1997 R850R possible purchase advice

Hi All,
Wanted some advice here on the possible purchase of a 1997 R850R, here is the deal:

Bike has around 37500 miles and no service history (which scares me) a little bit. That being said, bike is for sale at BMW Motorcycles of Seattle (not sure if this is good or bad).
I went to look at it, it was cold and it fired right away, a little bit of smoking that went away when warmed up. The oil was running low but no oil pressure light was on.
I don't have a lot of experience with motorcycles but heard no weird or unusual noises nor found unusual things, looked at sprockets, chain, forks looked ok. The main thing to me would be the lack of service history and I've read that there's a major service @ 36000 miles. So I would be paying to get that done (obviously would drop that cost from the purchase price).

Do you think that this could be a good deal? Maybe the previous owner is part of this group.

All your comments are appreciated!

Thanks

Ask the sales people for records but be nice.

"I don't have a lot of experience with motorcycles but heard no weird or unusual noises nor found unusual things, looked at sprockets, chain, forks looked ok."

The 1997 R850R has no sprockets or chain. It is shaft drive. Was it some other brand they were showing you?

I have this one of these bikes as you see in my Sig. I have about the same mileage. If the bike has been sitting, you may get light smoke for a few moments at start up. Basically a very solid BMW bike. It has no issues with over complicated design or faults in materials (like fuel strips). Change the oil. Spend a dollar or two on SS screws for the trim on the tank. Read up here about the cam chain tensioner for the left (?) jug. Flush the brake system as that is a common thing people don't maintain. Ride 100K miles. Enjoy.

PS By all means remove canister if it's still there!

Pretty:
http://www.bmwmcofseattle.com/content/bmw-r850r

My experience with BMW Seattle (formerly Ride West) is they're pricey but honorable.

dogsbody said:

"I don't have a lot of experience with motorcycles but heard no weird or unusual noises nor found unusual things, looked at sprockets, chain, forks looked ok."

The 1997 R850R has no sprockets or chain. It is shaft drive. Was it some other brand they were showing you?

I have this one of these bikes as you see in my Sig. I have about the same mileage. If the bike has been sitting, you may get light smoke for a few moments at start up. Basically a very solid BMW bike. It has no issues with over complicated design or faults in materials (like fuel strips). Change the oil. Spend a dollar or two on SS screws for the trim on the tank. Read up here about the cam chain tensioner for the left (?) jug. Flush the brake system as that is a common thing people don't maintain. Ride 100K miles. Enjoy.

PS By all means remove canister if it's still there!

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Sorry, got confused with another bike I looked at another place . Anyhow thanks for the reminder

I'm guessing the brake system would be flushed with the 36k miles service?
Read in here something about spline lubrication, Should I assume it was not done? At this mileage, would this be an issue?

Thanks again!

EUGENE said:

Ask the sales people for records but be nice.

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I actually asked the guy who was helping me. He was really nice by the way and kept coming and going to try and get more information.
Never forget to be nice

As English is not my main language, I might make some mistakes! (improper use of words)

Thanks again for the tips! Really appreciate it!

Nice looking bike. I like that windscreen.

bluehole said:

Nice looking bike. I like that windscreen.

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But we all know, considering you once raved over an RS, that you have no taste.

At the same time, I like that windscreen, too.

BC1100S said:

But we all know, considering you once raved over an RS, that you have no taste...

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hey now - this isn't just some photo thread

Well, I just bought a 1997 with 25000 miles and so far Love It! Purrs like a kitten and so smooth. No issues so far and I figure it's a pretty low maintenance machine. Mine had already had the brake system flushed and serviced. I replaced the tires and now just getting used to the boxer motor and a shaft drive!

Very nice looking scooter. I like the metallic blue paint. I've always liked these bikes...simple, straightforward, two-up riding. As far as your question about the splines being lubed, unless you are able to obtain service records which show conclusively that this was done, I would factor that service expense in to the cost of the bike when making an offer.

Let us know how things turn out.