I've owned two BMW products in my life, a 2001 K1200RS and a 2003 540i M sport. The bikes fate was sealed (5700 miles on it) when a universal joint failed at 70mph, locking up the shaft drive according to the dealer. I must be incredibly lucky as I kept it up and safely stopped on the shoulder. Wanted out after that and traded for a Honda Blackbird. The 540i was a very fast, fun and comfortable vehicle. Only complaint was the orange dash lights. Seriously BMW what is with all the orange dashboard lights? The waterpump failed at 40,000 miles, off to the dealer and was $1700 to replace!! Sold and paid off the Blackbird. I understand why people buy BMW products, some go 100,000 miles without a cough. It seems it's kind of like playing the lottery. I don't gamble and since 2002 I've only owned Japanese bikes.

I'm in the USA and I just want to buy, drive and service. I think that most people here are that way too. Perhaps some who post on KZfaq are the type who replace everything, but not I. I won't buy Chevrolet ever again for reasons similar to the problems you had with BMW. I drive a Toyota FJ Cruiser now. Oh, and before that I had a Mini Cooper (made by BMW) that was shot by 40K miles. All bikes I ride NOW are Japanese.

I was looking at a used 1250 gs this afternoon. Chatting with the dealer he was saying anything approaching 8 to 10 years old is considered old! I also mentioned the shaft drive issues on BMW bikes that get changed under warranty at about 40,000 miles and his reply shocked me. He said that we don't change that many because most bikes are knackered by then and how many people do that kind of mileage on their bikes! I rattled off the list of Japanese bikes I have owned and done well over 60k on them with just oil, filters and valve clearance checks and not missed a beat! Its making me think Africa Twin is the way to go!

The dealership is a big part of the experience for many of us. I have owned 2 beemers in the last 15 years and loved the riding experience. I hated the terrible attitudes at the service departments at the two dealerships closest to me. I had a 2009 R1200GS Adv that was subject to multiple recalls and BMW will only pay for recall service at their dealers. I have a really good independent shop near me run by a semi-retired BMW master mechanic and I could not use him for any of the recalls. I have a 2021 Africa Twin now that I purchased from a small family owned dealership with a great service department and staff that understand what customer service should be. I'm sure there are some good BMW dealers out there - just not within 60 miles of where I live.

BMW stands for “Bee eM Trouble U”. Had a 2002 R1150RT bought new. Had it for 15 years. Ended up costing me more than what the bike was worth to repair. $3250 for new clutch and master cylinder at 54,000ks and a new ABS unit for $4500 at 56,000ks. I now have an FJR1300 and it is a sensational ride. I will never own a BMW ever again. You are better off with anything from Japan.

Had friends that have had many issues with Beemers, so i wont buy them either. In fact i wont buy any Euro bikes anymore as i've been bitten with reliability issues on them in the past. I only buy from the big four Japanese manufacturers now, they're always reliable and never give me any grief for the years i own them. Had my Yam XSR9 for 5 years now without a single issue. And the same for the 3 yrs i've had my CB5X.

For me, reliability comes above all else. Had a couple of Yam super10s and absolutely no trouble.

I’ve owned 7 of them: ‘77 R100/7, ‘85K100RS, ‘94 R100R Mystic, ‘04 R1200C (sold), ‘08 R1200R, ‘12 R1200R, and ‘13 R1200RT. I do all my own service, the R100/7 has over 100k miles, the ‘08 R1200R has over 80k miles, the R100R and other R1200R both have over 40k. I have nothing but positive things to say, love the performance, love the comfort, have had good luck with reliability.

That service manager probably ended up opening his own shop and has a loyal group of customers because he does the right thing. 😉

I’ve owned 3 BMW’s without a problem over 100,000+ miles.

I fully understand your frustration with your K13S and 1200RT. I would also be upset about those issues. However, my last two BMW motorcycles are the 1987 K75S, and my current ride a 2016 R1200RS. I rode the K75S for over 27 years and put over 160,000 miles (not KM) on it, and experienced no major problems. I have had the RS for just over 2 years now, and have put over 20,000 miles on it. Very reliable, and even confidence-building.

The reason I come back to BMW is…. I love the boxer motor… character and performance. I love the fit and finish. I like the shaft drive. I find they fit me (large person) better than others. If you buy a used one they have features that other companies just don’t have for the price.

Being a happy BMW owner for over 25 years of 3 models, this video caught my eye, so I thought I'd watch it and learn about your channel. Over the course of my 35 years of riding I've owned a Suzuzki VX800 ('90) , Honda GL1000 ('78), BMW's K100RS ('89), K1600GTL ('13), and my current ride an R1250GSA ('21). Being well into my sixties now it's safe to say I've settled on BMW, and hope to be riding one well into my seventies, or as long as I can. The machines I've owned have always pretty much fit their intended purpose, and that is my primary consideration when it comes to selection. For example I discoved that I was missing some excellent riding simply because I was on a touring bike (K1600). The Northeast US (primarily New England) has lots of trail riding and scenic country accessible by dirt roads, so I moved to an R1250GSA, a tall bike for me with a 30" inseam. And I love it. I never hold a grudge against any motorcycle manufacturer, and I've experienced issues with each of them, none of serious consequence or of a matter that lingered through the ownership. They are machines, and regardless of design and engineering there is always a random smattering of bikes with problems (eg, lemons). And I think that's why I stopped to watch this. Why would anyone devote almost 20 minutes to offer a negative opinion of BMW? Especially after the problems encounred on a bike over 12 years ago? Bikes and technology change in that timeframe. That's why I never hold a grudge. Problems usually get fixed. The story has not changed my mind, and I did decide to subscribe, at least for awhile. I've taken some time to watch other videos on this channel, and find them entertaining and informative. But maybe it's worth throwing a leg over a BMW again sometime.

Nice video and I enjoyed hearing your comments. For sure the initial issue was due to something the dealer did during your initial service. So sorry to hear that. I have a pretty good relationship with my dealer, and ALWAYS request the same very qualified technician to work on it. But mistakes can happen by anyone. Safe riding to you.

