Since I am a glutton for punishment, it only makes sense that after a return to biking last riding season with the VFR, I am now suffering the onset of Multiple Bike Syndrome. I thought I had cured this after being a long time sufferer years ago, but its back. MBS is a tough malady to conquer. So now I have been looking around at a more two up oriented bike to add to the garage and my roving eye is settling on BMW boxer twins. I know there are numerous members here that have or had them, and I need your insights into the brand. The only experience I have had with them has been the occasional ride on a friends bike years ago. Your thoughts gentlemen? You know, costs, maintenence, power, comfort, ergos, availabilty of parts, dealers, newer vs. older, etc. Lay it on me guys. Before you say it, I am not going to use the VFR for two up, for a variety of reasons, but the main one being that my poor old wife cant hang on the back of it since she doesnt weigh 110 lbs.....nuff said about that one.
hookers I only do two up if its two for one hooker night.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Get a saddle with a backrest. Makes all the difference for passenger comfort and, even more important, confidence. That being said, I'm saving my pennies for one of these... And yep, I'm going to be that guy.
I'm going with a Honda PC for passengers/cargo duty and the VFR for spirited riding, and I'm selling my K-75. Reliable, yes. I've only had it for 20 months, but I've changed the oil a few times and both of the tires. I've ridden it hard, I think that it's solid. Both of my Honda's were recently sick and I took the BMW I am trying to sell out on the weekend to flog it and then again to get a new reg/rect. for the VFR. Why am I selling? Personal preference: bikes are not about being rational, they are about what feels good to you. The Honda's suit me, that's all. As for putting a passenger on: If she doesn't fit a VFR I say (well I say you are lucky because I know what's good, and) the K-75 is less comfortable than my VFR for the rider, I think that it must be even less so for the passenger. If you can find a Pacific Coast or something like it... The guy who sold it to me calls it the Pacific Couch because it's that comfy, and it's more fun in low speed corners than the K-bike, else I would be selling it instead. Carry on as you were.
hmmmm....ive ridden quite afew Bee emms. if you want a true 2 up machine then the R 1150RT is a great choice. + plenty of room for both in comfort. can ride it all day comes standard with hard luggage sportier than the LT and quite nimble for its size/bulk plenty of features/options available-heated grips, ABS,elec screen good range for gas and quite fuel efficent very nuetral handling and great wieght distribution low output engines have a long lifetime - feels kinda whimpy on power for an 1150 quiet exhausts make a wierd whoooshing noise??? engine sounds like an electric mixer bowl feels like your piloting a lounge chair after spartan sportbike accomodation slow steering compared to a sportbike i mention the 1150 over the 1200RT for 2 reasons. 1.the 1200 is just plain ugg ugg ugg...Leee 2. the 1150's here can be bought for far less now, being older, so represent pretty good value for $$$$. plus they last a long time so if you can find one with low to moderate k's then brilliant! Bee emm owners tend to be easier on their machinery and look after them quite well, often up specing along the way- as a general rule-there will always be exceptions so normal buying ettiquitte applies. i my self am also keen on the R 1200GS (not the adventure) but whilst a capable 2 up ride perhaps not as luxurious as the RT for the pillion. i've done alot of time on the standard R1100S and like this alot, altho its probably on the sporty side so too similar to your Viffer. plus they require ahealthy increase in power and suspension mods to get them running like a goodun.....and strangley they dont have a fuel guage(WTF???).:crazy: the asymetric headlight is also an aquired taste... as an option i would consider the Honda ST 1300 pan european. if BMW put that V4 honda 1300 engine in the R1150 it would be perfect! :thumbsup:
SLOav8r we think exactly alike. Soon as I hit that lotto it's off to buy a BMW 1200GS Adventure. I've read way too many blogs on trips up to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska...you could say that I'm addicted at the least...:thumbsup:
Bear: Wait till you do a track day before you decide on another street bike; unless of course you have the cash flow for both! BZ
What hooked me was "The Long Way Around" movie with the two movie dudes. Those GS's were gluttons for punishment and what a ride. I live in Chicago and there is 1 new BMW dealer around here that I know of. That is kind of a downer.
