K1200GT suckage

[jgr451]

2004,still under warranty...4th breakdown.My dark side treasure!I coulda kept my 84 RT and sometimes I wish I had.

Sunday leaving Victoria for home 245 km away,no clutch,fluid all gone away,no sign of where it went.There is a dealer in Victoria,not open on Sunday or Monday.Refilled the reservoir and it went.
Today,the bike is on the truck to Vancouver for repair,hopefully a speedy one.

The service manager believes that the clutch slave cylinder has failed.It will be a question of whether the clutch disk or rear main seal or trans output shaft seal have been damaged!!Both those seals were already replaced.

Dang it.

[Bob_M]

Drag.

Although I loudly proclaim the superiority of airheads, I have secretly been coveting the very model of K bike you own. I hope the issue is repaired quickly and without great expense.

[jgr451]

Bob,this is a great bike performance wise and the warranty repairs so far have been quick.But golly,4 serious flaws in less than 3 years/25,000 km???For a $25,000 bike???

[ian408]

Just be thankful you don't own a '07.

[kbasa]

Just be thankful you don't own a '07.
Have you had problems with yours?

[ian408]

Have you had problems with yours?

Yes. High speed idle & "surging" are the two most common problems.

The "surging" is (mostly) cured by software (which introduces some of it's own problems). The high speed idle, by an airbox (with stepper motors) that is not yet available in the states. The airbox warps causing the cables to hang up which results in high idle (mostly when you least expect it--like downshifting or coming to a stop. Usually on warm days but it can happen if you've been riding all day in cold weather).

The bike has been in and out of the shop yet the problems remain. I've had a new airbox (old design), a new ECU and several software updates. The new new airbox should be available later this month or the middle of September. Nobody knows for sure.

There are a few threads over on k-bikes.com that discuss in more detail. But the bottom line is that for $20K, the bike shouldn't be a shop queen.

Ian

[JWILLIS125911]

Or an 06.

In addition to the "normal" "recalls" and "service advisories," failed rear drive, failed ball joints, failed front shock, failed airbox, failed something or another. Even BMW quit on the last issue so I do not know what went wrong.

BMW did authorize replacement of the bike. Waiting now for an 07 to be "built." The bike is at my dealer's shop being "built" (I do not know what that means) so hopefully I will have a bike again this weekend.

Just be thankful you don't own a '07.

[ian408]

Have you had problems with yours?

i forgot. did you want to buy it?

[jgr451]

Dealer says the clutch slave cylinder leaked oil onto the clutch.The whole shebang must be replaced.Parts availability will keep it in the shop till "the end of next week,at least".
I hope it's that long...

Thank Gawd for the warranty.I have exactly one month left.

Now instead of riding this long weekend I can catch up on my reloading.

[cathdeac]

get xtended warranty...

[Beemerdons]

Dear jgr451, ian408 and JWILLIS125911,

Very sorry to hear from my riding brothers about your multitude of problems on your K1200GTs. In September of 2002 I had a choice of a BMW K1200GT or a Yamaha FJR1300, which I had placed a $500 deposit on a year earlier. I have ridden BMW's continuously since March of 1969, when I bought my first BMW while stationed in Augsburg, Germany; a R60/2. I still have my R1150RT and my R1100GS. As past president of BMWMOA Chartered Club AZ Beemers and Fastour Sport Riders Group the number of failed K1200GTs here in Arizona is staggering. Glad I went with the FJR!

There were a number of reasons at the time that caused me to go with the FJR over the K1200GT: 6.6 gallon tank versus 5.4, full capacity saddlebags instead of a half size left bag, much more horsepower and torque, and the wonderful 24,000 mile valve adjustment service interval on the FJR. It did hurt not being brand loyal to BMW, you ride one brand of bike for 36 years you feel rotten buying another make. But I'm glad I went with Yamaha.

cfell: I bought the five year extended warranty on the FJR, I should've saved the $350! In 40,000 miles of operation from Acapulco, Mexico to Hyder, Alaska the only thing that the FJR has needed is gasoline; absolutely nothing has gone wrong with this machine. Have not heard this on K1200GT!

I ride my Beemers to all BMW events, like riding to Vermont for last year's fantastic Rally (thanks again to all that put on that event!) on my RT; and I will ride Ingrid to Gillette for next year's rally. But for everything else, including our upcoming Clubs Ride to Barranca del Cobre in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico October 5-10, I ride my FJR. I have read & reread Shahram Shiva's article on the new K1200GT in the August Owners News. Hope they're better!

Very Sincerely Yours, Don Stanley in AZ
www.azbeemers.org www.fastour.us

[username]

i forgot. did you want to buy it?

