BMW Bikes?

suzuki2000

suzuki2000

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Looking at k1200s as a possibility for my next bike. The cost of entry is higher then comparable japanese bikes. Are they worth it?

I want to do more distance sport touring and the idea of no chain is slightly appealing

anybody with experience of ownership?

I know I could visit some BMW forums, but opinions there would be biased
 
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I am pretty biased, but I love BMW bikes. If I didn't have an R1200GS, I would likely have a K1200S or K1300S.

Are they worth the premium? I'm not entirely sure. There is a bit of a cachet about BMW bikes; like the cars, they are a premium brand. There is a certain feel to the bikes, a build quality that is almost immediately apparent, and is pleasing, at least to me. They are also fanatically well engineered, wonderful machines to ride, and are obviously well-known for lasting for a very long time.

Ultimately it's up to you. Does the bike make your heart go pitty pat? Enough to pay the premium?
 
For what it's worth, the last chain drive I had was a 1973 Honda CB450.
All 6 bikes since have been shaft drive. Never had a $$BMW - all Japanese bikes and all reliable as heck.
 
Definitely go with the bike that is the most comfortable, and appeals to you. Just be prepared for higher maintenance costs, unless you do the work yourself. I’ve found that a lot of shops won’t touch a BMW because it is a BMW. (Yes, they are notorious for using torx and e-torx fasteners). Open Road BMW charges $119/hr to work on a bike, and I’m pretty sure that BMW Toronto is around the same.
That being said, I couldn’t be happier with my bike, it is by far the best I have owned (for me anyways). I’ve ended up doing a lot of work myself thanks to help from the Clymer manual and the wealth of knowledge from the online forums.
 
The typical Beemer owner is a lot more fun than the average folks to be found on gtam of late.I owned an airhead for many years and the rallies were the best.The bike was reliable but the dealer network was a drawback.Parts were also very expensive.I miss that bike.
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I ride a GS, and I have to say it's one of the best bikes I've owned. I put 20K+ kms on it every year.

However, it will leave me someday on the side of the road with a blown final drive, or the clutch slave spewing brake fluid on my clutch, or the oil sight glass will fly out.

The bikes last forever with regular TLC. Get a BMW if you like easy to work on machines yourself. If you take it to dealerships - don't get one - the first time you pay $39 for an oil filter you'll realize that BMW stands for Bring More Wallet.

The R series (horizontally opposed boxer engine) is a wonderful engine for touring duties - gobs of torque. If you're used to a HondaKawaZuki though, it's not as smooth, and the transmission has a distinctly agricultural tractor feel to it.
 
suzuki2000 said:
Looking at k1200s as a possibility for my next bike. The cost of entry is higher then comparable japanese bikes. Are they worth it? I want to do more distance sport touring and the idea of no chain is slightly appealing anybody with experience of ownership? I know I could visit some BMW forums, but opinions there would be biased
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I was looking at the K1300R when i bought the F800R. I didn't like some of the styling cues, and it seemed much more bike than i was used to.

The 800 is a wonderful motor, and nearly vibration free. So F800R it was/is.

As for chains - i've got 7000km on mine, and the chain has not needed adjustment. I totally understand your point though - shaft for long haul reliability is it.

And i *think* you mean K1300S? There's no K1200S - And i'd definitely recommend looking at the F800ST, which would bring the price more in line.
 
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jsv650 said:
I ride a GS, and I have to say it's one of the best bikes I've owned. I put 20K+ kms on it every year.

However, it will leave me someday on the side of the road with a blown final drive, or the clutch slave spewing brake fluid on my clutch, or the oil sight glass will fly out.
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That's friggin terrible. I've owned a slew of Japanese motorcycles over the years and the only one that ever left me on the side of the road was a GSXR with a busted regulator.

Those kinds of faults are inexcusable, IMO. You pay high dollar for a GS and praise it for being a great bike, but it sounds like it has left you stranded more than a few times.
 
