So, what’s the straight dope on BMW motorcycles sold in North America? How are they for reliability? Service? Comfort? Performance? Value?
I was thinking about buying one and they seem to have an excellent reputation, but I want to make sure that reputation is legit and not simply a meme perpetuated by mindless fanboys. I’m not saying that BMW fans are mindless fanboys, it’s just that some brands have an undeserved fan base, that’s all.
Thanks
I’ve never ridden a BMW, but I like the way they look. And everything I’ve heard about them indicate they’re very reliable. They seem to be very comfortable.
Value? I went to a BMW with a friend who thought he might like a BMW. I thought they were too expensive. A Honda would provide the same comfort, reliability and performance for a lower price – but without the cachet of the BMW name. I’ve always wanted a Ducati. I got a Yamaha YZF-R1 instead because the maintenance intervals are longer and performance is better and it cost 2/3 as much. But I don’t get the Italian styling or the wonderful sound of the desmo engine or the Ducati name.
A BMW would be a great bike. I think its reputation (again, from what I’ve heard from talking to owners and not from being an owner/BMW rider myself) is well-deserved. From a ‘bang for your buck’ standpoint I’d lean toward Japanese bikes. But BMW styling is very nice, and their good bikes as well.
Mr. Athena’s had several BMW motorcycles, and has been thrilled with all of them. They were always reliable and of very high quality. He’d buy another one again in a minute if he were ever to get back into motorcycling.
They’re good bikes. :smack:
I don’t know much about BMW bikes themselves so disregard my post if it doesn’t mean anything to you. My family tends to buy BMW cars because they have a strong BMW feel that is both unique and spectacular. It is a very prestigious brand and lots of people are impressed with anything that has the BMW label at all. I always admired BMW motorcycles because I liked the way they look including the fit and finish. However, BMW cars are extremely expensive to fix and I would guess that is the same for their motorcycles. YMMV.
A friend of mine is on his fourth one. He can’t say enough good things about them.
I love my Triumph and plan on keeping it a long time. A BMW R1100GS is the only bike I’d consider next.
One of my best friends has had a BMW RT for the last five years and believes it to be the best bike he’s owned in 20+ years of riding. Expensive maintenance, but great bikes.
Thanks for all of the input, everyone.
I have my heart set on the F800GS, but in North America right now they’re as rare as Fabergé egg omelets.
in the 80s I had 2 Boxers (the horizontally opposed twins). They were more expensive than japanese to buy, but cost way less in maintenance, possibly as a consequence of the very relaxed engines.
Nowhere near as fast though. But amazingly comfortable. And not having to adjust and oil a chain was brilliant.
If I could afford a motorbike right now I’d get another Boxer.
I have no idea if anything has changed nowadays though.
Dad’s sort of in the same boat. He restored a Royal Enfield a few years back, he just bought a Norton and has a Triumph frame he’s sourcing an engine and gearbox for. What he’d love is a BMW tourer, but the desirability (which in his opinion comes from comfort and reliability) has pushed the price up a bit past what he might pay.
I own a 1992 BMW K75S and I love it. I gradually moved up from a Honda CB 550, then a Kawasaki GPZ550, then a Kawasaki EX500, and then a Honda Nighthawk 700S. Then I stopped riding for about five years, and then bought my current bike.
I only list my bikes to show how I gradually moved towards standard/sport touring bikes; after a trip from Los Angeles to Bellingham, WA on the GPZ550, I will only ride bikes with ‘standard’ riding positions. I do not pop wheelies off of red lights, and don’t do any knee-dragging on mountain roads; I’m the guy going 10-15 mph slower, just taking it all in. It’s a good, strong, stable bike that I can ride for hours & hours, with detachable, hard saddlebags and anti-lock brakes.
BMW’s enduro motorcycles are reknowned for their ruggedness; I saw a picture of a tow-truck pulling one out of a swamp somewhere, and the rider just cranked it a few times, and it started right up again. I haven’t tested that.
