Is 95k too many?

[zip50]

I'm ready to upgrade from my '09 F800ST to an R1200RT.  A trusted friend will sell me his for trade in value - $6000. it is a '14 that is pristine and has 95k miles.  The bike runs beautifully, has been meticulously maintained, garaged, always dealer serviced, oil changed every 3-5k, more than $5k worth of extras.  Would the 95k scare you off?  Your wisdom welcome.

[TEWKS]

Very few here have run a Wethead up into those numbers that I know of. The price sounds ok. You could trade it in yourself in a year or two and not lose much I would think.  I doubt there's a catastrophic failure around the corner if that helps.

[wbw6cos]

With that many services performed, the mileage should not be a major concern.  It was, obviously. ridden and well maintained, which is a plus.  My C has 113,000 miles on it and is ridden fairly regularly (not the mileage on that RT, though) and regularly maintained and the only issues that cropped up as a major concern was an O2 sensor and ABS fault , which may be caused by rubber brake lines deteriorating over time.  They are not the originals (2000 model), but with regular fluid changes, I have deduced that crud from brake lines may have caused the fault.  I will be sending it out for a rebuild (different thread topic.)  As far as higher mileage wethead RT's I would guess that the motor already has a good track record, but I cannot really point out what more to look for.  I just joined the RT crowd a few weeks ago (with still a lot for me to learn - 1250RT.)  

[Ozzyal]

I'd think with all the servicing done by a dealer it's a  reasonably good buy at a good price  . As said , could use it as a stepping stone for a  new bike later on 

[dirtrider]

12 hours ago, zip50 said:

I'm ready to upgrade from my '09 F800ST to an R1200RT.  A trusted friend will sell me his for trade in value - $6000. it is a '14 that is pristine and has 95k miles.  The bike runs beautifully, has been meticulously maintained, garaged, always dealer serviced, oil changed every 3-5k, more than $5k worth of extras.  Would the 95k scare you off?  Your wisdom welcome.

 

Morning zip50

 

That would be a very difficult decision on my part. As Pat mentioned, not many wetheads are seeing that type of mileage yet.

 

The wethead drive train has a pretty solid record so the majors (like engine, trans, final drive) are pretty solid & should go quite a bit farther as long as the bike has a solid service record.

 

The worrisome part (for me anyhow) would be the expensive incidentals that could add up to a significant ownership cost over the next 25-50K.

 

The BMW  wethead bikes are pretty complex with numerous electronics & expensive content so even somewhat minor repairs could easily push the future ownership cost into the thousands.

 

If you are capable of doing most of your own repairs & troubleshooting then ownership of that bike might not be too expensive but if depending on professional dealer repair then that bike could end up costing you much more than buying a low mile bike up front.

 

It is kind of a crap shoot as that bike could be trouble free for the next 25K, or could nickel & dime ($500.00 & $1000.00) you into BMW hate.

 

I guess on the upside, it is only 6K (plus extras) so as long as it will keep running (that shouldn't be a problem) then  it should still be worth something to re-sell so not a big loss on your part.

 

Bottom line--

-Would I buy that bike for 6K  given the present mileage?, probably not,  if I could afford a lower mile one.

-Would I buy that bike if it was all I could afford & wanted a wethead?,  then yes, probably would. 

[eddd]

15 hours ago, zip50 said:

I'm ready to upgrade from my '09 F800ST to an R1200RT.  A trusted friend will sell me his for trade in value - $6000. it is a '14 that is pristine and has 95k miles.  The bike runs beautifully, has been meticulously maintained, garaged, always dealer serviced, oil changed every 3-5k, more than $5k worth of extras.  Would the 95k scare you off?  Your wisdom welcome.

