About to buy a used RT: upcoming maintenance

[vinzouille]

Hi all,

 

I am on the lookout for a Touring bike. I recently ran into a 2002 1150RT with 22k miles that seems in a very good shape. I'm planning on going to see it this weekend but before would like to know if there is any major maintenance supposed to happen soon (or that should have happened not long ago) so i can weigh that with the asking price.

 

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

Vince

[tallman]

24k (6k/12k intervals)

fuel filter is replaced

I'd do all the fluids and brake flush just to have a base line for future reference

some early '02 bikes had sensitive brakes

good luck

[AndyT]

The minor maitenances are due every 6,000 miles and include; valves, spark plugs, oil & filter, throtle body sysncs and major maitenances are due every 12,000 miles and include the minor's plus; trans fluid, rear drive fluid, brake and power system flushes and clutch flush. The gas filter and alternator belt are in there at irregular intervals (24,000 and 36,000? respectively). Do a Google on R1150RT (or search this site) and you should be able to track down an official maintenance schedule which would be complete.

If the owner has records of service (even his own service) then it is really just broken in at 22,000 miles assuming no damage or abuse. Of course tires are in the mix as well.

I have a 2003RT which only has 19,000 miles and seems almost new. If you enjoy doing the maintenance you can save a bundle. This site is great for picking up all sorts of links and advice on HOW to do many of these jobs! It's a GREAT touring bike! Good luck with your negotiations on the bike if it checks out OK and tickles your touring needs! AND welcome to the forum!

[vinzouille]

Thanks for the info. So it seems i have a big one coming up at 24k miles.

I wanted to check because the only thing i heard "against" a BMW is the cost of ownership and maintenance.

 

In parallel i'm looking at an FJR but i'm not a power nut so i try to be educated before i sit on them.

 

I know i can do some of the maintenance with some friends but it's always good to know what you're going against.

[Boxerdad]

Don't be afraid of the maintenance vinzouille. If you can read, comprehend, and apply you'll do just fine.

[Silver Surfer/AKAButters]

I just bought the same bike with the same mileage, 22,428 to be precise. With a little TLC you will have one sweet ride.

 

PM me if you would like details.

 

Rich

[Mark K]

I wouldn't worry too much about future maintenance. If you can read and follow instructions, it can easily (and relatively inexpensively) be done yourself. It is due for a major (I call them majors and minors) at 24K as previously stated, so you could perhaps use that you your advantage when negotiating a final price....

 

Sweet ride, BTW

[T__]

Thanks for the info. So it seems i have a big one coming up at 24k miles.

I wanted to check because the only thing i heard "against" a BMW is the cost of ownership and maintenance.

 

In parallel i'm looking at an FJR but i'm not a power nut so i try to be educated before i sit on them.

 

I know i can do some of the maintenance with some friends but it's always good to know what you're going against.

 

Vince, in my opinion the cost of BMW MAINTAINCE is very high (for what you get) IF you don’t do your own maintenance.. If you do most or all of the maintenance yourself the cost is much lower due to not needing much in the way of shop supplies or gaskets/parts..

 

Most of the maintenance items are pretty straight forward & fairly easy to accomplish yourself if you are handy at all with a wrench & can read a shop manual..

 

Basically if you can change your own oil & filter & bleed your own brakes with no difficulty you shouldn’t have a problem with the remaining items..

 

You might look in the archives here (on this site) as most if not all of the common maintenance procedures are well covered with great helpful details, procedures, & substitute tools, that can be done by the home mechanic..

 

Twisty

[Steve W.]

Before you buy.:

Pull the starter and look at the "bell housing" area around the tranny input shaft. If you see a lot of rusty looking dust in there put the starter back on and run away quickly. This is a sign of a bad clutch $pline input $haft.

With the bike on the centerstand check for any play in the rear wheel by firmly trying to twist the wheel at the 3-9 position. You are looking for play in the final drive bearing. This model is known for these problems. And the first year of the crazy linked power brakes. I wouldn't even consider a used bike of this model / year.

