Oh boy, k1200 or not?

[floydsdoc]

Hi gang,

need advise regarding prospective purchase. i am newbie, recent grad BRC. used to ride yamaha dirt bike in the carribean during a stint there 20 years ago. i'm 48 5'11, 175 lbs and relatively athletic. i live in semi rural ct with nice country roads just out my door. lookin' for bike to take out for country road rides, twisties et.al, runs to the shore, the occasnl 300 miler to Washington dc to see family and a daily commuter to work (6 miler)same town i live in. was thinking along the lines of the f800 st (a good but expensive fit), the 650 vstrom was very high on the list, triumph tiger, and the mg breva1100. wife wants to go 2 up once i develope my chops (i figure next year with better skill development). as i took one last stroll thru local bmw dealership a newly recieved k1200r was on display turned in for a new LT. asking 9k. bike is mint with only 10k miles (just barely broken in). I loved it. great bmw shop, dealer is knowledgible, attentive and not remotely pushy. allowed me a 22 mile test drive with a lead rider. the bike amazed me. it pulled smoothly from all over the rpm band, was like a train on the highway, a little bit of helmut buffeting with screen. my concerns was this seemed to be alot of bike, a bit heavy, especially in the slower turns, i came out wider than the line i was anticipating. now i realize i'm new and i gotta to learn how to believe in this bike. i am relatively long legged and could flat foot both feet with a bend at the knee. before the test ride as i was oogling this beast in the lot another gentleman 5'10 150 who's identicle bike was being serviced just gushed over this bike. claimed responsible riding habits and this beast would not get me in trouble. dealership knows my concerns, want me to be happy not be making a poor choice. at home, peer pressure is buy the bike, not a vstrom (poor choice for 2 up?), the k1200 will be the one i'll develope the skills for. take my time, be a responsible rider and it'll all come in good time. deposit is in on the bike, but i can still back out....can't test drive the v-strom and i truly believe down the road that this type of sport tourer is going to be what i'm lookin for. price seems very fair though i gather this bike can be pricey to service (would likely get extended warranty plan). any comments folks???

[duckbubbles]

That's a hell of a lot of bike for what is essentially a novice. you might do better to buy something cheaper and easier to handle than to have some bad experiences with this one.

 

Frank

[AZKomet]

That's a hell of a lot of bike for what is essentially a novice. you might do better to buy something cheaper and easier to handle than to have some bad experiences with this one.

 

Frank

 

+1

[tallman]

It's a lot of technology and bike for the price.

It is a lot of bike to handle, at times.

Saddlebags are smaller than other BMW series and pricey.

It wouldn't be my first choice for 2 up riding, but people use it for that. How big is your passenger to be?

For $9k there are a lot of options out there.

That said, sounds like a good deal. If you get it and practice, ride responsibly, develop skills, you'll probably love it.

[KingBiscuit]

A about 4 years ago, I was in a similar situation. I had not ridden a motorcycle in about 20 years, and then mostly dirt bikes...no real road bike experience. I started looking at bikes with a couple of younger friends and came upon a 2000 BMW R1150R. It was mint, with only 1,127 miles on it! It was more money than I wanted to spend, but was reasonably priced and so beautiful that I couldn't resist. All that build up to get to my short point. In my opinion, I think that I'd shy away from the K1200R and look at an R1150R. They are great to look at, enough power to please you but not enough to get out of hand. You can 2 up with no problem...The wife and I rode "Deals Gap", 2 up, easily and I'm a lot bigger guy than you are...6'1" 325 lbs. The R1150R is a dream around town and as a commuter. I used to ride mine around 35 miles 1 way to work and it was fantastic. I've since moved up to an R1150RT because I want to do some longer tours and the wife wanted a bit more space. The R1150R is a great bike and would be my choice if I were in your shoes. Check out www.r1150r.net to get more information and see the Buy,Sell,Trade section.

 

For what it's worth,

Dan

[marcopolo]

If you plan to do a reasonable amount of two-up riding once you've got a little time under your belt, I don't think the K1200R is the bike for that. I think the suggestion of an R1150R is a good one, or if you want more bodywork, an RT (though that may be a little much at this stage).

[peterh]

On the K1200 you can go from zero to big trouble in about 3 seconds. After a long time away from riding. I purchased a used R1150RT. It is a great bike, powerful and more than fast enough. I recently replaced the RT with a K1200S. The new generation of K bikes are definitely not a bike for new and/or returning riders.

 

On this site it was said that anyone with less than 20,000 miles on a bike is still a novice, and I agree. I suggest you put the first 20K on a more comfortable, forgiving ride, then move to a true sport touring bike.

 

peterh

[bmwk100]

I agree with some of the posters sending you to a R1150R. I would also recommend the Triumph Tiger 1050 that you mentioned. That is one great all around bike.

[GrafSpee]

You only live once, and you're not getting any younger. I say go for it, shift early, and watch your throttle angle.

 

If it's still too much bike, pull out a spark plug or two (joking!)

[DaveTheAffable]

Well, I returned to riding about a year ago after a long time away. I'm 48, kinna conservative, and I bought a 2002 K1200RS. It's a lot of bike. Heavier than the one your looking at. I've put over 15,000 miles on it this year. And I'm still learning... a lot. The K1200's can quickly take you places you are NOT ready to go. It's seductive, and a couple of times I found myself in over my head, but came out ok.

 

That having been said, I love my bike, and I'm glad I bought it.

 

Good luck with your decision... There's some real wisdom in the posts before mine.

[keithb]

I read the first part of your post and I thought you were descrbing my riding history. Started in dirt, was out of riding for 15 years and decided to buy a street bike. I started with an '83 Yamaha Maxim 750 and rode that for 3 years and about 10K miles before I bought my first BMW which was a '93 K1100RS. I had it for 11 years and 68K wonderful miles. With that said I would agree with the other posts about the K1200R not being a good starter bike. That bike can go from zero to death pretty quickly and there is no turning back from death. I am not trying to scare you but I am being honest about your lack of seat time and getting back into riding. The suggestion of the R1150R is an excellent one. A friend of mine has one and he can ride the wheels off it. It is great going into the corners and it is more than adequate for two up touring. You can probably pick up a used for one for about $6K-$8K. You can also do the maintenance on it yourself. Keep it for a few years to cut your teeth on and then buy the bike of your dreams.

[floydsdoc]

Wow what a resource...you all are great...yes i would be conservative...i clearly have tons of respect for this bike..but given what i would presume to be your beemer predisposition, your honesty humbles me and will probably turn the tide to picking up my deposit check and saying not yet, maybe next year....other beemer considerations??? f800st?? as a newbie bike?? the triumph 1050 tiger?? Veestrom 650??? Ducati multistrada??? Motoguzzi breva 1100??? I hope 'm not offending the beemer populace as i hope to be among you when the time is right...your reflections make me think this k1200 is too much of a missile for my skill set...thanks for your honesty and wisdom

rke

[bmwk100]

As stated earlier, R1150R or Triumph Tiger 1050. Test ride them both I'm sure you will like one of those. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Amac]

Former K1200R owner - not happy with the quality of the bike, nor the customer service that BMW exhibited when it was apparent that they had released a scoot to market with a flawed fuel map and drive. A good concept - just flawed execution.

 

Take a look at this: http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/sh...0&fpart=all

[CT_Rider]

I really like the K12 bikes and would probably own a GT if I lived out West. But in Connecticut, I think my RT is perfect choice for zipping around the Northeast as well as heading out for a long haul. Try one.