2003 K1200RS Questions

Hi all, Im looking at a 2003 K1200RS and thought some fine folks here could chime in with some things to ask the seller about the bike. It's a 2003 , excellent condition with about 8K on the odometer. Now to me, thats not very many miles in 10 years. So, what are some things i need to look for and ask. thanks in advance!!

You want to find out how many miles have been put on it in the past year or two.

You want to know if it's been sitting for years and might have some issues or if it's been used and is running well. Just sitting, on any vehicle, can cause it's own set of issues with the fuel system, brakes, and rubber bits.

It very important on a bike with Servo brakes that the full system was flushed every other year.
Doesn't matter if it was not ridden much in that time.

Ask if the OEM plastic quick disconnects were replaced with metal ones.

Check to see if there's any oil seepage where the trans meets the engine. It's a costly repair if the rear seal is leaking.

There was a servive bulletin to replace the ECU in 03 to fix a cold start problem. Ask if the bike has the updated ECU.

If you buy the bike you may want to consider changing the rubber brake hoses to stainless steel.

Lee said:

It very important on a bike with Servo brakes that the full system was flushed every other year.
Doesn't matter if it was not ridden much in that time.

Ask if the OEM plastic quick disconnects were replaced with metal ones.

Check to see if there's any oil seepage where the trans meets the engine. It's a costly repair if the rear seal is leaking.

There was a servive bulletin to replace the ECU in 03 to fix a cold start problem. Ask if the bike has the updated ECU.

If you buy the bike you may want to consider changing the rubber brake hoses to stainless steel.

Click to expand...

Yes to the above..

The rear seal will fail at some point. It is labor intensive to fix and you change other things along the way when doing the work. So there is some money involved. I am third owner for mine. Rear seal failed at 7500 miles after sitting unridden for 3 yrs (900 miles /3 yrs) by second owner. That seal then last to about 100,000 miles on mine.

The rubber odd bits on the bike will be old so you will need to upgrade those. Same as any bike that is 11 yrs old. Brake lines for sure as there are regular postings in other forums about the brake lines rupturing at about this age. There is a breather house behind the throttle bodies that most likely will need upgrading.

The "whizzy" , servo assisted brakes, do need regular service. There are failures with them. Not all bikes, not all mileage related. It is just a problem that pops up on enough bikes to warrant notice. No real check for this. Regular service is important on that. Brakes are GREAT!!!!! I love them!

Quick disconnects on fuel line must be changed. With that low of mileage it may not have. The plastic bits there will absolutely fail and then spray fuel as it is under pressure. A pretty easy fix.

Rear brake pads wear out quickly, usually between 15,000 - 20,000 miles A simply process to change out. Front pads last more than 50,000

Final drives need work at some point, I changed mine at 95,000. I would check this one just for any play. See if you can move rear wheel holding at 3 and 9 o clock and at 12 and 6 oclock. You should only feel the smallest of movements but most likely you will feel something, just so it is very small.

The ECU repair I think is gone from the factory effort. My 03 did OK with the one that was there. You can upgrade with a used one or buy some aftermarket chips/booster plug that should fix it. The biggest problem reported with some of the old ones was cold starting issues. It wasn't a sudden failure that leaves you stranded, just at startup it wouldn't like to idle for for maybe 30 secs.


Those are the risky areas.

What you are getting is a very stable, very easy on the eyes, great riding bike, smooth, capable of touring or very sporty use, comfortable, adaptable, long lasting engine, transmission that has very nice features. A very very awesome bike. There really isn't much on the market like it. Some others are similar but they aren't the same. There are so many that have had the bike and loved it. Some have moved on to other bikes and still fondly remember the K RS. Others have gone away and returned to it. I very seldom see a comment about the bike that is negative overall.

Good luck

NCS

Well put
I ride an 02 K-RS with a Rhine West chip, Ohlins, and a lighter muffler and a couple other things. Sweetest power band of any bike in the fleet and the choice for a play day especially where fast sweepers are involved. Very nice ride indeed..

Also have a wedge GT- while its got plenty of power its far less likeable overall than the K-RS. IMO BMW made a serious error ending production of the 1200cc K brick motor, perhaps the finest engine BMW has ever made including all those iconic boxer motors (got 2 of those in the fleet too)

I am with the 2 previous posters,the 04 (and probably previous to 98)is under appreciated. It is a marvelous engine braking controls platform .I have been riding since 1971 and this is the best bike I have ever had.If the rear main seals issues are resolved,it should run at high performance forever.I was lucky enough to have the rear mains and the clutch slave etc issues resolved under warranty. These are labour intensive repairs to have to make off warranty and unfortunately,it is a common issue. But fix it and it is a world class ride.