Is this a good bike?

[N8nicely]

Hey All,

 

I'm new to BMW bikes and I have an opportunity to purchase a 2003 K1200GT with 46k miles. Its has sat for a few years and is not running, needs a new seat and the plastics are faded. The last mechanic to look at it says it needs a new starter module ($127) to start.

 

Is this bike worth getting and restoring from a simple investment standpoint?

 

[beemerboy]

Check your private messages.....

[Traveler1]

One was on sale in the Bay Area a few months ago for $3000. Less than 20,000 miles and in pristine condition. I suspect you could look around and find a really good low mileage 2003 or 2004 for a decent price. BMW fixer-uppers will drain your pocket book with no garantee of having something worthwhile in the end.

 

As far as the model goes, mine has 82,000 miles on it with no issues. Great for long distance fast riding.

[tom collins]

i bought one of those low mileage beauties, a 2003 k1200rs in the summer of 2012 with 8,500 miles at the time. no service history, but looked impeccable and everything worked correctly. i just turned over 30,000 this last weekend. with one exception, it has been perfect as after all, the brick engine has a great reputation.

the exception: i think most of the miles went on the bike at the early part of its life as i believe the bike sat for a good while before it was traded. after about a year and a half, my clutch started to slip a little. i believe there was a small amount of weepage from the rear main seal that was a direct result of non-use. i also think that after getting regular use and proper lubrication, the seal essentially resealed. i have about 90% of the use of the clutch, so except under brutal acceleration, you would not even notice it. i think it is getting fractionally worse recently but will try to nurse it through this season. this is about a 1500-1800 job at the local independent euro bike shop.

incidently, that shop had a bike last year that was cosmetically identical to mine including under 10k miles. they went ahead and did the clutch work but did not get $5,000 for it. that bike should be good for an easy 100k miles for that price.

[NickInSac]

Is this bike worth getting and restoring from a simple investment standpoint?

Depends on how much you're getting it. Generally, MC are not a good investment.

I have gotten a few sport bikes (five in the last two years) that needed fixing. Sport bikes are big in my area though. I have made small profits. Based on the time I spent fixing them though, I probably made about $20 - $30 an hour. One I lost about $200. These prices include, insurance, registration and taxes.

 

With that said!

GTs and RS are fun bikes. They are heavy for what they are, compared to most SPORT touring bikes.

 

The rear main seal is a known issue and it is expensive (IIRC it's a 12.5 hour factory job). There is a newer type of seal that is not so prone to failure.

The 2003 uses the Servo Assisted brakes and are known failure issues; just like my 2006 (2005-2006 RTs).

 

IIRC the starter is also a PITA to get to and R&R.

 

The bags alone on the GTs and RS bikes are worth $500. I'm still looking for a pair for my RS.

 

If it has the bags, and was around $1,500 or so, it might be worth it to me.

 

I got mine RS with no bags for $2k, it needed a Brake Master Cylinder. It had 34k, now it has 45k.

Good luck.

[tallman]

85k on my '03.

Rear seal went around 60ish.

Getting to the starter is a BIG task.

Love the bike.

Been basically trouble free.

I've seen brick's w/over 300k on them.

It will not be a good investment from the business side $$ but might be a great one from the emotional side.

Good luck,

Best wishes.