:ha

[jfmans]

I've owned an 03 K12GT for 1.5 years - has approximately 13K miles - and have had no problems. I use it daily to commute back and forth to work (approx. 30 miles / day) and have it regularly maintained at the dealer. What are the main problems people are experiencing and do they tend to occur at certain mileage / timeframes?

[RebeccaV]

Dealer says the clutch slave cylinder leaked oil onto the clutch.The whole shebang must be replaced.Parts availability will keep it in the shop till "the end of next week,at least".
I hope it's that long...

Thank Gawd for the warranty.I have exactly one month left.

Sorry to hear it James! How frustrating. You seem to be having an excessive amount of trouble with the bike - what does your dealer say about that?

[2whelman]

get xtended warranty...

Or buy a new Concours.

[RandyB]

Or buy a new Concours.

:thumb

[ian408]

I've owned an 03 K12GT for 1.5 years

In my case, comments are limited to early '07 model year bikes. Though some have problems while others do not.

[hcmiller52]

Dear jgr451, ian408 and JWILLIS125911,

Very sorry to hear from my riding brothers about your multitude of problems on your K1200GTs. In September of 2002 I had a choice of a BMW K1200GT or a Yamaha FJR1300, which I had placed a $500 deposit on a year earlier. I have ridden BMW's continuously since March of 1969, when I bought my first BMW while stationed in Augsburg, Germany; a R60/2. I still have my R1150RT and my R1100GS. As past president of BMWMOA Chartered Club AZ Beemers and Fastour Sport Riders Group the number of failed K1200GTs here in Arizona is staggering. Glad I went with the FJR!

There were a number of reasons at the time that caused me to go with the FJR over the K1200GT: 6.6 gallon tank versus 5.4, full capacity saddlebags instead of a half size left bag, much more horsepower and torque, and the wonderful 24,000 mile valve adjustment service interval on the FJR. It did hurt not being brand loyal to BMW, you ride one brand of bike for 36 years you feel rotten buying another make. But I'm glad I went with Yamaha.

cfell: I bought the five year extended warranty on the FJR, I should've saved the $350! In 40,000 miles of operation from Acapulco, Mexico to Hyder, Alaska the only thing that the FJR has needed is gasoline; absolutely nothing has gone wrong with this machine. Have not heard this on K1200GT!

I ride my Beemers to all BMW events, like riding to Vermont for last year's fantastic Rally (thanks again to all that put on that event!) on my RT; and I will ride Ingrid to Gillette for next year's rally. But for everything else, including our upcoming Clubs Ride to Barranca del Cobre in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico October 5-10, I ride my FJR. I have read & reread Shahram Shiva's article on the new K1200GT in the August Owners News. Hope they're better!

Very Sincerely Yours, Don Stanley in AZ
www.azbeemers.org www.fastour.usGuess I'll knock wood before saying anything but I really don't agree that the quality of BMW bikes has declined. That sounds so much like what I grew up with in the '50s when my grandfather would say "they don't make them like they used to." These new bikes are SO much more reliable than their predecessors (even if all the KGTs delivered to Arizona were defective). While riding through Vermont the other day, I came upon an airhead rider an pillion, pulling off the side of the road. I was going to stop but his motions - and dimming headlight - indicated he knew exactly what lay ahead. is that reliability? I've put 7,000 miles on my GT this year, 7,000 on my GS and 5,000 on my other bikes without a single problem with any of them. The ONLY problem I've EVER had with any of the 5 BMWs I've owned is a funky (but working) windshield switch on my old R1100RT.

I really mean no unkindness to anyone but I really wonder how folks ride and care for their machines.

[jgr451]

Hi BG,thanks for asking.
Toady,the service manager called to say that all the parts have been assembled,all the repairs,including new engine and transmission seals in the vicinity will be replaced under warranty,and there will be a 2 year warranty from BMW on the parts(in the case of the seals,not significant;in the case of the clutch parts,much more so).I did buy an extended warranty,so theoretically,any repeat breakdown would be covered one way or the other.

What is never covered is the inconvenience of breakdowns on the road and other inconvenience.For example,for this breakdown,I had to put the bike on my truck and drive it to Vancouver,then come home and wait ,then go back and get it when repaired.Each round trip is a full day(at least) lost from self employment and $200 out of pocket.
On the bright side,that is only in Canadian dollars.
On the other bright side,my bike MIGHT be ready Saturday,and summer is not quite over!

I don't think this bike is a lemon,and warranty repairs have been reasonably quick...but it is tedious and painful to have these flaws.And to have the bike OOS when the sun is shining and werk has faded away!

[jgr451]

To inform those who want to know:
Headlight went out,fixed after the second stint in the shop,inadequate ground wire situation,apparently not uncommon.Ask Shail.

