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Best year for r1200C?

brownie0486

Well-known member
Thinking of picking one up as a second bike, they seem to be fairly short money and most used ones I'm seeing have pretty low miles on them. There's 4 here in the marketplace presently for sale/.

Best year?
Known issues with certain years?
Worth the price as a cruiser?

Just something for around town,

MODS, if on the wrong section, please move, thanks
 
Head over to Chromeheads.org. You should be able to find answers to most of your questions.
 
Brownie,

Just be aware that the C only has 61hp. The CL weighs in at 678lb. The Montauk is 583lb. and the others are 563lb.

Every one I've ever seen had a hell of a time keeping up on a normal Sunday breakfast ride.:dunno Their owners quickly became frustrated with them.

They are pretty.

They were intended to be more like a Harley so I guess they added weight and took out horsepower (a bunch). :stick




:dance:dance:dance
 
Since I can normally keep up on my G310 I think I could with twice that horsepower. One can always hope. :wave
 
Brownie,

Just be aware that the C only has 61hp. The CL weighs in at 678lb. The Montauk is 583lb. and the others are 563lb.

Every one I've ever seen had a hell of a time keeping up on a normal Sunday breakfast ride.:dunno Their owners quickly became frustrated with them.

They are pretty.

They were intended to be more like a Harley so I guess they added weight and took out horsepower (a bunch). :stick






:dance:dance:dance

that's good to know, thanks
 
Has anyone ever tried to "hot-rod" one? So many use the same basic engine, I can't imagine it being all that difficult...:dunno

I had one [Montauk] for a brief period. I only sold it because I could not get comfortable on it.....[long story] I tried everything. Frankly, keep it in it's 'happy' range & it's not that bad. And I was roughly 230 pounds +/- on it's back. Now .... if you're trying to chase 'fast' bikes? ..... yeah you're likely to fall behind.

Fortunately for me .... I'm seldom in a hurry.....:)
 
Has anyone ever tried to "hot-rod" one? So many use the same basic engine, I can't imagine it being all that difficult...:dunno

I had one [Montauk] for a brief period. I only sold it because I could not get comfortable on it.....[long story] I tried everything. Frankly, keep it in it's 'happy' range & it's not that bad. And I was roughly 230 pounds +/- on it's back. Now .... if you're trying to chase 'fast' bikes? ..... yeah you're likely to fall behind.

Fortunately for me .... I'm seldom in a hurry.....:)

Ron,

They were lower compression than any other R1200. So, all you would have to do is probably change pistons, cams, injectors and fuel mapping. Not worth it? Probably not when just about any BMW at any price or age (other than some airheads) is quicker.

If you like it's looks (which I do) and are comfortable riding at a stately pace at all times (which I am not), it could be the bike for you.




:dance:dance:dance
 
I had a 2004 CL for about 5 years. It was awkward at parking lot speed, for sure, and not the quickest off the line, but it was a GREAT highway bike. I rode mine from Toronto, Ontario out to California, up the PCH and to the Bend, Oregon rally. Going 90+ MPH out through Montana was absolutely no problem. It kept up with my husband's R1200RT just fine.
 
They were able to get to 100mph eventualy, but, like any underpowered vehicle, having the power to accelerate around a vehicle without a lot of distance to pass was not its strong suit. YMMV





:dance:dance:dance
 
Ron,

They were lower compression than any other R1200. So, all you would have to do is probably change pistons, cams, injectors and fuel mapping. Not worth it? Probably not when just about any BMW at any price or age (other than some airheads) is quicker.

If you like it's looks (which I do) and are comfortable riding at a stately pace at all times (which I am not), it could be the bike for you.




:dance:dance:dance


I think ? you have me confused with another. I don't want one, I had one...but again, just could not find comfort on it.

As I said, and yes I agree...H/P mods shouldn't be all that difficult.
 
Ron,

Actually, I only intended the first paragraph for you. I should have specified that the second paragraph was for the OP. Oops.


I think that the HP mods WOULD be difficult and expensive. WAY more that the cost of a better bike.





:dance:dance:dance
 
Seems to me in the past I saw somewhere a conversion with more power for the CL. It was not cheap. Maybe in Chrome head web site.:scratch
 
To the original question ...

... the “best year” for any model or generation BMW is the last year. Continuously improved.
 
To the OP - do your research and make up your mind for yourself. The people who ride these bikes regularly are the ones to turn to with your questions. They'll be honest with you about what they like and what they don't. If it turns out it isn't for you, fair enough. Good luck!
 
Ron,

Actually, I only intended the first paragraph for you. I should have specified that the second paragraph was for the OP. Oops.


I think that the HP mods WOULD be difficult and expensive. WAY more that the cost of a better bike.





:dance:dance:dance


LOL .. but what the hey, we [motorcyclist] tend to have limited restraint when it comes to our mounts :dunno
 
I ride an r1200c around the city and keep a k1200rs for the long haul. Love the r1200c for around town and shorter trips.
 
After 139K miles, many long trips and 17 years owning mine, I have to admit that I love this bike.
So much so, that I bought a second one last year.
 
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