My 2cents is buy an 1150 w/ABS w/o Servo, either very high >80,000 miles or very low <5,000 miles means you may have issues unless well serviced. The Golden Rule?
Preferably a garaged vehicle as IMHO those kept outside look shiite and usu have corroded fasteners. Stay away from those plasticky 1200's...
also...take a peak at those pesky KTM's either Adventure 990 or the newer SMT...they seem to depreciate like crazy and used you might get a good deal. The BMW's retain their used values much better (which means less of bargain if you're buying a keeper).
Somebody posted this earlier and I stuck it in my outlook notes. I apologize that I did not keep the name of the 'originator' but it's from UKGSER:
BMW Check List:
the biggest issue is the final drive and swing arm bearings. with the bike on the centrestand, try and rock the rear tire back and forth at the 3/9 o' clock position and the 12/6 o'clock. there shouldn't be any play.
also, check the bike for oil leaks. that means looking underneath it and around the heads and the final drive. even a small oil leak will attract dust.
also check for a worn clutch disc. if you're allowed a test ride try to get the bike in a situation (as on a hill) when you're hard on the throttle. a worn clutch will generally slip under hard load. either high speed and getting on it or up a hill and really working it. try and kick up a little dust. this will help show any oil leak.
of course, do ride safely. i'd hate to hear about a GS in the ditch as your next post.
check the rotors to be sure they aren't all gouged up. check the front forks for an oil leak as well. again-- tell tale dust residue.
you want a cold start-- dead cold, as in the first start of the day-- and a hot start. fully warm (5 bars) let it sit for a minute and start it again. these motors can be slower to start cold. lower to start than any motorcycle i've ever met. there's a lot of mass there and some thick oil, so don't be surprised if it takes two bites at the apple to get it running. you'll want to get it started and rev it gently a few times. it should idle on it's own, both high and low. the starter shouldn't squeal. for the ABS: make sure the lights are flashing upon start up and then, as you roll away, listen for the clunk/clunk which is the front/rear ABS testing itself. as soon as it sees both wheels turning at the same speed, those flashing lights should go out. the clunk/clunk is normal.
also, with it up on the centrestand, get it resting on the back wheel and
move those bars back and forth. you should be able to centre the bars and tap them left and right. they should move smoothly. anything binding or notchy indicates a problem. while you're at it, rock that front wheel at the 3/9 and 12/6 o'clock as well. check for front wheel bearings.
when starting a BMW of our vintage:
turn on the key, listen to the fuel pump waking up. it should sound like a small motor, not especially grinding although unless you know what a good one sounds like, you'll have a hard time telling the difference. make sure you have those tandem flashing ABS lights-- they need to be flashing initially.
there is a small lever on the left switchgear, next to the handgrip on the front side of the bar. lift that small lever up and hold it. this is your fast idle setting. our bikes have FI but not that sophisticated an FI to set a fast idle. hit the starter on the right side (red button) and only crank for 2-3 seconds. if it doesn't catch (and if it's the first start of the day, it may not) hit it again, 2-3 seconds. it should fire up. release that lever. look for the oil light to go out. it may be just a split second for the light to go out and the motor might be a bit louder as the oil circulates. if it takes more than a second to go out, you might start to think... gently rev it (gently) and after three or four gentle revs it should high idle on it's own.
these are not bikes you want to let sit and idle. once it's running fine, click it into gear. sometimes they need a little bit of clutch to click into first, don't be shocked. hold the shifter down a let the clutch out a tiny bit. as soon as the bike clicks into first squeeze the clutch fully again. as you ride and the bike heats up, wait until it's warmed (2 bars on the display ought to do it) and push that little lever on your left switch gear down fully. now you have normal idle which should be 1100 (+/- 50). sometimes poorly running bikes can be made to seem to run better by bumping up the idle. ride that thing long enough to get it to 5 bars (which is normal hot operating temp). then shut it down. wait 30 secs or a minute, and start it again. doesn't matter if it's one second, one minute, or 5 minutes, it should restart without issue. you only need to use that high idle lever when the bike is cold.
the vibrations on a boxer motor are unlike any i've experienced before, so be prepared for an odd side-to-side vibe. it's not bad or unsettling, just a bit odd. oilheads make more noise than water cooled motors. obviously, a bike that can heat up really hot-- imagine being stuck in the sand, working your motor, no air flow over the heads, the heat builds quickly-- neads to have more tolerance in the motor than a bike which runs 160 or 195 degrees most of the time.
try to get used to the odd switchgear. i love the turn signals now, even though i found them odd initially. now i think they are tops. i still can't find the fucking horn, though. i've hit the starter, the left turn signal, etc looking for the horn.
I have a squealy starter, I think.
