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

Hi all. I'm Rob and I purchased a 2003 BMW R1150R today. The guy I bought it from said the official color name is Piemont Red Metallic but I noticed there is another color that looks almost the same. Any idea how I can figure out the difference?

Bike has just over 64K miles on it. I picked it up for $3,250. Guy gave me documentation on service to date including new switches, a locking oil cap, and a carbon fiber cover for the alternator belt(?). You'll have to forgive me, I joined here hoping to learn more about my new wheels. I own a 2007 BMW 328Xi Coupe in Montego Blue and I'm an active member on E90post. I know a ton about cars, not so much about bikes. Having said that I've got 4 years of riding experience under my belt including safety classes and my endorsement so I think its more mechanical knowledge than riding knowledge that I'm unfamiliar with.

Anyways, Its been meticulously taken care of and is in excellent shape. I'm still shocked at the price I paid for such a beautiful bike. The only thing that even remotely suggests its age other than the mileage is the black canister on the right side of the bike (rear brake side) under the tail. Paints a little worn there but it doesn't strike me as a huge deal to refinish that. I'm gonna get the seat reupholstered so I have fresh cush and fabric to sit on.

Anything else you guys can suggest looking into? The guy I bought it from seemed to know his stuff, had all maintenance done by a BMW dealer, and was apart of the local BMW club so I trust there's not much if anything that needs to be done.

I'll post photos tomorrow when I get it polished up. Snow and stuff is pretty much melted here so I'll have a good opportunity to get it cleaned up.

Thanks for reading and I hope to learn a lot being here.

22

I think that you bought one of the most beautifull and reliable bikes,how ever if your bike have abs pay attention to the central unit of ABS.
In the past some of them had some problems .....
Also the sevro ABS system incase of failure you dont have effective brakes(so be aware in case if you see that the ABS is deactivated)
The 60 k is nothink for the engine of this bike you can get 200000 miles
with out problem if you change oils normaly and of course you observe every 700 miles the quantity of oil

Don't forget to cut the tie wraps under the steering head.
Use the search function to find the thread. It's not my idea but it seems to be a must do.
Enjoy

Thanks for the welcome. This particular bike doesn't have ABS which I'm very pleased with. I'll check into the tie wraps.

Here's the one photo I managed to get after I realized I forgot to get one when I put it away.

22

Yours is Piemont Red (as was mine) They didn't switch the red until 2004. Congrats on your new purchase.

Welcome to the Roadster owners group. Several folks here with interest in both Bimmers and Beemers. You'll find that the BMW MOA group - especially its monthly magazine "Owners News" - is just as valuable and informative as the Roundel.

As others have mentioned, there are a few well-documented problem areas for the R1150R that have simple preventive fixes, or at least straightforward remediation if a malfunction develops:
The too-tight steering area wire tires was the subject of a factory recall, and it's likely that your bike has been appropriately fixed. Do a search here to find more info and a good factory photo that shows the offending wire ties.
Fuel line quick-disconnects, and the Oetiker clamps that connect the QCs to molded pastic fuel tubing, are prone to leaks, resulting in the discoloration often seen on silver-painted transmissions (RHS). Hence the comment above.

Appears that you might have aftermarket driver's and pillion seats. Seats are frequent aftermarket customizations for us R1150R types, with great debates concerning what seat fits whose butt the best.

Same for tires. Same for batteries. And don't mention engine oil, about which everyone has an opinion.

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I'm gonna take it in for an inspection just to see if the dealership notices anything. The guy that sold it to me seemed to know the problems area's for the bike and took care of them but it never hurts to double check.

Great Motorcycle. 60K is nothing. Learn to do the basic maintenance yourself. You will do it better than the dealer cause you care about your machine more than they do. I included a few links that have been helpful to me. I have had my R1150R about 6 months and have commuted everyday. Like a previous poster said, "its miles and miles of smiles". Welcome and keep the shiny side up. Take care Roger
http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/index.html
http://www.bmwmoa.org/
http://www.bmwra.org/
http://www.ibmwr.org/
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/
http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/
http://home.mindspring.com/~jabrooks/
http://www.ibmwr.org/non_anon/non_anon.shtml
http://www.beemerboneyard.com/

Welcome to the forum. You may want to make a donation or become a member of the site. You will not regret it. The information and help from board members is one of the best things about these bikes!

Now you get to start tinkering with adjusting and matching your valves, for which you and your new baby will be provided much gratification!! Cheers bro, she's a beaut...

Hi John,

I just saw a pretty depressing spot (doom and gloom) about the economic and socio-economic situation in the US of A. Seems like the country is going down the drain. High degree of unemployment (40 million), people sleeping under bridges, cities being deserted, weapon and ammo sales at all time highs, governors being attacked by mentally ill people, etc. How did you manage to buy such a nice bike and not supporting the local economy (why not buying a Harley)?

Brgds
Oliver

omg1010 wrote:Hi John,

I just saw a pretty depressing spot (doom and gloom) about the economic and socio-economic situation in the US of A. Seems like the country is going down the drain. High degree of unemployment (40 million), people sleeping under bridges, cities being deserted, weapon and ammo sales at all time highs, governors being attacked by mentally ill people, etc. How did you manage to buy such a nice bike and not supporting the local economy (why not buying a Harley)?

Brgds
Oliver

In an era where a Honda Goldwing is more American-made than a Harley Davidson, your argument has lost it's footing.
As for the Doom & Gloom warning. Don't believe everything you hear.

I went to the local Harley dealer about 2 months prior to picking up April (yes I named my R). The prices on used Harley's (especially Softail's and Dyna's) has dropped significantly from what they were a year ago. I was quoted $10,000 out the door for a low mileage 2004 Deuce with stage 2 Screamin Eagle jet/intake/exhaust installed with all of the full chrome accessories. That IMO is a prime example of the market for American bikes these days.

You do realize that Honda discontinued motorcycle production in the US in 2009?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... cles_N.htm

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/good ... -producti/

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2078321

That being said, congratzz on the purchase. I have a Rockster (the demented cousin of the R1150R) and love it, it does a pretty good job of taking the place of my beloved K75.

My bad - I was pulling up an old article.

Just did the muffler delete. Put on a custom made pipe that's pretty stubby but still angles the exhaust down and away from the bike. It's secured right now by the stock heatshield/clamp thing and doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. The pipe just barely slips over the stock pipe coming off the cat so that helps a lot with securing it.

chibbert wrote:Yours is Piemont Red (as was mine) They didn't switch the red until 2004. Congrats on your new purchase.

Congrats on the new bike. You'll love it.

And, Chris, my Stella! is a 2004, April, and is the same color, though it is sometimes written Piedmont Red

John

Dr. Strangelove wrote:

chibbert wrote:Yours is Piemont Red (as was mine) They didn't switch the red until 2004. Congrats on your new purchase.

Congrats on the new bike. You'll love it.

And, Chris, my Stella! is a 2004, April, and is the same color, though it is sometimes written Piedmont Red

John

Thank you sir.

I've run across a few of your stories online including your trip through my state (Colorado).
I'm planning on a trip to Vegas this year for a large show with my car club in june. I'm bringing April with me for my first road trip and we aren't stopping until we get there.