I'm with you - I bought a 2016 1200RT. Great bike, handled great, plenty of power, pretty comfortable, but...It repeatedly went into limp mode for no particular reason and left me stranded. After the 4th time, I was over it. Sold it for a loss and moved on. No more BMW's for me. If I can't depend on a bike, I don't need it. Back to the Japanese for me. I rode a Honda ST1300 90k miles and it never, ever, malfunctioned. Should not have sold it to buy the BMW. Maybe an FJR 1300? In any case, it will be Japanese.

I’ve owned three BMW bikes, an R50 c1958model year, a 750/5 short wheelbase 1973 bought new and a R100 Classic 1991. Each one was more expensive to own. The performance went up with each and the ride quality went down. A heavy flywheel and Earles link suspension make for a smooth ride. What you give up is acceleration and sporty handling.

I had a german car many years ago that was awesome until the first service. They worked on the fuel injection and from that time on the car had a flat spot when changing from first to second gear. The dealers never managed to get it sorted. Sold it at 150,000km. I now stick to Korean and Japanese too.

The Suzuki v strom 1050 that I ride at the moment blew its rear shock at 1500 miles and I had to wait four weeks for a replacement, it’s now done 6500 and the replacement shock has been fine, the dealership I bought it from have been excellent to deal with. I also had a bmw S1R for around 18 months and never had any issues.

WOW, you’ve definitely brought up some major things to think about. Thanks for expressing your thoughts and experiences.

I ride an FJR 1300A, a 2009 model. 50000km on the clock, still rides like new. My neighbor has an Africa Twin and a GS650. He had to take apart the BMW 3 times now in the span of 5 years. Africa (despite being about 30 years old) still runs no problem and he uses it for any long distance travel instead of the BMW. If that is not a perfect example of a qualitative difference, I do not know what is.

Great video, I agree BMW need to improve on quality control. Sold my 2016 r1200rt to upgrade to twin cam engine but holding off due numerous complaints from other riders of same bike. My '09 gs on the other hand has been flawless. Shaun Smoakes produce fantastic videos, great to watch every single day!

Great Video. Owned many BMW's, mainly GS's. Found them heavy but reliable. My first 1200GS hexhead was a fabulous bike, but started rusting on the frame almost immediately. Dissapointing as i loved that bike - travelled all over South Africa with it, even Lesotho mtns. In Australia, bought the new water cooled 12GS. Engine oscillations drove me insane, BMW told me it was normal. Agter much fightihg they bought the bike back. Bought a 1250GS, drove it 2000kms and sold it. Stunning bikes but i am just done with the dealership hassle and weight of the bike. Now own a Yamaha T7 - what a revelation! Great on road, great off road, perfect bike, perfect engine.

Great video which confirms my experiences over the years. I've just bought a 2013 R1200R classic with 10000 miles on it and a full service history with no recalls or work other than the service work. I was going to buy a water cooled r1200rs, but was warned off by my non franchised BMW guy about the reliability issues with newer models. I'm lucky to have access to his honest experiences and would advise anyone buying a new or used BMW to avoid the main dealers like the plague once the warranty expires.

I have a 2017.5 GS. First BMW I’ve owned, and it has been totally bulletproof to date, and has done 55,000 km of mainly two up touring. I know many with very similar experiences on high mileage BMW bikes. Anything can go wrong with any bike, but I think there is a tendency to pick on BMW in general, and perhaps any “top brand”. Sure, Japanese bikes are hard to beat for reliability, but they just can’t compete with the GS for all round comfort, suspension, handling, luggage, accessories, etc. Not to mention brilliant dealership experience, warranty and support, as well as excellent resale value! You get what you pay for…

Riding my 2nd R850R now with 130k k”m and since 2008, love it, only refuling and oil changes.. tried other models and nothing beats it.

I currently have a 2009 R1200RT and bought it new in 2010. Owning a BMW has been interesting. They require a bit more maintenance than most bikes and it's best if you follow it, whether you do it or the dealer does. In my case, the dealer did the first service, but I've done all the service since and some repairs. What BMW screws up on is in two areas: One, they do stupid design ideas that don't work well in the long run, like a fuel strip instead of a float in the gas tank or plastic throttle body pulleys. Both fail eventually and while BMW gave a 12 year extended warranty on the fuel strip, they don't extend the warranty on the plastic pulleys, which fail and leave one stranded. When they go, it can be an instantaneous loss of throttle control. Then there are the penny pinching/QA/QC with vendors/parts. Water pumps for instance. In my local BMW club, everyone that bought the K1600 when it first came out had at least 1 water pump failure. One guy had 4 and when he went on trips he bought a spare as he didn't want to be stranded. The first R1200 water cooled bikes had water pump failures too. Shock problems, switch gear and on the R1200 liquid cooled, some cam failures, one guy posted in the MOA forum he had it happen twice and he used BMW oil. I've had the fuel pump replaced under recall(the ring fix first), a front ABS cable that wore through on the front rotor, 2 fuel strips and the throttle body pulleys cracked off. When I called BMW about the pulleys, they said have it fixed by a dealer and send us your receipt and we'll see if we'll reimburse you anything. It was 5 years old at that point and the dealer wanted $1400 to fix it. I bought the throttle bodies off of a low mileage salvage bike for $230 and did it myself. Recently, I brought it up on thread on BMW Motorcycles FB page in response to some comments and BMW actually contacted me, but the short of it is, they basically said, sorry you had problems with the bike in the past. All I can say is it will make for a very blunt video. I think BMW makes a very balanced design. Everything works well together in a competent package. Their cars are like that too, but between their odd business model and manufacturing mindset, I'll not buy one again. They obviously don't care. Many folks put in complaints to the NHTSA about the pulleys and even got call backs from the NHTSA, but there's been no movement on a recall. I think the perfect customer in BMWs expectation is one that trades in every 2-4 years and has all maintenance and repairs done at the dealer. For me, that's unrealistic.

