Mileage

[Bob1150GS]

Hi everyone now had my well used 1150 for a few weeks covered 2000 miles or so and love the thing to bits. It does everything that you need in the UK but the Blackbird wins for European tours.

So what's your mileage. I will start just had 78,000 service. Full same dealer history. Does not miss a beat.

Advice sought on best top box for the GS, have fitted a Baglux cover and bag but will need the extra capacity over the winter months.

 

[Steptoe]

There are several threads on high mileage GS's -

I've a 2001 1150Gs with 97K miles - but blowzorn did have 83K on his 2003 ADV, and that was a couple months ago, god knows what he's on now .

 

[nleader]

Hi everyone now had my well used 1150 for a few weeks covered 2000 miles or so and love the thing to bits. It does everything that you need in the UK but the Blackbird wins for European tours.

Glad you're enjoying the bike. Interesting comment, though - I guess it depends on how you do your touring.

After only ever going solo, I tried a group tour in Eastern Europe a few years ago with a couple of friends - me on my 1150GS, they were on a Sprint and a K1200RS. The tour company booked the hotels but we all made our own way between the hotels in small groups and picking our own routes. There were plenty of people on fast bikes - including Blackbirds. The hotels were generally 275-350 miles apart.

How the fast bikes did it: They were out of the hotel by 8am-9am and off. Usually they'd be at the next hotel mid afternoon, having blasted down dual carriageways at high speeds. I don't think they got to see very much en route.

How we did it: We left between 9am and 10am having had a leisurely breakfast and tried to find interesting routes and generally got to the next hotel by 7pm in time to shower and change for dinner at 8pm. It didn't always work out as we'd planned, and we didn't always agree on routes or speeds, but we saw something of the countries we were visiting.

I think the GS is a fantastic European touring bike if you're prepared to accept keeping your speed down to 60-80mph most of the time. But if you think 120mph+ is the way to travel then it clearly isn't up to the job. And that's why I find your comment interesting!

 

[Bob1150GS]

Interesting response

Hi I think that unless you have a tight time schedule you should not be on a European motorway full stop. Speed yes places of interest yes pillion no. Each to their own but a bike is a bike and whatever you ride you must enjoy it. Today at work 120 miles all on the Blackbird. Thats 5 miles each way to the test centre x 6 tests then add to and from base. Saturday similar miles on the GS. Sunday for advanced instruction definatley the Blackbird. It is horses for courses and what you fancy on the day, if you have a choice. Me if money was no object I might just have a nother 2 or 3 bikes, but, thats only a dream.

 

[Blowzorn]

The photo is 3 weeks old. Have been to Naples and back since.
Wonder if I'll make the 100k before you Steptoe.
Now at 95.5

 

[Bob1150GS]

Glad that you boys don't

It really pleases me to see that you boys do not contribute to the 3000 miles per annum brigade. I have a car too but it is used as a carrier if it will fit on a bike it does. Of course heres an example. Tomorrow I have to be in Stoke on Trent by 9.00 a.m. and need the car wife has given instructions to get certain items ( All small ) so I will come home get changed and the go off on the bike, get my drift? Two wheels good four wheels bad.

 

[red rocket]

still thinking about one but having had vfr 800's just cant bring myself to make the move.
I am in the bmw club which I know you guys mock but meeting loads of the members camping etc over the last 10 years when I did own an R100RS I hear stories so often of gear box failures on all models not just the GS.
Infact the long term test 1200GS in Motorrad issue 14/2005 had just gone down with gear box failure at 38,000 km not miles due to bearing failure in the gearbox countershaft .The outer ring of the bearing was broken the bearing cage was pulverized & inner ring had heavy pitting.The teeth of the neighbouring first gear had been chewed by escaping balls Also on strip down a circlip next to the corresponding out put gear had been forced off the shaft probably due to very high peak loads .
BMW believe this to be an isolated case although there are not many other 1200's with a similar mileage.
Love to read of guys doing tours on high mileage bikes but have these had gear boxes in fact my mate has 2 x1100RS's both have had boxes .guy coming back on the tunnel a couple of weeks ago on the K1200RT with under 15000 miles was about to go in & have a new box under warrenty.
I'm not here to knock the bm as I fancy another but I do have my concerns on reliability I'm in the vfr club & never heard of a gear box failure just reg/reg but they're only £70 so come on persuade me to make the move
So what mileages are common on here for a box to go.

cheers Ian

 

[yen_powell]

I like the look and idea of owning a GS1150 but I'm worried about the longevity of driveshafts/gearboxes. What sort of high mileage have owners had with no trouble from either? Please give me some good news on this score as my current Japanese bike is going to need some expensive work soon and it might be better to just replace it than throw money at it.

