2005 1200GS known issues?

The wife and I are going to look at a 2005 R1200GS this weekend and I am trying to sort out the known issues with these bikes are particular years. Is there anything I need to be concerned with? I've heqrd reliability is great, but also likened to playing the lottery. Could end up with a bad one.

We are coming from japanese reliability standpoint.

May be tough to see but definately check the flange that holds the read tire on, there can be cracks at the lugs or brake bolts. get a flachlight on that.

Do a search on this site, there's a thread all about it.

To be clear, this concern is for all years of R1200Gs with the possible exception of 2012s, if they have a steel flange instead of AL. There was a running change to the part and I am not exactly sure when it happened.

Others may agree or disagree with me but 2005 was the first year of the 1200. I just remember a lot of issues that were ironed out later. There were some that one cylinder would drop a valve or otherwise blow up. The Final Drive oil for life that was fixed later. Something about the fuel pumps shorting out. Front Brake rotors, rear brake flange as mentioned was big on 05 and 06 models.

Put your location on your profile, locals can better help you and point you to good deals in the area.

This site has a Flea Market section. Good deals come up there all the time. I prefer 2008 and newer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_R1200GS look for 2005 issues in lower right recall section of this article. 19 and 20

http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.dnvjxqtaqfhxwmvv

cylinder issue
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189778

The bike in question is being offered by a BMW dealership, so I am guessing any known issues "should" be updated or "certified" as being serviced properly. Not always the case I'm sure, but I'll bring up some of these points, thank you.

I have seen much of the FD issues being talked about.

Wife is more attracted to the RT/LT's than the GS. I am coming from a dirt bike/supersport background and feel like RT/LT's are for when I'm 60....sorry

I've always wanted a GS.

If it is an abs bike, i believe that model's abs pressure module has been flagged as a issue. If it goes, you may lose the speedometer, and get a flashing red light which will impede inspection. And don't forget the sticker shock -- IIRC, it is about a $2,500 part. . .. :eek1 And don't forget installation, which could be another $1,000. :huh

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=51556&rnd=08102012

What is your reasoning?

ESA
TPMS
Enduro Trans
Upped in HP
Non-wizzy brakes
updated FD w/ drain bolt

Sound reasons

Current threads discussing the abs pm issue:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=838196

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839490

I have a 05 and so does my riding buddy, Both are doing fine. Check for oil between the engine and the trans, rear main . Dino oil seems to work best for us. No other issues for me 35,000 miles . A great bike but you knew that.

I bought an 05 R1200GS w/42k miles.
In the first 1k miles I was greeted w/a rear wheel carrier (aka flange) w/cracks.
4k later it was the ABS failure. Module Masters could not fix it, so it got an ABS-ectomy.
If I could do it again, I'd wait for a 2007 or newer.

I have close to 100k miles on an early production 05. The second such bike sold in Reno. I don't want to scare you off, but there were problems with the first production run of those bikes that were fixed later, and also fixed under warranty. Before I ran out of the warranty at 36k miles my bike went through 3 final drives, one transmission, one clutch due to the seal leaking oil on it, one CANBUS, and one fuel pump controller. Since 36k miles I have only had to replace the drive shaft. That broke due to my being a bit too enthusiastic off road. If I were looking at an 05 I would want it to have enough miles on it that I would think all the defective stuff in the early model run had broken and been replaced by now. If the bike has more than 30k miles it is probably OK, but if it only has 5k miles I would not buy it. I agree look at the crack between the trans and engine for signs of an oil leak, spin the rear wheel and see if seems to grind in any way - a sign of final drive or drive shaft problems. I would ask about things like whether the brake fluid had been changed which can affect the life of the servo brake system. I like my 05 a lot and I intend to run it into the ground which I expect to be after I have several hundred thousand miles on it. Dave

Just turned 76000 miles on mine.Had bearings and seals for counterbalance shaft at 12000.Clutch slave cylinder and seal at about 35000.About it so far.Ed

I have a 2005 model from new and it runs perfectly-- now. That year the bike came with power "servo" brakes, which were problematic at best. My bike had several "Brake Failures," which certainly were capable of causing a serious crash. At that time the problem was difficult to diagnose and could be caused by any number of glitches in the electrical system. My bike's wiring harness was eventually replaced under warranty, which cured the problem. You can find a full discussion of this on the UKGSER forum.

I bought my '05 in 2008 with 17K miles on it. I'm at 58K now. It would be issue free if I could keep the damn thing right side up. The original owner did have the clutch replaced under warranty due to a failure in the slave cylinder at like 5K miles.

Anyway, to me the most important thing is a detailed and complete service history. Maintenance is key to longevity on these bikes.

I have an 08 GSA. It seems pretty debugged although my FD wore out after a trip from ATL to Prudhoe BAY AK and back at 32,000 miles. It had some minor recalls, key ring, brake line positioning and one fuel strip.

My buddy has a 2007 GSA. His is pretty solid but the 2008 has some better cosmetic items like led rear brake light and bigger beak.

Before I bought my 08 I had an 1150GSA and remember reading issues with the 05s and 06s plus I thought I read they don't make a Final Drive for the older bikes anymore?? I'm not sure if that is correct.

But if a person can get an 05 at a good price and all the issues are corrected why not go for it. Buying from a dealer doesn't guarantee anything. Every time I have returned to my salesman with a issue on a new vehicle (not m/c) I was told this is sales, service is in the back have a nice day....the reverse was true too. Sales promised me a part at cost. I went to parts and they wanted full price. We are parts not sales.

07 and 08s have prettier anodizing on the fork legs too.

I have a first release '05 and it has around 57,000 miles on it. Had a transmission vent thing replaced under warranty, and I had to replace the rear wheel flange last year, but has been fine otherwise. Still runs great. I love it, whizzy brakes and all.

Here is a post regarding the brake flange. From 12GS Rear Disk Flange Cracks?