Which BM Boxer GS?

[Shaft]

Back in May last year, I was asking which Adventure bike for £2500, but my goalposts have moved, so rather than resurrect that thread, I thought a new one would be more appropriate.

Surveying my present fleet and pondering on what I use bikes for and what I would like to do with them in the future, I reckon I could cash the lot in, maybe add a bit to it and end up with one bike that would do 99% of everything I need.

Because I'm dead set on shaft drive, the BM seems to be the only choice within my budget, but which one?

I'm thinking £4-5K and given that I don't care about age, but I don't want something that's been to the moon and back, 1100, 1150 and 1200 versions all fall into the net.

Normally, the obvious thing would be to go for the most up to date version, but perhaps the older, smaller models are better?

Anyone got any thoughts on that?
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Vracktal]

I'd say go for an R1150GS, or early R1200GS as in my opinion they strike the balance between old and simple & new and modern best. The latest GSs are water cooled, earlier ones are much simpler oil-cooled designs. The R1200GS is not bad, but later ones weigh too much and are very reliant on electronics, and have a lot of delicate plastics which get broken if it falls over.

My advice:

Go for a non-abs model- Early BMW ABS bikes have power assist and when this breaks you lose 90% stopping power without warning. Non-ABS models have no power assist so are much safer in this regard. The R1200GS ABS system is non-power assisted, but the ABS pump is prone to failure, and costs an exorbitant amount to fix.

Check the rear wheel for lateral free play, and if you get the chance take it off and inspect the hub that it attaches to the shaft drive by- sometimes these can get cracks which over time weaken the hub until it breaks.

Engine oil is especially important on the GS as it provides all the cooling as well as lubrication. Check the filler window to make sure it's topped all the way up, all the time. Also, the filler window has been known to crack when riding, leaking all the oil out and basically buggering the engine in minutes. If the oil light comes on while riding, even blinks for a second, pull over and check that this isn't happening.

Check the shaft drive for leaks, be suspicious of any fluid in that area. Get the bike on it's centre stand and let it run in first gear, then listen for loud whining noises from the shaft- It makes a bit of noise normally, but the noise when it's knackered is loud enough to be easily noticeable. There is a natural amount of free play in the shaft drive to get used to, when you roll on in a gear there's a slight 'clunk' as all the bits of metal connect- eventually you get used to it and adapt your riding style to minimise it. Also, the shaft has a lot of rotational energy so revving the engine in neutral will rock the bike quite a lot. In gear it's not so noticeable.

Also, the GS bikes have a single-plate dry clutch, much like a car. If the clutch bites high, check the hydraulic pressure is right. If it is, the clutch is probably knackered. It's not an amazingly difficult job to replace but takes a well-tooled garage to do properly. Also, because it uses a single-plate clutch, you have to adapt your riding style slightly- try not to slip the clutch (either have it all the way out or all the way in) as this burns it up, and get into the habit of popping it into neutral and letting the clutch out when stopped at the lights instead of holding the clutch open. If looked after, the clutch will easily last into the 100k miles without issue (guy two doors down from me has an R1150R with 96k on it's first clutch still)

Both the R1150 and R1200 have catalytic converter systems fitted. On the R1150, the system is so big it also acts as a muffler, meaning the big end can on the bike is essentially superfluous. You can remove it and fit a stubby tip with pretty much no change in engine output, MPG or noise level- it's a common mod. The R1200s have a slightly smaller cat, so removing the end can does make it louder, but you can still fit a stubby tip if you don't mind it being louder. The boxer engine by default makes a pretty muted, raspy noise and as far as i've found no exhaust can make it sound sexy like other bikes.

Finally, get used to having to be a lot more careful when filtering- Those pistons & the cylinder head stick put pretty far, more so if they've got the optional crash bars fitted. Also, be prepared to take a ribbing for owning what is basically the BMW X5 of motorbikes. =P
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2007 BMW R1200R: On road
2009 BMW G650X Challenge: On road
1975 Norton Commando 850: Off road, awaiting recommissioning

[Shaft]

Thanks, that all seems like good advice.

Seeing as I spend entirely too much time playing with cars and their electronic mysteries, simple is definitely better for me, but trying to find one without ABS appears to be on a par with having a beer with Lord Lucan; can it be removed/bypassed if it screws up?

As for worrying about what other people think of my ride, I'm a bit too long in the tooth to be bothering with that crap, besides, I had a full dresser GoldWing in my early 20s, so my pipe and slippers are very comfortable by now
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Vracktal]

ABS n the 1150GS bikes can be returned to non-abs but it's a pain as you need new master cylinder/change the wiring etc.

On the 1200GS it's almost impossible- the ABS system is tied in to the speedo and the on-board computer which means if it's removed the computer throws an error warning and the speedo stops working- Plus it flashes the ABS failure dash light- which means it cannot pass the MOT (iirc?) The only way to do it would be to fit a complete new computer from a non-abs bike, plus the new master cylinder.
____________________
2007 BMW R1200R: On road
2009 BMW G650X Challenge: On road
1975 Norton Commando 850: Off road, awaiting recommissioning

[Oldie]

The principal issue with ABS is the servo unit. Many 1150's had servo, but not all (I believe) and I don't think that any of the 1100's had it. Accordingly, the non-servo ABS models are popular or 1150's with a servo-ectomy.

The "normal" ABS is fine. Can show faults at start up if battery is low (so need to stop and restart) and errors can be easily re-set. Some owners don't know how to re-set and think that the ABS is knackered and some even remove the warning lights from the dash to make it look like all is good!

[BTTD]

On the 1150's you can just bin the cat and fit a replacement Y pipe (£120 ish). Removes about 5 kilos of weight and supposedly improves mpg by a tiny amount. Add a Quill Evo2 end can and it makes a nice (and loud) noise. Also saves another few kilos.

[Shaft]

Thanks folks.

Been doing a little reading today and whilst I'm not usually completely paranoid about things I see on the net, this ABS system appears to be almost guaranteed to fail at some point.

Are they really that bad?
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Robby]

Whatever you get, test ride it first, you're a fussy bastard.

Are you still going to restore the big Z?

[Shaft]

I prefer to think of it as knowing what I like

Either that or it's because I'm fat and 48, if I was lithe and 21 again, I'm sure I would love the VFR.

And yes, still planning to do the Zed, just making sure I've got the plan and suppliers in place, so I don't get tripped up in the middle of it.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[motobiker]

[Robby]

It seems they have a completely different shopping list of faults to the standard Japanese stuff. Much of the knowledge you've accumulated over the 30 years fixing bikes isn't going to track down the new problems.

That said, a £500 repair every 40k is pretty good. A CBR6 owner would spend twice that in CCTs and reg/recs alone.

[Shaft]

Looks to me like they've done that favourite trick of car and bike makers, added tech in the name of progress and introduced unreliability and high tariff degree of maintenance difficulty.

Quite fancy doing a clutch on one though, that looks like an interesting job.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[MarkComer1]

The bike is an icon among the other in the BS family. With less price you can ride a great adventure-touring motorbike
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Current Bike = BMW K1600gtle

[Polarbear]

^^^ Is that a form of English^^^
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Rogerborg]

Thanks for clearing that up for us.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike