Question by a new member from the UK

[wust588]

Have been lurking on this fine forum for a few months now, and have considered buying a 1200R for even longer.
I'm looking for a definitive answer regarding whether a servo has ever been fitted to the R1200R.
I'm seriously thinking about a nice Nov 2007 example not far from me with 4700 miles on the clock, but it was suggested to me by the salesman that the bike actually had a servo.
Is the salesman correct?
Thanks for your help.
John.

[websterize]

If the salesman is referring to the brakes, no, servo-assisted brakes did not carry over from the 1150 to the 2007 R1200R. BMW did, however, add a servo in the exhaust, but that didn't appear until the 2011 facelift, with the new camhead engine. Brakes and exhaust -- those are the only two places I know of with a "servo."

[2wheels]

If the bike has ABS(not standard)then I believe there is a pump in the braking system, but it not a servo.

Have you had a test ride? That will decide it for you!

[websterize]

A quick way to tell if an R12R has ABS is to look for the sensor ring on the clutch side of the front wheel. The ring is part 3 in this fiche diagram:



You can see the ring on my 2009 R12R below. Placement is the same as a 2007 model.



Out of Gas on 16th Street

[wust588]

Thanks everybody for your help.
I went to look at the '07 bike in question on the Sat before Christmas.
It'd only just come in, so hadn't (according to the salesman) been valeted, or even cleaned.
I spent an hour looking over it, but decided to think about it, over the holiday.
The salesman rang several times, and suggested I leave a min'm £500 deposit if I didn't want to lose it.
He rang this morning to tell me that I still had first refusal. I asked if it had been cleaned and he said "it's outside on show ready to go" and someone is coming to look at it this afternoon.
Anyway, I went over to take a second look, and it looked filthier than before!
Sale lost.
I shall keep looking for a nice one.
Websterize, I could do with a nice example like the one you have.
Thanks again.

[mogu83]

Generally I like to see a used vehicle BEFORE the dealer has a chance to 'puff it up'. A real good cleaning and a few coats of wax can cover up a bunch of oil leaks (seeps) and faded out or neglected body work.

Doing a good cleaning to a machine is a good way to find faults. I once detailed a guys bike for free (It was for sale and I was thinking of buying it) in the course of cleaning I noticed that the bike must have gone down hard from the heavy scuffs and one obviously new valve cover (Airhead) although the owner swore he never dropped it. Also noticed what might have been a rear main leak and the driveshaft boot was ripped and the driveshaft running dry. I passed on it.

Just my two cents

[wust588]

Generally I like to see a used vehicle BEFORE the dealer has a chance to 'puff it up'. A real good cleaning and a few coats of wax can cover up a bunch of oil leaks (seeps) and faded out or neglected body work.

Doing a good cleaning to a machine is a good way to find faults. I once detailed a guys bike for free (It was for sale and I was thinking of buying it) in the course of cleaning I noticed that the bike must have gone down hard from the heavy scuffs and one obviously new valve cover (Airhead) although the owner swore he never dropped it. Also noticed what might have been a rear main leak and the driveshaft boot was ripped and the driveshaft running dry. I passed on it.

Just my two cents

Valid points of course.
I think that what put me off, was that since I'd earlier gone over the (uncleaned) bike with a fine tooth comb (and there was a slight oil weep from the oil filter), I was satisfied that short of a test ride, everything looked ok, the dealer had not made the slightest effort to make the bike look presentable.
I'm sure there will be better deals out there.

[Steve in VT]

Wust588,

Probably too late to be much help, but in regards to the question about servos, Websterize is right. BMW dropped the servo-assist feature before the R1200R came out. IMHO it was a terrible idea, leaving you with virtually no brakes with the bike shut down. Not a pleasant thing to discover as you're coasting down a driveway. Not to be confused with ABS, which is a genuine improvement.
Good luck in your search.

Steve in Vermont

[dbrick]

...it was suggested to me by the salesman that the bike actually had a servo. Is the salesman correct?

The answer depends on how the speaker defines "servo."

The BMW ABS system physically reduces the hydraulic pressure in the braking circuit when the ABS computer sees incipient lockup. The mechanism that accomplishes the pressure reduction is powered by a large electric motor. Because the ABS system has feedback loops (i.e., the system acts and changes its actions based on what inputs are provided to its sensors), the system is in toto a servomechanism.

However, we BMW geeks frequently use the word "servo" to refer to BMW's power-assisted brakes (also called "whizzy" brakes) fitted to late Oilhead and some early Hexhead models. The R never got power-assisted brakes. Thus, in common BMW parlance, the R is considered to not have a servo.

[dbrick]

...it was suggested to me by the salesman that the bike actually had a servo. Is the salesman correct?

The answer depends on how the speaker defines "servo."

The BMW ABS system physically reduces the hydraulic pressure in the braking circuit when the ABS computer sees incipient lockup. The mechanism that accomplishes the pressure reduction is powered by a large electric motor. Because the ABS system has feedback loops (i.e., the system acts and changes its actions based on what inputs are provided to its sensors), the system is in toto a servomechanism.

However, we BMW geeks frequently use the word "servo" to refer to BMW's power-assisted brakes (also called "whizzy" brakes) fitted to some late Oilhead and some early Hexhead models. The R never got power-assisted brakes. Thus, in common BMW parlance, the R is considered to not have a servo.

[wust588]

Thanks again for your responses.
I am still determined to find a nice example, though am having trouble making my mind up whether to go for the SOHC or the later DOHC.
I change my mind on a daily basis, though I think it'll eventually come down to price and availability.
Part of me likes the idea of a twin cam engine, better g/box, re-styled clocks etc but not the extra price over the "old" model.
Then I think the "old" model will be brilliant anyway!
Decisions decisions.

[dbrick]

Thanks again for your responses.
I am still determined to find a nice example, though am having trouble making my mind up whether to go for the SOHC or the later DOHC. I change my mind on a daily basis, though I think it'll eventually come down to price and availability.

Sounds right to me. Even though the motors have different heads and valve gear, these are not significantly different machines.

Part of me likes the idea of a...better g/box...

I haven't read about a gearbox difference between the Hexheads and the Camheads. What have you heard about this?

[wust588]

Thanks again for your responses.
I am still determined to find a nice example, though am having trouble making my mind up whether to go for the SOHC or the later DOHC. I change my mind on a daily basis, though I think it'll eventually come down to price and availability.

Sounds right to me. Even though the motors have different heads and valve gear, these are not significantly different machines.

Part of me likes the idea of a...better g/box...

I haven't read about a gearbox difference between the Hexheads and the Camheads. What have you heard about this?

The only reason I say that there might be a difference between the g/boxes, is something I experienced when I bought my last BMW, a 1200GS in Sept 2011.
I fancied one of these and test rode a dealer demo 2011 twin cam version.
The g/box was a revelation, and so much better than any BMW I'd ridden before. I was told that the box had been "upgraded" in '09 or '10, but as to what the upgrade was about, I never found out.
The twin cam was out of my price range, so I settled for a 2009 GS instead.
The box was never as good as the demo bike, but in the event, never gelled with the bike, so I sold it.
I've heard from other sources, that the twin cam box is better.
Anybody else experienced this?