K1200R 2006

[corkboy]

Motobatt Fitted.  Alarum removed and sold on Ebay quickly enough.  Bike is going very well and I will look at getting it booked in for a service in March.  Will probably do final drive oil service myself just because I reckon I can and it will be a good learning curve for me.  I am going to plug in the heater first and get the garage a tad warmer when I get around to doing it.

And when you get the service done, see if they will let you watch, (depending on the size of the operation I assume).
And hte next service can be done yourself. Changing the oil and filter is pretty easy, and there are a load of youtube videos. Same with air filter if needed. Brakes a bit more of a faf, but  still do-able. They need little else for a standard service. I'd only bring mine into get valves done, everything else is pretty straightforwards.

[raesewell]

Nothing wrong with home servicing until you come to sell the bike when a FDSH is a very big selling point.

[revd]

For the age of the bike, home servicing does 90% of the job.  Valves and brake fluid flush are specialist jobs that I do not have the tools for or inclination TBH.  I'm not hooked on the FDSH thing, if the bike has been looked after it is apparent. I've home serviced the majority of my bikes and every person who has come to buy them when I've passed them on has been more than happy with the standard and the attention to detail. 

[raesewell]

Have they been BMWs?

[revd]

Have they been BMWs?

This is my first BMW. All the others have been Honda, Triumph, Yamaha, Suzuki or even a Peugeot scooter (urghhh). 

[raesewell]

Because of the bad press BMWs have had, potential buyers are very keen to have a FDSH, more so than other makes. Just sayin'

[Phmode]

When I traded up to my K13, my 2004 K12 with 40,000 miles went for top dollars to a guy who was prepared to pay for it and have it collected by a courier, all based on photos and the FBMWSH. He said it was the history that swung it for him.

A FBMWSH is no guarantee of anything other than a dedicated owner with more money than some. But it is worth its weight in reassurance to lots of buyers.

[chriscanning]

Always found when buying bikes a full service history only ever tells half the story, from my experience normally means serviced as per and a bucket of water over it on a Sunday.

My preference has always been a combo of some where in between,receipts for oil/filters go a long way and gut instinct covers the rest.

The last bike I sold was twenty years ago, that most certainly didn’t have a full service history...the problem I had two buyers turned up at the same time and when they realised that the bike didn’t have a full history but the owner was OCD it nearly turned into a fight because it suddenly dawned on them it was a chance in a lifetime,the guy who didn’t ride during the winter got it, and as and when I ever sell any of the others I have the same applies.

Spent yesterday cleaning the K with a pointed sash brush and silicone yesterday clean??? Like the day it came out of the crate but it doesn’t have a stamped up book 

[Matt]

As an arbitrator I ask this:

I buy either bike, fbmwsh or fccsh take them both home. What is the process to get them both under warranty? The fbmwsh I assume I do it online the end. The fccsh do I need to get it serviced by BMW first?

To be Frank Spencer (hah apt actually) it looks like as with cars, more and more people (younger people obviously) buy vehicles as white goods and/or have less mechanical knowhow than the previous generations. Because abstraction. And credit. Stupid bloody credit.

My point is if we can just keep smiling for a few more years these types of topics will never appear again :p. Instead expect "what is an alternator?" "how do I pump up the tyres?" "my robot servant ran off with my wife, does this mean I can get another bike?"

[Phmode]

"my robot servant ran off with my wife, does this mean I can get another bike?"

More importantly 'who is going to do the servanting around here?'

[revd]

Dropped the K1200R off for servicing this morning. Was loaned a nice 02 GS1150 for the ride home.  It is very comfortable and easy to ride, but my word does it feel vibey after being on the smooth IL4....  My hands are tingling after a 35 mile ride.  Hopefully I will collect the bike this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Either works well for me.

[raesewell]

I have said this a few times before, I just can't find the love for a Boxer engine I'm a multi cylinder lover 

[richtea]

It's always nice to get back on your own bike, even after just half a day on a loaner.
Ks are pretty solid and by today's 'adventure'  bike standards they're pleasantly compact - no excess gubbins. That's the bit that always surprises and pleases me.

[chriscanning]

I’ve had my 1100s 22 years, stock it ain’t well loved it is, and if you don’t do the latter heaven help....fresh plugs and most importantly balance the injectors which frankly boarders on an art form, so if you have loaned the company dog.....yep i’ve been there with a unloved boxer.

[Swindon Andy]

When I first got back on my K after a GS loaner, it felt like my head was on a level lower than my behind. Two minutes later I was smiling, Ks are superb.