Best GS? 1100, 1150, 1200 etc
 

The 19th post in the link here, is an excellent recommendation for the 1100GS and the ease of maintenance of this bike while on the road and racking up big miles (thanks Margus!).

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...thread-29606-2

So, what I would like to know more about, is which model of this bike is the best one from the self-maintenance point of view? -- Practical experience and not what the dealers say. Is anyone doing their own maintenance on a 1200 (once the warranty has expired presumably!) - lots of them are exchanged every two years from what I see around me.

While there are lots of posts that try to compare, say, Jap bikes with European (or whatever) and there are other posts about specific maintenance questions, I can't remember seeing anything about the relative merits of the various BMW GSs for maintenance purposes.

I know there are BMW owners who don't consider the F650GS to even be a "proper" GS (on other forums anyway) -- oh boy, what sort of heartache will there be when the 800GS hits the showrooms & roads in droves --, but any views on how they compare with the shaft drive models would be interesting as well!

And, RS/RT owners need not feel left out on this question; the engine/suspension are the same, are they not?! :rolleyes2:

Thanks,

Even though I ride a 1200, I actually think the 650 makes a more versatile machine.

Less weight, less electronics to go wrong, better fuel consumption, still capable of hauling ass, wide range of on/off road tyres and reliability is second to none.

As a tall person however, I wished they'd overhall the front end, and put a decent screen on - maybe doing an off-shoot of the 'proper' dakar bikes with the tall screen, and offering the ability to mount a GPS to the bike, rather than to handlebars.

The oilheads are all pretty reliable bikes and when it comes to maintenance they are practically equal.
The airheads have a bit shorter service-interval but IMHO the service takes shorter time so in the end it will be about the same.
On my airheads I use less then one hour to do a full service (adjusting valves, change oils++)
Luckily there is minimal need for maintenance between services.


When it comes to what kind of problems you can solve on the road I would say it’s easier the older the bike is. You can almost always get an airhead started but if your ring-antenna on your 1200 breaks you are in big shit.
Most off the bikes has their issues, it will always be something that brakes first, but it’s mostly known stuff and can be avoided.


I have only worked on the older 650 (ST?) and I didn’t like it. Changing oil was more complicated and I had to remove fairings to get access to the motor. The plugs was difficult to remove and you had to strip half the bike to get access to the carbs. The chain needed attention almost every day….
For me it brought back to many memories from my previous jap-bikes. I’m not saying that it is a bad bike, but it’s to fiddly for me.

I went for 1100 path myself, in terms of "cheap and cheerful" as they say here.

I always consider a possibility the bike getting crashed/totalled or stolen. You can be almost certain you get no money back if someone totals your bike (not with your fault) in third world, insurance simply doesn't work there in most cases. I'm a poor bastid myself and thus don't want to lose an expensive 1150 or even more expensive 1200 I'm maybe being a bit too paranoid here tho., but this is the thing always to consider if your wallet isn't exacly a thick one. 1150 and 1200 look modern by outer design, while 1100 looks like from a previous century, so doesn't get any real attention from those eyes who may have a potential to steal it from you. If you got loads o' dosh to replace any bike any time, then things are different of course.

1100 and 1150 are exacly the same in terms on maintenance. Technically very similar to each other, also in performance. Dead easy to work on it your own, they're robust. Replace oils (engine, gearbox and bevel box), air filter and valve check/adjust etc routine works. My 1100s have been chepest running costs bikes I've had.

What I don't like about 1150 myself is the extremely tall first gear making it a bit bulkyer to offroad and more usage of clutch. Also 1150 is 6 kilos heavier than 1100 with the same configuration, ADV even more. If going 1150 I'd take ADV version with shorter 1st gear, pro for ADV is longer suspension travel, which is good if you're a skilled offroad rider. Tho 1150 ADV was much out of my low budget.

ABS was one of my requirements. More simple and proven ABSII (non-servo) that 1100 and early-1150s had was a pro, since there were some servo-assised ABS (later 1150) problems reported that made me a bit worry, altough this could be also my own paranoia (this ABS problem could be as well as "a tar drop in honey pot" phenomena and BMW says they have a solution for it). If ABSII fails somehow, it just disconnects itself and brakes work as normal brakes on a non-ABS bike.

