Reliability

[vroomr]

In the six months since my warranty has expired, I've needed three repairs: clutch interlock switch, a leak where the driveshaft leaves the transmission, and a clutch cylinder leak. In the ten years I owned a Honda Shadow, it didn't require a single repair. I am disgusted. The only saving grace is that, fortuitously, I purchased an aftermarket repair contract. How would you folks assess your R's reliability?

[deilenberger]

3 years, 34,000 miles.. zero repairs (not counting the master cylinder that was unnecessarily replaced under warranty.) Most reliable machine I've ever owned. Ready to take it anywhere any time.

[Oaktown]

My '07 R1200R was put into service in December '06. I bought it in December '07 with 3,480 miles. Now at 28,000 miles, I have had a clutch switch issue and a transmission outdrive seal failure. I wonder if it is only coincidence that I've had two out of the three issues you've experienced.

John

[celticus]

I really hate to jinx myself but I've had my bike for 3.3 years / 25,000 miles and I have needed no repairs.

Mark

[ShinySideUp]

2007 bike, 30K miles, no repairs.

[Acpantera]

07 bike,23000 miles...No repairs. might replace the rear rotor tho, getting thin. I think it was the carbone/loraine pads I got once.

[Tarmac]

In the six months since my warranty has expired, I've needed three repairs: clutch interlock switch, a leak where the driveshaft leaves the transmission, and a clutch cylinder leak. In the ten years I owned a Honda Shadow, it didn't require a single repair. I am disgusted. The only saving grace is that, fortuitously, I purchased an aftermarket repair contract. How would you folks assess your R's reliability?

Did you make the repairs yourself?

What was the cost?

<edit>

Now I see that you had a repair contract. What did that cost you?

[vroomr]

I bought my coverage at contegodirect.com just before my BMW warranty ran out, which saved me a lot. I've got 72 months of coverage for $660, with a $50 deductible. I just found out about my transmission and clutch, and I don't think the dealer has yet called for pre-approval; clutches might not be covered, alas.

On the interlock switch, I paid $50 and the policy paid $70.

[gersh10]

I'm having the same fears at this moment. I picked up my R12R last year as a year old demo bike with 4k on it, I've have had the shop do all my required mantenance's and oil changes. Currently the bike only has 9500 miles on it and my warrenty ended Dec 30, '09. Last week I noticed a drip below my bike, I took it in and they said it could be my rear main leaking... Really it's not even broke in yet and I have what could be a $1000+ repair??? They talked to BMW and BMW said initially they would cover up to 50%... Not happy with that answer I've been on the phone with BMW customer service and am waiting for an answer...

I've been riding motorcycles since I was a kid and haven't ever really had any problems with any of my past bikes. This being my first BMW, if they are not willing to rectify the problem it may be my last sorry to say... God and everyone knows I love this bike so it would be a real downer if they don't take care of it because I've been wanting this bike since I seen my first R1150R quite a few years back. Beside what I think are stunning good looks I'd also heard that they are suppose to be 200,000 mile motors that are pretty bullet proof, that also helped pushed me towards this bike.

I'd like to take a class and learn how to maintain my own bike so if on a road trip out in the middle of no where some thing happened I'd know how to fix it myself, since there are not a lot of BMW dealerships out there... Not to mention I'd like to skip the $90+/hour shop charge.

[celticus]

I'm having the same fears at this moment. I picked up my R12R last year as a year old demo bike with 4k on it, I've have had the shop do all my required mantenance's and oil changes. Currently the bike only has 9500 miles on it and my warrenty ended Dec 30, '09. Last week I noticed a drip below my bike, I took it in and they said it could be my rear main leaking... Really it's not even broke in yet and I have what could be a $1000+ repair??? They talked to BMW and BMW said initially they would cover up to 50%... Not happy with that answer I've been on the phone with BMW customer service and am waiting for an answer...

This being my first BMW, if they are not willing to rectify the problem it may be my last sorry to say... God and everyone knows I love this bike so it would be a real downer if they don't take care of it because I've been wanting this bike since I seen my first R1150R quite a few years back.

I see your point. I think it is not unreasonable. There are plenty of other great bikes out there to choose from. Good luck with dealing with BMW.

