large-stache Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 I'm new here, and not yet a BMW owner. I found a nice '09 1200RT for a good price. It's at a consignment dealer, and they don't do that rides. Would any of you buy a bike without riding it first? What problems should I look for? I bought my first sport bike without a test ride, it only had 2500 miles on it, but none the less it was new territory for me then. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 21 minutes ago, large-stache said: I'm new here, and not yet a BMW owner. I found a nice '09 1200RT for a good price. It's at a consignment dealer, and they don't do that rides. Would any of you buy a bike without riding it first? What problems should I look for? I bought my first sport bike without a test ride, it only had 2500 miles on it, but none the less it was new territory for me then. Afternoon large-stache I would ONLY buy an un-test-ridden bike if I positively personally knew & fully trusted the selling dealer. There are number of things to look for on the 2009 1200RT but most (expensive) things (like cracked TB cams, intermittent ABS issues, etc cannot be easily checked before buying. There were a number of recalls on the 2009 1200RT so you might have the selling dealer verify if any or all have already been done. At 2500 miles it is probably too early for most problems to show up so even riding it might not tell you much. When it comes to consignment vehicles it is ALL about trust in the selling dealer as it is ever so easy to fudge over problems & past issues in order to sell the darn thing. Does the bike come with any type of short term warranty? If not then what does that dealer know that he won't offer one????? Link to comment
large-stache Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 dirtrider, thanks for your input. I feel the dealer Motorado in Lakewood, Colorado, has good reputation. Anybody here ever dealt with that dealer? The 2500 miles I was referring to was my first sport bike I bought without a test ride, many years ago. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Now them being a "consignment dealer" must mean they are selling the bike for a private party? Maybe ask if they could contact the owner and arrange a test ride through him/them. Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Can you tell us any more about the bike? How many miles? Link to comment
dirtrider Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 9 minutes ago, Indy Dave said: Can you tell us any more about the bike? How many miles? Evening Indy Dave This is the only 2009 1200RT that I currently see listed at Motorado in Lakewood. (probably the one) https://www.motorado.com/inventory/details/used/BMW/R1200RT/2009/Lakewood/Colorado/4465722/T14612-1 Link to comment
Skywagon Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 What Tewks said. The consignment dealer doesn't want take liability for any damage you might incur. and their agreement with the seller probably prohibits it without the sellers permission..but with the owners permission it would indemnify motorado. It is not unreasonable at all to ride before you buy. The seller should be ok with that. Not to suggest there is anything wrong with it, but I would insist on a drive before buy...and if it were me, and there is a nearby BMW dealer I would ask for a pre-buy inspection. You would have to pay for the pre-buy..... Ask for a copy of the contract you would be signing if you buy it, read it, and it should tell you if there is any coverage should anything happen. Most likely it is sold as is where is...very standard practice. Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Take this with a grain of salt - I'm not a fan. Maybe they just listed it, but they are putting zero effort into this. One stinking picture? A generic Rah-Rah RT-P sales pitch? None of these gripes are about the bike itself, but if I were looking (and I was recently) FOR ME, there isn't enough effort on their part that would entice me to take any action. Again, take it for what's its worth, but these kinds of low or no effort ads I pass on. There are others who aren't bothered by this at all, and that fine too. Every situation is different. This bike could be great, my gripes have nothing to do about the bike itself. But . . . they tell us nothing about the bike! Having said all of that - I bought my last RT (2010 - used) from a dealer 8 hours away - with no test ride. But they had records, they had a zillion photos, they had gone through the bike and a board member here had check it out personally and started it up. And the sales staff were outstanding from start to finish, double checking for any blemishes, etc. Every situation is different and a lot depends on your circumstances and options. Please keep us up to date, and good luck! Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Kind of on the 'every situation is different' - the Rt I bought was in a fairly rare paint scheme (that I wanted) and this was the only one I'd seen in several months of looking. So there's that! Link to comment
