rear shaft drive 1200gs

[Rasher]

Rasher, you really are in danger of becoming a prize cock with your ramblings.....

Mate, you really need to stop worrying and just ride your so far trouble free bike

Yeah, your probably right on both counts

I just get twitchy when on a daily basis FPC's are failing (even on two year old bikes, so I am now carrying a spare), I see another 2009 bike with low mileage has stuffed an FD (A bit expensive and heavy to lug around) clutch issues are cropping up a lot (and mine slipped like a bastard when I did an overtake a while back - but has been OK since)

I have also seen the used bike warranties seem to cop-out on many claims for FD's and Clutches. Then again 9 months after buying the bike I am still waiting for the warranty book to arrive, even if it is only for the waste paper value which it seems outstrips the value of the warranty.

I am not even sure if it is worth having the service carried out at a BMW dealer, the only benefit is to keep up the worthless warranty I have not received.

When looking to buy my local dealer told me the FPC / FD issues were all resolved by the 2008MU model, they also told me 12k services cost £220, once I bought the bike I discovered the FD's / FPC's are still a bit iffy and the 12k service price had jumped to £400 and the chances of getting these potential problems rectified under the warranty are quite slim.

The lack of honesty from dealers is probably as annoying as anything, they were dishonest about the issues with the bike, the level of cover the warranty offers, misled me on servicing costs, lied about the services that the bike had prior to me collecting it (although did offer to do the extra work FOC when I complained) and never bothered to sort out my warranty cover depsite numerous phone calls. So on top of reliability concerns I have zero faith in the two BMW dealers nearest to me.

OK no more ranting, I have to go on holiday with this bike as I can't change before then, perhaps I may feel better if it does the trip OK, and by the time I get back the "warranty" will almost be up and I will not bother renewing and put them money towards any problems I may have, I can also save more with much better priced indie servicing.

Still want a new bike for 2013 to take on a bigger euro-tour, originally I considered a new GS, but decided to try a used one for a year or two and maybe swap for a new one if I liked it, and I do like it, but doubt my next bike will be a GS and regardless of what some people claim I will not trust this bike beyonf about 20k from the amount of issues I see here.

Time to ride!

 

[patboy]

Just as an update, I think the clutch might be a good idea to be changed while the bike is in bits and bite the bullet. Under the warrantry I got a hired car for two days after the bike went into Vines South London. I phoned them up the day before the rental would have finished and they said they would need to get the parts from Germany. I asked them to extend the rental and thought it would be a formality. The next day I realised the car should have been back the day before and phoned the dealer who said they had a problem trying to extend with Avis and to come down and pick up one of their loan bikes and then leave the car at their garage ready to be picked up. I explained if I went down that day, I would then go into the next day rental and have to pay even more. I then had to get the contract cancelled through Avis and get the car picked up from work, leaving me no transport to get to the dealer! I checked with Avis and they stated the dealer would have had no problem extending the rental for another day! I am now liable for a days rental which I should not be, live and learn! So not a happy bunny! Not exactly good customer service! Oh well lets hope they sort the bike out eh

 

[patboy]

Oh just to add a month before I toured around Northumberland, the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District and did over 1000 miles, brilliant riding on the GS which is what it was built for. Thankfully it did not go wrong up there. These things happen and it will no doubt when sorted give me more pleasureable miles

 

[VAL. H.]

Oh dear! been a bit of a Rasher bashing thread I see.

Rasher, I'm supprised your not happy with NOGs level of service. I'm sure you're in a very minor group. I've been dealing with them for over 6 yeas now with absolutely no compalints.

My 05 1200GS has 56000 miles on it and has only suffered the Clutch oil seal, which contaminated the clutch and was replaced under warrantee. Along with the FD as the outer oil seal started leaking and at the time BM dealers didn't have seals available so the norm was to replace the whole unit, even though they only needed a new outer seal. These where done at the same time, which was painless and they gave me a pool bike for the duration. I then had an FPC fail when the bike was about four and a half years old.

I have in the past month replased the outer FD seal, which was a simple job and cost less than thirty quid including the oil which is £18 on it's own.

As it happens I have a new FD in a box in my garage. I bought it cheep over four years ago but haven't needed it yet. I don't have a spare FPC and won't bother buying one to keep on the bike as a spare as I have AA cover and NOG will post me one in 24 hrs. Also easy to fit.

I'll be off to the south of France in September. It'll be the fourth trip the bike has done, all with absolutely no problems what so ever. So I'll not be worrying about FPCs FDs APSs FTGs FKWs etc etc.
Just my next meal and where I'm going to rest my weary sole after a day in some of the most stunning scenary in Europe.

