So true. And having accidentally gotten my suspension dialed in perfectly, I can never sell the bike,
and people like me side with you...we rationalize that it can't really be as bad as the hundreds of reports on the internet and buy one anyways. It's barely broken in at 52,000 miles, marty sounds sane, what could possibly go wrong I say to myself... Then within 1500 miles I'm sitting in the snow awaiting rescue. It was $1,000 in parts, luckily I found the transmission shaft used. I still haven't come to terms with a company that builds drive shafts out of phase, who does that?
I' 've heard alot about the phase thing...and always found it interesting.. On the older models, do you find they vibrate uncontrollably as you ride? No? Then the phase is correct. If the upper AND lower joints are the same (within a degree or two), then, you put joints in phase, if all your angle is in one end (like a BMW motorcycle...or an off road rig with the axles turned, you phase the joints 45 degrees out...u also do this when building shafts with CV joints.
Hey GS Gurus Current Vstrom owner and I've been really happy with the bike overall. Great on the road and low maintenance, but off road it has been dismal. Alwaysd wanted a big BMW adventure bike and I think I'm finally gonna bite the bullet. No stranger to wrenching and have some good friends with GS's that can help guide me through any tricky fix. Got a bead on a 2008 GSA, mint condition 9k miles, stock, new tires, no luggage, PO has already done all the servicing. What would be a fair amount to offer on this? I appreciate any feedback. See ya in the dirt!
Haha, I was in the car business, I know that trick. No payments!! lol Guy has it listed for 13.5k, but i was thinking more like 12k? Its a non ESA model, which I like better but I wont tell him that
Since you were in the game, you know the drill... touch it, make him an offer, No is the worse he can say. Good luck in your deal
Come on up in April...I will buy ya a whole pie, Sounds like you will be GS'd and looking for some Appalachia roads Laurel Fork Campout, Look for it in carpet baggers regional forum. Well that isn't correct... go here http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839434
Yes, it drives me nuts. It's pretty much the last thing that needs to be rebuilt on my bike. Prospective buyers: Price a set of shocks front/rear, the stockers tend to blow out by 30,000 miles and they're far from cheap to replace.
BMW reliability?... yeah, right! Here we go again... pulled the carbutaros off my F650, what a PIA!... had to dismantle most of the bike just ot get to the carbs. When going dirt roads I like simple, repairable, things such as, carburators, chain drive, etc.. My next bike will be either a Honda (dr650) or a Kawasaki (KLR) or a KTM.... BMW's are a money pit!
Not mine. One of the things I like about my '05 1200GS is that it is easy to work on. I can get to everything I need without much drama. Changing the air filter requires the gas tank to be removed. Sounds nasty - but it takes all of 10 minutes. Once that's off, the ABS module is right their for it's bi-annual fluid change. The heads are nicely arranged for valve adjusts. When my clutch slave cylinder died (yes - one of my two hardware failures in 24k miles), it was a simple swap job. As a plus, Jim VonBaden shows you how to do everything for $25. Lots of bitching about these bikes - but my personal experience has been fantastic. When I rust this one out by riding year-round on salted Michigan roads - I'll get another one.
Wrong forum. This is the BIG GS forum, not the 650 forum. That is beasts. The R1100/1150/1200 is much easier to work on IMHO! Jim
WTF is this Honda DR you speak of? Ummm..KTM, easy to work on...I take it you've never seen or worked on one.. 4 posts and you come in the wrong thread and tell everyone you hate your BMW, gotta admit, you got sand. Tell me about that 30 horsepower adv bike in the KLR..and the doo hicky
If its mechanical, it's gonna break! I agree with Mr. Smallberries, I also ride an '05 R1200GS. Simple bike, simple access. No matter what you buy your going to need parts, service, and eventually trail repairs.
The biggest cost to my bike (2009 gsa) are things like rotors, breakpads, shocks, tires, clutch in the future maby? and stuff that i break from dropping the bike. Other than that, oil, filters and so on are just costs like on any other bike. Are bmw expencive? they are more expencive than my previous bikes, not because they are but because i drive a lot more than when i had a diffrent brand. and that is because they are thrustworthy.
I have a toyhauler and am getting ready to head S by SW for a few months. My original plan was to tote my ST1300 for two up 2-3 day trips and my DRZ for one up exploring. But that is straining the wt capacity of my TH. I next thought I would just use my KLX650c for both...but one ride 2-up put paid to that idea... I was pondering my delimna perusing the local paper when I found an 05 R1200GS w/ 18,000 mis for $7,500. I looked at it and rode it and looked at the maintenance papers. A couple of things. It sat outside for a few months when the owner was going thru a divorce so it has some rust on some bolt heads. It has not had the 18,000 mntnce check done. I was told to put the bike up on it's centerstand and check for lateral play in the rear wheel which I did and it had none. I rode it and it seemed fine. I have kinda kept an eye on GS's for a while and this seems a bargain. The guys is unable to ride any more due to health (he has been putting off selling the bike hoping he would get better). A friend has a 04 GS with 104K miles and has had zero probs... Just a little validation here and I'm going to get it....
You need to factor in the internet forum factor. Small problems can seem wide spread when maybe they aren't. If you want a low cost bike look elsewhere. The BMW is a fun can do machine. My 08 had a fuel strip replaced under warranty and my FD wore out outside warranty. The FD issue pisses me off but I still like my machine. I wish BMW would fix the problem but they are extremely arrogant and refuse to address the issue. My friend's brother has a F800GS. The forks are junk and not improvable. I hear a bunch of other parts are painted pig crap too. That is a shame. I used to think all BMW stuff was good quality but marketing and accounting must design and build machines these days.
What a troll, a F650 is most likely a single, unless it is a 2009 or later twin, in either case neither has carbs and are fuel injected. Go tell lies somewhere else.