Rougarou Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 4 hours ago, large-stache said: I'm new here, and not yet a BMW owner. I found a nice '09 1200RT for a good price. It's at a consignment dealer, and they don't do that rides. Would any of you buy a bike without riding it first? What problems should I look for? I bought my first sport bike without a test ride, it only had 2500 miles on it, but none the less it was new territory for me then. I bought my used(5800 miles) 2006 RT in 2010 from the original owner without a test ride. I bought my used (1200 miles) 2014 HP4 in 2016 without a test ride. I bought my wife's new 2010 Shadow without a test ride. None of the three had any issues. When I got the RT, I hadn't been on a bike in 15 plus years. Neighbor rode it home for me because the seller wouldn't let me ride/test ride as I didn't have an endorsement (never mind that I didn't get an endorsement for another two years and put 25k miles on it during that time). I've also bought several used and really used vehicles without a test drive and had extraordinary luck with all of them. One vehicle, paid cash, it had 180k on the clock and I immediately took it on a 600 mile trip. Your experience may be different. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 My wethead RT, no test ride. Matter fact, they rolled it out of the service area and I waited a few minutes for my sales guy to return to go over the bike. He must of got tied up or he didn't give a crap because the deal was done, so, I rode off. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 22 hours ago, large-stache said: dirtrider, thanks for your input. I feel the dealer Motorado in Lakewood, Colorado, has good reputation. Anybody here ever dealt with that dealer? The 2500 miles I was referring to was my first sport bike I bought without a test ride, many years ago. Morning large-stache I know nothing personally about Motorado so I ran that business through the Better Business web site. The BBB shows Motorado as not BBB accredited but that really means nothing unless it WAS BBB accredited then lost that rating (this doesn't seem to be the case) The BBB web site shows no customer complaints & they seem to have a good rating. This doesn't necessarily mean that you will get a good bike (or for that matter a bad bike) from them. You need to keep in mind that they seem to be a basic all motorsports resale shop so they deal in Snowmobiles, ATV's, motorcycles of all brands. This probably also means that they don't have any BMW specialized technicians, any special BMW tools, or proper BMW diagnostic equipment. They are a consignment type business so their knowledge of that BMW motorcycle is probably pretty limited to what the last owner told them & a basic look-see to verify no major leaks or flat tires then a wash & possibly a polish. (not knowing that particular business I can't say for certain but I do know of other similar type consignment/resellers & with those basically what comes in goes out the same way with a basic wash & polish plus possibly a few quick cosmetic repairs & maybe an oil change) On this type of deal you just never know if the last owner is/was being honest with Motorado when the Motorado buyer came to look at the bike & suggest a price point. The previous owner might just have been too busy, or too uninvolved, or even deceased so the bike was called into a basic consignment shop. Or on the other hand, possibly the past owner tried to trade the bike in but for whatever reason the dealer didn't want it, or there is a known problem with it, or some issue that the past owner wanted to wash his hands of so basically set it out on consignment to be sold without his direct involvement. (Motorado is probably making a decent profit on this bike so that means the last owner is letting it go pretty cheap, WHY???). That bike might be a decent deal but on the other hand it might also be a money pit (especially if it came from a recent flood area). That is one of the problems with a consignment/resale type deal as it allows everybody in the history chain to wash their hands of known or unknown problems & hide ghosts (no accountability from anyone in the history chain)-- I'm not saying this is the case on this bike just a possibility. If Motorado is offering a reasonable short term warranty then that could make a difference (at least it would to me as it means they somewhat trust the bikes history ) . If they aren't offering any type of short term warranty then buyer beware unless Motorado has a policy in place if it turns out to be turd. I'm not saying to not buy it but am saying DO YOUR HOMEWORK on that bike before making an offer. If you aren't intimately familiar with the 1200RT hexhead bike then it might be in your best long-term interest to find someone who is & take them with you when look at that bike. 1 Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Good Day Large-Stache I'm not as experienced with these bikes as the other's that have replied here, but for what it's worth, when I was looking for my bike, what sold me on it was the fact that the previous owner emailed me 15 pages of service records. Every required service interval and Recall service was done by the one local BMW Dealer, including Oil changes, final drive, transmission fluid changes etc...most of the services were done slightly less than the required mileage interval and clearly showed dates, mileages and a full explanation of the service that was done that particular day! I was buying from a private individual, so he allowed me a reasonable test ride. He was very upfront with me about the various scratches or blemishes the bike had. Sent me detailed photos of them. He was 5-1/2 hrs away from where I live and was quite straight about the bike. I felt it was worth going to look at, so I made the trip. Turned out to be a great bike so far(4 months and 4,000 mi into ownership). It had 37,000mi when I bought it, 9-1/2 out of 10 condition, runs and feels like a new bike. I ended up paying 6K for it and I'm quite good with that...going market selling price seemed to be anywhere from 7200 to 8500 on the high side for a similar bike! Now, saying all that...recently (500 mi ago) I had a failure of one of the Infamous T.B. Cams...(the other one was also cracked and ready to go). So I had Beemer Bits in Tucson retrofit The CNC Machined Aluminum Cams inside those throttle bodies. BMW's fix for this is normally just to replace the T.B's for a little over 1100 bucks ea...but then your still left with Plastic Cams, to revisit that awful scenario down the road again! D.R. is 100% spot on about the T.B. Cam issue...It's not a matter of if they break, it's more a matter of When....So if I factor in the New Aluminum Cam repair to my equation, I still paid less than 7K for the bike and it's just shy of mint runs (and almost smells new). I'm leaving for The Baja a week from Today! Wish me Luck! 77 deg....dry desert and sunny weather here I come! 1 Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 I had that same top case on my 05 RT. Great alternative to the BMW $tuff. Link to comment