My two up bike is a Valkyrie Interstate and still love it after several years.It doesn't have the engineering as a Bummer but the operating cost is a fraction.It seems that European bikes and cars still need more repairs and maintenance than their Japanese counterparts. As for GS's being an off-roader--well.I had a Buell Ulysses (traded for VFR) that was touted as dual sport.Drop one of these GS's and try and pick the damn thing up without a film crew following you through Africa.
It just so happens that I have the exact seat complete with back rest that you pictured SLOav8r, but the VFR will remain with the seat cowl on for now....besides, how can I cure the urge for multiple bikes without gettng more? heehee Thanks for the tip Richard Thompson, I will keep my eyes open for the 1150 and maybe by the end of the year locate one with a nice low mileage low price tag I have honestly never thought of a Pacific Coast.....hmmm.....have to look more closely but I 'm not sure the styling is right for me. And yep, those big ass GSes look like a beast, not sure I want to spend THAT kind of money, but I can see some one wanting to have one in the garage. No worries Bubba, when it comes time I believe I will opt for the SV650 for a cheapo fun track bike, I have seen some good examples out there for very good prices lately. Nothing is going to happen tomorrow anyway, I'm just getting the bug to have more than one again, and have been looking around at Beemers, but dont know very much about them. I suppose its time to cruise the Beemer forums and whatnot and get informed. A crystal ball with info on whether all of us have jobs this time next year would be a nice thing to have too, but I'm looking ahead and being optimistic. Any one else got some good insights into Beemers?
I have a 2001 BMW K1200rs, and I love it. But I think it may be a little too VFR-ish to help you out. Lotsa go, very comfy. Little better wind protection. It's heaver, thus a better long distance ride - doesn't bounce around as much, but with 130 HP it is plenty strong....plenty strong. Since it is a generation or 2 old, you can find these bikes with low miles for $5-$6k. Gets low to mid 40's (MPG) on the road. Friend just came back from a 2 week / 3,000 mile trip on an RT. He & i rode together some after he returned. That RT just seems like the way to ride the highways to me. The sidecases are integral to the design, not just hung on the bike. The mirrors are part of the body work, not stuck on stems. Good wind protection. Ample power & much more torque than the Viffer with only slightly more weight. The 2-up configuration is comfy & with a top box, you've got the perfect wife-stop. Excellent suspenders. That would probably be my choice......if I could learn to like boxer twins.
Thank you very much Leftcoast for the info.....hmmm ... the K bikes, I hadnt really considered those but your description and the price make them high on the list now......thanks again bro. I agree those RTs sure look like the thing though, now I have lots more to think about. Ahh, thinking about bikes, next best thing to riding them heehee
Bmw K1200gt I put 13,500 miles on a fully loaded '07 K1200GT in a single season (2007) before I totaled it in a low-side in 11/07 (the accident was totally my fault). I loved the K12GT and I really miss all of its advanced electronics features and creature comforts, but its a big bike, and with a nominal wet weight of ~630 lbs. she was a bit ponderous. My (then) girlfriend and I rode ~4000 miles together on the K12GT, and an Autocom Super Pro AVi kit allowed us to effortlessly talk with each other while riding, and I can't imagine 2-up riding without this luxury. My girlfriend was always very comfortable on the GT, and the padded top-case served as an excellent back rest for her. I used the insurance money on the K12GT to purchase my '07 VFR, and I chose the latter partly because its nearly 100 lbs. lighter than the Beemer. But like I said, I really miss the Beemer from time to time. During the time that I was riding the K12GT, my older brother owned an '02 R1100RT (I think that's what it was called) and we swapped bikes while riding together. I've never liked 2-cylinder engines because I find them to be to buzzy, and compared with the K12GT's smooth inline 4-cylinder engine, I found the RT's boxer engine to be insufferably buzzy and sluggish. In addition, I didn't like the rather 'boxy' shape and contours of the RT, which reminded me of a bread truck on 2 wheels. At any rate, I couldn't wait to get back on my K12GT. I'm well aware that BMW's boxer engines have a cult following, but I'm not among those, and I also don't care for how the boxer engines' cylinder housings stick so far out laterally