So, what would it take to tempt you to buy a new GS?

[Packer]

As has been said by others - reliability backed up with warranty.

5 years/100,000 miles mechanical and 10 years anti-corrosion, without the need to wash it after every trip in salty weather!

I think I speak for many all year riders who want finishes fit for purpose. Not all bikes are toys all the time.

When is the fashion for tacky plastic bling panels going to end? The 1200's look horrible, at least to me.

I've just bought another BMW, it's over 40 years old. It appears to be made almost completely from metal

 

[Deleted account 210516001]

It would take a display of confidence by BMW in their product. If they have improved the reliability a longer warranty for dealer serviced bikes should cost them nothing and might earn a bit of extra cash for the dealers. To be honest there are many examples of goodwill claims being met where major components fail outwith warranty but it still leaves the buyer having to take the chance that the goodwill just might not be there when their FD packs up or a valve drops.

At the moment I can only assume that BMW do not have the level of confidence in their product beyond two years that would allow them to fund a longer warranty. If they don't have the confidence to back the product I don't have the confidence to buy it.

I love the GSA I have and will just have to keep on shelling out for an extended warranty to make sure I can have the peace of mind to go on enjoying it but I am afraid another GSA as a replacement is out of the question until there is at least a five year 60,000 mile warranty.

I am fed up having to listen to other bikers tell me what a turkey I have paid over the odds for compared to how BMWs used to be bulletproof.

PS......5 years free BMW assist would be nice as well but I am happy to stump up for that.

 

[STUBBS]

win the lottery on friday

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I'd wanting free 10 yr warranty
price reduced by 5K
fixed price servicing for 5 yrs.

hows that, creampie ?

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

If you can deliver with local taxes paid, for the price of a UK bike I'll take a GSA tomorrow, seriously. But then local taxes push the prices here for a 12GSA to 24,900 Euros, so it's probably unlikely. But if you want to.......

On the other hand, my bike is 6 years old and worth 12,000 Euros, taking into account the price of a new one what I'd want a dealer to convince me of is why a new one is worth 12,900 Euros more. Change this to pounds and pence and the question remains the same. Deduct the price of a used bike from a new'un, and explain why the shiny new toy is that difference much better.

Oh, and yes......give me a 5 year / 60,000 mile warranty, focusing on the bits that are known to be generally weak.

 

[Rasher]

Oh, and yes......give me a 5 year / 60,000 mile warranty, focusing on the bits that are known to be generally weak.

It would probably be easier to list the bits that aren't weak, until this thread I though tis was just the acronyms that fail (FD / EWS / FPC) now it seems gearboxes, bevel units and all sorts of other bits regularly fail as well.

I now think seing 10k on the odometer will make me change - but for something a bit more reliable, before the inevitable meltdown!

At the moment I can only assume that BMW do not have the level of confidence in their product beyond two years that would allow them to fund a longer warranty. If they don't have the confidence to back the product I don't have the confidence to buy it.

A 5 year warranty would be tempting, and not just for the warranty itself, as was well pointed above BMW would have to have faith in the bike to do this, and to have that faith they would need to massively improve the build quality and reliability.

If the bikes came with a 5 year warranty I would be happy to even buy an older machine, knowing that it is a quality bit of kit.

Claims that reliability has been improved now is all marketing waffle, it seems most 2010 models have dodgy fuel gauges and I bet it won't be long until some FD's explode or FPC's fail, they are only (appearing) more reliable because they are newer, not because they are better.

 

[MikeP]

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET YOU ON A NEW GS THIS MONTH???

Me? I have the 1150GSA that I bought new from your dealership in 2004. It wasn't cheap, the quality was okay (improved with some modifications), the reliability has been very good; why on earth would I want to change it?

 

[GS TRV]

Me? I have the 1150GSA that I bought new from your dealership in 2004. It wasn't cheap, the quality was okay (improved with some modifications), the reliability has been very good; why on earth would I want to change it?

I would say the same about my 03 1150 - still goes like a train and with a few mods has been gradually improved.

 

[Allan F]

Faith in the product !! KIA are now offering a 7 year warranty on their vehicles. Do you think the rest will follow ? BMW, Audi, Merceedes, Landrover, Porsche the list goes own.
In a word not a chance.

As I said faith in your product. We pay top dollar for what is supposed to be a brand name, which used to be associated with quality. Driveline issues, electrical component issues, paint etc.

