...and Richard will be along in a moment to enlighten you on this.
Warranty - 3 types:
- non-BMW. If you buy from a non-BMW dealer you usually get 30 days warranty. I wouldn't pay to extend that, unless you have prior knowledge of the dealer, and trust them to do a good job if a problem occurs.
- BMW dealer warranty. Not transferable to the next owner. Don't get fooled into paying extra for this!
- BMW personal/bike warranty. This is transferable from one owner to the next, so it has some value, depending on the time left to run.
Both BMW warranties have a choice of excess - £0, £50, £100. I've only ever gone for £100.
If the seller claims it comes with a BMW warranty, ask which one. As Brian says it's around £350-400 per annum, and you can add European breakdown at a reasonable price.
If you do find a bike with warranty, ring BMW insurance before buying, and make sure they will transfer it. I believe they have the option to refuse - can't think why, but if they did, alarm bells would be ringing!
Also on the warranty front, be aware that the suspension (ESA) isn't covered after 30k miles - nor is any radiator clogging.
If you intend to go touring, make sure the bike has the Sport Cases fitted (canvas-look expandable bubble boxes). You can buy them second-hand but it can be an expensive way of going. Dealers will leave them on, some private sellers will take them off and sell separately. If you buy eith them fitted you get keyed-alike features without having to pick locks etc.
Sports panniers are around £300 per pair secondhand + you'll need a frame & mounts at £150. So if you want them, get one with them on already.
Other things to think about:
- full service history. I'd definitely favour bikes with this.
- mileage. We have a 1200 about to hit 100k on the forum, so both 1200 and 1300 will go a decent distance, and the warranty is good up to 100k.
- number of owners. I'd normally tend towards low owners (= some care/love for the bike), but to be honest for my two K1300s it made no difference. 3 previous owners with only 8k, and no problems. I guess they just didn't gel with the bike.
Lastly, as a 748 owner, you won't believe how comfy a K can be. I did a 24 hour rally with someone on a 748, and he was crippled at the end. And I thought I would be the one to suffer on super-vibrating Laverda. Turns out I had it easy.
