Topic: i might be getting a new motorcycle in the next few weeks

[bucky katt]

new to me anyways. the impression i was given was that my disability is going to go through this time and if it does, i'll be getting around 2 years worth of retroactive pay. when i do i'm going to get current with all my bills then, and i TOLD the wife this next part and she knew better than to argue, i'm going to buy a late model BMW twin. i am really fond of the 2003/04 1150r rocksters and i have found several in the southeast with low miles for sale. the wife knows better than to argue with me on this. she knows that bills are first then i am going to reward myself for all the pain both physical and mental, i;ve gone through since getting hurt. i will keep the k4 750 but i want a late model 8 valve bmw twin to do some touring on. like barber, bonneville, mid ohio even. theres one rockster just down in atlanta with the factory hard bags and a 33 litre trunk as well, thats my dream bike right there. i love the rocksters.

[754]

Go for it..
 I am surprised how hard it is to get some of this crowd out to a few races and meets.. I think maybe a few on here have never been to bike races..

[bucky katt]

between the money situation right now (biggest reason) and the fact that i now have nearly half a million miles on my car keep me from traveling too much. once i actually have a regular income every month, and now that the wifes social security has started and the crafts she does and the occasional motorcycle work or welding/fab work i do, we'll be ok and i'll be able to travel a little. i will either get a beemer twin with hard bags or get the bmw bags and trunk when i buy it. i would actually prefer to get one at a dealer that has been strictly dealer maintained since the dealers are the only place they can work on the computers on these motorcycles. i do want the later model "hexhead" twin with the 4 valve, cam in the cylinder head. EFI too

[RRRToolSolutions]

Jeff, if you do buy from a dealership see if they will extend the waranty on the final drive. I followed the 2009 Ironbutt event this year that rolled out of Spartanburg a few weeks back. I read the updates every day and was shocked to learn how anti-BMW those hard core riders were. The problems started with a significant failures in the 2007 rally and continued with the 2009. Seriously, it is so bad that they put-up a points award for those who would stop at the Greenville plant on a surprise visit as a sarcastic gester. These riders are never sponsored and the rules state that you cannot receive endorsement or funding monies of any kind. IT cost each entrant about $8,000 to go for the finisher status - only the toughest of riders 12,000 miles in 11 days.

I would not buy a BMW until I knew absolutely sure the factory recognized the problem and replaced the drive with something reliable. I just bought the '09 ST and could have gotten the Beamer a lot closer than the 6 hours drive I had to make, but I absolutely won't have one.

You can go here to learn more -

Gordon

http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2009.cfm

[andy750]

Hi Gordon,

A little confused here....the Iron Butt report states that:

"15 riders will be on BMW sport-touring models, 4 on K1200GTs, 7 on R1200RTs, and 4 on R1150RTs."

and

"The most popular dual-sport models are the BMW GSs. 10 riders will be on R1200GS or GS Adventure models and 3 on the older 1150 cc GS."

Taken from here:

http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2009/2009IBRday-2.pdf

Are you saying ALL BMWs have this issue or only certain models? I ask as the majority of RTW motorcycles are BMW.

Ok further reading gave more info:

"The four BMW final drive failures that occurred in the 2007 Iron Butt Rally are having an effect on hardware choices this year. Another K1200GT rider, Jeff Earls, will actually be carrying a spare final drive with him. Long time BMW rider Eric Jewell has taken an even more effective step to minimize the risk of having his ride end with a final drive failure; he sold his BMW and purchased a Honda ST1300. Tom and Rosie Sperry, who have been riding BMWs 2-up for many years, have adopted the same strategy. After experiencing a final drive failure on their K1200LT following the last Iron Butt Rally, they switched to a Honda Gold Wing.

While BMW continues to claim that there is no significant problem with its final drives, a number of long-time BMW riders disagree and are switching brands. BMW’s reputation for building the most reliable motorcycles has been damaged within the long distance riding community. More long distance riders now consider motorcycles made by Honda and Yamaha to be inherently more durable than those produced by BMW. How many riders show up on BMWs in 2011"

Very interesting....and yet a significant number of RTW bikes are BMWs.

Ok probably answered my own question.

cheers
Andy

[andy750]

Quite exciting reading the last day report....

http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2009/2009IBRday11.pdf

And the top two spots go to BMW.

And worth mentioning....

"Australian Davo Jones died at a local trauma center as the result of a head injury he sustained following a collision with a large deer just hours before the end of the Rally. A local sheriff deputy was first on the accident scene on US-95 just south of the U.S./Canadian border. The officer, who found Davo attempting to get up, reported that Davo was traveling less than 45 mph at the time of the deer strike, but he was not wearing his helmet. Other witnesses at the scene confirm that the helmet was strapped to the bike. What might otherwise have been an accident that the rider would have walked away from has resulted in a tragedy. Our hearts go out to Davo’s family."


cheers
Andy

[RRRToolSolutions]

Andy, there is some seal that lets go and the fluid escapes, then the gears quickly chew themselves up. There is one Beamer entry in there with a half million miles, plus several others. No other bike brand has ever had a failure record like the final drives in the BMW's there were 17 FJR Yamahas, 13 ST1300 Hondas - never a drive failure. I have not seen it broken down to model years, but I'm guessing it is the 2006~2009 series. Why some do and some don't, could be faulty seals or a machining issue - something is definitely not 100%. It's a shame too as just like you and others (especially Jeff) this comes as a low-blow and shock.

