BMW R1200GS

Compared to the AT.

Better handling? Faster? More reliable? [1]

One for sale near me, 2004, black & red, full hard luggage, 25k miles
which seems a bit high, and £6500 or so, which also seems a bit high.



[1] Apart from a dead battery and self inflicted damage, nothings gone
wrong with the AT yet, so this one might have to go on the laws of
averages.

 

probably - not ridden the 1200GS, love the AT

Almost certainly: 1200GS is a lot quicker than my 1150

Certainly not. There have been a number of mechanical & electrical issues.
Lots of people have got rid of their's shortly after the 3 year warranty
expired due to a lack of confidence. My biggest concern would be long term
ownership of a bike fitted with a poorly implemented CANBUS system.

That sort of mileage is not unusual, although BMW dealers seem to think so
when people try to trade them in.

I have no idea about R1200GS residuals so won't comment on the price,
although stating whether it is a dealer or private sale will get a better
valuation from those who know.

My gut feeling is that £6500 for a 4 year old bike is just too much,
regardless of the ridiculous RRP for a new bike. For that sort of money you
can get a brand new TDM900, which is likely to be much more reliable than
the R1200. If you start looking for a year old TDM then someone else has
taken a big depreciation hit and you have loads of your £6.5k left.

You'll get more info about the R1200GS from www.ukgser.com - if you really
want one then buy one from someone there. You'll get a better provenance
and a more realistic price.

 

Hitler doesn't rate them. 'Tractors' IIRC

 

Probaby I've already explained this: An Italian KTMisti, off-road press
journalist who always hated BMW, was upset after the 1200GS test as he liked
it and found it as good-handling as Katties.

 

Just take a note of the numberplate and go and steal it.

 

wessie scribbled:

Love mine, especially with its can + dynojet, just fancied something
newer with the same grin factor the AT has.

Comfy at speed for a tall bugger?

Ah crap. Well, it is a BMW.

Independant dealer.

Thanks but no thanks.

The AT is a winter hack and commuter bike but its a lot of fun. The
replacements got to fulfil the same needs.

 

Well if the 1200GS is an expensive pile of unreliability, is the 1150GS
any better?

 

Yes. If you follow the link in my last post you can read about people who
upgraded to a 1200GS then went back to an 1150GS, usually an Adventurer.

The main issue with the 1150GS was the change to the braking system. IIRC
this happened around 2002. They added an electrical servo which introduced
an unnecessary level of complexity. Quite a few people, including Timo, had
issues with this EVO system.

With the R-GS, the 1100 has a very good reputation for reliability. The
early 1150s, like mine seem to be okay. With each subsequent revision there
seemed to be a downturn in a) build quality and b) reliability.

Kevin Weller has just been through all of this. He eventually found himself
an early 2002 without the EVO brakes. My advice would be to do the same and
then find yourself an independent service bod such as http://gsshop.co.uk/
in Putney. He posts to UKGSer as Steptoe and may have some bikes in stock.

 

Don't fancy a Tiger then? Half the mileage & half(ish) the price.


--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

Nah, they look a lot like a Fazer Thou, which are good bikes but not
what I fancy.

Now a Rocket III on the other hand...

 

I didn't mean the new Tigers - I meant the old proper big traillie
ones, like my '03.


--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250