Mark

[hjsbmw]

In the six months since my warranty has expired, I've needed three repairs: clutch interlock switch, a leak where the driveshaft leaves the transmission, and a clutch cylinder leak. In the ten years I owned a Honda Shadow, it didn't require a single repair. I am disgusted. The only saving grace is that, fortuitously, I purchased an aftermarket repair contract. How would you folks assess your R's reliability?

I have had a similar experience but before the 3 year warranty was up. I needed a repair where the transmission input and output seals, the counter balancer seals, and the gear indicator seal were replaced. Not the end of the world but it put a damper on my confidence for a while.

[Stef.]

I am getting my new BMW R1200R in two weeks and am driving a Honda Shadow right now(no problems ever). When deciding on the BMW this was the only issue that made me slightly nervous. It has so much electronic stuff on it that I am wondering how often something might fail in the future
I remember many years ago this was the distinction between the BMW cars and Mercedes: if you drive a BMW down to Greece and something goes wrong- there will be a computer message telling you to go to the next BMW dealership...while a Mercedes could be repaired pretty much by any little car repair shop.
I hope I am not facing expensive problems with my brand new bike some time in the future
Stef.

[Mollygrubber]

I'll preface this comment by telling you that I'm one of those born worriers (not warriors). However in this case, I do the required maintenance, observe the factory recomendations, and use the warranty if neccessary. When (if) something goes sideways, I'll meet some nice people while dealing with it. And maybe I'll have a good story to boot. You don't hear those poor Harley owners crying to each other about their (unfortunate) choice of rides. Where's your Bavarian pride?

Hondas et al are wonderful machines, but they're machines. I have read many comments by Beemer owners who seem to think of their bikes as something more, more like friends and travelling partners. You wouldn't abandon a friend because they had a bad case of gas would you? No, you'd get them some Beano and keep them away from lattes.

I like riding something I'm not likely to pull up beside at a light.

FWIW, 10k and zero issues. Well, apart from the seat.



Peter

[deilenberger]

I bought my coverage at contegodirect.com just before my BMW warranty ran out, which saved me a lot. I've got 72 months of coverage for $660, with a $50 deductible. I just found out about my transmission and clutch, and I don't think the dealer has yet called for pre-approval; clutches might not be covered, alas.

On the interlock switch, I paid $50 and the policy paid $70.

Ah - very useful info since I've been thinking of getting the Contigo warranty to assure I'll never need to use it.. and part of Eilenberger's Law of Parts (and warranties and tools) requires it be available to use in order to make it unnecessary. Please let us know how Contego deals with the problem. Their prices are 1/3rd to 1/2 the prices quoted me by dealers for what I feel were inferior policies. I believe clutch disks may not be covered UNLESS failure is caused by a covered part - in this case - your failed seal. Even if it isn't covered, if they cover the labor for the seal - the additional labor for replacing the disk should be less than 1 hour labor.. so it isn't an awful deal.

[gersh10]

Hondas et al are wonderful machines, but they're machines. I have read many comments by Beemer owners who seem to think of their bikes as something more, more like friends and travelling partners. You wouldn't abandon a friend because they had a bad case of gas would you? No, you'd get them some Beano and keep them away from lattes.


Peter

Yes but when a good friends personality changes from someone who is reliable, trust worthy, easy to get along with to someone who becomes unreliable pain in the butt and starts taking money out of your pocket and if you don't have the money you can't spend time together,,, looks only take you so far before you kick that friend to the curb...

And by no means am I saying I'm there yet this is the first real problem I've had with the bike but then again I've only had it about a year and it only has 9500 miles on it.

[tinytrains]

When I bought my K75 in 1989, I got quite a bit of use out of the warranty; New speedo, alternator, rear shock, clock, and horn. I was concerned because that would have cost a couple grand back then. But once the warranty was up, it has been amazingly reliable. In 22 years, I have spent $2000 on parts (I do most of my own work), most of which has been for oil, filters, tires and batteries. That is less than $100 a year.

It finally left me stranded (with a bad fuel pump connection) for the first time ever last fall. That is when I decided it to get something newer for daily riding. But the 75 is still going strong.

Sometimes you just have get the bugs out.

Scott

[Lost Rider]

I'm having the same fears at this moment.