Good video. I live in a rural area in SE U.S. After 55 yrs riding I ride Honda Magna. I love it because my first "real" bikes were 500 and 750 Kawasaki Triples. They were reliable considering the way I rode them. Of all the bikes I've owned the LS650 Suzuki Savage was the most fun. One big piston. I think you are spot on with your analysis. We don't like leaving our hard earned property with strangers, because we probably have a better idea of the problem than the dealer does. And young mechanics have to prove they are at least as good a mechanic as I am. Some of us here in the states don't like going hat in hand to ask for warranty work that is specified in the owner's manual. Age and experience factor heavily in our purchasing choices. Ride safe.

Sorry for your experience with BMW Bikes, However, my experience has been completely different. I owned my first BMW bike back in 2011 (K1600GTL) & bought another one in 2012 (F800GS) & another one in 2015 (R1200R). As of today, I'm still a happy owner of the 3 of them & thinking to go for R18. I can say that I'm Very satisfied with BMW motorrad products and service.

I've had 4 BMWs beginning with an old K75 ending with an R1100RT and found that while the prices went up the quality slowly went down to the point that I've gone back to Japanese bikes. Dependability it paramount to me - I despise being stranded. I've found the same quality issues with German cars, primarily VW. My first one was a '57 Beetle. The last one was a 2017 Beetle. Again, the prices went up and the quality went down. We've now got a Subaru and a Toyota.

I watched your video and appreciate hearing your comments on the two BMWs you owned back in 2010 (R1200RT) and before that (K1300S). I would likely be disappointed in that experience as well. However, my experience has been completely different. My current BMW is a ‘22 R1250 RT and it’s my 15th BMW bike since 1974…..and with 450,000 miles ridden in total. Aside from routine service and tires, and a few minor voluntary recalls, I’ve really had no problems at all. I have NEVER had any of those bikes let me down aside from issues with flat tires or battery. As you say, I have just ridden them and serviced them and that’s it. I’ve had a few other Japanese bikes that have been reliable for sure, but I always felt that they were not even close to being comparable to the quality and capability of BMWs in terms of engineering and performance. I do not think that my experience is either an anomaly or that I was just lucky. The experience that I have had to date with my 15 BMW bikes (so far) has been very consistent with my very high level of expectations.

This is the reason I can’t bring myself to buy a BMW. My top priority is reliability, followed closing by ease of maintenance. I loved my Victory Cross Country Tour for those reasons. The rest of my bikes have been Japanese, with no regrets.

Thank you for your thoughts and experience with your 2 BMW bikes. I'm an old (77) bikie from way back and have had all sorts of bikes viz. NSU, Adler, Jawa, Honda, Yamaha, Montesa to name a few, but in 2007 I bought an R1200GS new, and a mate of mine did the same. We rode together on some planned trips but then my mate had to sell his bike and I was left with mine. I was still riding it when the ABS stopped working, and this was before it had done 10,000km. The long and short was that hydraulic fluid from the brake system had leaked into the ABS computer requiring its replacement, but by this time it was out of time warranty, not distance. BMW wouldn't replace it fully but discounted the replacement cost of the computer card. Not long after, the electric fuel pump stopped working and had to be replaced. Also, during this period, I had to return the bike for a recall to have the rear hub replaced due to fears of cracks developing. By this time, I'd had enough and sold the bike. I never had any such problems with any of my previous (new) bikes, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. Thank you again for your story.

Very interesting perspective. I also liked the Australian vs NorthAmerican take on warranty/recall issues. 16:28 I too have had a couple of bmw bikes, a 2016 k1600 GTL and 2018 1200RT. The GTL started going into limp mode with approximately 30k km.. After the fourth or fifth time, I lost faith in the bike and got tired of having to either fly home and leave the bike in a shop for them to try and figure it out or to staying close to home incase it died. I traded it for the RT. I sold it after a few years just to try something new. By far, best bang for the buck have been Japanese products. More competitive selling prices, less maintenance costs by far, and very reliable. Btw Bmw dealership I dealt with in Victoria BC was excellent to deal with. Bill, the GM, and Bernie, the service manager went above and beyond to deal with my “limp mode” issues but as I said, I simply lost faith in the bike.

Loved your video thanks for posting it, I'm somewhat off track here but i was amazed at the roads you were on, and the fact that you could drive so far without the smallest village or shopping center, having never been on a trip to Australia, as a brit on the roads we are so used to being constantly passing through small towns or villages , As for the BMW bike stories ,it must be simply heartbreaking ,when like us here we assume everything german is the best thing since sliced bread ,anyway thanks again,BFN from the uk,

Thanks for that. I bought my 2001 R1100S in 2008 with only 15 k on the clock and soon after BMW found crown bearing issues upon first service with them. Bad start because i loved the bike by then and just forked out to have it fixed after some more refitting drama there. I now do everything mechanically myself (no abs) and in 2022 I couldn't be happier with never another issue, notwithstanding bar risers and footpeg mods bought to get my 64 year old body more upright. Now looking at the 1250gs too but will keep this 1100 as long as I have space to house it

PS. The Best Touring Bike I ever owned, was the Honda Hornet 900 (sold as the 919 in the USA. Best Wishes hour run on it, was 1109 miles from Spain to Calais, after much of the day spent s ratching through the Pyrenees. That fresh arriving in Calais, if I hadn't had to get back from work, I could have cheerfully turned around and headed back to Spain. Did lots of 750 mile legs in Daylight, such as into the Eiffel in Southern Germany, to meet friends there, before heading off to Eastern Europe etc, and 750+ miles for the last leg. But my Biking days are now over, and it's back to being Afloat on a Boat ASAP. Wishing you Safe and enjoyable travels, Bob. 👍

I've been riding bikes for over 35 years ,Japanese and have never had much trouble . Few years back after reading all the rave reviews of bmw rt 's , I was looked to purchase a 2nd hand one . First test ride , broke down ,dodgy fuel gauge, 2nd bike I looked at the screen wouldn't adjust , switchgear common prob or motor £1000 was quoted , then abs light came on .... bought a gtr1400, and now a v strom ,both 100 %reliable over last 6 years. You are paying for the snob badge .