Dear Mr BMW,
Charge us top dollar! However give us the bullet proof product we expect ???

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Me? I have the 1150GSA that I bought new from your dealership in 2004. It wasn't cheap, the quality was okay (improved with some modifications), the reliability has been very good; why on earth would I want to change it?

+1 .......................Crampie - we already own the best GS, the 1150GSA

So for us luddites we won't change, unless BMW start making the 1150GSA again

 

[Norm]

+1 .......................Crampie - NORM and a few other fortunate tossers already own the best GS, the 1150GSA SE

Thanks Johnny Boy

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

+1 .......................Crampie - NORM and a few other unfortunate tossers already own the best GS, the 1150GSA SE - shame about the brakes though

Thanks Johnny Boy

No probs.......................fixed it for you

 

[crampie]

Hang on, let's turn this the other way around.....

I've a 2009 1200 with a 5k mileage, premium and dynamic packs.

Now, what are you offering that would make me change?

Thanks for your input, your approach is certainly something that we are used to dealing with on a daily basis and we would obviously be more than happy to discuss with you on a personal basis. The reason for my post was to see whether we could do things a little differently - in the same way I suppose as you see a house and make an offer that you are prepared to pay for the property. Ultimately, depending If I am happy to sell the product for that price I would accept - that would of course depend on lots of factors and probably not be limited just to the price - many of the posts on here suggest that an extended warranty might figure for instance. I'd like an iPhone 4 but don't need one and would probably only purchase one at the moment if it was around £25 a month and I could take the contract for 12 months - however unreasonable that might be, thats what I'd like. So, for instance I could approach Car Phone Warehouse (other stores are available) with my proposal and ask them if they could do it. It's difficult to know, without being 'in your head' what we could offer that would make you 'do it' and that's exactly why I'm asking. I am not promising I can do it, just asking what it would take.

 

[crampie]

I'd wanting free 10 yr warranty
price reduced by 5K
fixed price servicing for 5 yrs.

hows that, creampie ?

yeuch, did you have to offer me a creampie?

 

[(RIP) Miff]

I can't say I will EVER buy a brand new BMW. They're just too expensive. A mate wanted a BMW GS, but he could either buy a 5 year old GS, or an 3 month old Honda Varadero for the same money. Guess which he bought??

However.......

Cheaper servicing. My 2005 1200GS had it's 12k service last year. It cost over £400, WITHOUT brake pads. Although the 18k service is only going to be £165.

STOP insisting we fill the engine with fully synthetic oil. It's NOT a modern, highly stressed engine. My Kawasaki 1999 ZZR600 (14,000 rpm red line) is only ever run on semi synth, with no engine issues at all. It regularly gets a "Damned good thrashing". It NEVER needs topping up between services. It's done 30k so far.
The Fully synth makes my GS engine knock louder.

Although mine has been totally reliable, I can't help but think the FD is going to explode, or the right hand pot will disintegrate. Why is it only ever the RH pot?? I can only assume there's an oil feed issue there. I get over 20k from a chain on other bikes.

CORROSION. Say no more.

Comfier seat.

Good old fashioned money off.

Proper Indicator switch and HORN switch. You don't have to copy the Japanese, but sometimes they DO get things right. BMW (and all other bikes) have copied Harley Davison's gear change/clutch set up & location.

STOP charging a FORTUNE for something made by someone else, but which has a BMW badge on (sat nav?? Clothing?? Crash hats??)

Why must the hydraulic clutch system be filled with unicorn blood?? Surely DOT 4 is just fine. It's easier to get hold of.

I LIKE the BMW showroom (Well, Lind in Norwich anyway). Clean, tidy, free tea/coffee. Salesmen that are happy to help, will approach you but won't hassle you. Their used bikes are too pricey though.
I like the "BMW way", with no obligation test rides. A real refreshing change.

You could say that I'm a "Traditional Japanese bike rider/buyer" so I need tempting into your showroom. I have NO loyalty to ANY brand. I have a BMW, Kawasaki and an Aprilia in the shed. I've owned most brands in the past, even a Honda

I know that most bikes seem to have some problems (ZZR600 2nd gear for instance), but not many of them leave the bike immobile. If I had joined this forum BEFORE I bought my GS, I don't think I would have bought one.

I know that as a dealer, you can only change certain things, but maybe if enough of you (dealers) pass our gripes onto BMW HQ, then something might get done about it.