You read too much kid. Just rider the bloody thing and appreciate one of the best touring bikes of our time.


---------------------------------


Patboy

Appologies for the hijack. I'd go with the clutch inspection/replacement. If they are going that far with the bike, they may as well have a look. If it's showing signs of ware it will ultimately save you quite a few hundred.

Once fitted you can rest assured you have another 80k in the new one, rather than worrying about changing it in the next 30k.


Never had any other issues.


Val.

 

[Rasher]

Oh dear! been a bit of a Rasher bashing thread I see.

Rasher, I'm supprised your not happy with NOGs level of service. I'm sure you're in a very minor group. I've been dealing with them for over 6 yeas now with absolutely no compalints

Not had an issue with NOG's service, there was a disconcerting post a while back about someone paying for a service and discovering they had not changed the oil filter, yet had charged for one.

They did however claim a 12k service would be £220 when I was looking at bikes, yet when I enquired about upcoming 12k service wanted £400, although this would include an annual I don't think that should add £180 to the price, expecially when another BMW dealer has quoted £225 for the same work!

TBH I would rather go a few miles up the road for servicing instead of the 150 mile round trip I am taking, but the £120 saving (and extra confidence all quoted for work will be carried out) make it worthwhile to do the extra miles and have to hang around for a few hours.

 

[patboy]

Cheers Val

 

[leftofcentre]

Home Made Service

If it were me, I would just do the servicing myself (A Home Made Service as Wapping once put it) - unless ofcourse it was a very new bike. (I have a 2007 GS)

I bought a brand new FPC off Ebay for £60 and kept it as a spare under the seat in a watertight bag.

Ive also got my eye open for a spare FD as and when comes up at the right price. I expect to pay around £400 max and will overhaul it myself.

So that coupled with RAC sorts both major issues for little more than a single BMW Dealer Service.

Bear in mind Rasher mate that folks mainly post negative issues on these forums and hardly ever good nice happy stuff (makes for a boring read see ).

If stuff worries you then buy spares - thats what i do. I never been stranded yet. That be in a car or motorcycle.

Enjoy your trip mate.

 

[patboy]

Update: Still in the dealers now the 2nd week. Needs new shims for the gearbox to be done under warranty. I hope it is done this week.

 

[(RIP) Johno23]

Rasher,

You are making a lot of this up in your head and convincing yourself of impending doom to your bike. You need to get out of this mode and be more positive for your sake and for ours. I own a '94 K1100RS which, if you know about these bikes, are extremely reliable and clock up zillions of miles. They are for want of a better word - bulletproof in the general sense. I have owned mine for 14 years and not even a bulb has blown. But everyday, on the forums I'm on, someone is posting about a problem. It could be just a blown bulb or it could be a failed FD but it does not mean there is any inherent problem with the product such as a design flaw or manufacturing defect.

I don't have my head in the sand, there have been and there always will be things that go wrong and there have been weak points on the 1200 build. I'm doing my own servicing and not taking out warranty's in order to give myself a bit of protection for when I might have to replace something. So far, in 18 months all I have done is save money as I have had no failures. Also, the number of real "I have a problem" posts have significantly reduced since I joined this forum 2.5 years ago. You seem to pick up on things on threads and want to turn them into design flaws - it's like you enjoy doing it! It also appears to be impossible for you to make your own mind up about your own bike. You can do that you know. You don't have to believe that 100 different things that have happened to a 100 different people will automatically all happen to you. And all while you are on holiday to. Because they won't.

+4235

If Rasher ain't moaning he ain't happy

excuse the poor English

 

[patboy]

update: Got the bike back from vines yesterday, well pleased, only needed to pay the £100 pound excess everything else covered, new final drive, new clutch, feels like a new bike! Well done Vines and BMW warranty, I advise anyone to take out an extended warranty, you never know!

 

[Rasher]

update: Got the bike back from vines yesterday, well pleased, only needed to pay the £100 pound excess everything else covered, new final drive, new clutch, feels like a new bike! Well done Vines and BMW warranty, I advise anyone to take out an extended warranty, you never know!

You never know if it will ever come thorugh the post!

I am ten months in waiting for mine to arrive, and after many calls to both BMW and the dealer I still have zip!

 

[Exile]

I bought a 1200GS last year, all looked honest, main dealer serviced etc, did a good once over before doing 3k two up in the pyrenees, but sadly had the prop splines fail at the rear, I agree with previous posts, this is not a design flaw, but I do think that greater attention should be shown to this area as a periodic (more regular) inspection, as when I dropped the bevel drive to do the oil, the splines were very dry and only had a brown residue on them, a few months later despite cleaning and greasing, they failed.
It's my first BMW after many years of mainly HD's, It's a keeper, I love riding it, and will fettle away until I am happy that I know it fully, as in many years of touring home and abroad, I never came home in an AA van!