Great well considered review. I have a 2012 BMW R1200R Classic since almost new and an Indian Springfield since new. I absolutely love my BMW and just couldn't bear to sell it. It's an incredible very versatile hot rod. However it's very complex and a really skilled mechanic is essential also for my safety so it only goes to really good workshops. My Indian is electronically complicated but it's not sophisticated like the BMW. It isn't as well made either in some areas. But the Indian has been very reliable although getting good service is more difficult now than it used to be with the dealership closures. Finding good service for the BMW is in fact easier. Very different bikes. I will have to rebaseline my BMW when I start riding it again to simply know that it's all good. This won't be cheap.

Excellent insight. Thanks for the contribution. It's always good to hear the truth about mechanical issues on all bikes.

I stayed with you until the end - I agree totally with your findings. My RT, which was great by the way suffered an ABS pump failure, which I understand is fairly common but as it was outside of warranty the costs to me a small fortune to put right, plus it developed oil leaks and the shaft drive became noisy. Not put off I bought a K1300GT and then the fuel sender failed. It was at this point I turned to Honda and just nothing went wrong.

I love the oil cooled boxer engine. So easy to work on(unless you have to do the clutch) and very reliable. The engine also has a charming character to it.

Interesting watch / listen not to mention the complete absence of other road users (I live in South East England), ride a 4 year old V Strom 1000 and yes it’s a budget machine but I kind of know I’ll reach my destination and it’s relatively easy to service etc. So the design is spot on, that said, the materials aren’t the best so you’ll need a really good and regular cleaning regime if you want the thing to last. I reckon it’s a lottery regarding European bikes, you get the very best but if it’s plagued with issues what’s the bloody point……then again you might get lucky and bag yourself a winner. No doubt they look the best and ride the best, but I’m not sure I’d trade that for perceived unreliability, plus they cost big bucks.

That’s the price you pay for riding cutting edge technology. You become part of the research and development process. You can buy a good old tried and true BMW model and you won’t have to deal with any warranty or recall work. I’m glad the traction control kept you safe and going.

For me reliability is the number one priority. When owning cars, motorcycles, boats, computers and all kind of stuff it is crusial that my time is not spent on complaining or repairing broken "toys". Therefore I went for a Tenere 700 last year. A plain and simple back to basic mc with a well known engine. So far no trouble what so ever (6000 km). Crossing my fingers...

Good vid, and am interested to hear of your experience with the BMWs. I’ve been looking at them but am taking into consideration your thoughts on the bikes. It is very true that the dealerships make a very good or very bad impression, and I’ve avoided BMWs over the years exactly because the local dealership owner is incredibly obnoxious (here in VT, USA). When BMW came out with some smaller bikes (I’m a 5’6” female), my interest perked up, but after seeing your vid, I’m putting BMWs further down on my “want it” list. I’ve had much luck with Kawasaki brand, in particular. Hondas are ok, but I think Kawasaki offers more for the money.

I own a 2017 R1200RT and approaching 50k kms. Great bike and no problems. I do change the oil and oil filter in between servicing schedules as i have always done with other bikes I've owned. I also check the bike over on a regular basis. Its very important to have a good, experienced and ocd service "person"...lots of monkeys working at dealers these days that simply dont work at the expected standard and in Oz at Bmw dealers thats no exception. I own a Bmw F30 320d thats coming up to 200k kms and apart from replacing the rear wheel bearings at 160k kms its been faultless. I service the car myself now and change oil and filters every 8-10k kms, its easy. I have had different brands of cars and bikes over the years but they are all only as good as the care given...

In the 1980s I had a BMWR100T, and commuted in and out of London on it for 4 years, plus trips seeing people and touring Scotland on more than one occasion. I took the bike up to 92,000 miles before selling, and during that time all it needed was two new clutch plates, as the others wore down. Apart from that, it never missed a beat. The guy who bought it off me, did a pressure test on the pots as the bike was running, and he said it was like new. I have owned Suzuki (GSXR750), Yamaha (some 550 V twin, a triumph bonneville (old style) and a Honda 125. The BM was by far the most reliable. I know have a BMWR1250R and have done 6000 miles with no issues, but I hope it stays like that. It may be the quality of engineering is not the same as in the past.

Currently in USA and writing older boxer 1100 or 1150 twins.. Previously a number of triumph triples which I highly recommend. The BMW's were Very reasonable used price. Being About 20 years old. Not any high mountain use but what 1 of them is approaching 60000 miles.. Not doing any big mileage yet.. I enjoy most things about the BMW but also I highly recommend the triumph triples... The most fun were speed triples Good luck out there...

I appreciate your commentary and find that your BMW experiences align with my observations of fellow riders who owned BMWs in the past. I've had a good experience with my Harley-Davidson ElectraGlide which I bought new in 1994. It now shows 100,000+ miles on the odometer with only routine maintenance in it's history. However, compared to BMWs and most modern bikes, it is a very simple machine with a carburetor, push rods and a kevlar belt for final drive. Now I want a new bike that will perform better on gravel and dirt roads. I just bought a Kawi KLR650 as a "primer" off-road tourer, and I have been really interested in the BMW 1250 GSA. However, maybe the Pan America might be worth looking at - even though I'm not certain Harley has the bugs worked out of the design. Of course there's always the reliable Africa Twin or T700. can you buy a Yamaha T7 World Raid model where you live? We can't get them yet in California. Thanks again for your very interesting video.

Thanks for sharing your story. I get it. In terms of ride and performance BMWs are on the top. :) Otherwise... on the other hand the story is a lot different. I mean... you can have a lot of problems or none of them but... when you are about to buy a bike, usually you always pick the one you trust as a brand. If you cannot trust a brand, you are not gonna buy it anymore. :) This is just my opinion.