If aiming 1100 I'd strongly recommend later 1997-1999 models. They are ironed-out ones, pre-1997 had some issues (mainly "lottery to failure" gearbox was the major one that kept me away from them).

1200 was a way out of my budget and although most of the issues are starting to be ironed out but you then need to buy almost new or a brand new one (£££). I've testridden 1200 and it's a superb bike, although the weight difference isn't that big as people say when you compare them through a comparison test ride, on tar there's almost no difference, on offroad you feel some difference, but not that big. Seat for me and especially for pillion is more comfty on older 11xx models. Performance is much better on 1200, more than I'd ever need tho. 1200, unfortunately, is out of my budget.

All of them boxers are good mile eaters and capable bikes, especially for cold and wet weathers we have here in Northern Europe - roomy, heated grips as standard, cylinders keep your feet warm and dry if you put additional flaps (I made them myself for example) you feel like home ;), just take the flaps off if going into a warm country. 1100 and 1150 have more boxer "character" apparent than the 1200 with balancing shafts, riding my 1100 always makes me grin, altough on 1200 you often grin thanks to it's huge torque. So any of them is an ideal bike for me if doing long travels, solo or 2up, using it everyday communiting and they're surprisingly capable and fun offroad too if you're not afraid to take a big trailie offroad. For me they represent a rare combination character and capability.

RS/RT are road-oriented bikes, engines are very similar to the GS cousins, just few more BHPs for road use and also maintenance intervals usually are almost identical. If riding on bad roads and offroad you need to aim for a big trailie.

650GS is very nice bike if you ride solo, I've ridden it for some longer distances: sufficient comfort and performance for solo but for my 2-up needs it is too small, both in terms of space/comfort for me and pillon and performance. Altough some can travel 2-up with a 125cc too...

So in the end, it depends from the rider, his/her needs and budget, as always... This was my, fully personal version. I'm sure some may not agree with my 1100/1150/1200 comparison.

Hope this helps, Margus

I've just taken an R850GS 18months round South America, and before that a month or so bashing it up in Morocco. The 850 is rare but just the same as the 1100.

Didn't know much about the mechanics of it before i went. learnt the basics like servicing and picked up a lot on the way. But as said, very easy to work on with 6000mile intervels so you shouldn't need to spend too much time on it.

The few weak points that showed up on mine are well documented.

Broken rear subframe. (same on 1150)
Reinforce it before you go., and therefore before it distorts once you have broken it and ridden 100 miles with it off road! voice of experience there.

Final drive pivot bearings
Final drive, bevel box crown bearing and oil seal.

My pivot bearings seem to go every 20- 25K miles (carried spare)
My crown bearing went after 50,000 ( didn't carry spare as the manuals say it is a job only for BMW , but it turned out to be easy to replace them).

these are the same on the 1150 as well, but a lot of the crown bearing seem to fail earlier. As i think Margus says - think of them as you would a chain and sprockets and check and change them as neeed be, with the added advantage that spare ones take up less room and less weight than a chain and sprocket set.

With Conti TKC80's on they are ok off road. as long as you learn to pick it up.
However the indicator broke every time i dropped it, so changed them for bendy ones!

With the advantage ( in my opinion) over the F650GS that you can cruise round all day at 80mph on 500 mile days and still get 20 kpl/ 55mpg

cheers
mike

Is that all there is to say?
 

Not sure about that! The F650 in my household is returning 70 mpg consistently with tarmac riding only.
It can cruise OK at 80 mph - I have got over 90 mph out of it for short time periods (indicated on the clock) (on the private airfield runway!! :rolleyes2: ) but that is not a speed I would want to hold for a long time - I believe the bike can do it, but I don't like the wind blast off the shortish standard screen; it might be OK with a taller screen though.

But, back to the maintenance - which is the best GS for self-maintenance?
So far, not much response, and no one is saying "good things" about the 1200GS.

self-maintenance
 

I get my 1150 serviced by Phil the Boxerman but he doesn't touch 1200s due to the complexity of their electronics.

He speaks most years at the UK HU meetings and nowadays begins each talk with "if you ride a 1200, you might want to leave now..." (or words to that effect) :(

Stephan

Strangely, I have had this image of Beemer owners doing their own maintenance (possibly with the exception of the 1200, as you identify Stephan) - that's what led me to ask the question.