I have a personal bias "against" the German imports, don't mind admitting it. We bought a new Mercedes in 2000 for the wife. That car has 92,000 miles on it today and has been in the shop twice as much as both of my Chevrolets trucks, purchased new which have a combined total of 350,000 miles on them. They tell you that 0 cost maintenance and 0 cost repairs for the first 50,000 or 4 years. Well, the first oil change after 50,000 was $269, and the first dealership complete service was $849! At 53,000 miles the mass air flow sensor went out - $597 and they refused to do it under waranty. The brake job requires that you replace the rotars and sealed bearings as complete units (they will not turn the rotors on these was $2,400). My 2003 Tahoe had 152,000 on it and the dealer called me to tell me they had a new steering shaft that would be a permanent fix for the original design - they installed it and gave me a free alignment.

I've been screwed enough, never again. Why do I keep it? I'm trying to run the wheels off of it and get back some of the high cost ot purchase and absolute outragous maintenance cost is why. I will never own one unless they just come out with something better than sliced bread.

I will give them credit for styling and innovations. They were the first to make ABS standard. Their licensed clothing is the best. They were first with heated grips and electric windshields - But all touring machines today made by the Japanese now have these necessities.

Sorry to make a mess of your thread Jeff - just want you to be up to speed.

Gordon

[andy750]

Great info Gordon and I always appreciate real experience feedback. I had no idea about the final drive seal. Very good to know, although I have no plans to buy a BMW. I can find cheaper alternative brands that will do the same job.

Many thanks
Andy

[754]

Still cheaper to replace a driveshaft than to rebuild a motor I would think..

 Sucks tho that a company that built its reputation on shaft drive reliablity..even being copird by some brands in Japan.. would not be quick to warranty or recall a problem such as that...

[bucky katt]

i knew about the rear drive unit seal problems. i replaced, on average, 3 a week when i worked at a bmw dealer. any shaft drive bmw over 3 or 4 years old has likely either had it done, or wont need it. not an easy job without the factory tools but it can be done.

[MickeyX]

A lady on one of our forums has rebuilt hers 3 times. The last time, she got a bunch of friends together, had bbq and they pulled it apart themselves. She has a GS model. Not sure of other info. She loves her beemers but I think she's had enough of the final drive problem.

She also has an RT that needs rebuilt. It is worse than the GS.

[bucky katt]

wow, i have spent a good part of my day doing research since, the 8-10k i'm looking at spending on a motorcycle might not be alot for some folks but it sure is for me. in all the time i spent in training then working at a dealer, i knew about the seal problem. if one came in with even a little residue on it the seal got replaced at no charge. what i DIDNT know about was the drive unit failures, THAT bothers me. it isnt a real easy job to do WITH factory tools, i wonder how bad it is to do without them. i am looking at the 1100 or 1150 r, rs or the 1150 rockster but it seems that the rear drive problem is all across the bmw line and that even the redesign they did recently hasnt solved the problem. i REALLY want a late model bmw twin but i dont know as i want a problem like i've been reading about. those rear drive units arent cheap to repair or replace.

[RRRToolSolutions]

Jeff, I've got what I think is a sweet deal for you. I want to sell my 2003 Kawasaki 1500 Nomad. I bought it brand new and have put every one of it's 10,000 miles on it myself. I have never washed it, never ridden in the rain, and it's spent it's entire life in an environmentally controlled garage. You've seen it - it's the Black V-Twin touring bike with the factory hard bags on it. Shaft drive, water cooled, new tires, Motul synthetic oil since the first 603 miles changed every 4,000 since with final drive unit grease changed every time the oil was at 4,600 and 8,600 with the factory Kawasaki grear lube. I doubt many will see the upkeep and maintenance this one has. All parts and add-ons (over $12,000 invested) are Kawasaki parts with every original piece tucked safely away (you know how anal I am).

I need the space to park the GT750 that's waiting on the lift in my shop.

$7,500.

Gordon

[bucky katt]

well, all the research i've done hasnt made me not want the beemer. I lust for a bmw twin, i love the look, the sound, the feel. i do appreciate the offer though gordon.

[bucky katt]

if i didnt absolutely have my heart set on a 2000-2004 1150r i'd have to give this vintage airhead a second or 3rd look.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-R75-5-with-5900-original-miles-and-Heinrich-tank_W0QQitemZ300350182007QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_motorcycles?hash=item45ee441277&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

[andy750]

Gordon,

I saw a couple of posts today on ADV forum....here is one...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467490

cheers
Andy

[bucky katt]

well, according to my old instructor, bearing/seal replacement at home is no problem for me. i'll know by mid week whether this is going to happen or not.

[ColinMc]

My most reliable and bike I can ride no matter what is my 78 R100/7...LOVE that bike. No driveshaft problems on that puppy...no wind protection either lol.

[bucky katt]

then again, the bastards can deny me a second time too