R1250GS reliable or not !

acaffair said:
Have myself a new R1250GS. Coming from FJR1300's I'm wondering if all the poor reliability posts applies only to an unfortunate few???
My wife and I travel all over Europe each year for around 4-5 weeks at a stretch and so far never had any sort of problem.
QUESTION.
What recommendations do you have for me when travelling with the GS or stop worrying and drive it like your Yamaha's " trouble free" without
any precautions?
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I don’t think any bmw is as reliable as any yamaha tbh, neither are they as well made as the yams. But.... they are much more fun. Especially the two you are comparing. The FJR is a barge - an old barge at that - in comparison to the GS. I dont think you will have any travel issues with reliability. Its the niggles that bother in the medi7m to long term such as rust dodgy switches and wear and tear which in modern BMWs is worse than other makes it seems. I mean my 5k mile 2018 RT is looking slightly worse than my 05 reg 35k cb1300 with similar careful but not pampered -no salt roads - life with me.
 
15000 miles on my 6 month old 1250 gsa......not pussyfooting about and it gets better with use.....no problems and no problems with my other 1200 LC gsa which did around 30000 a year...... just use it is my advice.....and if you want to be washing and polishing it every other day and avoid any shit getting on it get a Harley.....
 
My June 19 GS Rallye failed to start on a trip to Wales called recovery and then after 50 mins it started,software update by dealer.A Week later keyless petrol cap would open that's been replaced.Covered 1200 miles since and all has been well , great bike though.Previous 2017 exclusive 15,000 trouble for miles.
 
Is that not a question you should have asked BEFORE you took the plunge. I’ve only once been left stranded by a modern bmw and that was a battery. It was my own fault. I accepted a bike that had a totally flat battery and was jump started in the showroom. It sometimes wouldn’t start first time but always did eventually. I complained to the dealer and allowed myself to be fobbed off. Till one day the inevitable happened. Even when the bike was in the workshop the dealer was telling me that battery’s weren’t covered under warranty. I told him that it was quite forcefully. I got a battery replacement foc. As I say it was my own fault. JJH
 
6k miles on my 2019 R1250GS..... all been good ....lots of fun bike (once I got rid of the original crap tyres)

Now I hope I havent jinxed myself.


Just ride your new bike and enjoy it. Don’t worry about any problems, as that what there warranty is for.


Ride safe y’all
Bubb
 
malcopopolo said:
remote parts of the world with no warranty or breakdown cover traveling solo? .
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Europe is not remote, even in the back of the arse of Romania my friend managed to get his HD fixed:thumb2
 
I’m a bit disappointed really as mine just goes when it should, stops when it should, starts when it should and keeps on working. Perhaps I should take it back and ask for one that I can whinge about?

I have two European trips planned for next year and am I brick in’ it because I fear it will let me down? Nope. I am less concerned that this will let me down than the Triumph I got rid of to get it and even that never worried me.

All I’m concerned about is what tyres to put on when these wear out......
 
Hope that wasn't your FJR that sat at the end of Lyon Street for what seemed like years unattended until it finally got clamped :blast cause a bm will fall apart a lot quicker than that did.
 
malcopopolo said:
The burning question is this to all 1200 & 1250 LC owners.

Would you be entirely happy to use your BMW for a 6/12 month tour in the more remote parts of the world with no warranty or breakdown cover traveling solo? Or would you prefer a Honda or Yamaha?

Personally i could not trust the BMW and it would my last choice.

Now i would trust a BMW 1150 so that says how the reliability of newer bikes are perceived.
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Absolutely! Give it the regular oil change and maintenance and it will continue without a hiccup. Anything goes wrong, have a dealer back home who can fedex stuff for you. Just did 13000 miles with just an oil only (not filter) change at 5000 miles. No issues.

Ride on and enjoy! It is all about the journey ....

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Cabby said:
Hope that wasn't your FJR that sat at the end of Lyon Street for what seemed like years unattended until it finally got clamped :blast cause a bm will fall apart a lot quicker than that did.
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No that wasn't mine, Both my FJR'S and Z1000SX were wrapped up and spoilt. LOL. Seems there are really touchy reply's to my post. Guess I'm not a BMW Fanatic ( machine for purpose person) and only asked for advice should I run into a problem, and before anyone jumps on my case , the reason for buying the GS is the low centre of gravity which because of my age , I found the FJR getting to top heavy when fully loaded.
I heard of the BMW quality issues before purchasing the bike but was spoken round with the 3 years guarantee.
Now I don't want anyone getting concerned for me, lol I'm a retired timed served mechanic :blast lol lol
 
Bubb said:
6k miles on my 2019 R1250GS..... all been good ....lots of fun bike (once I got rid of the original crap tyres)

Now I hope I havent jinxed myself.


Just ride your new bike and enjoy it. Don’t worry about any problems, as that what there warranty is for.


Ride safe y’all
Bubb
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Can I ask what tyres you changed to : ?????
 
lots of people,myself included, contact forums when things start going wrong.If you look on the FJ owners club forum its full of similar posts from folk who have had problems with fjr's. I ride fjr's regularly for the blood bike service and they are a brilliant bike and go like a scalded cat,comfortable, reliable and offer better weather protection than my gsa but.. if the Yamaha goes wrong your on your own as the dealers aren't anything like as good as bmw and having done a day wobbling about on a heavy fjr the gsa is a delight to ride home on...just ride yer bike and enjoy it,if it all goes tits bmw will look after you far better than Yamaha can
 
brummy bloke said:
I ride fjr's regularly for the blood bike service and they are a brilliant bike and go like a scalded cat,comfortable, reliable and offer better weather protection than my gsa but.. if the Yamaha goes wrong your on your own as the dealers aren't anything like as good as bmw
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My local blood group are dropping the FJR and going back to BMW R1250RT's ;-)
 
brummy bloke said:
lots of people,myself included, contact forums when things start going wrong.If you look on the FJ owners club forum its full of similar posts from folk who have had problems with fjr's. I ride fjr's regularly for the blood bike service and they are a brilliant bike and go like a scalded cat,comfortable, reliable and offer better weather protection than my gsa but.. if the Yamaha goes wrong your on your own as the dealers aren't anything like as good as bmw and having done a day wobbling about on a heavy fjr the gsa is a delight to ride home on...just ride yer bike and enjoy it,if it all goes tits bmw will look after you far better than Yamaha can
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I'm not comparing bikes and as I have no more interest in FJR,s but I should say in 7 years never had an issue with any of my FJR,s, only when I fitted the wrong spec front tyre then I get the wobble part. On the FJ owners club the main problems are with poor servicing, mainly on older bikes but hard to find problems with new bikes. Guess I will carry a tool kit when travelling with my new GS. (Reduce the weight on the FJR and lower the centre of gravity and I will be back on the FJR like a shot.)

However I am now a BMW tribe member :hippy hope I still get a wave from jap owners. lol
 
Delboy777 said:
Fitted by your dealer FOC under the warranty no doubt. Its a well known fact that Hayes had problems with calipers leaking but are now on top of it as i understand it. So nothing much to complain about really.:comfort:nenau:blast:rolleyes:
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Only that there is not stock of callipers in the uk and all need to come from Germany. Dealer has had my bike for 4 weeks now and still waiting
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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