Possible Purchase - K1200S

Hey All,

I may have the opportunity to get a good deal on a 2005 (I think) K1200S that's been sitting in a friend's garage...
So, the Big Question is - what should I look for/at before plunking down my money?
I tried looking at the on-line Kelly Blue Book, but got nowhere useful from that; does anybody know of a "real" link to their bikes section, or an equivalent function?

I've had a K75S and a K100LT, but I know this is a completely different animal. I rode this bike quite a bit a few years ago, and it ran & handled very well indeed (woo-hoo!), but I don't know if it has all the Official Updates or if the owner kept the service up to date (service records are probably not handy).

I know my local dealer can check for updates with its VIN; I've heard they got several, and maybe a change to the airbox too? And I've seen in other posts something about a "PC V", what's that?
Will it need brake lines, or did the factory get these right?
Will certain plastic or rubber bits (hoses, manifolds, whatever) be needing replacement?

Anything else...

Many Thanks!

Paul

We have two 05 S's one an early build, the other later in run.
The earlier model has the clutch "judder"issue at times.It chirps at idle with clutch disengaged on occasion. Had we been original owners and complained, it was a quiet campaign to have the basket and clutch pack replaced by BMW. We just live with it.
The camchain tensioner and jump guard are a needed upgrade and most likely done. The tensioner is located on top of the block above the clutch cover. The original is a flat plate with a clamp for the hyd line. The new tensioner is a raised tube. ..visible on a S model, not so much on a GT right behind right side fairing

Replaced the timing chain,rails and sprockets on the higher mileage bike because the tensioner upgrade did not silence the marbles in the valve train at start up scary noise...BMW now recommends changing at 30K I recall anways.
I also changed all cooling hoses, 3 I think, on this bike because of age and I had all parts off doing the timing chain and valve check...the valve check is tedious but after doing about 6 bikes have yet to find any out of tolerance..it takes shims to adjust as wella
The airbox on the S has dual snorkels and two air elements..the GT has one. If it doesn' t idle goofy and stall a lot you are prob ok on airbox. The new box has a larger idle control valve/ PCV(seperate part) that was an issue. You have to change box and valve if needed. Have dealt with a few GT's with airbox, our S's have not had the issue. Was time challenged to find pics and prior thread this morning.

All SS lines now...brakes are fine, however both of ours seem weak on rear only use ,regardlesss of type of pads.

Only problem I have is it is so smooth, you are nearing triple digits very quickly compared to a boxer!

The front ball joints have caused a slow speed wander that happens to a few bikes regardless of mileage. I rode an 06 with 12K and it would not stay on a straight line under 30mph.

Thanks, Steve! That's a lot of info, Muchly Appreciated!

(Forgive the delay in this reply; I had a duty in the downtown L.A. Superior Court... good thing I had a Monster with breakfast!)

Is that 30K for the cam chain - or timing chain?? - realistic? Hmmm, that kinda makes the bike a little less appealing... Any way to make it live longer? Moly oil, or maybe an after-market chain?

Last time I rode it, I was pleased with the low-speed handling (and it never stalled); I presume the ball joints were OK. The bike is about 400 miles away, so I can't really just go see it "conveniently" (though the past & present owners were/are good friends, they're really not at all mechanically inclined)... so one more question: would this likely be one of the rear drives that doesn't have a drain plug?

Pauls1150 said:

Thanks, Steve! That's a lot of info, Muchly Appreciated!

(Forgive the delay in this reply; I had a duty in the downtown L.A. Superior Court... good thing I had a Monster with breakfast!)

Is that 30K for the cam chain - or timing chain?? - realistic? Hmmm, that kinda makes the bike a little less appealing... Any way to make it live longer? Moly oil, or maybe an after-market chain?

Last time I rode it, I was pleased with the low-speed handling (and it never stalled); I presume the ball joints were OK. The bike is about 400 miles away, so I can't really just go see it "conveniently" (though the past & present owners were/are good friends, they're really not at all mechanically inclined)... so one more question: would this likely be one of the rear drives that doesn't have a drain plug?

Click to expand...