 

[laughingBob]

I like the look and idea of owning a GS1150 but I'm worried about the longevity of driveshafts/gearboxes. What sort of high mileage have owners had with no trouble from either? Please give me some good news on this score as my current Japanese bike is going to need some expensive work soon and it might be better to just replace it than throw money at it.

How long is a piece of string. I've seen 1100/1150 GS's & RT's with gearbox/final drive problems with less than 20k on and some with 80k+ which have never had a problem. Job bikes, Despatch bikes and bikes ridden alot around London seem to have problems earlier but, it's not always the case. LB.

 

[yen_powell]

How long is a piece of string. I've seen 1100/1150 GS's & RT's with gearbox/final drive problems with less than 20k on and some with 80k+ which have never had a problem. Job bikes, Despatch bikes and bikes ridden alot around London seem to have problems earlier but, it's not always the case. LB.

Maybe, constant on/offing of the throttle (in town/despatching) puts extra strain on these parts whilst hi-speed motorway cruising actually gives them an easier life, so these ones last longer.

I've seen references made to greasing parts of the shaft drive train on the Horizon Unlimited BMW forum as a way of lengthening their lives. Anyone doing this who's done a high mileage with no problems?

 

[Steptoe]

I've seen references made to greasing parts of the shaft drive train on the Horizon Unlimited BMW forum as a way of lengthening their lives. Anyone doing this who's done a high mileage with no problems?

Greasing shafts and U/J's is mainly for airheads and K series -

I know of a despatch 1150GS bike with approx 150K miles - never gives any trouble - i think it's if they're used constantly for long periods, not how they're used ,that seems to give long life bikes .

 

[longdog]

I know of a despatch 1150GS bike with approx 150K miles - never gives any trouble - i think it's if they're used constantly for long periods, not how they're used ,that seems to give long life bikes .

Got to agree with you. In my experience, a bike (or car), as long as it is serviced correctly with oil and filter changes, will last longer and generally have fewer problems than one which is used just for weekends and holidays and does a criminally low mileage each year.

 

[Tsiklonaut]

Many ultra-high mileage 1100s out there, because they are older and now counted lot of miles into clock. One good example: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37535

Not much difference between 1150, i'd say they're into same reliability account if you exclude the early "beta" models of 1150s that seem a bit more unreliable...

 

[Pukmeister]

Infact the long term test 1200GS in Motorrad issue 14/2005 had just gone down with gear box failure at 38,000 km not miles due to bearing failure in the gearbox countershaft .The outer ring of the bearing was broken the bearing cage was pulverized & inner ring had heavy pitting. The teeth of the neighbouring first gear had been chewed by escaping balls Also on strip down a circlip next to the corresponding out put gear had been forced off the shaft probably due to very high peak loads .
BMW believe this to be an isolated case although there are not many other 1200's with a similar mileage.

I make that a little over 23,500 miles. My R1200GS has just turned over 19,000 so I had better keep my fingers crossed regarding the above.

 

[sven]

I'm not here to knock the bm as I fancy another but I do have my concerns on reliability I'm in the vfr club & never heard of a gear box failure just reg/reg but they're only £70 so come on persuade me to make the move
So what mileages are common on here for a box to go.

cheers Ian

I know of one VFR gearbox failure (Bad Knee from Bolton), but generally they'll last several hundred thousand miles just with routine maintenance - as will most modern Honda motorcycles.

The only thing which puts me off BM's though is the price - £11K for a K1200S with ABS, alarm and heated grips

 

[yen_powell]

Greasing shafts and U/J's is mainly for airheads and K series -

I know of a despatch 1150GS bike with approx 150K miles - never gives any trouble - i think it's if they're used constantly for long periods, not how they're used ,that seems to give long life bikes .

Well I agree about vehicles that are used all the time tend to be more reliable. I think the constant renewing of petrol and oil helps here, also the battery gets a better life and anything flexible has less chance of hardening (fork seals etc). Makes me laugh when I see 5 year old bikes with low mileage, shiny paint and perished tyres with loadsa tread still on them.

 

[Pukmeister]

Makes me laugh when I see 5 year old bikes with low mileage, shiny paint and perished tyres with loadsa tread still on them.

Unlike my other bike, seven years old, with high mileage, shiny paint and unperished tyres with bugger all tread still on them.