Should I replace the GL1800?

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#41
BMW makes a feature rich bike that is fun to ride. I personally don't care for the tractors they sell, but that's my personal take, both from riding them and from fixing them, farkling them and doing maintenance on them, plus my personal experience with many different BMW dealers.

Opinions vary. IMHO, there are no good deals on BMWs. But people want what people want, for a wide variety of reasons. I wish you the best possible experience with your new to you bike. I expect you will have a steep learning curve coming from a Honda to BMW. Good luck with that.
 

Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#42
Eric,
I went into this knowingly. I have been a moderate critic of BMW for years. But a good deal on a good bike swayed me...
Like Eric, I truly hope that you have a good experience, and that your "good BMW deal" doesn't turn out like my neighbor's recent experience with his "good boat deal".
 
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igneouss

Premier Member
#43
Shawn,
Thanks.
Please understand that I'm in this with open eyes. I don't want to get into personal finances but I could put maybe $5k into this bike before I run up against it's nominal value. There are other ways to assess the deal but please believe that there is a lot of room in this deal to take care of any problems. Another thing most here don't know is that I can do about 99% of my own work. Pretty much anything that does not require machine shop tools. Another good thing is that my nearest BMW dealer is very IBA friendly.

Sure, it's a BMW with all the negatives that entails. But I'm willing to throw the dice on this one...
 

c10

Well-Known Member
#45
I often hear Heavy from riders . @ 5' 1" 148 pounds I manage even the largest machines with ease . Practice , practice , and keep practicing even when you think you got it ! Recently sold my wifes Bandit 600 to a young man last summer . He was terrible , and likely to not make the 40 mile ride home . I spent two weekends with him training him on slow speed maneuvers , and riding . Bike stayed here even though he paid for it . In the end he came out far ahead of his basic MSF course . Knock on wood hes still riding accident free other than his parking lot drops from practice .

Enjoy the BMW , and remember if it does not work out put it up for sale , and pick another two wheeler :)
 

dmcqueeney

Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
IBR Staff
#46
But in the end I could not resist the deal. Lots of expensive options on the bike and many thousands of dollars less than a new bike ....
Since you are not the original purchaser, you may not receive notification of BMW's recently issued fuel pump recall for 2011-2014 R1200 models, including the GS/GSA (see page 2 of that recall document). Dealer should inspect, and replace affected parts if necessary, at no cost to you.
Planned Dealer Notification Date : FEB 15, 2021 - FEB 15, 2021
Planned Owner Notification Date : APR 02, 2021 - APR 02, 2021
. . . Dave
 

igneouss

Premier Member
#48
Thanks for the heads up! One of my first planned items is a trip to the local dealer with 'recalls' as one of the items to check.

Since you are not the original purchaser, you may not receive notification of BMW's recently issued fuel pump recall for 2011-2014 R1200 models, including the GS/GSA (see page 2 of that recall document). Dealer should inspect, and replace affected parts if necessary, at no cost to you.
Planned Dealer Notification Date : FEB 15, 2021 - FEB 15, 2021
Planned Owner Notification Date : APR 02, 2021 - APR 02, 2021
. . . Dave