Fianally - R1200 C

Friends:
I posted a thread asking advice on choosing between RT / RS. But I could not give up on a good local deal and end up buying a 1200 C . I did not mean to waste your time asking for advice about Rt/ RS. I apologize to all of you who answered the post.

The temptation landed me on a 2004 R1200C with 6,500 miles. I was not able to resist the low miles, good tires, battery, [B]ABS [/B]and touring bags. I paid 4700. Part of the decision was based on a memorable trip I took 2 years ago from New Jersey to Key West FL. I traveled on my old 2002, Moto Guzzi Stone, a bike which is a bit along the same lines.

Now that I have plunged without doing research, I need your advice regarding the bad and the good points of the 1200 C , especially bad ones. Do I have to worry about the spline problem?

Thanks

ZoomZoom

[QUOTE=mkmd555;859316]But I could not give up on a good local deal and end up buying a 1200 C .

Do I have to worry about the spline problem?

[/QUOTE]

1. You have purchased one of the ugliest motorcycles to have ever come out of Germany. But that's just my opinion. :laugh
(Having said that, you need to post a picture of it in the, uh, Post a Picture of Your Oilhead section here)

2. Yes.

Welcome Zoomer! Cograts on your acquisition of the most UNIQUE BMW ever produced. But then, I am somewhat biased in my opinion.

To answer your spline lube question, they should be lubricated. Some will argue whether or not the factory job is as "permanent" as it is claimed to be.

You can find lots of discussion about our splines, as well as anything else you may care to know about our beautiful bikes over at Chromeheads.org

Hope to see you there.

Welcome to the club! I bought my 98 R12C with 5000 miles on it 10 years ago and it's been a terrific bike so far. In addition to this forum, chromeheads will provide a wealth of information about your new ride.

Get used to hearing two things about your choice in motorcycles.......on the the internet it's the UGLIEST friggin bike EVER conceived........and when your riding it in the REAL world people frequently will come up to you and remark it's one of the most beautiful bikes they've ever seen.:laugh

Enjoy!

Beauty is different things to different folks. The BMW crowd seem to think the C bikes are the ugliest bikes ever made since they have chrome and a seat low enough for normal people. However, that feeling is not shared by many. I have had my mojave brown R1200CLC for a little over 6 years. Our riding group sometimes has my R1200CLC. a R1200GS, a couple of R1200RTs, a K75RT and sometimes a R100RT airhead. When we pull into a watering hold (typically Harley gathering places), there are a lot of questions and compliments for my bike and most of the others are ignored. It might be the chrome and it might be the rarity but it does stand out. In the last 6 years, it has been very dependable (46,000+).

Congrats on the new bike. Didn't see that one coming since you were asking about RS's and RT's.

Beauty's in the eye of the beholder. May you enjoy your chromehead for many miles and many smiles.

Congrats on your C. Which model did you get?

My besty has the "Phoenix" model, which IMHO is beautiful and it does attract tons of attention when we go anywhere...

If I owned a C, I'd try to see if I could get any more HP out of it. A 1200 cc bike should make more than 60 HP and that's my only beef with that bike.

I think there's a chip you can get to squeeze some more grunt out of it... Chromeheads.com has tons of info.

Good luck!

That bike may well be the one that is collectable in the future. Enjoy it! ..........It is what it is, a cruiser.

Ugly? Tell that to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was featured there a few years back at a show called "Motorcycle as Art", I believe. The C's have a great following, and with good reason, aesthetically, as well as functionally. It was a purpose-designed machine that became doomed with American riders' obsession with power. Power? I could cruise at 80 at 3000 rpm in overdrive with cruise control on up and down mountain passes. That was the CLC version. The ride on the CLC compared to my RT1200 is like comparing a Cadillac to a jalopy, though the RT has more power for get up and go. I used mine for year-round commuting as well as the occasional tour. Want to talk ugly? Go no farther than the R1200GS. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

Congratulations and welcome mkmd555!

The only bad thing I've read about the chromeheads is that the chrome tends to peel off the valve covers because they used environmentally friendly processes.
I'd leave it as a badge of honour but that's just me.

Agreed to all of the above but what they are not mentioning is the great torque curve the machine has. I have 2 C's .. One with a side car. either bike rides great and gives a great ride on the road.

[QUOTE=BC1100S;859328]1. You have purchased one of the ugliest motorcycles to have ever come out of Germany. But that's just my opinion. :laugh

2. Yes.[/QUOTE]

Ignore the above comment. You have one beautiful bike! :thumb

I used to have a 2001. I rode it for 7 years, I have had many positive comments from strangers as to what a nice looking motorcycle, mostly attractive ladies. That bike and I traveled 27000 miles together without any major problems. The only reason I sold it was it became uncomfortable for my old bones. Ignore the nay sayers, its a great bike.

First of all I have to thank you for welcoming me to this august forum. In the past your ideas have been immensely helpful when I had a R1500 R back in 2008 ( for some reason my old posts have been lost).

To my eyes the bike is pretty. The judges must have seen some merit when they placed this bike at the Guggenheim museum in NYC in the "Art of Motorcycle" display. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Motorcycle[/url]

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motorcycles_in_The_Art_of_the_Motorcycle_exhibition[/url]

Few questions:

1. Is the HP too low, something to worry about during touring.

2. Can you explain what a torque curve means to a rider?

Thanks

ZomZoom

HP too low? Only if you're looking to drag race or run 100+ mph.

Torque curve? Means its got lots of low end grunt and pulling power. You could almost start off in 5th gear.

This bike is a cruiser, and the best performing and handling one I've ever ridden. Get comfortable on it and then enjoy the ride!