R1200GS - Living With a Ticking Timebomb

[The Grey One]

bought a new gsa tb 61 plate before joining this site, otherwise I may still have my ktm 950 sm. with the problems the gs has itemised on the forums its a wonder they ever start in the dealers showrooms, when new, let alone after a few years of use. those who shout loudest or moan the most get noticed, usually southerners

Here at our biker hotel we get far more GS models than any other bike, in the five years we have been running we must have had thousands of the things through. If they were as unreliable as some on here suggest then we should have seen several breakdowns. But no, not a single one, a couple of issues with Sat Nav wiring but not one mechanical failure. Other bikes have broken down, several have gone home on recovery trucks (including a couple of other BMW models) Not a scientific survey I know but it does point to the beasts being generally reliable. There are always be exceptions just as those who believe in say Honda reliability will say the handful of Hondas that broke down here were exceptions too.

John

 

[snaponphil]

My tuppence worth & reasons I have BMWs

June 2nd 2011 along came my yellow GSA twin cam, (just traded in last week for new wasser) well, after such a great experience (fun) with F800, thinking I need a GSA cos I just had to before I'm too old. Anyway, loaded her up a few times, done Europe more than once.. Problems, yes, a faulty spark plug in the first few weeks, a front shocker stopped working at 4,000 miles, both faulty manufacture from new I assumed. But other than that great bike. Covered just over 14k miles & getting better with milage. NO oil usage other than regular servicing even though I covered Germany at flat out a few times.

June.? 2007 model F800gs, brand new bumble bee yellow, this bike transformed my life, I found this forum, took every opportunity to ride this bike, I remember smiling whilst riding in the rain, found Touratech & Moto Bins, both very helpful & proceeded to kit it out, took advice on issues from ukgser & touch wood after 17k in 3 years no issues other than headlamp bolts shaking loose & chain recall which quite honestly came at the right time as I was feeling it was time to replace. I was hard on this bike, on road, off road, dropped it at low speeds doing stupid stuff loads of times, but crash bars took all the knocks. Traded for GSA

1996 model Kawasaki KLR 650, total frame strip & rebuild, ('twas manky when I bought it) bits kept working loose, but THE most fun compared to cost anywhere..

2004 model brand new Kawasaki Z1000 (4bronze exhaust model) best looker IMO, should av road tested prior to purchase, low fuel range & lack of fairing stopped my enjoyment, sold with 4k miles so no problems except build quality on assembly that should have been sorted on PDI or first service.

1999 model used Honda, CBR1000F, covered 10k miles, no problems I can remember. Great bike but basic reliable technology..

 

[snaponphil]

More, sorry

I also currently own;

R1200c.. 2001 model bond style Cruiser., covered 6k miles, Not many about, no faults other than cosmetic & owner damage, superficial, tyres & bulbs etc. But getting old..

K1200s, 2007 model, 7k miles, pocket rocket, only faults have been the fuel strip in tank which caused me to run tank empty hence left me stranded in Notts city centre for 15 mins.

Both bikes great backup for the Gs which is a go anywhere, do anything & everything all rounder.

SO, maybe the gs gets slated because of the milages some of them have covered.. ?

Oh, I have a Yamaha RD200 dx 1977 model with 22k on it, won't go into that, but other one is in a box ready to assemble.. (intent)

 

[Myke Rocks]

Garbage!

Coming to the 1200 technical section over the years has not been a joyous experience. It's not the newbies asking questions that have been asked before who make it more onerous than it should be but the gang who have never owned a 1200, or had a 20 minute test ride and think themselves an expert, or who have owned one for 5 minutes and decided it wasn't for them and keep on coming back to tell us why ad nauseum. Their comments are rarely useful or constructive.

I deleted the rest of your quotation.
Just do as the majority of the people on this site do and your BMW will never break down.
Take it home from dealer on trailer.
Polish it every day.
Never ride it - this would devalue it.
Trailer it to dealer every year for service.

There you are sir! A magnificent motorycycle which has never broken down, never corrodes, and has a fabulous trade in value.

Job Done.
Myke

 

[Bendy toy]

I deleted the rest of your quotation.
Just do as the majority of the people on this site do and your BMW will never break down.
Take it home from dealer on trailer.
Polish it every day.
Never ride it - this would devalue it.
Trailer it to dealer every year for service.

Myke

My brother bought one of those. It got totally cosseted had loads of added frippery and used only for touring holidays, but it was a good price. 10,000 miles of proper use in Bro's hands have just about free'd off the engine spoiled by "careful" running in. Saying that, the transmission is superb.

Each to their own with what people do with their bikes but to my mind it does seem daft to spend £15K plus a huge wodge more on farkles and then hardly use it.

My gripe is the paint finish that's so hard nothing gets through not even corrosion. It sounds fab but when (not if) it does get a pinhole the dreaded ally fluff can run riot before its noticed. Its also a great shame the wire wheels dont have brass ferrules on the spokes to reduce alloy corrosion. A reason not to buy the bike? Of course not

The paint is always a headache but more detail thought at design stage could give dramatic improvements for minimal cost. In terms of money saving, BMW could have saved a fortune by junking the complex tubular fairing subframe. Moulded fibre reinforced plastic must be cheaper and it cant rust.