I was a Honda mechanic back in the early 80s. Yes a while ago. The CX500's had many waterpump failures and the VF750's all, had to have their camshafts replaced due to bad heat treatment. This was a huge factory recall, the biggest bike recall I've ever heard of. My Suzuki Katana had a problem with the clutch basket which I found out was very common and yes fixed under warranty. However when I took it in they said to me, we can replace it with a new part and we'll see you in a couple thousand k's for another one OR we'll weld the part you have, to make it stronger. I opted for the weld (cost me $20 and never heard a peep from it again). Lots of bikes and cars have issues, particularly when there's a new model release. I don't know if your shock issue was common (I hope not because others might not have been as lucky as you). And I'm not sure how reliable Japanese bikes are these days but I do know that they just don't handle with the same level of confidence as my R1150RT. Your experience with the first bike was an inherent engineering fault. I say fault because when engines vibrate and people complain you'll occasionally see a new model with counterbalancers off the crankshaft to tame those annoying vibrations. With the other, that was a catastrophic failure, but I would still say don't rule out BMWs because of that. There are plenty of stories out there of BM's that just keep going forever. My RT is getting long in the tooth but I can't justify an upgrade when it does everything I want it to. PS beautiful countryside around Ballarat!

When a company has recalls, I appreciate it. It’s their admission that they produced something not completely right and making it correct.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I considered the k1300 when shopping but went for a VFR1200F, I own a BMW X1 and its been very reliable but when something does need to get repaired it’s very difficult to DIY and expensive to have it done. I’m enjoying the Honda very much.

Totally agree, having to return again and again for recalls or warranty work is a real pain. It’s like they think we haven’t got anything better to do. Thankfully not really had that issue with bikes but both our vans have been back time and again. Puts you right off particularly when you get it back not properly fixed. In your case could have been very serious had you not stayed upright!

Lovely vid, the wind was not bothersome, if anything quite soothing. As a current owner of the Moto Guzzi V85 TT, I have had to bring it back to the dealer more than once.. one of which, it seems is down to me, not used to the power failure on a hot, air-cooled V-twin (engine knocking in 1st, 2nd and even 3rd gear when the temp meter reads 24 celsius in heavy Dublin traffic). Which is not present when driving outside of the city, mind you. The others were covered under warranty, were mostly an oil leak from the sump bolt, and the others were sheering bolts on the exhaust protectors (rock protectors I think), when revving too high.. which I find silly, as I have the rev limit set low considering how high it can actually go). So, I was looking at the Tiger 1200 (2018), but from similar Google searches and forums, appears to have long-standing issues, especially with their automatic suspension, TSAS, which has been shown to cause an engine turning off and locking the back wheel, when offroad. This scares me beyond belief, due to the response from Triumph being to ignore that there is an issue. My previous bikes were a Honda Bros 400, VFR 750, Dominator 650, Pan European 1100ST, Africa Twin (pre 2000 model), NC 750 DCT. Interestingly enough, the reasons for moving on from them was more down to me.. the Bros was too small for my 6' frame, the VFR was written off on a roundabout, the Pan just got too old to repair, the AT had terrible vibrations on the motorway, and the NC was brill except for chain drive maintenance (bike is kept outside) and lack of power. Hence why I bought the V85 from new, and do love it, except for a few niggles.. here's hoping the V100 will allow me to tour again. :)

I had a 79 R65 & a 2005 RT1150 both were great. I certainly agree with you on the later models they seem to issues 👍

Thanks for that. I have had an experience of owning a GS1200 , Bloody fantastic bike but due to my age and the time I might have left I thought to get my dream bike a K1600 GTL. Well the bike was fantastic. But due to the riding I did on back roads in WA the rear suspension was just not good enough . So I sold it back to BMW and got a new R1250 GSA . So far have not been happier. But in relation to your comments I brought a Jeep Grand Cherokee 3 litre Diesel. Was told it was a mistake etc. Saw so many bad reviews but ours never missed a beat. So from my view we all might get a bad egg once and a while but in general they are good.

2004 was the end of an era for BMW. At this point the bean counters took the company over and quality and design suffered. They are fantastic performers....when they are running. Too expensive to maintain and own.

I have owned 5 BMWs starting with 3 airheads way back when and then 2 oil heads. None had any problems except for the last 2004 1150GS. It had the ABS stop working and was going to cost way too much to fix (it was beyond the warranty). I do believe that BMWs quality control has slipped in more recent years starting with the R1200 series as I see many videos about problems.

Fully understand! I have four bikes: 2009 R1200RT, ‘97 Honda Valkyrie, 2014 Triumph T100 and ‘94 BMW R1100RS. The RT has spent the most time in the shop. Since I only paid $7,300 for it in 2018 with 13,004 miles, I figure I am doing okay. Don’t think I would buy a new one though-too much money for too many problems. My Valkyrie has been a great bike with 105,000 miles on it.

Surprised to see you having all those problems with BMW bikes! My actual (and first) bike is a 750 GS 2021 and I had zero problems with it since a year. I should mention, though, that I will not upgrade to 1250 GS in the future because the price is ridiculous.

So, to summarize: you've had 2 BMWs, one of them was perfect (vibey handlebar notwithstanding, which is obviously something you get on any inline 4) and the other one gave you ONE reliability problem in 25.000km of ownership (the throttle body f*ck up was obviously the result of dealership incompetence). And now, 10 years on, you're still afraid of getting another BMW because of their reliability. Am I getting this right?

Shame you had troubles like this with your RT, I ran a late hex RT and it was incredibly robust. Bought it with 70+k miles on a salvage title, ran it another 23k miles including getting knocked off it by a car and the only thing that went wrong was a busted rear U joint which was likely due to my shifting practice. It was pretty easy to take apart and replace the driveshaft as these bikes are put together beautifully. Still haven’t ridden anything as competent as that bike, it was on another level even at almost 20 years old. I might grab a Japanese bike next but I had to get an R1200S to ride and appreciate because these engines have a special place in my heart.