Good Luck You Gonna Need IT

Steve

[flars]

What ("Good luck, you're gonna need it")???

22K is a good mileage for the bike, because it is now (or will be soon) broken in.

Maintenance is very simple AND ENJOYABLE as long as you remember to use a torque wrench on those things that call for one. And for those items that you don't use a torque wrench on (valve covers and valve adjusters) you just have to be gentle. The fuel filter is, to some people, pure evil. But it really isn't difficult. Just time consuming (you have to remove the plastic to get the gas tank off), and you have to then be careful pulling the filter/pump out of the tank - not difficult, just takes a while the first time. Brake bleeds (part of the annual service) is somewhat daunting, but you can get the dealer to do only that if you don't want to tackle it yourself. People schedule 'tech days' all the time so you can learn how to do this maintenance, and many people are willing to do a one-on-one tech to get you started. Very few BMWs suffer from the bad splines or final drive problems mentioned above, although you wouldn't know it from the number of threads mentioning them.

[Stan Walker]

I wouldn't even consider a used bike of this model / year.

Good Luck You Gonna Need IT

 

Perhaps a bit of an over reaction in my opinion. But everyone is entitled to speak their mind.

 

My '02 has been and continues to be a superb machine. It's at 83,000 miles and counting and has never had a significant problem. It runs better now than it did when it was new.

 

It's my daily commuter and my long distance touring machine. Towards the end of this month (unless my boss cancels it) I'll be off on a 6000 mile cross country trip on it. I wouldn't do that on a machine I didn't trust or like.

 

As to the specific problems mentioned:

 

Early linked brakes: You get used to them.

 

Final drive failures. For several years BMW apparently used a ball bearing that has a higher failure rate than one would like. There have been a fair number of failures, perhaps as high as 1 or 2 percent of the oilhead bikes. To be fair, this isn't limited to any year. Early 1100's and late 1150's have a different bearing and a lower failure rate.

 

Spline failures: There was a statistical hump indicating a higher failure rate on the 02 RT's in the failure data collected on this site. We have so little data collected in such an uncontrolled fashion that it is impossible to determine if it is real spike or just a statistical anomaly. All years and all models of oilheads can suffer this spline problem. Perhaps affecting 1/2 percent of the bikes.

 

Bottom line, if you like it and the price is right, buy it.

 

But do keep in mind, it's a machine, it's not self repairing. Treat it well and it will last a long time.

 

Stan

[vinzouille]

Alright, so far i have done the small maintenance on my bike and opened the clutch to replace some springs in there.

I would definitely do the small part, and could definitely do part of the big one. It's always a matter of time spent vs money spent.

 

Thanks a lot for all your feedbacks. Basically the BMW is really worth it if you work on it a lot, and becomes more expensive to use if not.

I'll see what the owner has to say.

Thanks a lot for your advice!

[harleyjohn45]

Before you buy.:

Pull the starter and look at the "bell housing" area around the tranny input shaft. If you see a lot of rusty looking dust in there put the starter back on and run away quickly. This is a sign of a bad clutch $pline input $haft.

With the bike on the centerstand check for any play in the rear wheel by firmly trying to twist the wheel at the 3-9 position. You are looking for play in the final drive bearing. This model is known for these problems. And the first year of the crazy linked power brakes. I wouldn't even consider a used bike of this model / year.

Good Luck You Gonna Need IT

Steve

 

pull the starter--- if i were selling a bike and someone wanted to pull the starter, i would let him. right after he paid me in cash. lol

[Steve W.]

