May be changing soon... BMW 1200Adv???

I am turning into Victor Meldrew!!
Hello everyone, currently I own - but don't seem to be able to ride much a 10 month old KTM Adv 950... it would apprear that build quality is not whet it should be, but, more than that - KTM dealers are incompetant.
So - I am waiting again for warranty work to be completed, this time the oil pressure warning is lit..
this time the bike went to Lincoln, but that dealer refused to fix it as I hadn't bought it there. To read the whole story please see the 950riders.com site, just look for ElChico - salt corrosion etc etc..

So - that's why I'm here. My bike is now at KTM HQ being done, should have it back later this week - 3 weeks off the road. When I get it back I am going to Alan Jeffries in Shipley and try the R1200GS. I have ridden the 1150s - 2 friends have them, BUT, I am very interested in the new 1200 Adventure - it looks the business. Does anyone know when they are coming to the UK?

The BM might not be as exiting to ride as the 950, but I just can't put up with an unreliable machine. If the worse comes to worse I will go back to a trusty Transalp - had 4 brilliant years on one.
Cheers
Col

Hello Col

Welcome aboard


I`d go for the 1150....else you could have the same woes under a different badge....OOPS - I got a drubbing for saying ill of the 1200 recently

Col

Don't be put off by the Luddites, the 1200GS is a very well sorted bit of kit. I've done almost 30,000 miles since Oct04 and there are others on this board who've done more.

The 1200GSA demonstrators are due at dealers towards the end of March. Pricewise it looks good value compared to the basic 1200.

Tim

Demos maybe there but to buy one you be lucky to get it this side of Mar 07

Victor Meldrew said:

I am turning into Victor Meldrew!!
Hello everyone, currently I own - but don't seem to be able to ride much a 10 month old KTM Adv 950... it would apprear that build quality is not whet it should be, but, more than that - KTM dealers are incompetant.
So - I am waiting again for warranty work to be completed, this time the oil pressure warning is lit..
this time the bike went to Lincoln, but that dealer refused to fix it as I hadn't bought it there. To read the whole story please see the 950riders.com site, just look for ElChico - salt corrosion etc etc..

So - that's why I'm here. My bike is now at KTM HQ being done, should have it back later this week - 3 weeks off the road. When I get it back I am going to Alan Jeffries in Shipley and try the R1200GS. I have ridden the 1150s - 2 friends have them, BUT, I am very interested in the new 1200 Adventure - it looks the business. Does anyone know when they are coming to the UK?

The BM might not be as exiting to ride as the 950, but I just can't put up with an unreliable machine. If the worse comes to worse I will go back to a trusty Transalp - had 4 brilliant years on one.
Cheers
Col

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Try Rainbow BMW at Rotherham too, you might be pleasantly suprised.........

JohnnyBoxer said:

Try Rainbow BMW at Rotherham too, you might be pleasantly suprised.........

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How pleasantly surprised?

Markblox said:

How pleasantly surprised?

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New bike price/P-X price/Courtesy and good old fashioned service...........shall I go on??

Victor Meldrew said:

... it would apprear that build quality is not whet it should be, but, more than that - KTM dealers are incompetant. To read the whole story please see the 950riders.com site, just look for ElChico - salt corrosion etc etc..

l

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Blimey!

I've just got back from looking at the pictures was that amount of corosion just from normal winter use?

I hope that KTM sort things for you.

Last night at work, a Mate told me that he ran into a guy from South America who was on a 05 1200GS. He said that he had ridden from South America to Alaska on it and had no problems. Just had to replace tires. Said he loved the bike.

Oh..he also had a "Sweet Young Thing" riding pillion.

I too considered the KTM 950 and for the similar reasons I passed. It was my first choice since a good friend/dealer was a Honda/KTM dealer in my home town and I didn't care for the 1150 excessive weight. With the 950 being so much lighter and a race replica, it was the baddest adventure bike out there IMO and I wanted it bad. But KTM took 2 years after introduction to get the bike to Canada, and then they saddled dealerships with some higher level expense clause in regards to servicing which was a turn off to my buddy and many other dealerships in Canada. Add in their lack of dealer support and parts availability and my buddy dropped them. By then the 12GS was released, I had moved to a new city and the 950 dealerships were scare with non-950 dealerships not being allowed to service the bike, which I think is just idiotic given the limited number of dealerships already. I still considered it but hindsight being a wonderful thing I know I've made the right decision. The new Honda/KTM/Aprilia dealership in Ottawa has dropped KTM, after 1.5 years, for the same reasons, esp. since the lack of dealer support and parts was affecting their reputation. It's too bad becuase the bike is awesome, they just need to get higher levels of reliability and support and they would rule the adventure class.