I'm 8 years in on a blue f800gs and I'm loving it.

I've noticed that guys my age (50's+) ride either BMW or Harley Davidson here in Denmark. I guess I'm the odd one out with my Honda Monkey and Honda rebel ;)

Thanks for your video and comments. However, I’m surprised that you experienced handlebar grips vibrations with the K1300S. In 2008 I bought a brand new R1200RT and my main complaint with it was vibration in the grips, especially at ~4000 rpm. One day I drove to a BMW dealer to test drive the new K1300S. The K-Bike 4-cylinder engine was so smooth (no vibrations) and responsive I became so fascinated by the bike that I asked the dealer to make me an offer for my 6-month-old RT and I would be buying the K1300S on the spot. The dealer was not willing to give an acceptable deal on my RT and I walked away. I kept it for almost 5 years without any issues. However, upon selling it and while the new buyer was riding it to his home the rear drive failed. Luckily for him and me, I had bought an extended 5-year warranty which was transferable, and it covered the rear drive replacement. After selling the RT I assumed that I would be done with motorcycling. After a lapse of ~ 8 years I studently got hit by the motorcycle bug and purchased a 2021 R1250GSA (40-year paint scheme) with all options for the US market. So far I’m very happy with the bike, and yes I still feel slight vibrations in the handlebar grips, but nothing to compare to what I was experiencing with the 2008 RT. I have fitted the OEM grips with Neoprene Beemer Buddies Grips which almost attenuated all the vibration. I think at the age of 73 this will be my last big toy to enjoy.

Very interesting. I don't have a bike now, but I did ride for 30+ years, and had several BMWs in the past. The only times I've needed to have the bike recovered, were on BMWs, never any others. One was an R65 (1984 ?) whose clutch failed suddenly when the rivets broke. The second was an R80, a year old, which had had the gearbox rebuilt by a well known dealer in England, but then was making so much noise that it was thought to be unsafe, in danger of locking up. I did enjoy my bikes, but they were not completely dependable.

I have always brought brand new bikes with no issues tbf but what started to put me off new bikes is the electronics seemed to be getting more and more complicated to our riding skills as yes some will say great but for me I don’t like all those whistles whistling so I love riding pre 80s bikes. ( that’s my two pennies worth ) thank you for your story 😇

I started motorcycle riding in 1968. It seems modern bikes are much more complicated. More things to adjust & malfunction. Also I finally settled into riding mid size bikes because I realized that I will never have the fastest bike. I'm 74 & mixing with cars on the road seems much more dangerous now.

I have been riding my K1300S since 2014. It has always had great experiences with this bike, it's done almost 140,000kms now. There are better dealerships than others, the last one charged $1100aud for it's 130,000 service, fair enough. Three weeks later I pulled over because the temperature was running really high. Fluid was running everywhere. It turns out that the thermostat had seized, something I would have thought they'd picked up on the big service. This cost $750aud. Apparently, according to the dealer, there have been some other expensive jobs that need to be done on the bike, some that I have decided to take to auto electricians, etc that have costed one tenth of the cost quoted buy the BMW dealer. I don't know, the K1300S might be running too well, so there's no real need to buy another one and they've decided to try to drag a new bike out of the old one? Really disappointed with BMW, until recently, I thought they were the best.

I 've had BMW bikes since 1999. Plenty of oilheads and hexheads, I bought and sold some that needed work. I broke a couple of driveshafts, 3 of 1150 driveshaft to transmission out put shafts stripped. A couple of throttle body breaks (plastic cam rotors) Two Clutchs, 2 rear ends, one lock out, (required a new key and computer), one faulty harness, at ground point. A couple of starters, ABS unit, plenty of gas gauge strips. Mind you, I have always had one or two and 24 years must be 300,000 miles.

I would not consider buying any bike that requires a dealer visit to merely change the oil (reset the service light). BMWs are these days far too expensive and the GS range look much to lardy for me and I am 6ft and not skinny. I will stick to Japanese bikes!

I've never owned a BMW, preferring to stick to Triumph or Japanese brands after a particularly bad warranty experience with a Ducati Multistrada. That bike got returned to the dealer 7 times in 18 months and 13,000 miles of ownership. That had electronic suspension fail, surging, rear brake failure, high speed cut outs, clutch slave cylinder, wrong anti freeze from new causing corrosion to the alloy heads! The whole of the rear braking assembly was changed in the end and it still barely had a usable rear brake. It puts you off a brand even if its all covered by warranty.

I’ve had 5 BMWs and the last 1150GS had 12 warranty claims, brake problems/total loss of brakes, fuel leaks, and clutch, which they had to split the bike in half to get the gearbox out! I wrote to BMW asking would they extend the warranty. They replied no, that they built a superior machine, and if I wanted to extend the warranty, I could do so through my dealer. I sold the bike, and have never wanted to buy another BMW because of their Germanic attitude.

Great video mate. I have had exactly the same things here in NZ. I have had a few BMWs but never again. Love my simple reliable Jap bikes now

Honest analysis. The price for MMW motorbike has always put me off. I started with a Japanese Suzuki GSX R-1100 in 1995 and went over to Yamaha V-Max 1200. Everything works fine.

I live in the USA and our roads and riding styles are different than Australia. I have considered BMW, but all of my friends who own them have told me that while they like them, that they are costly to maintain. I own a Victory Vision Premium Tour and both my friends and our local dealership have recommended I never sell it. It is very reliable and inexpensive to maintain plus a very comfortable motorcycle. I am 6' 5" tall and 280 lbs and fit well on it, but even my shorter friends are comfortable on it. Reliability and maintenance friendly bikes, like automobiles, are always your best bet. It is definitely a let down to spend the best riding days in a car because your bike is in the shop or waiting for parts.

