Should I buy a 1200GS??????

[Ollie GBR]

[Advice request]
I wanted a GS last year after my 1200 Bandit had been stolen But cash flow dictated I bought something more reasonably priced, and I ended with a Kawasaki Z750. It's a great bike, but after a trip to Europe last week, I realize that I'm no longer interested in speed and knee down bends. I want something with more comfort and practicality.
I test rode a Triumph Tiger and the 1200 last night, and there's no competition, GS hands down.

Now, the price - are they worth the money?
Should I go second hand? there seam to have been many improvements to the 2008 model, should I only consider 2008?
I'm hearing lots of 'chatter' regarding reliability, are these rumors???
What about running costs, having owned a BMW car I've been shocked at their pricing

Anything else I should be wary of/considering, I'd appreciate the advice.
[EDIT] Of all the options, what should I consider as Required and Optional??]

Many thanks,
Ollie
[potential] GS owner

 

[deaninkl]

Ollie,
I have an 06 model I bought new in 07, and have covered 15000km since new in 15 months.

Buy as new as you can afford. The changes to 08 are more cosmetic and slight power boost, nothing that would deter me from an 05, 06 or 07 model. The 1200's were new in 04 so teething problems were pretty much sorted by OK (and anyway they werent major).

Common problems are Fuel relay, EWS failure corrosion on some bike (but again minor). There is a lot of them sold so there has also be some unlucky owners that have had problems like drive shaft seals going and other stuff. But generally they are pretty reliable. Servicing costs may be higher as they are BMW's (parts) but they are also very simple to work on yourself.

Great bikes, that may not be quite as good as the badge on the tank would imply, but riding one will make you forget any niggles pretty quickly.

As you are in the UK make sure you get heated grips, ABS is excellent but an added technical complication. If you buy second hand try to get one with luggage.

 

[GS TRV]

no

never

 

[Bones]

People don't post saying 'bike fine today' so if you read this forum you will get a distorted impression of their unreliabity. They are generally very reliable, as are most bikes these days

 

[Uinneag]

People don't post saying 'bike fine today' so if you read this forum you will get a distorted impression of their unreliabity. They are generally very reliable, as are most bikes these days

You must be a one off

 

[Big Nick]

Every vehicle you buy has a risk of breaking down

Go and test ride one, if you like it buy it if don't don't!

If you're worried about reliability buy new and get a 2 year warranty or get an approved BMW second hand one from a dealer and get a years warranty.

 

[Dave T]

My 2p FWIW...
I have a 2006 R1200GS with 14k miles. Bought new and ridden all year. I've had a couple of little niggles, but nothing that has ever stopped me from riding it until the niggles were sorted.... they were just that - niggles.

The bikes are very good, excellent infact (again, IMHO ), but they, like any other mechanical device, are not flawless, and they will at somepoint let you down.... hopefully though that will be many many years after purchase.

My experience of the dealers (Southport in my case) has been first rate - my niggles have been quickly and efficiently sorted without any hassles. Far better than the Yamaha dealer I got my first bike from, and in a different league to a number of triumph dealers that I used with my last bike.

In conclusion, I think they're great bikes... they tour, commute and are plenty quick enough for some weekend fun with a rider of my (somewhat limited) abilities in the saddle - but just like any other bike, they're not perfect.... Best way I can put it is if mine were stolen today, I'd buy another without hesitation (but otherwise, a change won't be for a long while yet I suspect, as long as mine remains as reliable as it has been so far). Think long and hard about what you want the bike for... with experience of mine and what I use it for I'd probably go for an R1200GSA now as that 'd suit me more - it's not 'better', just 'different' and that 'different' would suit my needs better now... I know it's more cash, but that's about the only thing I'd change mine for...

HTH,
Dave.

 

[theEnglishman]

People don't post saying 'bike fine today' so if you read this forum you will get a distorted impression of their unreliabity. They are generally very reliable, as are most bikes these days

Bike fine today......

As it has been for 14 months and 15000 miles, from new.

50mpg, service prices as expected, as I asked when I bought it. I even got spoked wheels for free , so don't say BMW don't (sometimes) give you something for nothing.

HTH

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

I just sold my 07 GS as I dont really have enough time to use it. now I'm in a situation where I still have the money to but another bike, and am sorely tempted.

However, its quite strange how I just can't see another bike that I like as much as the GS. I've got the ability right now to buy pretty much any bike I want (except maybe the Desmosedici), but I still can't find a bike that I like more than the GS. When I had it, I remember thinking I'd love a small light sports bike, but now it comes to potentially buying one, it doesn't appeal.

In summary, I'd buy another GS in a second. My only recommendation is to build a relationship with a good dealer. My dealer relationship was the only negative thing about ownership for me.

 

[BBB61]

no

never

I wouldn't pay any attention to Italian Trev, he is just a troll who has nothing objective to say about the 1200GS.

I bought a new one in July 2005 and it has clocked up just under 24000 miles since then. It failed to start once as a result of a dead battery (replaced under warranty without quibble), but apart from that it has not let me down or left me stranded.

Finish wise it is not as good as earlier BM's but the same can be said of other manufacturers too (Triumph and Honda spring to mind). Environmental concerns mean that paint is not so durable as before. I have had the obligatory front engine panel replaced (though it did last nearly 2 years) and it has failed again, but BMW have agreed to replace it as a goodwill gesture, even though the bike is one year out of warranty. There have been some other finish related issues but they have all been sorted out quickly and efficiently by my local dealer, without any quibbling.

As for going for a 2008 or earlier model, the differences between the 2 are not that great. The main difference to look for is on the ABS models. 2007 onwards have the non servo brakes which are much easier from the maintenance point of view than the servo ones.