I cant help but think that, after Ewan and Charlie got BMW's fashionable, that BMW Rushed to make a glut of 1200GSs, and the quality suffered.

On the upside, the fact that the 1200 is 25kgs LIGHTER then the 1150, was a factor in me buying one.

I'm more than happy with Fuel injection, ABS, CAN-BUS and even servo brakes. I'm not averse to technology, but it MUST be reliable, and cheap to maintain/fix.

I do love my GS though. I might buy a 2011 model, but not until 2016 at least

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

did you have to offer me a creampie?

Why, would he get a better deal?

 

[crampie]

I can't say I will EVER buy a brand new BMW. They're just too expensive. A mate wanted a BMW GS, but he could either buy a 5 year old GS, or an 3 month old Honda Varadero for the same money. Guess which he bought??

However.......

Cheaper servicing. My 2005 1200GS had it's 12k service last year. It cost over £400, WITHOUT brake pads. Although the 18k service is only going to be £165.

STOP insisting we fill the engine with fully synthetic oil. It's NOT a modern, highly stressed engine. My Kawasaki 1999 ZZR600 (14,000 rpm red line) is only ever run on semi synth, with no engine issues at all. It regularly gets a "Damned good thrashing". It NEVER needs topping up between services. It's done 30k so far.
The Fully synth makes my GS engine knock louder.

Although mine has been totally reliable, I can't help but think the FD is going to explode, or the right hand pot will disintegrate. Why is it only ever the RH pot?? I can only assume there's an oil feed issue there. I get over 20k from a chain on other bikes.

CORROSION. Say no more.

Comfier seat.

Good old fashioned money off.

Proper Indicator switch and HORN switch. You don't have to copy the Japanese, but sometimes they DO get things right. BMW (and all other bikes) have copied Harley Davison's gear change/clutch set up & location.

STOP charging a FORTUNE for something made by someone else, but which has a BMW badge on (sat nav?? Clothing?? Crash hats??)

Why must the hydraulic clutch system be filled with unicorn blood?? Surely DOT 4 is just fine. It's easier to get hold of.

I LIKE the BMW showroom (Well, Lind in Norwich anyway). Clean, tidy, free tea/coffee. Salesmen that are happy to help, will approach you but won't hassle you. Their used bikes are too pricey though.
I like the "BMW way", with no obligation test rides. A real refreshing change.

You could say that I'm a "Traditional Japanese bike rider/buyer" so I need tempting into your showroom. I have NO loyalty to ANY brand. I have a BMW, Kawasaki and an Aprilia in the shed. I've owned most brands in the past, even a Honda

I know that most bikes seem to have some problems (ZZR600 2nd gear for instance), but not many of them leave the bike immobile. If I had joined this forum BEFORE I bought my GS, I don't think I would have bought one.

I know that as a dealer, you can only change certain things, but maybe if enough of you (dealers) pass our gripes onto BMW HQ, then something might get done about it.

I cant help but think that, after Ewan and Charlie got BMW's fashionable, that BMW Rushed to make a glut of 1200GSs, and the quality suffered.

On the upside, the fact that the 1200 is 25kgs LIGHTER then the 1150, was a factor in me buying one.

I'm more than happy with Fuel injection, ABS, CAN-BUS and even servo brakes. I'm not averse to technology, but it MUST be reliable, and cheap to maintain/fix.

I do love my GS though. I might buy a 2011 model, but not until 2016 at least

Ok, thanks for your post - a fairly rounded view all in all. Now that you mention it, what about service costs? Would you like to see a service plan for £x a month or a lower hourly rate or a fixed price - say £150 for a small one and £250 for a big service - type of thing? Or would you be tempted to purchase 2/3/4 years servicing up front for a fixed, reduced price of £x?

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Ok, thanks for your post - a fairly rounded view all in all. Now that you mention it, what about service costs? Would you like to see a service plan for £x a month or a lower hourly rate or a fixed price - say £150 for a small one and £250 for a big service - type of thing? Or would you be tempted to purchase 2/3/4 years servicing up front for a fixed, reduced price of £x?