Some years back I bought a brand-new BMW K1100RS and except for the horrid oil consumption which BMW told me was inherent in the design of the inline four lying on its side, I liked the bike very much. That was until the dry clutch wore out from playing in the California canyon twisties. As an engineer who financed his engineering degree by working as a mechanic I decided that I was perfectly qualified to replace the clutch myself. I got ahold of the BMW maintenance manual to read over the clutch replacement procedure. I read as far as the SIXTH mention of still another expensive special BMW tool required to essentially remove the entire back half of the motorcycle to get at the clutch assembly, and I threw the book down in disgust. I took the bike to the BMW dealer and threw my credit card at them. 1500 US Dollars later I got the bike back with a brand-new clutch. I immediately sold the bike and have never owned a BMW since. Please don't anyone tell me how privileged I am to own a high-priced piece of crap with inherent and hideously expensive design flaws. I agree with you - buy a quality bike, service it and ride it. I own four Aprilia motorcycles and a Honda, and NONE of them have given me any problems. I still giggle that the Italians do a better job than the Germans.

Nice running commentary. I've owned BMW's most of my life and have had repairs but don't think more so than other vehicles. Since owning a belt drive (F800ST) I've gotten spoiled with the low maintenance. When buying my next bike, total cost of ownership will be considered including cost of purchase, services, and reliability... and I'll consider every brand. Unfortunately sport touring upright seating motorcycles that have a belt or shaft and are also light weight are really hard to come by.

Regarding the incident with the shock… in a way I would almost feel more comfortable with a rebuild done by someone that knows what they are doing. I mean that means a person is going through it all and it’s less likely a defect would happen like the original new one. Many people have shocks rebuilt all the time and it’s like new again. Probably during manufacture it is an automated process and something may have just gone wrong and wasn’t caught by the machines.

Agree 100% with you. IMO BMW quality is dire and the Chinese Loncin engine range are so uninspiring. The older boxers were beautiful engined bikes but those days of quality materials are long gone. I'll stick with Japanese bikes now.

For both Japanese car and bike workers in factories, work is life. One mistake is their reputation marred forever - both for the individual, and the supervisor. That's why they're so thorough and precise and it's why their vehicles are so much more reliable and better built. Their kind of mindset and work culture just doesn't exist elsewhere. It's a stressful, monotonous work life but the result is great vehicles.

I also watch Shawn Smoaks and he’s an amazing technician. Appreciate you sharing your experience!

Enjoyed your video, it chimes with me. Sitting in my garden shed beside my late brother's 1988 Honda CBR400RR (bequeathed to me, which I take out for a 30-mile ride most Sundays). My 2014 BMW C Evolution is waiting to see if BMW will change the onboard charger (known issue and costing £2,000), as a goodwill gesture. When I plug it in it trips out the electricity supply. It has done 21,100 miles and has a leaky monoshock. I am in the UK, BMW Belfast cannot work on the EV, BMW Dublin (2 hours in a van), cannot work on the high voltage side, so the EV has to go to London for the work to be carried out!

I had 1 BMW 330xd and a K1600GT and a R1250R The car was absolutely awesome. Tuned to 300HP and 700Nm (yes, 7 hundred) on a manual box. Never had any problem. Sold it after 140.000km to a friend who kept it until it reached 285.000km. Without even having to change the clutch... luckily, probably, because BMW service in Belgium is far from excellent. 95% of their cars are company cars with rules I wouldn't accept for my lawnmower. As far as my bikes are concerned, I have to admit it is NOT as reliable as the Hondas I used to ride. But service is absolutely perfect, professionnal and efficient (BMW Motorrad Waterloo - south of Brussels). They even changed the whole gearbox of my K16 because it had a very very small oil leak through the joint between gearbox and reverse "gear" casket. They could have let me wait for a casket to be available at the factory, but it was simply not. So they changed the whole box + reverse. Problem solve under warranty (I always buy my bikes with 2+3 years factory warranty, which is linked to the bike, not the owner: when I sell my bike, they still are covered for 2 years, even if they show 60.000km at the odometer. I have to add I always respect oil checking, do the service on time. It is a bit more expensive than on a honda (if there not too many parts to order). But it makes me more relax and happy to know I'm covered. And most of all, I have bikes that loves to lean, be pushed hard sometimes, and many very efficient electronic "tricks". I have my driver's license since 1985, so When I say these bikes are 500% safer than 25 years ago, you can just beleive me (or lie to yourself/ or be a Moto GP champion -I'm far from that) For the moment, I'm waiting for my brand new 2022 R1250RT. The motor itself will never be as good as the in-line 6 of the K16, but i'm becoming too old to ride 350kg of metal. My K16 fell twice... in front of my garage (ahem) and I am not strong enough or crazy enough to try again this kind of power-lifting. The RT is around 70kg lighter than my late K16 and only 38kg more than my R1250R (that will be for sale in 10-15 days). And I have to say I like the sound of the flat twin with the sport exhaust (actually, it's simple: titanium Akrapovic). Enjoy your ride, the one that you love. And above all, drive with your brain to stay safe and avoid the dangerous cars with iphone addicts hidden somewhere around the steering wheel. Shame on them. And shame on the Belgian police for doing next to nothing to limit and punish the use of phone while driving (facebook, yesssss, youtube, yeah too, no risk in Belgium: I HATE THAT, it KILLS)

One thing that I've always heard about BMW (bikes and cars) and Mercedes-Benz is that people usually unload them right after the warranty expires. That's when things start going wrong and the repair costs are outrageous. My neighbor bought a used Mercedes-Benz AMG that was a few years old. He got what he thought was a really good price. He sold it less than 6 months later because the repair bills were draining his bank account. I find it hard to understand how those two brands command the prices that they do.

Same handlebar buzzing on a K1300R. Also had it on Yamaha FZ8 and FZ1. Lots of bikes have this buzzing. I just moved from a Yamaha 2010 FZ8N to a 2013 K1300R. I do all my servicing.

