New to K's

[Argus 21]

I set off on a trip on my 96 R1100RSL two weeks ago. I went to my 40th HS reunion and did it on a bike just to see if I could. I live in NY and the reunion was in OK. I made it to Little Rock, AR and stopped at the dealer there for an engine tick in the RS. As they diagnosed and tinkered ( it was a too loosely adjusted exhast valve), I found the K1200GT I had been seeking for months. The bike is a 2004 and is RED. I have ridden the GT before and knew that red ones do exist and this dealer had two of them. Bought the demonstrator and got a decent trade on the RS. Finished up the 4419 mile trip on it and I am really happy with it. It does everything well and has brutish acceleration too boot. Found myself making reasons to pass folks!
Just a couple of questions for the experienced K-bikers out there.
Will the oil filters for an RS fit? I have several left over.
Is Castrol GTX 20W50 a good choice?
The fuel guage does not indicate totally full when the tank is topped off. Comes within 1/16th of an inch or so of being at the top of the white arc. Anyone else have this?
Does the clutch get any quieter? ( I know, loud clutches save lives)
Cheers
Jim:bliss

[roadcrave]

hello, i do not have all the answers to your questions , i own a k1200lt and the dealor in missoula montana was very addimant about not using castrol oil in my bike ,i was told that it is not the same oil as bmw sells, he stated that the added blends are missing in over the counter castrol oils, to me the difference in cost does not warrant the risk to the engine, id stick with the recommended oil.

[davel]

I have the same expierence with the gas guage, you get use to it no big deal. Never heard any clutch noise. I believe the K&R oil filters are different. Unless they have changed, Spectro is the manufacturer of BMW motorcycle oil, and they have basically the same ratings and additives as the non synthetic BMW 20w50, many swear by the spectro over the BMW branded oil, its your call:dunno

[breyfogle]

R1100RS and K75 filters are the same part number, presumably the same holds for the K12.

As for oil, some people are "oil snobs" others use anything available. IMHO, any name brand oil, dino or synth, of the correct weight will be fine in any BMW except maybe the new K1200RS. It's more important how often you change it and the filter than who makes it.

[gmr1200gsa]

Hi I also have a K1200GT.

1 - Oils is your choice after about 10,000 you can got to semisynthetic oil and I am using Motu 5100 blend

2 - no problem with the gas gauge it seems fine

3 - I dont know about the oil filters

my problems:

1 - Oil leak out of the sear engine seal and it contaminatt the clutch I am now on my second seal repair. Whewn this happens you get clutch slippage and a jerky take off.

2 - I have a hesitation now that has developed at 25,000 Kms, this seems intermittant

See my message unter my name looking for help there

Geoff May

[dbw]

Hi,

I am new to this forum - pretty interesting things here. I returned to riding after a 25 year absence last year and have a FZ1. I am giving serious thought to a BMW - K1200rs/gt or perhaps the new K1200s. Also on the short list is the FJR1300. I was in Toron to last weekend and while there visited a couple of BMW dealers and there is nothing quite like a BMW. Here in Winnipeg the selection to view is a little more limited.

1 - when you have problems how good are the various dealers and BMW about warrenty action? Do they argue/dismiss the problem or simply fix it? Any recurring problems that simply are not getting fixed the first time? Long term reliability is important to me.

2 - any high milage RS bikes? - curious about long term reliability

3 - comfort on long distance rides?

4 - any other thoughts on the bikes?

Many thanks for your time.

Dave

[kbasa]

I think Bouncin Bob had nearly 100K on his K12RS before it decided to throw him in a ditch and kill itself.

[eric2]

I have 91k miles on my 98 k1200rs. The only problems I've had
was the clutch getting fluid contaminated and being replaced twice, first with tranny then engine oil. Last time this happened was about 40 k miles ago.

Clutch m/c return spring let go also, direct result of PO not flushing the hydraulic fluids annually.

No problems with distance riding for me unless I tense up.
500 mile afternoons are a snap.

Clutch is noisy, not near as bad as a ducati though.

One common problem is timing chain cover leaking,
usually not much. Rear drives have failed too, but not
as common as the k12lt.

I would hold off on synthetic oils until 10k or so, then
run whatever non-sj oil you can find. I have trouble finding
non-sj oil, so I've run hd 40 for many miles now.

There are good and bad bmw dealers around, no different
than other brands.

The FJR is probably a close match for the k12, it has
a larger tank giving it an honest 250 mile range, a
more powerful engine, better wind protection,
and its cheaper. Cons are it's a real heater in the summer,
it only has 5 gears, and for me the ergos were a little cramped.
Servicing the FJR appears to be a bit more of a hassle, but oil
and filter access is very good.

HTH

[LTOwner]

Don't know about yours, but you can get the LT fuel guage to read full if you keep backing the hose out a little as the splash cutoff cuts in each time. Just don't overfill it.

[Argus 21]

Thanks to all who replied. Good tips from the K-bike community for a newbie.
Cheers
Jim

[AntonLargiader]

Oil filter is the same for all of the Ks and Oilheads. As for the oil, I usually use Valvoline in my own bikes, for no particular reason.