Give me an Airhead any day of the week, apart from the simplicity of maintenance they are much easier to handle off road and have less bodywork to damage if they do fall over.

Wrong question perhaps
 

I might have got the title of this thread wrong, so it does not get much response - the word maintenance is not in there.


Does anyone do their own maintenance on a 1200GS?

I do :scooter: like most things people run scared of what they don't know .If you understand the system it's easyer than an 1100 :thumbup1:

You want to try the latest generation of cars, i have to use a computer link to change the rear brake pads :eek3:

K75s...missing the g, but the best GS out there aside from the R80!

It'll go anywhere any of the 1100, 1150, 1200 go...

Aside from the lack of power and stock suspension(which can be upgraded), it has a more durable motor, final drive, and gearbox than the ones mentioned above...you've heard it before;)

The K-bikes are great! A Friend of mine built one a few years ago as a low-cost bike.
He could have build 32 for the price of a 1200GS (incl cost of bike).

If he had spend a bit more money he could got new rims and a better shock... It was much fun anyway. Maybe a bit front-heavy :-)

http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K1.jpg

Nice pic, and the front is heavy enough to break the bridge!! :rofl:

:rofl: Thanks for that; suddenly this thread is alive again!

Someone owning a 1200GS has to ask you how you get on with the canbus system?!

So then we got the idea of driving the Kalahari in high speed over the bridge and take pictures when the bridge got completely destroyed. It sounded reasonable at that time but it didn’t work:
http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/bro.jpg

Another pic of the K75GS-III:
http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K2.jpg

I do not own a 1200, but check this one: http://www.hex.co.za/gs911/images/GS911m.jpg

http://www.hex.co.za/gs911/images/GS911m.jpg

Or you could read my review :innocent: as HexCode are sponsoring me with their kit.

F650 Ride the World - A journey of Global Proportions

Before this year (May) I had never worked on a motorcycle, now I have done 2 complete service's, built my own HID headlights, changed my own tires, fixed broken bits, replaced others, tightened the steering head bearings and installed lots of extra's on my bike and it is still going strong. So I have to say my little 2002 F650GS Dakar is very easy to maintain.

You show me one of those BIG BMW riders and let him tell me to my face my bike isn't a real BMW bike and he wount be riding for a long while, as I shall kick him full on in the bits that hurt the most, and don't forget I have that Bionic leg now.

Ali...
More pics PLEASE!!!
I'm just got back from an RTW trip with the K and it proved its mettle in handling a variety of terrain! I'd like to mod it a bit more for heavier off road stuff...

edde

More pics wanted
 

I'll second that - pics are great, yours especially.

I hope you put the bridge back together - those original cross members look a bit flimsy, but there are lots of trees to go at!

Thanks!

Sorry but I don’t have a lot of K-pictures.
I think one of the problems (?) by building an adventure K is that there are not much specialized parts available, you have to do all the work yourself. On the other hand you will get a very special bike.


Modifications (from memory):
-Modified fairing from R80/R100
-180mm front light (from a VW golf?)
-Marzocchi magnum fork
-Extended (original?) shock
-Enlarged tank
-Changed exhaust
-Modification of injection
-Modified bean-can
-Modified subframe
-New handlebars
-Extended central stand
-Removed loads of plastic
-Modified seat

Things he never did:
-Sumpguard
-Better shock
-Changed rims
-Fabricating catch tank with petrol-pump

http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K3.jpg

http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K4.jpg

http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K5.jpg

Details:
http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/K6.jpg

Yeah...how funny is this...the K75gs finally gets some luv!

Mongolia

Mongolia 2

Sahara

Sahara 2

Some pics with my K75s...one of the best GSs never built:(

edde

Nice pics!

Mongolia looks nice, but it's far away... Guess I will return to Africa in a few months with the guy on the K. Not sure what he will drive then..

I´m searching for a GS1100/850 currently. This gearbox issue you mention, is there a fix for it or a set mileage in which the box brakes down, or is it literally a lottery through the entire lifespan of the bike?