Along the same lines of that hindsight being a wonderful thing. I've had my 12GS since June 2004, 60,000 km on it and never an issue. I'm doing a tour of North America this summer, From Ottawa to BC to Alaska, to Baja, Mexico, the Maritimes and back so I fully expect to surpass my usual 30,000 km per year and hope to have a positive ride report for you guys when I hit 100,000 km. I had a ZX10R before the 12GS and I don't miss it one bit. The weight loss program, versatility, warranty and dealer backup as we as the uniqueness of the bike were the huge selling points for me.

Col

Welcome

Despite what some may have you believe - the 12 is a great bike. I've had mine for just over a year (from new) and done nearly 12k with only a gear indicator sensor needing replacement. The Adv will be in short supply for the next year at least so why not consider a basic 12? they're plentiful at the moment and although most dealers won't haggle over the price, you may be able to get a discount on some extras.

Thank you for sound advice/comments!

I sort of expect lots of tuts and "told you so's" when I posted the original question about changing... Many thanks to all of you.
I have heard good things about Rainbow BMW and when mobile again I will go see them.
I am still waiting to hear when I will get the bike back from KTM... I am livid as they promised to phome me Monday - with a progress report. I am waiting until Thursaday, then will simply say that as of Friday 24th he time's up. Money back only, and that I don't want the bike back, in other words I will refuse to take delivery.

re. the availability of the new 1200 Adv, if as you say they will be thin on the ground, then perhaps if I like the current 1200 then that will clinch it. If I time it right the dealers might have trade ins' after April? We will see!

Re. the corrosion - MikeP, yes, the thing is that the battery + solenoid etc are under the front of the engine and the bash plate job keeps all the salty water inside sort of... if I'd realised I would have opened the thing up and cleaned it out a lot. If the PDI had been done correctly - robinsons of rochdale... then the solenoid and 30A fuse etc would have been blathered in waxoyl stuff. So there you are after 9500 miles and 10 months it looks bad! Other parts that are not up to the UK salt attack system are:
front wheel spokes - rusty by the 2000 miles mark.
disc roters - rusty at the centres now.

Forget the "plastic chicken" 1200 (no offence Honda C70/90 owners) get yourself a real one, its got to be the 1150Adv

But isn't a canal barge more manoeverable?

Thanks - but I've ridden 2 GS1150's and I just felt it was too heavy and clumsy. My friends who own them are usually 2 up and have tons of luggage, I am rarely carrying a passenger (the wife doesn't play out much) and carry the least stuff possible.
Saying that they are excellent bikes, I just can't say until I have ridden the 1200 for real. I expect it to feel right for me. I am not a big bloke so in spite of the height of my KTM it is easy to handle and pick up, whereas the 1150 I felt would be a lot for me to deal with.
As for the looks - I like "ugly" motorcycles... a few bike riders have called mine ugly - but I like the looks of the BM and KTMs as they are built for a purpose and are not pointy little roundy roundy race reps.
Cheers
Col

Heavy yes clumsy no but i know where your coming from they are a bit of a handfull at low speed.
I'm dead lucky my wife doesn't play at all better than that she and the kids can't wait for me to go away on the annual tour for a fortnight hang on i wonder why that is then! Best not say anything don't want to rock the boat , had to hide my password to the site as i don't want her to find out that a you get a full service and a set of tyres all for under £150.00. bargain hey! this is she if she found out the how much it realy costs .
How very disapointing to hear about your KTM i was under the impression that they were a good quality product, and how much did that decision to retract there offer of the motorcycles to that pair of film stars cost them? or was it a lack of confidence that they could not have gone the distance? Going off your experience the later sounds likely.
I'm getting to like my ugly motorcycle a lot, just treated her to an Optimatelll trickle charger just the knowledge that when i'm not riding she's tucked up under her clean dust sheet supping a constant supply of juice keeping her in tip top condition. (what an anorak!).
Hope you get sorted soon, keep us informed