 

[slydog]

sell

Hoping to line up some demo rides this weekend

I just can't see that final drives and shafts should be failing at 50k (and often much earlier) or clutches should be knackered at 20k or 30k.

I bought the GS to clock up miles and from what I can see major failures are almost a daily event around here, I daren't take the bloody thing out in case it breaks, I have a 3,000 mile trip lined up and have little faith the bike will make it, and even less faith in the manufacturer / dealer to provide any useful assistance if it does fail.

sell the bloody thing then ffs mate if ya dont trust it get shot of it . i cant understand people who whine on about them breaking and still ride them . if i had a bike or car or even a bloody horse that i had no faith in it would be on e bay

 

[stever1]

OH MY GOD, SHOCK NEWS. SO FAR MY 2010 GS HAS BEEN ALMOST FAULT FREE. This has done 12000 miles including a trip 2 up with luggage to Italy. scottish trip, riding to work. Oh yes dont forget going out for bacon butties on a weekend.
Oh, and by the way, the cost of servicing was just about in line with the quotes given.
OMG. what can i complain about.

BTW of course i do have a second complete gs follow me around all the time so i have a complete parts supply available at any time.

 

[leftofcentre]

This is quite an old thread gents.

Maybe give Rasher a break now???

 

[fizzer]

well i must admit after reading this forum i have had more than a few thoughts about reliability.
but let me ad i bought a r1200gs 05 plate with 8000 miles on from coopers in sunderlandand i have rode and rode and rode it ,sometimes even riding it the way it was designed not to be riden ,thrashing the arse off it ,and the only two things that have gone wrong is a rear brake light switch and a front wheel bearing.
it does still have 8 months of there warrantee left on it ,but even if it didnt i woulndt give a toss,as most is easily fixed if it should go wrong .
and not to mention loads of spares on ebay anyway .
and whats with this carrying a spare feul pump controller ,read the forum it tells you how to get around it if it fails ,an accessory lead and two scotch locks ,thats it,that will get you home.
oh and on the plus side of the gs ,what i will say if it goes wrong its actually made to come to bits ,you look at some jap stuff ,aye it will come to bits but you try putting it back together.

on the other matter pleased your bike is now sorted mate .

 

[Mark Hooton]

mmmmmm

Is the clutch another 1200 weak point on top of the FD / FPC / EWS / ABS Controller

Perhaps it would be easier to list the components that are not sub-standard!


It also seems the extended warranty cops out on about 50% of faults, perhaps I will offer them half price to renew mine.

And before loads of bull about how they are no worse than any other bike, check out last weeks MCN and the GSXR1000 that has topped 100k with no major problems and does about 30k on a chain and sprocket - about the same mileage as the average FD, but about 1/10th of the cost.

Not wanting to really get dragged into this and consequently suffer the wrath of goodly people (I have a decent rep on the forum and I ache to keep it) but, and only in an effort of fairness, all Rasher is guilty of is, IMHO, is bringing his opinions (right or wrong) to an open forum in a manner lacking diplomacy and tact.

To be fair, what he says about the seemingly random faults do have some basis of truth but its important to note that we all love our bikes despite these faults and we all enjoy (mostly) discussing our love for them on the forum (I do!) and for the record it does p*ss me off about all the faults wich MIGHT happen to my bike but nonetheless I love it to bits and try and ride it as much as I can.

I am not expressing an extreme opinion as I don`t think the open forum warrants it nor does it need it (Moderator is a good word for the guys who do `moderate`).

In an effort to inject some perspective into what sometimes looks like Rasher Bashing (and at risk of unintentinally offending Rasher) I hope we can all understand if not agree about his point of view yet see the funny side of it as Dear Rasher can always be counted on to leap in. I stress I mention this in an effort to see the funny side of it, realise he has an `individual` opinion and to difuse the situation.

Rasher - don`t ever change, you bring a somewhat not always agreed upon view to the forum and mostly the replies are a reflection of your `passion` - please remember that.

Guys - it would please me to see us all responding to Rashers opinions (right or wrong) yet keeping the `passionate` responses focused on the bikes and not the person! (but he does deserve a kicking........) I AM JOKING WITH THAT BIT

I have no friendship with Rasher nor, to my knowledge has he ever purchased anything from me (apart from the regular back handers) I AM JOKING WITH THAT BIT TOO!

Best regards to all and if you get a Gxxr then remember to oil the chain!