I´m taking a look at an 850 one of these days, but the owner has advised me over the phone that the wheels (or just spokes, I´m not sure) are a little corroded, as is one of the shock´s mounting point. Is corrosion common on these bikes? This specific bike is 26000km old, from 1999, so I´m quite interested unless it´s a rust bucket.

There is another bike, a 1100, from 1995, with 47000km, but it looks sort of neglected by the pictures, and I´m not sure what to expect out of the "before 1997" thing.

Main point for buying a GS for me is to reliably and comfortably touring two up.

By the way, I spent an hour or two the other day, looking through your youtube videos. Do you have any advice regarding looking for issues when buying one of these bikes?

Pedro,

R850GSes are very good, little known and thus underrated bikes IMHO. If you can get one for good price and low mileage and suits you and your wife or G/F - I'd say go for it. 26 000 km, if not cheated, isn't even run-in yet! My both R1100GSes normalized their oil consumption just after 30 000 km - meaning they're run in from the top-end side. It's hard to beat telelever-GS for comfortable two-up touring in extreme range of conditions - from long 500+km transit days to technical offroad trails. A very sure-footed bike under heavy loads, something most bikes can't handle as well IMO. Theorethically 850cc's less torque means better gearbox bearings longetivity as well since it has the same parts as 1100. The smaller 850 boxer revs noticably smoother than the more grunty 1100cc big brother.

The spokes little corroding is normal, yet elsewhere I think R1100GS ranks among the least corroding bikes on planet Earth IMHO - the only things corrode on mine after 260 000km and 6 continents ridden (wet-season Salar de Uyuni salt-lake included) just tiny spots of corrosion on some spokes and more on the center stand (mostly from rock-hit spots) - everything I put on myself have corroded badly (TouraTech engine guards etc), but all the original bits are still mint after 16 years! Original paint, finish & bolt heads coating etc are top notch, puts many modern day bikes built cheap in todays economic climate into shame. Can't also say the same for the newer R1150s which tend to corrode alot more from what I've seen. So unless the owner lives some less than a mile from a salty ocean beach and keeps the bike outside 24/7 there shouldn't much rust.

Not much speciefic issues to look for on buying other than the usual second-hand machine buying. If you're a very suspicious person - Google on buying second hand bike buying "checklist" and go through it to minimize the risks and maximize your happyness! :scooter:

Good luck,
Margus

What about the gearbox issue prior to 1997? What´s that about?

See here for the list of revisions.

Main things I consider making them better are: improved M97 gearbox design, double crankshaft seals (less prone to leak and destroy clutch), redesigned piston design ('98+ models, less oil-consumption) and anodized rims (much easier to clean! doh).

bmw r850 r1100...
 

..probably the best all-round bikes in the world...stronger than the jap bikes, better build quality..no chain-sprocket oil, grease, wear rubbish, no water leaks, radiator or hose problems, a dry clutch so ANY oil in the engine....full service in a couple of hours....none of the pathetic expensive electronic mumbojumbo canbus fangodango of the newer bikes..(you can get a working 850 or 1100 used for the price of a new shaftdrive for a 1200 from bmw?)..I am on my fourth 850, the last one had over 200,000 miles, still going strong..the second one, I had for 4 years, used and abused in all weathers, then sold for 400 euros MORE than I paid for it!!??.......ok the gearbox question...if it makes a noise, you will still get another 30 or 40 thousand miles out of it....IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, get a used gearbox off ebay for 100 or 200 pounds and change it in 90 minutes!!! ( use the procedure where you pivot up the rear subframe) grease the drive and pivot bearings as you put everything back together, and off you go round the world again.....the bearings are all standard cheap items (not the rear concave pivots, but these are 20 dollars or less from bmw)..! (You can put a gearbox in a bag and carry it on a plane as luggage, if you need it sent anywhere in the world..) BUT you can always strip them and most third world mechanics will have them serviceable in a couple of hours...The only drawback is they are heavier than lots of other bikes.

I ended up buying a 1150. Saw a few 1100 and one 850, and they were all very much corroded, so I bought the first 1150 that looked alright. It´s got 32000km on the clock and 1 year warranty, so I hope it´s good.

Getting used to the size of it, but haven´t had much time to ride it because of work and sickness. It´s going to take a while to cope with that long first gear comfortably.