For me, the strong points of BMW bikes are: comfortable riding position, stability and lack of maintenence headaches. Except for when it backfires (a problem with the 90s ‘brick’ style engines), the engines are quiet and smooth. If I weren’t saving up to buy a house, and if I didn’t already own a great bike, I’d go right down and buy a R1200R today. The downside is that they’re a little expensive to purchase, though they make up for that in the long run.
They must be good. The California Highway Patrol has been using BMW almost exclusively for about the past ten years.
The standard CHP bike is an R 1150 RT-P, and some other agencies use the F 650 GS-P, an offroad-styled bike.
I used to work with a guy that had (probably still has) something along the lines of an F 1100 GS, (looked like very oversized dirt bike) as well as a WWII-era sidecar and something else that was roughly 20 years old. This collection neatly solved the dilemma of waking up and wanting to take a ride, but which to be today? An airhead or an oilhead? (Airhead vs oilhead engines is a near-religious issue for some fans.)
Half of my four bikes are BMW’s: '78 R100RS, '00 R1150GS.
I like the machines fine. BMW is very good about continuing to make repair parts available for many decades after production stops. The engines tend to be VERY durable. There are wear issues with driveline splines if they are not regularly maintained using correct lubricants. Some generations have had issues with electrical gremlins…partly as a reflection of the durability of the rest of the machine. (they last long enough for wires to start breaking from fatigue)
As philosophy, BMW is careful not to sacrafice durability for performance. For a given amount of power, BMWs tend to be a bit heavier than japanese offerings. At the same time, they tend to be very well tuned, right off the production line. BMW owners tend NOT to hop up the machines much if any…there is little power to be gained over stock. BMW also tends to stress handling, braking, ergonomics, and wide forgiving power band over the peaky raw horsepower the Japanese tend to go for.
BMW airheads had a reputation for easy owner service similar to Volkswagen beetles. BMW owners have a deserved reputation for being cheapskates. While initially expensive, the bikes are a good long term value, and hold resale value well. Book value on my '78 is about 20% over what I gave for it in '88.
Of late, BMW has abandoned the feature of simple service. It is also trying very hard to gain more of an upscale image. This is one reason I will probably not buy a newer BMW. I will also not buy a new BMW from the current, corporate mandated, “boutique” dealerships.
BMW built a 2002 tii out of spare parts.
A friend of mine who is a bike lover rides BMW’s exclusively. I emailed her to ask what it was that kept her going back, and she said she was recently looking for a faster bike but couldn’t find anything with all the amenities and safety features of Beemers. She says her local dealership (Austin) really takes care of her, gave her full retail on her trade in, came down on the price, and threw in saddle and tank bags for free that should have cost a grand. On another occassion they replaced a bike she bought with a new one for free with no argument when she was having trouble with it. She pretty much raves about 'em.
There’s someone on this board whose spouse has aUral. That’s almost a BMW!
Oh – 2002 tii is the model designation. The ‘year’ of the car is 1973.
I had a 99’ yellow R1100S brand new in Daytona Beach for a couple years. It was nice but somewhat of a pig to maneuver compared to my friends with GXRs, YZFs, and CBRs. I got rid of it when I moved to Minneapolis (short riding season and metro traffic are no fun). I had heard that they retained their value well but I sold it in 2003 it was hard to find a buyer, even in the spring, and had to take what I could get for it. New, $13K. 4 year-old with 8K miles, $6K.
A coworker just bought a K1200S brand new. He had it less than 2 weeks and something with the clutch went bad. It is covered under warranty but certified BMW bike techs are hard to find and it sat for 2 weeks before they fixed it.
F, R, what’s the difference? :dubious: Throw a few letters and numbers together and make your very own fantasy motorcycle. 
His daily ride is an R 1150 GS, if anyone’s keeping score.