I prefer fixed priced servicing rather than an hourly rate. I believe that's how other dealers work. One mechanic may be quicker than another mechanic, so hourly rates may vary. If I take my bike/car in for a service, I want to know UP FRONT what it will cost.
I can't see how a monthly service plan would work, as bikes aren't used as regularly as cars.
I wouldn't purchase services up front, because I don't know how long I'll keep the bike. I hope to keep this one for a few years but there really is no telling, what with SMIDSYs and thieving bastids about these days. Another friend of mine bought a new bike and paid "over the odds" for it, as it came with 3 years free servicing. He covered over 10k per year, so it was worth it for him.


I realise that main dealers will be more expensive than specialist, non franchised dealers, and not many will offer a courtesy bike. The ONLY compliant with my BMW service last time was the price.
I've had services on other bikes at non BMW main dealers and been shocked by the state of the work done (oil left on a tyre for example )

As I said, I bought my bike used. I realise BMW is a premium brand, and the cost was always something that put me off for many years, even back when I was in my 20s (I'm now 38) as I couldn't afford it. I have only ever bought one new bike, and that was £4500 in 1998 (A Suzuki Bandit 600), and I doubt I will ever buy another brand new one.

I run my bikes on a budget. I don't have enough money to spend oodles of cash on my bikes. I usually service my own bikes, as it's so much cheaper, and I know that the job has been done properly, or things haven't been changed when they don't need it.

As I said earlier, a 3 month old Varadero costs roughly the same as a 5 year old BMW GS and the servicing is cheaper on the Honda too. Both bikes are the same style and do the same things. They both have "Modular" engines. Why is the BM so much more expensive??

 

[Dave78]

I too can't say that I will never buy a brand new BMW, I just haven't got that much cash to spend on a bike now. In years to come who knows what I might have.

My concern with buying any new bike is the warranty, why only 2 years? I know I could extend that but it is at my cost. Kia give a 7 year, 100k mileage warranty on a 6 to 7k vehicle. I wonder with there being so much concern at the FD etc whether BMW should offer something like 3 years unlimited mileage on everything, but say 5 years/100k miles on the engine/gearbox/FD/electronic modules etc..

I've got a 96 R1100, which has less corrosion on it that many newer 1200's I seen. Why?

I have no real problems with technology if it works, and gives me something that I can't have without it. And sometimes I think that technology is put into things just for the sake of it, does the K1600 really need that Screen??

In terms of service, a fixed price service would be ideal for being able to know what it was going to cost. In terms of paying for a service either up front on purchase of the bike, or in monthly instalments, or at time of service.

I guess if I had brought my bike on finance, then paying a fixed amount each month to cover the service would be great. As I don't use finance I prefer to save up and pay for the service when it is time as this allows for if something else happens, I can use that money for something else, and leave the bike till I have the money for a service, or do it myself..

I guess for me paying for the servicing up front would be hard if you had to find the cash for the bike and cash for the servicing for me all at once.

In terms of servicing, how many miles does anyone do a year? I think you'd end up any servicing for X miles or Y years which comes first.. which could be a problem if saying paying per month, but hit the mileage limit in say year 2 of 3 years.. what happens then?

Money off, could well get me interested. Or maybe various options for free - for example - like the pannier offer on the GS/GSA last year. Or an extra years warranty, or a day at BMW off-road school..

I don't mind paying slightly more, if I know I'm going to get a better service and the support should something go wrong. I am more than happy with the dealer I use to service my BMW, they are not my local one but the service I get from them means I really don't mind travelling.

 

[crampie]

I prefer fixed priced servicing rather than an hourly rate. I believe that's how other dealers work. One mechanic may be quicker than another mechanic, so hourly rates may vary. If I take my bike/car in for a service, I want to know UP FRONT what it will cost.

Personally I agree with your wish to see fixed service prices for BMW Motorcycles and have been communicating this desire for a while. However, just in case it isn't common knowledge, BMW dealers can only charge out the manufacturers set time for each service - so if BMW say a service takes 2 hours then this is all we can charge for, even if the technician takes twice that long! There is a BMW set time for almost every single task on a BMW Motorcycle and we are regularly audited to ensure that we comply with these times - each one is indicated on a service invoice for your information. This is not neccessarily the case when a bike is serviced 'elsewhere' - their hourly rate of say £50 may be considerably less than a BMW dealer but if you take the case above and they charge for the full time spent on the bike, it would end up costing you £200 compared to the dealers bill of say £140 (£70 per hour) - it's just that the 'independents headline labour rate seems, on the face of it, cheaper! I will continue to push for a fixed price service scheme, even if we have to 'go it alone' with this initiative. Watch this space!