I don't want to spoil the party but, in my experiance, the reputation BMW motorcycles have for relibilty is completey misplaced.

I have recounted these experiances elsewhere on this site but they are relevant here.

I bought one of the first F650gs machines to be imported into the UK. The bike was everything I needed at that time, lightweight, comfortable and economical. The build quality was the first thing to cause concern. Whilst fitting an alarm one of the lugs on the side panel snapped off as the plastic was too brittle. The dealer admitted that his mechanics had managed to break a couple of them whilst working on the same model, so it can't have been all down to my cack handedness. To my delight and suprise the dealer replaced the panel free of charge.

A fault occured each time I rode the machine in heavy rain. The oil pressure warning light would illuminate. The first time it happened was very worrying as I took the warning at face value and cut the engine. I made a frantic call to the dealer and explained what had happened and in the course of the conversation mentioned the weather conditions. He told me that he new of other BMW models on which this occured during heavy rain, but that it was the first time he had heard of it happening on this model.

The most serious fault however, was dangerous and could not be rectified even after several visits to the dealer. The engine would cut out, without warning, usually on the over-run in the middle of juctions and on the last occasion I rode the bike in lane 3 of the M25 in fast moving traffic. I was eventually offered a replacement bike or my money back. I took the money.

A few months later I read an article in 'Motorcycle Sport & Leisure' by a guy who had had the same problem.

The last BMW I owned, and will own, was an R100GS which I bought to travel RTW. Whilst this machine had no faults other than the most stupid sidestand ever devised, a subframe made of chocolate and a gearbox from a tractor, it required constant carb balancing, every 1500-2000 mile, to make it accepable to ride.

Despite all this (I'd had the subframe braced and a new sidestand fitted) on my return I wanted to by a new 1150GS. I went to my local BM' dealer and test rode a demo bike. I also rode tested a bike that was for sale privately. Both bikes suffered from noticable serging. On a constant throttle settings the bikes would speed up and slow down.

I also made contact with a friend who had had the same problem who has old his bike due to this. The dealer had told him that is was a common fault and most people learn to live with it.

For a bike costing £10,000 in the UK this is ridiculous. I've read that many owners have changed exhausts and constantly have the throttle bodies balanced in order to sort the problem out, again ridiculous. The later bikes have twin spark heads which are supposed to cure the problem, well it's about time.

OK, the GS has shaft drive, well whoopee do. Personally I'd sooner adjust and lubricate a chain than ponce around balancing carbs every 1500 miles. And on an overland trip, in the middle of nowhere, when the BM shaft knackers out your stuffed. With a chain you have some hope of fixing it.

I ride a Pan's at work which are shortly to be replaced by BM's which presumably are cheaper. No one wants them but we don't have choice.

With what I buy and ride I do have a choice. I buy jap, ride it get it serviced and don't have problems. See post above re; the Transalp.



[This message has been edited by mcdarbyfeast (edited 05 February 2004).]

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\"Bon Chance\"

Enough with the generalizations here...I believe the OP was asking for a specific bike not a company/brand.

So to bring this back to topic, the Classic K series has been considered quite a sturdy bike, BUT it does have a couple issues...no different than any other bike.
BMW K75 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BMW K100 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


When you buy a bike(new or used), you're choosing which issues you care to deal with. If you don't think you'll have issues...well that's another topic.

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

So the question was asked by me first, and I got the best answer just few days ago when I met Hank from US here in Chile:







His 1995 R1100GS has seen 707 000 km of road, dirtroad and offroad.

What's the most amazing about it all is that the engine is ALL stock: bores, pistons, rings, big end bearings and the whole valvetrain! The only things replaced on the engine are the two plastic camchain directors. Compression is still good and oil consumption within limits.

Elsewhere it's one set of gearbox bearings and he's on 4th final drive main bearing, if I'm not mistaken (giving the average for the bearing over 175 000km per bearing (how many chain set it would be?)). Last one he replaced in Colombia, in a hotel room - it's doable everywhere if you carry a spare unlike many (speculating-) people who think you're on the road once it goes. God knows how much consumables: tankfulls, tyres, filters, sparkplugs, clutch plates etc.

I've never seen such a mileage on any dualsport purpose bike. I've seen one Africa Twin, which is considered one of the most reliable from the japanese dual-sport trail bikes, close to 300 000km, but it was about to have complete engine overhaul because there wasn't much compression left and valvetrain was completely worn. I've heard about similar milage on Honda GoldWing, but that's a tarmac-only tourer and never sees the abuse like many of well-travelled GSes see (i.e. Hank came just through Bolivias worst parts-offroad).

Anyways, my 1998 R1100GS with just 109 000km looks like run-in baby compared to Hank's R1100GS with 7 times of this mileage!

Ride safe, Margus

Helge Pedersen did 380 kkms on his BMW R80 and
Claus Possi has done 300 kkms on his BMW R80 GS HPN

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

I would have thought that careful maintenance and good oils meant that most engines can go the distance. Ride what you have within it what it was designed for....

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Cheers.
Ross Moorhouse.

Ride reports from my trip to Vietnam....

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...eam-real-49945

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...eam-real-49945

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-vietnam-49956

Yup, the older "Flying Brick" K-series are the longest lasting bikes out there.

The newer K's (1200 onward) have built a reputation for electronic problems.

Also Suzuki's oil-cooled bikes (GSX600-1100F, Bandit, GSXR750-1100) are extremely reliable and long lasting.

As are most of the old air cooled Japanese bikes like Kawasaki Zed's, SOHC Honda's, Suzuki GS's, Yamaha FJ's.

As for cars, i have seen a Toyota Starlet 1983 model with 1 600 000 KM on the clock. All engine internals were original.
Local taxi firm has a Mercedes diesel with a bit over 1 million KM on it.

It would be good to take in consideration the difference between bikes that do a lot of HWY and the ones which do jeep road ,gravel....
for a bike to do 100000 miles is not much but when ride off road and someway abused (loaded /dropped/2up..) you may not compare it to a Goldwin or other street bike doing HWY steady cruise .
The gs ( all of them)with all thier (bad) reputation seems still to be the one doing the best job.
PS:that have nothing to do with the fact I just bought a 1150GSA