

I personally think the "BMW's hold their money" stuff is bullshit, I bought a 2 year old bike with just 6k from a dealer, freshly serviced and with a years warranty for £8500, the bike with extra's at todays rates is about £13k so I guess 2 years ago would have set the owner back over 12k, the dealer had to service and warranty my bike so I doubt the last owner got much more than £7k for it.

I am hoping the Honda will be good when it comes out, or the Triumph 1200, I would expect both to be cheaper to buy, run & insure and to be more reliable.

OK happy owners do not complain and you do see the worst side of the GS here, but I have never known a bike with as many common faults as the 1200GS, nearly every issue here is a 1200, and even supposedly modified / improved parts still fail with some owners on 4th or 5th final drive and repeated FPC failures are not uncommon with the "improved" ones still failing regularly.

But for enjoyment the GS is an amazing bike, enough for me to gamble on the reliability for a couple of years until a decent competitor comes along. In the 8th model year the GS still has many unresolved issues and even a few new ones with the latest version so all I know is BMW aren't likely to ever resolve their design / QC issues if they have not already....

But due to the fact no other manufacturer has "got it" when trying to out-GS the GS you may still want one

 

[Jeremy]

Test ride a 1200GSA.

Followed by

Buy a 1200GSA.

 

[GS_or_bust]

I bought a new GSA 1 year ago and its been great. I noticed the exhaust valve cycles back and forth when the ignition is on so I mentioned it at the service. It will be replaced under warranty so I don' mind. I will get a loan bike and that means I get to play with a different bike. It's all part of the adventure.

 

[Pauly S]

Test ride the 1200

then buy an 1150., i rode the 1200 dohc motor and i just didnt connect with it, square peg and round holes,got back on the 1150 and alls well.
Everyone is different, test ride the lot before you buy, listen to your heart and not nesscessarily your head.Sometimes, your heart just rules your head.

 

[firecat]

then buy an 1150., i rode the 1200 dohc motor and i just didnt connect with it, square peg and round holes,got back on the 1150 and alls well.
Everyone is different, test ride the lot before you buy, listen to your heart and not nesscessarily your head.Sometimes, your heart just rules your head.

Hi,

is the 1150 that much better in reliability terms? I am unlikely to be able to ride one before I buy as it will be a private sale so will be a bit of a gamble. How different are they to later bikes in the way they ride/handle/performance?

Cheers

 

[John Armstrong]

is the 1150 that much better in reliability terms? I am unlikely to be able to ride one before I buy as it will be a private sale so will be a bit of a gamble. How different are they to later bikes in the way they ride/handle/performance?

Hard to tell on the reliability as there's many more 1200's on the road compared to the 11xx's. But a general trend seems to be the corrosion resistance has been getting worse from the airhead days

The feel IMO is that the 11xx are more "relaxed" and less frenetic and appear to be make better torque lower down, but the 1200 makes more power, has a better gear change and has less character. You can see the DNA of the airhead in the 1200, but just like people, they are widely different.

 

[Dellis]

I personally think the "BMW's hold their money" stuff is bullshit, I bought a 2 year old bike with just 6k from a dealer, freshly serviced and with a years warranty for £8500, the bike with extra's at todays rates is about £13k so I guess 2 years ago would have set the owner back over 12k, the dealer had to service and warranty my bike so I doubt the last owner got much more than £7k for it.

I'd had a couple of 1150's then bought my first 1200 new in 2006 for £8,500 did 48,300 miles in 2 years 10 months traded it in for a new GSA and was given £5,500 against the £11,000 I paid for the GSA. I may be wrong but with the miles I do I don't think that's bad value for money.

Dave

 

[Yonkyo]

Just how unreliable and expensive are these bikes, can anyone put it in perspective and help me out?

Cheers!!

Have a look here at a recent pole on the 1200 experience.
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26646

As for me. I'm on my 3rd 1200GS.
1st 04 GS, 25kmiles, had quite a few issues
2nd 06 GS, 22k miles, only a FPC failure.
3rd 09 GSA, 20k miles (so far) and its been 100% reliable.

 

[v8legend]

Last weekend I tried the GS800 and was not convinced by the feel at 80/90 mph on dual carriageway . Just how unreliable and expensive are these bikes, can anyone put it in perspective and help me out?

Cheers!!

Perhaps you can expand on the'feel at 80/90? I've had one for a couple of years now, and it is rock solid at this kind of speed. One up, Two up, or fully loaded with luggage. It seems to be the bikes natural speed when on dual carriageways.

My top hose has needed attention 3 times, a persistant problem. This has now been fixed with non bmw jubilee clamps, and I don't think it will go again! This problem does give you plenty of notice, you can see it gradually move over a couple of thousand miles.

I've also had Brittany Ferries snap my side stand.

They're my only problems, and the bike is almost 3 years old. Although annoying, none of these have actually stopped the bike.

Oh yes, I've just remembered, I've also had the sump pan replaced under warranty. A bit of flaking paint.

If you think I'm being negative, then don't, I love this bike. I can't think of anything I'd replace it with. I like the 1200GS for its 'easy' performance. However the 800 is just as quick, just that you have to work it a bit harder. It also handles better, and is much more chuckable. I've come from sportsbikes, so I think that is why I prefer the 800. If you've come from UJM's then the 1200 might appeal more.

I've tried the 800XC, and it's a nice bike. However, I was left slighly dissapointed. It's heavy compared to mine. Triumph had the chance to really move things on. The 675 puts out about 120bhp. I know the 800 is tuned for easy torque, but 95bhp, and only 40ish to the gallon, is not good enough. The screen and pillion pegs (both vulnerable in a spill) are bolted directly to the main frame, hardly an adventure bike.

 

[Pauly S]

to be honest

Hi,

is the 1150 that much better in reliability terms? I am unlikely to be able to ride one before I buy as it will be a private sale so will be a bit of a gamble. How different are they to later bikes in the way they ride/handle/performance?

Cheers

i wouldnt buy any bike unless i test rode it, if the owner wont let you, go elsewhere.
Normally a healthy cash deposit will do the trick , or just leave the wife, kids and camels as security.
at least that way, you are knowing what you are getting.

 

[firecat]

Perhaps you can expand on the'feel at 80/90? I've had one for a couple of years now, and it is rock solid at this kind of speed. One up, Two up, or fully loaded with luggage. It seems to be the bikes natural speed when on dual carriageways.

Hi,

I felt the front end was vague with a tendency to wander on long bends. I regularly ride the same road on my current bike and did on the 1200 after i took the 800 back so I don't think it was related to road surface. Maybe it was the bike/tire pressure - but it did have a great 3rd gear!

 

[Ross Dean]

I am on my 4th bm and have travelled over 40,000 miles on them. My only issue was with the shaft drive of my 1100gs - I needed to replace the bearings with 21000 miles on the clock.