 

pull the starter--- if i were selling a bike and someone wanted to pull the starter, i would let him. right after he paid me in cash. lol

 

When I sold my 96 RS. The buyer insisted it be "checked out" by the local dealer before the sale. I agreed if the buyer paid for the service. Fine with me as I had NOTHING TO HIDE. So she paid for the dealer evaluation. The guy checked for set Motronic codes, charging system, compression check, brakes, extended test ride, etc. He gave it a clean bill of health. I don't think he pulled the starter, but if it was part of evaluation he could have. Again, NOTHING TO HIDE. If a seller is not completey open to checking out the bike I would run away quickly, red flags popping up all over. These bikes have some known issues to say the least. BTW on that 96 RS one week later the buyer called and said the bike stopped and would not start. The dreaded HES failed. She sort of hinted that I may have known something of the problem. I reminded her of the dealer evaluation and the clean bill of health. I felt like I was covered and really had no idea the of the HES problem before the sale. I would search this forum and advrider.com for problems of that year. So when you buy a used bike check it out from stem to stern and with attention to any KNOWN problems for that year and model. You may want to take it to a dealer for evaluation. You pay your money and take your chances.

 

Good Luck You Still Gonna Need IT

Steve

[E30TECH]

 

pull the starter--- if i were selling a bike and someone wanted to pull the starter, i would let him. right after he paid me in cash. lol

 

When I sold my 96 RS. The buyer insisted it be "checked out" by the local dealer before the sale. I agreed if the buyer paid for the service. Fine with me as I had NOTHING TO HIDE. So she paid for the dealer evaluation. The guy checked for set Motronic codes, charging system, compression check, brakes, extended test ride, etc. He gave it a clean bill of health. I don't think he pulled the starter, but if it was part of evaluation he could have. Again, NOTHING TO HIDE. If a seller is not completey open to checking out the bike I would run away quickly, red flags popping up all over. These bikes have some known issues to say the least. BTW on that 96 RS one week later the buyer called and said the bike stopped and would not start. The dreaded HES failed. She sort of hinted that I may have known something of the problem. I reminded her of the dealer evaluation and the clean bill of health. I felt like I was covered and really had no idea the of the HES problem before the sale. I would search this forum and advrider.com for problems of that year. So when you buy a used bike check it out from stem to stern and with attention to any KNOWN problems for that year and model. You may want to take it to a dealer for evaluation. You pay your money and take your chances.

 

Good Luck You Still Gonna Need IT

Steve

 

The buyer insisted it be "checked out" by the local dealer before the sale

 

I did this with a car I sold. The buyer wanted the dealer to check it out. No problem as I had nothing to hide. However, if the buyer wanted to do a prepurchase inspection himself, I would have said "no". Imagine what would happen if he stripped the sparkplug threads while doing a compression check

[harleyjohn45]

 

pull the starter--- if i were selling a bike and someone wanted to pull the starter, i would let him. right after he paid me in cash. lol

 

When I sold my 96 RS. The buyer insisted it be "checked out" by the local dealer before the sale. I agreed if the buyer paid for the service. Fine with me as I had NOTHING TO HIDE. So she paid for the dealer evaluation. The guy checked for set Motronic codes, charging system, compression check, brakes, extended test ride, etc. He gave it a clean bill of health. I don't think he pulled the starter, but if it was part of evaluation he could have. Again, NOTHING TO HIDE. If a seller is not completey open to checking out the bike I would run away quickly, red flags popping up all over. These bikes have some known issues to say the least. BTW on that 96 RS one week later the buyer called and said the bike stopped and would not start. The dreaded HES failed. She sort of hinted that I may have known something of the problem. I reminded her of the dealer evaluation and the clean bill of health. I felt like I was covered and really had no idea the of the HES problem before the sale. I would search this forum and advrider.com for problems of that year. So when you buy a used bike check it out from stem to stern and with attention to any KNOWN problems for that year and model. You may want to take it to a dealer for evaluation. You pay your money and take your chances.

 

Good Luck You Still Gonna Need IT

Steve

 

well that may be ok, for a dealer inspection, but no disassembly. i was in the sporting goods business and sold firearms for 35 years. i've had people take firearms apart and lose parts many times. oh, BTW dealers can foul things up too. prehaps this chaps needs to buy new. my 2 c.