Why does everyone hate BMW bikes?

[kingsknight]

I dont understand why everyone hates them? Are they not ment to be reliable? Most GS riders seem to always nod at me and I think some of the bmw's look quite nice.

I only ask because I saw another biker with a T-shirt on which said "park your BMW bike next to mine and ill kick it over!"
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TS50 (sold) NS125F (sold) NSR125R-K (write off after 2 crashes) CG125 (nicked) XR125L-3 (Sold )-: ) DR125SM '11 (sold yay) XL125V '12 (In love with this bike) XT600E '04 (fun on the dirt)

[instigator]

There seems to be a bit of a "holier than thou" aura about the larger "ewan & charlie" machined- riders. The one's that buy all of the add on touring bits and matching gear and actually go nowhere. Also, for apparently such a good, reliable make I have heard of some right horror stories to do with the larger GS machines.

Otherwise, I'd quite happily take a F800R in orange please.

https://www.motorcycle-usa.com/photogallerys/large/2009-BMW-F800R-2.jpg

[steppen22]

[G]

Despite the fact a lot of people use them to go around the world, the big GS screams 'wannabe' at me. There are bikes that will do just the same thing that weigh half as much.
Choosing a bike that weighs not far off what a light car weighs suggests that the people don't ride a bike for the same reasons I do. Some people seem to buy bikes for the sake of them being a bike; disabled trike riders often seem to be a sub-set of this to my mind.

Saying that, the new F800GS is much more sensible proportioned and quite an interesting prospect.

Stephen: a lot of people buy the GS BMWs to associate with (what they rather laughably consider to be) an image of 'danger'; namely Charlie Boreman and the star wars kid.

[MarJay]

[Rob]

It's just that typical biker attitude where everyone has to fit into a stereotypical 'box'.

If you ride a BMW for some reason you are considered boring as you went for the 'safe' option as the bikes are considered to be nothing exceptional in any area and over-priced.

BMW make some excellent bikes, and although there are a few issues with reliability I think on the whole they are one of the most reliable bike manufacturers out there and if people were to give them a chance, and test rode a few of their bikes would realise they do produce some bikes that can make you smile!
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Love is 1050cc

[Finglonga]

[bazza]

[G]

I could equal all of what you said for my ZX9 (if I added a chain oiler*), which is worth about £1k, maybe .
It goes off road - ridden a short green lane on it - and if you drop it, it's a hell of a lot easier to pick up.
It'll tour.
Get my knee down easily, very fast if I set up the suspension right.
It's my daily commuter and way better than a wide-barred bike (never mind one with a wide engine and tank) for getting through gaps in town.
Road presence is sorted by the LEDs on the handle bar muffs and the full race system - people see and hear it coming from a way off and it looks quite wide thanks to the lights.
Police presume you're a courier, at a guess and don't really give you a second look, well maybe in a confused manner.

* Yes, I'd still have to adjust very occasionally and top up oil occasionally - but shaft drives need maintenance and are a hell of a lot nastier and more costly when they go wrong.

[stinkwheel]

I personally don't like them to ride. Too heavy and too little feedback.

Rode a 1200GS and I got the impression that you could push it until you fell off and even then you'd need an indicator light on the dash to tell you that you're now sliding down the road. I also rode an F650 which was well finished but pretty lardy and no better to ride than similar bikes at half the price.

Some BMW riders exude an attitude that because they have spent £15k on their bike, they are somehow better than you. You can recognise them because they are sweating and waddling about in all the BMW badges clothing and take three attempts to get on their bike.

There are two sorts of BMW riders. There are the ones that are buying a bike because they like it then there are the ones that are buying a fashion statement. I take the former as I find them. I can't help pre-judging the latter with a slight feeling of contempt at their shallowness.

That said, this is not exclusive to BMW owners. I make the same judgement about power rangers in paintwork matched leather, Harley owners who bought everything in the shop and attached it to their bike/person and anyone I meet who's covered in designer labels and is wearing a big chunky gold bracelet with their name on.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[calyx]

In London, I hate BMW tourers, huge harleys, goldwings etc..
They just block me for ages. As long as they get out of my way I am fine with them.
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Boris - London

[Flip]

[Frost]

https://www.moto.bmw.it/AziendaEventiMoto/GalleriaDigitaleMoto/Motorsport/BoxerCup/img/800x600/boxerCup_2.jpg

Yes please!

[TheDonUK]

Its obveously a stereotypical image that goes with BMW riders.

For starters there is the stuffy old boring rider than looks disapprovingly at everything.

Then you have the sam-brown dayglo police wannabe slash 'advanced rider' type that again looks down on you because you are A) not on a BMW
B) not wearing high viz
C) are not a memeber of their local IAM/ROSPA group.

And then you have the Ewan and Charley lot who for the most part just hold everyone up in traffic with those stupid touratec panniers, great for mongolia but not so much for the Maryebone road.

My only real negative experience with another biker was at the hands of a BMW pipe and slipper fellow and his wife.

At the time i had my GS500, was eager as anything and pretty green on two wheels, parked up in Ikea Brent park for something or other, came back out and found said BMW rider and wife had wedged their GS1200 or something as close as possible to my 500.