Service costs vary depending on dealers, but they are easy enough to do most things yourself if you have the skills. They are relatively easy on tyres ( 9000 miles to a rear tourance, 13000 front) and the front BMW brake pads last for ages. Rear OEM ones can wear pretty quick though so watch for those.

In short, I would go for it and enjoy it

 

[Johnny Davies]

defo...get in there and buy one, they are a real hoot. I'm a true modern brit biker i.e. always buys rice rockets as nothing else satisfies. Tried a GS one day (tripped and fell onto it ) and loved it.

When reading the forums always have some salt handy - goes for all forums really. There are a few hiccups with the GS's and some owners have felt the pain more than others. I had some pain, fuel pump controller, corrosion on the engine front cover, gear indicator switch etc. Buts lets be clear they were irritating yes, but not terminal and were quick fixes in all cases. I don't think i've ever had a fault free bike. Also sometimes they can be sorted via goodwill contributions etc so not all bad.

As for servicing I take mine to the stealers as I'm not that great with the spanners. Quite a few on this forum are a dab hand and do thier own servicing and take the bike to a stealers for a plug-in on the old diagnostics computer to check for fault codes etc, and for jobs like brake bleeding as I believe there is a special machine which does it for abs bikes. So if you head down that route I'm sure there is plenty of knowledge on tap here to help.

Difference in cost between Jap and BMW service - not much if anything from looking at my past service bills from both sides, but I'm sure others will agree/disagree accordingly.
One thing I did notice and was somewhat underwhelmed by was the dealer network. I heard it was all supposed to be s*^t hot, premium service all they way etc, however the reality was somewhat different, and to be honest its just like every other dealer network i.e. you have to try/suffer the bad ones to find the good ones. Again there are posts about various dealers on here, so you should be able to suss out which ones near you are the ones to do business with.

When buying go for the lowest mileage you can afford - don't buy new, as YOU WILL want extra's and the price just gets daft, and haggling is not a word in BMW understand very well. Let some one else take that hit and get one with as much stuff as poss, luggage and the like. Then with the money you've saved, which could be a fair bit, go a buy a clean Jap sportsbike for those less sensible moments in your life. With the money I saved (of the order of a couple of grand) by not buying new I got a lovely, clean, low mileage '06 R6 to park alongside the GS. CAKE, EAT - YOU BET YA!!

Cheers
Johnny

 

[Bones]

You must be a one off

I'm about to put it up for sale so I don't want to start posting news about any problems (not that there have been any )

 

[Ollie GBR]

Cheers guys, great advice and thanks for the candid replies.
I think I'm going to go for it, just need to sell the Z750, (already cleaned and ready to go), and persuade the wife of the merits this evening:argue

 

[theEnglishman]

Cheers guys, great advice and thanks for the candid replies.
I think I'm going to go for it, just need to sell the Z750, (already cleaned and ready to go), and persuade the wife of the merits this evening:argue

Make sure you get an Ergo seat before she sits on the back for any appreciable amount of time - the standard one is somewhat uncomfortable -



apparently.......

 

[ts2]

The problem with the 1200 GS/A is that the hype (Long way around/down) and the price tag mean that your expectations are going to be higher than the bike can live up to. The bike is good, a bit quirky, and has some pernickety things that you learn to live with (indicators on each bar, wind noise and engine vibes). The bike is not built like a tank, it wont survive harsh treatment, and some bits will break.
Saying this, if you go in with an open mind, then you'll find a bike that, for its size, is surprisingly easy to ride, corners nicely, and can happily carry panniers without looking like they were an after thought.

I like the bike, and put the faults down to "character". Its not perfect, and TBH I'm not sure its worth the price, but if you want to buy into the strange world of BMW motorcycles you either have to cough up, or get an old one.

Speaking of which, have you looked at the 1150s? They're really growing on me. They look somehow more "organic", less refined, which suits the off-road looks even more.

Anyhow sounds like you've made your decission. Welcome to the site and hope you have fun.

TObyS

 

[Hexme]

The problem with the 1200 GS/A is that the hype (Long way around/down) and the price tag mean that your expectations are going to be higher than the bike can live up to. The bike is good, a bit quirky, and has some pernickety things that you learn to live with (indicators on each bar, wind noise and engine vibes). The bike is not built like a tank, it wont survive harsh treatment, and some bits will break.
Saying this, if you go in with an open mind, then you'll find a bike that, for its size, is surprisingly easy to ride, corners nicely, and can happily carry panniers without looking like they were an after thought.

I like the bike, and put the faults down to "character". Its not perfect, and TBH I'm not sure its worth the price, but if you want to buy into the strange world of BMW motorcycles you either have to cough up, or get an old one.

Speaking of which, have you looked at the 1150s? They're really growing on me. They look somehow more "organic", less refined, which suits the off-road looks even more.

Anyhow sounds like you've made your decission. Welcome to the site and hope you have fun.

TObyS

Very well said, agree with the bit about the 1150gs, test rode one some years ago and liked it the but ended up buying another sports bike as I didn't think I was quite ready for the GS. Have to say I've had my 12 since November last year, ridden nearly every day for work and pleasure. No problems and never looked back.

 

[BAKERMAN]

best bike to travel on HONDA C90

 

[BBB61]

Make sure you get an Ergo seat before she sits on the back for any appreciable amount of time - the standard one is somewhat uncomfortable -



apparently.......

Funnily enough, my wife found the standard rear seat more comfy on my 1200 than the Corbin rear seat on my 1150. That one did surprise me as I figured that she wouldn't find the comfort levels on the standard seat as good as they were on the Corbin.

 

[cusi]

From what I have read it tends to be the high mileage ones that stay reliable.

 

[Beemer]

Should I buy a 1200GS??????

Yes a GSA.