BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I am just curious for "normal use" how long a clutch should last. Is it a mysterious thing where on some models or riders, clutches go in a year where other times bikes can go for decades without clutch replacemnt?

I got a little scared because a friend in NYC (who commutes short distances on an R1200GS says his 2006 has been a bit of a lemon and although covered under warranty, has been in the shop LOTS including amongst other things, clutch repairs.

Further I got worried because a tech I spoke witha said that clutch replacement on our R12R's is like $1000 beacuse of tons of labor time to take half the bike apart to get to the clutch VS. say an F800 (that he was kind of endorsing) saying it is easy on that bike/engine and is a $300 job.

I certainly arent going to choose a bike based on this, but am curious to hear any thoughts these commentaries provoke.

My R12R is 1 year old and has 3100 miles. If my riding need stay the same as they were on my F650, it will have about 9500 in 2 years when my warranty runs out, is it likely I'll need a clutch before,or after or way after that warr runs out?

8b wrote:I am just curious for "normal use" how long a clutch should last. Is it a mysterious thing where on some models or riders, clutches go in a year where other times bikes can go for decades without clutch replacemnt?

I got a little scared because a friend in NYC (who commutes short distances on an R1200GS says his 2006 has been a bit of a lemon and although covered under warranty, has been in the shop LOTS including amongst other things, clutch repairs.

Further I got worried because a tech I spoke witha said that clutch replacement on our R12R's is like $1000 beacuse of tons of labor time to take half the bike apart to get to the clutch VS. say an F800 (that he was kind of endorsing) saying it is easy on that bike/engine and is a $300 job.

I certainly arent going to choose a bike based on this, but am curious to hear any thoughts these commentaries provoke.

My R12R is 1 year old and has 3100 miles. If my riding need stay the same as they were on my F650, it will have about 9500 in 2 years when my warranty runs out, is it likely I'll need a clutch before,or after or way after that warr runs out?

Properly used - and if the clutch slave cylinder doesn't leak.. a BMW clutch is normally not a regular maintenance item. I've measured ones with 70-80,000 miles on them - and the wear was less than 1/3rd of the usable material (original-thickness, minus the wear limit thickness re: bmw, or the tops of the rivet heads.)

One caveat - the Roadster does have a tall 1st gear. This - twice has caused me to do some clutch slipping on taking off. Both cases an uphill blind left turn from a stop with an off-camber position that kept me from holding the bike up with my left leg, meaning I couldn't use the rear brake (see - it is good for something!) to keep from rolling back downhill as I started putting power to the rear wheel. Instead of being able to use the rear brake - I used clutch slip... not a good thing, but it was either that, or lay the bike down and push it up around the corner pivoting on the left cylinder head. If the bike had a higher ratio 1st gear - it's easier to more or less motor off in this sort of situation (like a K75 'fer instance..)

Doing this a lot might cause more wear on the clutch, leading to an earlier wearing out of the friction material.

As far as cost of replacement - with the cost of BMW parts being what they are - about half the $1,000 would be parts. That means $500 in labor. I'd guess book time to do a clutch is around 6-7 hours (wild-ass guess.. but I've helped take them apart for other reasons - like someone playing submarine with their GS..)

I do think you should try riding it more.. hate to see a good bike not being used.. :-) There is quite an active BMW club in NYC that might be worth joining - CitiBeemers - they have weekly rides, and I think the rides go on all year except in the case of snow.

Had a lovely 260 mile backroads ride today from central NJ to the bottom tip of NJ (Cape May) - a bit brisk at times, and a tad windy (20-30k gusts) - but it sure beat sitting on my butt at home. Saw another member there - Hi Harry! Let the house at 8:45, got back at 4:45 - better 8 hours would be hard to find.

8b wrote: My R12R is 1 year old and has 3100 miles. If my riding need stay the same as they were on my F650, it will have about 9500 in 2 years when my warranty runs out, is it likely I'll need a clutch before,or after or way after that warr runs out?

Based on the annual mileage you are doing with normal riding conditions, the bad news is that your clutch replacement could will likely occur after your warranty has expired ..the good news is that it could be another 20 years or so before you need to be concerned about it .

"Had a lovely 260 mile backroads ride today"

I love a day like that.

Mark