Whip Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 I am not far from Lakewood (2 hours) if you need someone to check it out. Link to comment
large-stache Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 3 hours ago, Whip said: I am not far from Lakewood (2 hours) if you need someone to check it out. I appreciate that offer. I'm also 2 hours away in Pueblo. But you have BMW experience that I don't. I was thinking about going up there this week and looking at it. 1 Link to comment
Whip Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Week after next (26-3) I could meet ya there. This coming week I am buried in appointments and responsibilities. Let me know. Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 10 hours ago, boxerguy said: I'm leaving for The Baja a week from Today! Wish me Luck! 77 deg....dry desert and sunny weather here I come! Boxerguy - Is your front tire badly cupped? Link to comment
Rougarou Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Indy Dave said: Boxerguy - Is your front tire badly cupped? Looks like shadows Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Indy Dave, No it's not cupped, must be an aberration do to lighting....You are seeing shadows that are being cast by the handrails on the bunk deflectors of my Semi-Tractor... That's a pretty new tire! but I do appreciate the concern! and keen eye. This is what I like about this Forum. Various levels of enthusiasts on here helping each other, in any way they can! Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 boxerguy - Glad it's not. I figured it was the light, as nearer to the pavement, there appears to be an elongated flat spot that no doubt you would have noticed with the way you look after your bike. And I must say, your bike looks awesome! The headers came out well, and the entire machine looks showroom new. Rig looks nice too! VED power or otherwise? Link to comment
tallman Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 When we did demos rides, the test rider signed a form, we copied DL (with motorcycle endoresement) and CC. The rider accepted responsiblity for any damages. Rare that it happened, but it does. If no test ride, follow advice above to try and get ok from owner etc. There are plenty of motorcycles for sale that have complete histories and inspection ride options. It is not like they quit making them. Best wishes. 2 Link to comment
RoadRunner Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I had an 09 that I sold a few years ago with 140K miles. I picked up a used 13 with 30K miles from a dealer 8 hours away.....but it was a BMW dealer who had gone thru it, knew it's history, and no I didn't test ride it. I flew up and rode it home. No regrets. The bike you're looking for seems a little high.....but like what they say about used cars, you may want to have someone who knows the bike mechanically take a look, at least at its history. 1 Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Indy Dave, Yeah the Volvo Truck is a 2000 model year (VED 12.9Litre-set at 465 HP)...1,984,000 kms..Yes you read it right... It has been meticulously maintained, and to this day I don't ever add any oil between oil changes! Truck gets oil change once every year in early May when we get back from Arizona.. .just shy of 16,000 kms each year! I've talked to mechanics and drivers that talk about some of these units(1999-2002) that have achieved 2 to 4 million miles, (without an engine rebuild)....I wonder how many revolutions of the crankshaft that is?? Is there a computer or calculator capable of that computation?..LoL.. 2 Link to comment
tallman Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Hi. Confused. 2000 model year. 1.9m km's, at 16k km's annually, doesn't compute. Sorry id I missed an explanation. Best wishes. Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I bought the truck 12 years ago when it had most of those miles already on the clock...I'm the second owner! 1 Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Big long ramps to take down the lil' smarty? Interesting operation I bet.. Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 No Actually Short (12 ft folding in the centre-custom made) Ramps so they can store under the Custom made Bed... It's a very Smooth, Uneventful, easy Operation that takes less than 15 min (Going Up)...Winch it UP...with a remote control....And then Simply Drive it off- Going Down! Actually I loaded my older RT the same way, only The Winching Operation was Loading and Unloading and it took much longer! Here are some Pics! 3 Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Oooops, forgot these! 3 Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 See, very interesting! That's an awesome setup you have! 1 Link to comment
boxerguy Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Also here are a few pics, of Motorcycles that I had photographed for Manufacturers back in the day when I wore a hat as a Commercial-Industrial Photographer for 32 years!....Enjoy! 1 Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 16 hours ago, boxerguy said: Also here are a few pics, of Motorcycles that I had photographed for Manufacturers back in the day when I wore a hat as a Commercial-Industrial Photographer for 32 years!....Enjoy! Yeah there might be some issues when my first thought is, CAREFUL WITH THOSE HEELS! Nice photography! Link to comment
Rougarou Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 5 hours ago, boxerguy said: Oooops, forgot these! Wow!!! Even when I hauled the Jeep in my camper, I only used four straps!!!! And I'm not a careful driver Link to comment
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