well said mate.......loz

I guess it's what you're comfortable with. I like my beemer because it's air cooled and has carburetters. It's all fixable. With the supplied tool kit I can do almost anything. A few extras, and I can do everything. It seems pretty tough and there's a wealth of info out there as well as aftermarket parts. Heavy? My God, you've no idea. It's cool, though.

2 cents worth
 

Everyone has covered this subject very well.

My 2 cents worth: 1 cylinder = 1 person. 2 cylinders = 2 people.
You have to be able to fix it with the tools U carry.

So after 40+years of mostly offroad riding/racing in diff countries I have an R100gspd which is being built/re-conditioned to take 2 round the world.

Good point Tim ,but yours is an older bike .Lower technology and fixable on the road by yourself. That's my approach as well .
Many people want to buy reliability because they have no mechanical knowledge or simply don't want to acquire any knowledge. IMHO that's fine but only for N America and Europe .
Reading between the lines of many, many posts ,the guys who get good reliability from the later big beemers are also competant mechanics who care for their bikes and "listen" to the mechanical rumblings and are alert to possible future problems .Which BTW is a good thing to do for ANY bike .

If I had a modern bike ,I would have to enroll myself on a short mechanics course so that I would understand and be able to monitor and control the gizmology that runs the bike .

Buying a new bike and expecting "out of the box" reliability is a bit of a lottery ,some bikes give you better odds than others and I guess that is what this discussion is all about .

There is no absolute correct answer ,a person will buy what he feels is best and "perceived" qualities are just as important as "actual" qualities , ---unfortunately .

Indeed, Dodger, as you say some bikes are better than others. If I was going RTW (or anywhere else), next bike I think I'd go backwards and get even lower tech such as an 80 GS or original Tenere. Some go as far as an Enfield. Either way, I'd be sure I could maintain it probably by rebuiding most of it before I went. If you wanted a little 250 I'd pick a Honda. Any bike is going to break so you'd better be prepared for it by collecting info and some spares. If you want dealers, BMW aren't going to be that prolific. But then, riding a Harley in Africa is going to be difficult too. I think there are some older bikes which have proved their better reliability over the years but in the end just pick something sensible which suits your skills.

Off Topic I know, But....

Loz, are you the guy I bumped into (not literally!) at Dunkirk on the ferry, I was heading back from the Stella, on a black 650 Alp?

Phil

if the guy you met was young slim and goodlooking and had a full head of hair then it WAS.............not me
if you met a fat bald fecker on a ratty black 1150,how you doing mate?....loz

1200 FDs
 

It appears the problem with the 1200 GS bikes is the splined flange mounting system of the rear wheel .
I enclose some literature about the BMW fix for this problem .

© 2004, BMW of North America, LLC
BMWMotorrad
USA
Service Information Bulletin
Subject: Bearing play at the rear wheel drive
Model:
Details:
Aftersales
Solution:
Dealer Operation/
General Manager
Sales-
Motorcycles
Sales -
Used Motorcycles
Business Manager
(F&I)
Service Parts & Accessories Administration
Date: February 2005
Bulletin #33 001 05 (011)
Source: 33 74/2004
BMW Motorrad USA Service and Technical
Contact: Respective Aftersales Business Consultant
R 1200 GS
1: In the rear drive of the R 1200 GS the ring gear is supported by two types of bearings:
one floating bearing and one fixed bearing without preload. Inherent in this design
is a small amount of bearing play at the rear wheel. With all components manufactured
and assembled to stated tolerances it is possible that play in these bearings can be felt
and measured at the rear wheel. This type of bearing play has no effect on motorcycle
handling or on the durability of the bearings.
2: There is a possibility of play developing between the splined wheel flange (P/N 33 17
7 668 659) and the axle tube of some motorcycles manufactured prior to 08/2004, US
VIN# ZL 76187.
1: In the event of a customer complaint, an inspection and measurement of rear wheel
bearing play is to be performed as described below. With cold components the total
play (back and forth travel) allowable at the wheel rim edge is 1mm(maximum). Refer to
the R 1200 GS Repair Manual CD for measuring procedures as well as temperature definition
of "cold components". Replace the entire rear-wheel drive assembly if the play
exceeds specifications.
2: If the complaint is "bearing play at the rear wheel" you must first check that the
splined flange is secure before performing the measurement noted in point #1. When
rocking the rear wheel back and forth, you must first make sure there is no movement
between the wheel flange, the rear wheel and the axle tube.
If play is noticeable between these components you must replace the entire rear wheel
drive assembly (complete with flange). Replacing the splined wheel flange only will not
solve the situation, because in all probability the splines on the axle tube will have suffered
some degree of wear as well. If you are in doubt, you are requested to contact your
respective Aftersales Business Consultant.
Warranty: Covered under the terms of the New Motorcycle Limited Warranty.
Important Note: Screw 1 is a drain
plug for repair-related oil changes; it is
not for checking the oil level. When filling
the rear drive assembly with oil,
pour in the defined quantity (0.25 l for
initial fill, or 0.23 l for oil changes)
through the bore for the ABS sensor.
We highly recommend using BMW
Super Synthetic Gear oil. 75W 90, P/N
07 51 0 394 082

I read this info on the ADVrider site and have included it for anyone that might be interested .Anecdotal evidence suggests that bikes leaving the factory can have as much as 1/4 inch of play at the wheel rim .

It seems that BMW have tried to fix the FD problem by adopting a splined flange mounting for the rear wheel but build quality was not of a sufficiently high standard .The result is that an initial sloppy fit or poor quality materials induces even more wear as the bike racks up the mileage .
It might be advantageous for owners of bikes made prior to 8/04 to check their rear ends and have them replaced under warranty .