 

[Steptoe]

. Moulded fibre reinforced plastic must be cheaper and it cant rust.

But does it bend ? or does it split or fracture and leave you fecked on the road of cones.

Not much good on a "go anywhere and get you back" bike.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

But does it bend ? or does it split or fracture and leave you fecked on the road of cones.

Not much good on a "go anywhere and get you back" bike.

My thoughts exactly. I don't know many plastic welders in Morocco or Alaska but I think there is one just behind Waitrose in Tunbridge so that's most 1200 riders sorted

 

[Steptoe]

My thoughts exactly. I don't know many plastic welders in Morocco or Alaska but I think there is one just behind Waitrose in Tunbridge so that's most 1200 riders sorted

I've never seen anyone knocking a bit of plastic back into shape using a hammer or scaffold tube.

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

But does it bend ? or does it split or fracture and leave you fecked on the road of cones.

Not much good on a "go anywhere and get you back" bike.

Easy solution, carry a tube of liquid metal. Works just as well on plastic tanks as it does on metal rocker covers. Got me through a day on a WC where I holed rocker covers four times. Essential bit of kit when on the rough stuff.

 

[stever1]

You are being unrealistic. The question isnt whetherr everyone has problems with the 1200 or even whether a majority do so. Instead the question is whether more people have problems with the 1200 than do with say the crosstourer. And they do.

BMW have a quality image but the bike doesnt live up to this in reliability terms. It simply isnt Honda standard and Honda is 20% or more cheaper. That said I have just bought my third 1200gs for thecsame reason I bought a lotus rather than an mx5. Reliability isnt everything. Fun is.

Its utter tosh to say that Honda have better standards or are cheaper. Do you not know about the Crosstourer luggage problems ?. they leak like a sieve, and the official Honda rectification is to put the bike on its side stand and drill a hole in the base of the topbox to allow the water to drain out. As for price, have you seen the list price of a Pan?. pathetic when you consider what you get for the money. Not even got heated grips.

 

[Steptoe]

Easy solution, carry a tube of liquid metal. Works just as well on plastic tanks as it does on metal rocker covers. Got me through a day on a WC where I holed rocker covers four times. Essential bit of kit when on the rough stuff.

Who's talking about tanks or rocker covers ???? read the posts.

Gluing a rear subframe, which has panniers and possibly seating a pillion requires a bit more strength than a rocker cover, which requires no strength at all, just something to patch a hole.

And if all you want to do is patch a hole use araldite mixed with cotton wool, covers holes of all shapes and sizes.

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

Who's talking about tanks or rocker covers ???? read the posts.

Gluing a rear subframe, which has panniers and possibly seating a pillion requires a bit more strength than a rocker cover, which requires no strength at all, just something to patch a hole.

And if all you want to do is patch a hole use araldite mixed with cotton wool, covers holes of all shapes and sizes.

Apologies, I mis-read your post as referring to plastic petrol tanks.

 

[birdseye]

Its utter tosh to say that Honda have better standards or are cheaper. Do you not know about the Crosstourer luggage problems ?. they leak like a sieve, and the official Honda rectification is to put the bike on its side stand and drill a hole in the base of the topbox to allow the water to drain out. As for price, have you seen the list price of a Pan?. pathetic when you consider what you get for the money. Not even got heated grips.

I dont know why threads like this one generate so much partisan heat. We get posters defending their choice of bike with the same sort of blind aggression they would use if someone had said to them " your wife's ugly". What's needed is a bit more thought and balance.

Reliability is a statistical issue. In this day and age, even Italian bikes dont go wrong other than rarely. Most bikes are reliable just like most cars are. The OP has got the issue of BMW reliability totally out of proportion as I tried to say in my first post. I've had three 1200gs and I wouldnt have even had a second one if they were totally unreliable. They arent. And they are a damn good bike to ride which in the end is more important anyway.

But they do have some issues, and all the chat I have had with multi bike dealers tells me that BMW have more issues than the Jap manufacturers. Not that the Japs are problem free or that the BMWs are crap. Just that BMW has more issues than say Honda. And the same thing applies to BMW cars by the way.

Maybe the crosstourer has a leak issue with the panniers. You can get round that by putting your gear inside a bin liner inside the pannier though I agree you should not have to do. Against that 1200GS has / had the following issues, all documented on here:
1/ corrosion
2/ bevel box bearings
3/ fuel strips
4/ fuel pumps
5/ early servo brakes / abs system issues
6/ gear box shaft seals

On my first two GS I had problems 2,4 and 6. On my st1100 and vfr 800 I had no problems at all, but my personal experience proves nothing much. What really matters when comparing brands are the statistics not individual examples. And in the absence of any worthwhile figures , the best that can be done is to listen to the comments of second hand bike dealers who have every type passing through their hands.