 

I wouldn't hesitate at all.  You can look at it a couple of ways: 

  1. What would a low mileage 2014 RT cost you by comparison?

  2.  What will $6000 get you if you were to buy any one of the many older RTs for sale?

I went to www.searchtempest.com, a site that searches craigslist nationwide.   The $6000 price is half of the lowest priced wethead bike I could find west of the Mississippi.  Most bikes are in the $14,000 - $16,000 price range.   I also looked at what kind of older RT you could get for $6000, and those are higher mileage bikes or generally in less than excellent condition.

 

A trusted friend with a pristine bike with great service records and $5,000 worth of extras????  What's not to love about that deal?  The bike has obviously shown itself to be a reliable machine. 

 

It is pretty sad if we are to the point where we are afraid of BMWs with 95,000 miles.

 

[WBinDE]

I have a '16 wethead GSA with 117,000 miles on it. My only issue was at 98K, an oil seal that apparently didn't like the abrasive slush that forms several inches deep in beautiful downtown Carlsbad NM when it rains, residue from the oil patch to the south. It was fixed in a few hours and hasn't given me trouble since. It looks worse than it really was because of the contrast between the dry white dirt and the dark oil-soaked dirt. The good news is that it was immediately obvious. 

 

If you wouldn't install the existing farkles at your own expense, there's no reason to pay extra for them, since don't add value to you. But you already knew that.

[Marty Hill]

2016GS with 117k miles.  My hat is off to you.

Marty

[Bob H.]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 7:57 PM, TEWKS said:

Very few here have run a Wethead up into those numbers that I know of. The price sounds ok. You could trade it in yourself in a year or two and not lose much I would think.  I doubt there's a catastrophic failure around the corner if that helps.

My 14 R1200RT had 108+K miles on it when I traded it in June 2018.

[TEWKS]

Bob, you were the guy I had in mind when I said very few. 

[Bob H.]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 7:26 PM, zip50 said:

I'm ready to upgrade from my '09 F800ST to an R1200RT.  A trusted friend will sell me his for trade in value - $6000. it is a '14 that is pristine and has 95k miles.  The bike runs beautifully, has been meticulously maintained, garaged, always dealer serviced, oil changed every 3-5k, more than $5k worth of extras.  Would the 95k scare you off?  Your wisdom welcome.

 

If it was maintained as you believe I wouldn't be afraid of buying it. I put 108+K miles on my 14RT before trading it in on an 18RT.

[Dave_in_TX]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 6:57 PM, TEWKS said:

Very few here have run a Wethead up into those numbers that I know of. The price sounds ok. You could trade it in yourself in a year or two and not lose much I would think.  I doubt there's a catastrophic failure around the corner if that helps.

 

I have 97k on my 2014 R1200GS. Only problem so far was a leaky clutch hydraulic line that was replaced under warranty.

[PODMAN]

No Brainer-Buy it and put another 95,000 miles on it

[zip50]

Picked her up toady and she rides like a dream.  Great machine.  Thanks for all of your input.

[wbw6cos]

That is a fine looking machine right there.  Congrats on your purchase.

[eddd]

That's a lot of bike for $6K.

 

[eddd]

Post it to the Motorcycle Talk forum so everyone gets to see the new-to-you scoot.

[Bob H.]

I'd say you got one great deal, now get out there and enjoy the ride !

[Rob L]

You got a great deal!  The pre-wetheads always worried me because the clutch was so expensive to replace.  The wethead is easy by comparison.  I'm keeping mine!

[Pappy35]

53 minutes ago, Rob L said:

You got a great deal!  The pre-wetheads always worried me because the clutch was so expensive to replace.  The wethead is easy by comparison.  I'm keeping mine!

 

Well, true but then you have the alternator. Look into how much that will cost to replace. These are really apples to apples as clutches are wear items and alternators are failure-point but still. Pick up a gremlin and you're out $2,500. 

[zip50]

On 3/13/2019 at 11:15 AM, Bob H. said:

I'd say you got one great deal, now get out there and enjoy the ride !

Been riding almost every day since I got her. Now I know what all of you have been talking about.  This bike has really good manners.  Plenty of get-up-and-go and handles beautifully.