Was driving after dark in deer country when that one manifested itself for the second time:no headlights.Very near bike(me)/deer collision.Pucker factor high...why can't they make headlights that work???

2nd issue was oil on the back rim,rear main seal.

3rd,oil on the rear wheel,transmission output shaft seal.

4th,clutch slave cylinder leak,no clutch at a very inconvenient time and place,leaked internally,clutch disk and engine/transmission seals damaged,now in the process of being fixed.

Preventative /routine maintenance is not an issue,all maintenance and vigilance have been performed.I have not ridden this bike abusively.I bought it new.These are just machine failures.My dealer Pacific Yamaha BMW has been excellent,but...every breakdown has cost me fun time and minimum $500 each.

[Beemerdons]

Dear jfmans,

The problems that jgr451 has identified on his K1200GT accurately mirrors the problems that have occurred here in the Grand Canyon State of Arizona. With the extra addition of failed rear drives, failed ball joints and consistent problems with a failed front shock. These bikes ridden by my friends in AZ Beemers and Fast Tour Riders Group have received excellent and routine preventative maintenance. Like most of the world's BMW clubs we are of an older population, I turn 59 in October, and we fully understand the importance of good mechanical care of our machines. These are indeed high mileage machines! We have great distances to cover on our bikes out here in the Western US and down in Mexico, so 20,000 miles a year on each machine owned by an AZB/FTRG club member is not really uncommon. But with most of us having owned BMW's for almost forty years we expect our BMW's to be capable of high mileage durability!

The bright ray of sunshine for BMW, and we BMW loyalists, is that the new K1200 machines seem to not be plagued with problems, or at least no one in our clubs is mentioning any complaints publicly. That is why the excellent article by Shahram grabbed me so strongly. I am going to keep my eyes glued to our K Bike forum and if the new K1200GT keeps appearing to be a strong and reliable performer, I will buy a new one next year from Scottsdale BMW! Postscript: I am still keeping the FJR though, nothing wrong with six bikes in my garage; ha, ha. Sincerely, Don in Chandler

[jgr451]

The bike is still in the shop and may be ready "the end of this week"(no not last week,that was last week's advice) ie,a couple of days from now.

The service manager says that BMW will replace all the clutch bits,slave cylinder and accessible seals.No complaints about THAT.

My question is,given that hydraulic fluid leaked and ruined the clutch and whatever seals it came in contact with,is it possible that hydraulic fluid got past the seals and into the engine or transmission oils?And if so,will it continue to damage the engine/transmission rubber bits over time,after this breakdown and repair have been forgotten?

Any opinions about that?
TIA.

[jgr451]

Bump.

Come on,fellows,is that the best we can do?

Pal of mine crashed leaving the West Virginia Rally a few years back,because of bad road conditions.He thought our organization might have gone to bat for him,as several others crashed then and there.There was no "official" reaction.He went off MOA then,for his belief in its disloyalty.

I have noticed the uber cool off topic replies to this post.Thanks.
This is,for me,a test of loyalty.

If no one really cares about my misfortunes,go ahead and say so.Or,same thing,say nothing.Talk is cheap.Silence is golden.

[dancogan]

Just kinda thinking out loud here, but maybe nobody knows the answer. It's a new bike, and probably very few people have extensive wrenching experience on it. I think most folks on the forum here love to help others ... if they can. Me? You wouldn't want me to change the engine oil on your bike. Sorry I can't offer any help. :doh

[cjack]

The bike is still in the shop and may be ready "the end of this week"(no not last week,that was last week's advice) ie,a couple of days from now.

The service manager says that BMW will replace all the clutch bits,slave cylinder and accessible seals.No complaints about THAT.

My question is,given that hydraulic fluid leaked and ruined the clutch and whatever seals it came in contact with,is it possible that hydraulic fluid got past the seals and into the engine or transmission oils?And if so,will it continue to damage the engine/transmission rubber bits over time,after this breakdown and repair have been forgotten?

Any opinions about that?
TIA.

The ones that I have seen repaired for this leak, have not had a repeat of related problems. The clutch (brake fluid) gets on the trans input seal and causes the leak there. The flow of oil is out at that point. Same for the engine input seal and oring. You should be good to go.

[sachiwilson]

Dealer says the clutch slave cylinder leaked oil onto the clutch.The whole shebang must be replaced.Parts availability will keep it in the shop till "the end of next week,at least".
I hope it's that long...

Thank Gawd for the warranty.I have exactly one month left.

Now instead of riding this long weekend I can catch up on my reloading.
Are you going to shoot it when you get it back?


(Silly joke aside, I'm very sorry to hear about your problems with the bike.)

[jgr451]

Thanks for the soft answers folks..and the humour.I guess I was more perturbed at the situation than I thought and blew off a bit of steam.:hungover