I talked to them a bit as i do to most bikers that are in my vicinity, but he just kept going on about how great his BMW was, and to top it off just before i left he said "Why dont you get a real bike"
If i had the presence of mind at the time to come up with a witty retort like "If you consider that lardy overpriced piece of shit a real bike i think ill stick with my £250 banger thanks" but instead i just rolled my eyes and rode off as they toddled into Ikea in matching his and hers BMW textiles
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[alone]

My dad's always had larger touring bikes. He enjoys his 1200GS-A now as he can tinker with the various toys and crap (big waste of money, and I tell him so).
He'd done more mileage returning it to the BMW garage to have it fixed than he had pleasure mileage, until he took 7days and 2,500miles off around Europe. Since coming back the bike needs to go back to get parts replaced - again! All under warrenty thankfully.

He's not the usual plod-around-town type of rider either, almost keeps up with me on my Sprint, and I've seen him put shame to some clowns on their sportsbikes too.
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Bikes; '06 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (for sale) - '95 BMW R1100GS

[TeddyCanuck]

I don't like them because the shops that sell them are down-right snobbish. Been in a few and I get ignored -- guess i ain't rich enough, or fat enough, or bald enough, or gay. Maybe the smell of burnt 2-stoke off my leathers pisses them off.
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Current Bikes: 1973 Honda Cl350k5, 1976 Honda PC50k1, 1981 Honda C70 (6V) Passport, 1982 Honda C70 (12V)Passport, 1984 C70 Passport, 1989 Honda NSR125F Adriatico 2. In CANADA try: https://www.import-motorsports.org/ for cool performance sport-bikes.

[Clanger]

Nope. In fact I seriously considered getting one of the F800 as my next bike, but found the seat too wide for me, and the footpeg distance the same, if not shorter than my sv.

So in the end, it was a pointless exercise. Although I still actually like the style of them.

My friend has the new F1300 BMW which I had the pleasure of being pillion on yesterday. It has double padding in the seat, and decent handrails, which made it a comfy pillion ride!!
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[G]

[Seb]

Got to agree, the Beemer dealer round here at least is possibly one of the friendliest in the area, they've never had problems with me trudging in and using their cafe when a) my bikes not a bmw and b) it's not even getting worked on there

I like the schuberth lids they rebrand (the new system flip up is shockingly tasty) but I can't say I'm too keen on most of their range, only the middleweight F800GS and that HP2 boxer sports bike appeal if you ask me
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[c_dug]

I think the steriotype is because up until recently their sportier bikes didnt really get anything in the way of publicity, Its only recently that the HP2 and S1000r have been released that people are starting to see that BMW do have bikes other than the old school tourers and the GS type bikes.

Anyway, just because i can here is what my dad has (minus the ohlins sticker and luggage rails on the side)

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/R1100s.jpg

I really really want it, costs way more than i can afford though Shame really because it sounds godly on the over-run with its straight through pipes

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[motobiker]

You can pick up a Mamola for around £3,500. I know of one thats just about run-in with 19.000 on the clock thats selling for £3,700

The 1200GS came out with some particularly bad design flaws. These have all been fixed now on 2008 on bikes. However I still wouldn't have one.

I've had a GS since 1997 - long before ewan and thingie did there supported ride. This is number 2.

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/motobiker/1803-1.jpg

Now 10 years old and only broke down once. bought it as a stolen recovered Cat C for £1,800 and spent about a grand getting it back up to scratch.

I can fully understand whats been said about 'some' owners and indeed 'some' dealerships. I wont go near my local one because the bike didn't come from them and i dont want a new one - they don't want to know.

My bike gets used every day. all year round. lives outside. costs me about £150 a year for servicing. I do most myself and an independent local chap for the rest. (because I'm lazy)

Fully comp insurance is £86 a year (im 46 now)

funnily enough I used to hate Beemers... I was raised on Trumpets. Meriden and Hinkley. But it all went horribly wrong in 97 when my old speed trip was in for a service and they gave me an 1100GS as a courtesy bike. The trip was traded in a week later.

I can't really explain whats so good about these bikes because compared with similar japanese they're err... a bit different. You have to ride one to find out... and then you either 'get it' or you don't.

Oh.. and I can't resist taking the piss out of some owners either. many give a whole new meaning to the term 'sad case'
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1999 R1100GS + 2006 F800S
(Nottingham)
Sooner or later opinions fade and the name on the tank matters not. I think that happens somewhere between 3rd and 4th gear. Enjoy the ride... everything else takes care of itself.

[hmmmnz]

i recently went for a bit of a haul on a gs, it was better than i expected, thats not saying much... i wasnt expecting much,

but for a tall guy like myself, i was plesently surprised with the riding position, the power was dull, but despite that would still easily pop a wheelie on hard accelleration,
the apposed twin engine kept my legs warm, which was nice
but the small front wheel didn't function well off road and felt like it could wash out at any moment
the fixed mudguard didnt let me see where the front wheel was going (bloody stupid idea that)
and there was far too much breakable plastic for my liking.

i would own one, but only if they were half the price,
all in all for a all round do anything bike i'd give it a 7/10
i'd rather have a kle500 or a big single,
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[bazza]

[TeddyCanuck]

[BanditsHigh]

Reason I hate BMWs ... they are fuggin ugly ... simples