 

[Roymondo]

As for price, have you seen the list price of a Pan?. pathetic when you consider what you get for the money. Not even got heated grips.

Nor does/did a hexhead GS or GSA. On the watercooled GSA they are standard, but on hexheads and watercooled GS they were/are a couple of hundred quid extra. Just like the Honda ones.

 

[Pathologic]

I've been looking forward to an opportunity like this.

I bought a R1200GS SE in 2009 and did 64,500 miles with very little trouble. Spent lots on tyres a set of brake discs and servicing, but largely I just rode it. It was not as shiney when i finished with it as when I started, but then i was not kind to it. Soooo..... two weeks ago i bought a replacement (below). I hope it will be even nearly as good as the last one.

If you have an opinion, I am not sure how interested I am in hearing it.

I just like riding my BIKE!!! the rest is for tossers.

 

[davegs]

I dont know why threads like this one generate so much partisan heat. We get posters defending their choice of bike with the same sort of blind aggression they would use if someone had said to them " your wife's ugly". What's needed is a bit more thought and balance.

Reliability is a statistical issue. In this day and age, even Italian bikes dont go wrong other than rarely. Most bikes are reliable just like most cars are. The OP has got the issue of BMW reliability totally out of proportion as I tried to say in my first post. I've had three 1200gs and I wouldnt have even had a second one if they were totally unreliable. They arent. And they are a damn good bike to ride which in the end is more important anyway.

But they do have some issues, and all the chat I have had with multi bike dealers tells me that BMW have more issues than the Jap manufacturers. Not that the Japs are problem free or that the BMWs are crap. Just that BMW has more issues than say Honda. And the same thing applies to BMW cars by the way.

Maybe the crosstourer has a leak issue with the panniers. You can get round that by putting your gear inside a bin liner inside the pannier though I agree you should not have to do. Against that 1200GS has / had the following issues, all documented on here:
1/ corrosion
2/ bevel box bearings
3/ fuel strips
4/ fuel pumps
5/ early servo brakes / abs system issues
6/ gear box shaft seals

On my first two GS I had problems 2,4 and 6. On my st1100 and vfr 800 I had no problems at all, but my personal experience proves nothing much. What really matters when comparing brands are the statistics not individual examples. And in the absence of any worthwhile figures , the best that can be done is to listen to the comments of second hand bike dealers who have every type passing through their hands.

When did you meet my wife?

 

[davegs]

I dont know why threads like this one generate so much partisan heat. We get posters defending their choice of bike with the same sort of blind aggression they would use if someone had said to them " your wife's ugly". What's needed is a bit more thought and balance.

Reliability is a statistical issue. In this day and age, even Italian bikes dont go wrong other than rarely. Most bikes are reliable just like most cars are. The OP has got the issue of BMW reliability totally out of proportion as I tried to say in my first post. I've had three 1200gs and I wouldnt have even had a second one if they were totally unreliable. They arent. And they are a damn good bike to ride which in the end is more important anyway.

But they do have some issues, and all the chat I have had with multi bike dealers tells me that BMW have more issues than the Jap manufacturers. Not that the Japs are problem free or that the BMWs are crap. Just that BMW has more issues than say Honda. And the same thing applies to BMW cars by the way.

Maybe the crosstourer has a leak issue with the panniers. You can get round that by putting your gear inside a bin liner inside the pannier though I agree you should not have to do. Against that 1200GS has / had the following issues, all documented on here:
1/ corrosion
2/ bevel box bearings
3/ fuel strips
4/ fuel pumps
5/ early servo brakes / abs system issues
6/ gear box shaft seals

On my first two GS I had problems 2,4 and 6. On my st1100 and vfr 800 I had no problems at all, but my personal experience proves nothing much. What really matters when comparing brands are the statistics not individual examples. And in the absence of any worthwhile figures , the best that can be done is to listen to the comments of second hand bike dealers who have every type passing through their hands.

When did you meet my wife?

 

[billynomates]

So, 41,000 miles in eight years and nothing (much) broke?

Wow. That's averaging almost 100 miles a week!

Well thats 40K more than most sports bikes in the same life span

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

Don't worry, they've all moved on to the LC section now!

Easier targets to be found there

 

[original_concept]

"The owners of the pre VTECs always slated the VTECs because, in their opinion, the VTEC was not as good as their chain driven cam jobbies. "

That should read " Gear driven cams" but I,m sure you knew that !

My VTEC cams 'only' lasted 70K... terrible, terrible...

Having said that, Honda's welding on the rear sub-frame were weak:
Get to the 'Ring, check under the seat.. Oooh.. where's the one of the mounting lugs gone from the rear subframe? arrgh..

Mind you, Givi's welding wasn't much better at that time:
aha, so that movement by the top box is being caused by the one of the arms having broken away from the weld.. only xxx Kms to Mulhouse.. allez!

Uhm, that was it. But its nowhere as good as the TwinCam GS. Then again we're taking about 10 years and 5K price hike, so it ought to be better!