on either side of the engine. For my tastes, its rather ugly. The latest incarnation of this K-bike is the K1300GT, which I've not ridden. I would buy another KGT in a heartbeat if BMW would trim down the weight. Also, BMW missed the boat when they went with the massive inline 4-cylinder K-engine rather than coming up with a V4 similar to the Honda ST1300, but the latter is a pig with a wet weight of well over 700 lbs. BMW's are notorious for having rather clunky tranny's when shifting from between 1st and 2nd gear, but this settles down a bit once the bike is broken in. On the other hand, my VFR can also shift a bit clunky, and this is why its currently in the shop in order to have a Pro Shifter kit installed, which I learned about here at VFRWorld. If you're looking for a sport-touring motorcycle that offers excellent 2-up riding comfort, and you decide that you want a 4-cylinder engine as well as numerous electronic features and other creature comforts, the current competition includes the Yamaha FJR, the Kawasaki Concours, the Honda ST1300, and the BMW K1200/1300GT, all of which are shaft-driven. Among all of these, the BMW by far comes in at the lowest wet weight, and its standard and optional electronic features are quite impressive, which includes the following: 1) Partial linked ABS brakes; 2) Duolever (front) and Paralever (rear) suspension; 3) Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) for preload and afterload; 4) Bike/trip computer which displays (among other things) outside temperature; 'black-ice' warning; oil level warning, and optional Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM); 5) Electronic cruise control; 6) Heated grips, as well as heated seats for both rider and pillion, with a rear seat heat switch that the passenger controls; 7) Electronically adjustable windscreen; 8) 'CAN-bus' (Controller Area Network) electronic monitoring/diagnostic system; 9) ~9-position, manually adjustable handlebar settings. OK, I rest my case. Let the flames begin...
Super info and thanks, Actually there is an ST 1300 for sale around here on craiglist, but I would need to see one in person, the thing looks the size of a Goldwing in the pics. I really had not considered the K bike until some folks on here mentioned them, and now they are starting to look like a real affordable option. The only problem I have seen so far in looking at the ones for sale are finding one that doesnt have at least 50k on the odometer for a used one. Which obviously says something about their longevity, but anyone thats been around bikes at all knows BMW's reputation for that. As I posted earlier, nothing is going to happen tomorrow on this, I am a carefull patient shopper, it took me about 4 months to find the VFR last year, and I looked everyday and really had the bug. The more I learn about them the better off I'll be come time to pony up the dough. Thanks to all responders, and keep them coming.
you guys are funny. this BMW is ugly....This BMW is UG-LEE!!!! but everybody Loves the GS ADVENTURE! talk about something beaten to within an inch of it's life with an Ugly stick! people are funny....:thumbsup:
hey there mr Bear, see if you can blag a ride on an ST 1300. i spent about a year with one. they look big with all those fairings but actually they are quite flickable once underway. possibly due to low C of G and partly great wieght distribution. a stonking V4 1300 engine doesnt hurt either. IMO not as purdy as the 1150 RT tho... BTW....if i end up buying one it will be officially your fault....
Ugly will never let you down... I like it cuz it's awesome! That and after my trip to NYC and back, I officially hate chains. The GS will be my next bike, since the Honda just isn't rugged enough to make it to Alaska. I've already done left to right, I'm all about top to bottom now.
WELL. i gotta say that ugly is in the eye of the beholder......my mother still thinks I'm cute......bless her heart. look. if a GS blows yer skirt up, well...Good on ya! Go for it! And ther are gobs of folks who will agree.... GREAT BIKE!!! Ride it to the arctic circle & say hi to the eskimos. Have a swell time. I was just amused about how important Looks can be....untill somebody picks an ugly bike & says "now that's a ride!" a GS is a GREAT ride, but honestly .... you HAVE to agree that it looks a little like Bill the Cat. So what happened to all this criticism of "what is beauty"? I have a friend who rode from Seattle to the Arctic Circle to Mexico, and her Ride of Choice was.....yup.... a GS. The right tool for the right job.....actually she took a KLR for the mexico part..... Anyway. I don't mean to be critical of GS lovers. I was just amused a bit by our variety of perspectives.