Yeah I keep seriously considering an F800S/ST/R but since I can only own one bike and there's a lot of dirt roads around Ontario I was going to stick some more dirt oriented tires on whatever bike I have and hope for the best on gravel/dirt and maybe a little offroading. A few drops on one of those would get a lot more expensive than on my 650R. There also don't seem to be as many suspension upgrade options for those bikes and I've heard bad things about their suspension.
 
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I have an 09 R1200R. I love it over 22,000 km without a problem. Bags on I can go on long tours, bags off hit the twisties. Great all round bike.
 
jsv650 said:
However, it will leave me someday on the side of the road with a blown final drive, or the clutch slave spewing brake fluid on my clutch, or the oil sight glass will fly out.
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I guess you're a glass half empty kind of a guy. There are incidences of each of the things you mentioned, but they are statistically small occurrences when you consider the number of GSs that have been sold, and the cumulative number of miles that have been put on them. I would imagine that on average the miles-per-bike is way higher on R series BMWs than any other motorcycle.
 
S1000rr... Wow. They are putting tons of tech in these bikes, and have just entered the SS category. And it looks great too
 
I've owned Hondas since 1978. Bought a Beemer last year. Reliability and maintenance seem about the same to me. Fit and finish of body work is comparable, but the mechanical parts seem a better design to me. (I love the swing arm on the S1000RR as an example).

I've never been happy with any shops' mechanics and that hasn't changed with BMW. The bike's very good though. I'm not sure where this thought that BMW's are really expensive comes from. If you compare bike to bike they are not badly priced at all. Although BMW aftermarket parts are very pricey.
 
Griffin said:
I've owned Hondas since 1978. Bought a Beemer last year. Reliability and maintenance seem about the same to me. Fit and finish of body work is comparable, but the mechanical parts seem a better design to me. (I love the swing arm on the S1000RR as an example).

I've never been happy with any shops' mechanics and that hasn't changed with BMW. The bike's very good though. I'm not sure where this thought that BMW's are really expensive comes from. If you compare bike to bike they are not badly priced at all. Although BMW aftermarket parts are very pricey.
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I think the S1000 has been sold artificially cheaply to create a market disruption. It seems to have worked.
 
My buddy has a K1200R, pretty close to the S but no fairing. The thing is awesome. Gobs of power and it rides like a dream. Bags on the side and you can still fit gear on the backseat. We did a 5000km ride to deals gap and barbers, with camping gear.
I've got a R1150rtp and the maintenance is way different. The boxers are easy to work on and for the most part get to, the K bikes you'll need to take apart to do some simple stuff. BMW's are great bikes. Ride forever and hold their value when its time to buy a newer one. Stay far away from dealers and learn where to buy parts in the states (beemerboneyard) or dealers that sell parts cheaper. There's a HUGE following online and if you need to repair anything, you'll probably find a ton of step by step guides written by fellow riders.
 
Griffin said:
I'm not sure where this thought that BMW's are really expensive comes from. If you compare bike to bike they are not badly priced at all. Although BMW aftermarket parts are very pricey.
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This is more the case now, but a few years ago BMWs were astronomically priced. Both BMW and Ducati have pushed their pricing aggressively to compete with the Japanese brands. They're still more expensive on average, but not like they used to be.

Just look at the HP2 Sport and Megamoto... pricing insanity.
 
Griffin said:
I've owned Hondas since 1978. Bought a Beemer last year. Reliability and maintenance seem about the same to me. Fit and finish of body work is comparable, but the mechanical parts seem a better design to me. (I love the swing arm on the S1000RR as an example).

I've never been happy with any shops' mechanics and that hasn't changed with BMW. The bike's very good though. I'm not sure where this thought that BMW's are really expensive comes from. If you compare bike to bike they are not badly priced at all. Although BMW aftermarket parts are very pricey.
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A full 10,000km service on a K12LT will be well over $1500 at the dealer.The first service for an 1800 Goldwing is a valve check at 55,000km that will cost about $500. That's the main reason i went from BMW to Honda.
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