Bought a used 2017 f700GS w 4400mi on her. I rode 25,000 miles in 12 months commuting mostly highway at 80+mph. No problems. I do all my own maintenance (oil, chain, sprockets, all fluids and airbox). Traded for 2021 750GS. 12500 in 12 months so far. Beautiful bike. No problems. Smooth as butter.

In a European survey from a couple of years ago regarding reliability, top of the list was Yamaha and at the very bottom BMW. Most surprising though, was that the bikes you'd most expect to have done poorly, ie Harley Davidson, were in fact very reliable.

I think BMW, as with any manufacturer can have it’s “Friday” bikes.The problems with the RT you’d mentioned didn’t look to be the fault of BMW it’s self, but rather the dealership in the case of your throttle body issue, and the OEM of the rear shock failure in the loss of control incident. I have a 2018 BMW K1600GT which indeed had it’s share of teething problems. The first was BMW’s failure to completely remove the corrosion protection from the pins in the cannon plug connecting the engine ECU to the bike’s main wiring loom. This resulted in a check engine light, the engine idling at 2000 RPM after start up and failing to rev higher than 3000 RPM regardless of how much I twisted the throttle. Thankfully the issue resolved itself and didn’t leave me stranded. The dealership cleaned the pins with no further issues. I can definitely “pin” that one on BMW. The other two problems were likely caused by the OEM parts suppliers. The transmission recall and the faulty Sprague clutch on the starter. Both items were repaired under warranty, and the bike has run flawlessly since with just under 25000 km’s on it. My other bike is definitely a Wednesday bike, a 2021 R1250 GSA. I’ve owned it for a year now, with 8000 trouble free kilometres on it.

I totally agree with your standpoint, even as I'm a happy R1200RS owner with 56.000 km on my 2016. Never had any issues with mine (knock on wood), but I consider myself lucky as I know the poor track record BMW have with various models. I test rode the RS in the spring 2015 and loved the model immediately, but deliberately waited over one year as I refuse to buy a first year model of a BMW as they usually have alot of trouble with new models.The dad to a friend of mine worked at a BMW/Yamaha service workshop. Yamaha had 2 binders with recall orders, BMW had 2 shelf meters with recall binders.... The R1200RS is the best bike I ever had in 40+ years of riding, and it's a keeper. Not because it's a BMW, but despite it's a BMW. (Im a Kawaholic ❤ in soul and hart).

My GSA had a recall on the rear rim. Loose spokes and they replace the rim, not just re-tighten. Left signal cluster packed up too, replaced.

This guy takes forever and a day to tell a simple story. Nice way to make a 3 minute video into 18 mins.

BMW owner in recovery here....... I've owned three and while the performance and handling were great, serviceability not so much. My last Bimmer was a K1200LT. I swear they built the motorcycle completely AROUND the air filter. Hours and hours of work just to get access to a filter the size of a small bible and 6 screws. Ridiculous. There is no godly reason they couldnt have shaped the airbox offset to one side and shaped the plastic fuel tank so would one could have access to the filter by NOT having to remove all the body panels, fuel tank, stereo, seat frame, etc. Just stupid. As a rule, BMW makes the difficult maintenance tasks relatively easy and the easy maintenance tasks like pil changes, battery changes, coolant flushes, etc A LOT harder than they really need be. I've always also been a Yamaha fanboy and because of the ease of owner serviceability the FJR1300 and Super Tenere were on my short list of bikes and ultimately the off-rpad capability and lpwer insurance costs of the Super Tenere won out. I love the bike and put nearly 2000 miles on it in the first week of ownership. It was a used bike and as I familiarized myself with the locations of the battery, fuses, relays, air box, etc I realized I made the right choice.

Great video Sir! I had 3 GS’S since 2010 - But on a 20 Honda Africa twin now - I service it myself as I’m a pro mechanic with my own business. My manual gearbox has always been a bit clunky and some minor corrosion issues on the Honda which they wouldn’t fix to my standards so there are also some issues but nothing like those on BMW. So they’ve lost another customer here too.

Some people don’t mind revisiting their dealers repeatedly. Those are bmw owners.

Same thing for me on my 1994 Ducati (About 65mph) Above or below that speed i was good. Would only happen to my Throttle hand. I was told to put foam in the forks absorb the energy Blessings

I owned the 2008 bmw 650Xcountry.Had several issues with different electronics to a point that it had become dangerous. I spent a fortune at the dealersip but things only got worse.I looked in the internet and found about 130pages of peoples similar complaints.Learned the hard way. Now I stick to Japanese bikes.

Been riding 42 years and the last 20 years have been exclusively BMW. Only one issue, which is sometimes the abs doesn't set itself on my 23 year old R1100RS. I also have an R Nine T purchased by me new in 2017. Zero issues in nearly 20,000 miles. The thing is if you do to any forum for any make of bike you're going to read about issues. I've only had one catastrophic failure back in 1994 when my two month old Yamaha FJ1200 ate itself. That doesn't mean Yamaha is a bad make

You must had some very unusual problem RT, shouldn't give up just because of that. I have an older RS for 5 years now with close to 100 000 miles (160 000 km), the only problem I had was the fuel leaked from the fuel line close to the tank but a simple replacement solved it, never anything after/before that. I don't take mine to the dealer but know a bike mechanic who works on BMW bikes, he does a fantastic job of tuning/maintaining my bike each year for less than 1/2 price of the dealer. Before the RS I had a 600 cc Yamaha with only 40 000 miles and considerable issues every single year (clutch cable breaking, constant carburetor flooding issues, automatic fuel valve malfunction, intake leaking, oil fumes from crank case going into the starter motor disabling it ... etc.), had to take that bike apart at least once a year, not to mention it was unstable on the road especially in winds, uncomfortable especially with a rider on. I am very happy with my BMW, logging in long trip miles while also using it for daily commuting, it's a joy ride especially after the 8 years of constant headache with the Yamaha.