I had an '05. It had to have an update on the chain tensioner, a chain guard, a new bushing on the rear brake lever, a new improved rear swing arm link, two new fuel sensor strips, but no air box issue or ball joint problems. It had a squeaky clutch and some new bolt with a bigger oil passage. Also the engine has a more critical antifreeze procedure for refill to clear out a possible air pocket...I think that was redesigned the next year. Though it seemed to be more snappy than my '08. And it was more jerky which can be helped by tightening up the free play on the throttle. My '08 did stall once or twice in very hot weather. That can be an issue if you are making a sharp turn at low speed or turning up a hill at a light.
The first year of anything seems to be a test bed of how not to do some stuff. I like the '08 better overall. But it also has had two fuel strips and a key antenna ring and chain guard and a rear link and sponge for the brake reservoir. It also had some chain noise on startup which went away when I replaced the already updated chain tensioner. I couldn't see any reason for the factory one to not work as well, but the noise want away.
The '05 and the '08 do not have a drain plug without tipping the rear drive 90 degrees. The '08 does have a fill hole though. It's worth dropping the final drive so you can give the splines a good moly greasing. Mine were pretty dry from the factory.

Thank you, Jack! Hey, are you inferring that the rear doesn't have a FILL hole either??

Sounds like I really need to dig into its service history before making the decision...
but dang, it was SO much fun to ride!

Pauls1150 said:

Thank you, Jack! Hey, are you inferring that the rear doesn't have a FILL hole either??

Sounds like I really need to dig into its service history before making the decision...
but dang, it was SO much fun to ride!

Click to expand...

When you rotate the rear drive up into position, you can fill it from the "drain" hole which is now on the side. With the revised 180 ml max
refill spec, that works just fine. I think you can fill thru the ABS hole up top on the back as well...I can't quite remember how that was situated.

It's a great bike. If it idles, buy it and do the small stuff when you have it in the garage. BTW, BMW was doing the upgrade to the chain guard or paying you for it...as well as the link and the sponge.

I'm still cornfused about the chain(s) -
Steve mentioned a "timing" chain in post #2; is this just a slip of the freud or are there two different chains in there?

Also, is it possible and worthwhile to drill a hole in the bottom of drive and install a helicoil or timecert in there? And which would be better for this app?

There is one cam chain that has been the issue.
I wouldn't install a drain plug. It's not that big of an issue to drop the drive on it's hinge.

Thank you! Tempting, so tempting... gotta wait for a bunch of unrelated + related paperwork to settle out first...

Timing chain is the cam chain that was stretching without new tensioner on many bikes. On a few , I know of one in Texas, the chain jumped a few teeth and took out the top end. Guessing BMW added tbe service interval due to that on bikes that did not upgrade the parts early in their life. Youcan look at a parts fiche online...cannot copy a pic on my tablet today
http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=51574&rnd=07012015

There is a second chain driving the oil pump.

And as Jack mentions, not a big deal to swing the drive down every 12K. We use the speed sensor hole to refill on the 05s.

Well, I went over to Valdi's today to discuss maintenance costs and other possible issues...
He showed a me K1200R that had its clutch cover off... and you could see inside to the broken connecting rod.
Is this a common issue with these bikes...?

bump...

Pauls1150 said:

Well, I went over to Valdi's today to discuss maintenance costs and other possible issues...
He showed a me K1200R that had its clutch cover off... and you could see inside to the broken connecting rod.
Is this a common issue with these bikes...?

Click to expand...

No it is not common.

Whew... thanks... That look brought up visions of the S1000's, with the improperly-torqued and/or improperly thread-gooped con rod bolts...

I put 38,000 miles on a '05 K12S in three years. Did the cam chain tensioner, replaced the air box, replaced the antennae ring, replaced the fuel strip......

Best bike I have ever ridden. Great on trips, great in the twisties, just not great going slow through town due to lean fueling. I added the Booster Plug, but not much difference. Still my favorite bike.

Due to neck issues, I opted to a more upright riding position, went to a K1200GT, and now a R1200GS. Miss my "S".

My friend has decided to just hold on to the whole stable for a while... but I can ride it just about any time, so we're both happy!