This seems to be a not unheard of problem with the R, but really there's very few known problems with this bike.


Are you dealing with the same dealer you bought it from?
Seems like the dealer should do a little better than that, being it was a demo and is a few months out of warranty.
It's really up to the dealer more so than BMW NA I think, you should see who's saying what and be nice to your dealer, they are the one's making the final decision as to what will be covered mostly.


As for DIY maintenance, I've been doing most of mine for almost 60,000 miles on my 12R... it's easy and very satisfying. There's plenty of info around here to get you started, I'll bump a thread of mine to stir the pot.
You can also look into joining a local BMW club, I know mine and other commonly have tech sessions to learn how to work on your bike.

[Oaktown]

I dropped off the bike this AM for the tranny output shaft seal replacement that was estimated @ $400.-430. Had to ride home 28 miles in the rain on a Triumph Scrambler 900, but that's another story. No sooner do I get into some dry clothes when the phone rings; apparently the "compensating shaft" (tranny output shaft) seal is only the beginning, as the seal keeping oil from the clutch has failed along with some other stuff (my mind went a bit foggy at this point) and the new estimate is $1,000.00 with the caveat that the complete story is not yet known, i.e. cost to repair could increase. Needless to say, quite frustrating. All scheduled maintenance has been performed by BMW dealers except the 24K I did myself (thank you, ChiTown) literally one week prior to warranty expiration, when I had the the dealer synch the TBs and give it the "once over" since I knew it was my last chance.

I love the bike and intend to ride it many years. I know the nature of mechanical things is that at some point, they will break. I do hope that this is the end of my bad luck for awhile (like 50,000 miles!). Trying to find a bright side, I'm going to give the Wunderlich sintered clutch plate a try. What's another $100. ($280. vs. $180.) at this point?

[deilenberger]

I dropped off the bike this AM for the tranny output shaft seal replacement that was estimated @ $400.-430. Had to ride home 28 miles in the rain on a Triumph Scrambler 900, but that's another story. No sooner do I get into some dry clothes when the phone rings; apparently the "compensating shaft" (tranny output shaft) seal is only the beginning, as the seal keeping oil from the clutch has failed along with some other stuff (my mind went a bit foggy at this point) and the new estimate is $1,000.00 with the caveat that the complete story is not yet known, i.e. cost to repair could increase. Needless to say, quite frustrating. All scheduled maintenance has been performed by BMW dealers except the 24K I did myself (thank you, ChiTown) literally one week prior to warranty expiration, when I had the the dealer synch the TBs and give it the "once over" since I knew it was my last chance.

Damn I hate Windows7 (just finished composing a LONG reply when W7 crashed and burned.. back to W2K..)

The "compensating shaft" is the counterbalance shaft. The output shaft is different. BOTH are in the same area. BOTH take the same amount of work to get to - and once it's done for one, replacing the other seal is the cost of the seal and 15 minutes additional work. If they're doubling the cost - something else is going on. At worst - I could see two seals and a new clutch disk for parts.. unless you've managed to completely burn the pressure plate on the clutch.

FWIW: It's really the dealer's call on warranty issues. I have that from a very good source in BMW-NA (the head honcho..) and that's also true of most "Good-Will" out of warranty claims. At worst in a Good-Will claim, the dealer will get the parts for free from BMW, and you pay the labor. Sometimes BMW picks up the labor.

The failure of these seals was a well known problem on earlier Hexhead engines. It looks like BMW redesigned the shaft to avoid this happening, http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=11&fg=35 - if you look you'll see a new shaft was introduced by 10/07.

That's a possible reason the dealer is talking about it costing more $$$ - replacing that shaft requires breaking the motor down.. so it becomes a really big job.

I would talk to the service manager about "Good Will". In a case like this - where the bike was not too far out of warranty, there is a case to be made for some help from BMW. Of course since you bought it used apparently (not from this dealer?) and were doing your own service on it - they may be understandably less inclined to try to help.

I think I'll be purchasing the Contego Direct policy..

[Lost Rider]

Damn I hate Windows7 (just finished composing a LONG reply when W7 crashed and burned.. back to W2K..)

Don, you're a smart guy, why are you still using a PC?..... it's so.... 1990's...

watch this, once you re-start windowz

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/