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2005 K1200LT questions (new guy)

2K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  newguy 
#1 · (Edited)
Greetings:

New to this forum - I live in NW Oregon, long-time (adult) rider. I've had many bikes over the years (current stable is 2006 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom and 2014 HD Ultra Limited). I ride 12-15K/year and made the mistake of helping my nephew pick out a nice 2006 R1200RT in September and rode it back for him. Yup, after years of HD touring bikes I couldn't help but admire the RT.

Started causally looking for one about a month ago, but Friday found (and test rode) a 2005 K1200LT with really low miles. I'm used to heavy touring bikes and spent about a week with the RT so I became familiar with the BMW controls, so no problems there.

i've been perusing this forum and it has a wealth of information and lots of experienced Beemer pilots willing to help...and having a support group is important regardless of the brand of bike you ride.

This 2005 is low miles (13K); all services done at the original dealer...the guy just didn't ride it. All services done, everything works, and it still (for 2 weeks) qualifies for a 3-year extended warranty.

Only two things I could discover on an extended test ride (both cosmetic) - scratch on the front fender (easily cured with touch-up paint) and a discoloration on the right upholstered speaker box next to the passenger backrest.

Can these be re-upholstered? The replacements are $280 (gee, sounds like Harley parts pricing).

Other questions:

Anything to be especially wary of? (I know about the FD failures, ABS woes...researched these and that's why I wouldn't do without an extended warranty).

Are the headlights on the 05's Xenon HID? Can the lamps be swapped out for a different (5-6K)
color temperature?

Thanks in advance for your assistance...


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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum.....
It's possible to find replacement Armrests / speakers here in the classifieds, BMW motorcycle parts, BMW motorcycle, Used BMW motorcycle parts, BMW motorcycle salvage or fleabay. I found my replacements in the classifieds here.

The headlight is not HID. I ordered mine from DDM Tuning: HID and LED Lighting.
I would recommend 5000k over 6000k. The 5000k provides better visibility IMHO. You could also upgrade the ballast from 35w to 50w for 40% more brightness.

13k is scary low for a 10 year old bike, but at least it has been ridden some through the years. Too little and I would be worried about dry seals and such.

I'm sure many others will chime in with their $0.02.
This forum is awesome and a wealth of knowledge here.
By the way....my 2005 LT has almost 150,000 miles.
Enjoy your new ride!
 
#3 ·
My situation is much like yours. We rode all models of the Harley touring bikes for years, switched to the K1200LT about a year and a half ago. First one was a 2002 with about 45k miles. Immediately took a 7000 mile trip on it and loved it. A brake line went out in Montana, but I got the lines replaced and went on my way. Gave that one to my son and bought a 2005 last November with 12k miles on it, mostly for the power center stand. Also took the same trip again this summer, back to WA state, and love this one also. I have done nothing other than change oil and mess with installing CB, Navigation, etc. Something may fail some day, but I'm not going to waste my time worrying about something that probably won't happen.

My next to last Harley was an '09 Ultra Classic, and the last one was a '12 Dyna Switchback. After getting the first LT, I had no interest in riding either of the others, either on trips or around town. The LT outperforms both of the others in every way. I predict that you will soon jettison the Harley at least. The VStrom is a different animal. I say buy that LT and don't worry about it. Give it a good visual once over and just ride it.:)
 
#4 ·
Had similar concerns after I bought a 2000 almost 8 years ago that has 17K on the clock.
Advice from the sage members of the forum was "Ride It Like You Stole It" and I've never looked back.

Replaced the brake lines prior to a trip to Nova Scotia 5 years ago and do the rest of routine maintenance myself.

Enjoy the Ride! :yeah:
 
#5 ·
When I bought my 99LT back in 2008 it only had 9k miles on it and had not been riden for 3 years which concerned a little bit at the time. It now has 50k and I cannot thank myself enough to have bought it. I had the infamous FD failure a year later but that was the only big issue I got. I think the FD failures were much less frequent on 2004 and younger bikes. The LT is and feels much heavier than the RT. It is particularly top heavy. Because of that it is not a bike for everybody but if you are used to riding you will get confortable with it pretty quickly. Its fairing provides excellent protection and in all my many years of riding all sort of bikes this one is by far the one that gives me the best wind and rain protection. The other thing which is nice is that for a model that was designed at the end of the 90's it still has a modern look and often people ask me if the bike is new. This forum is also a big plus in favor of the LT. Welcome to the forum.
 
#6 ·
My last HD was a 2006 Ultra Classic which I wrecked. A car ran me off the road at which time I was running about 70 so as you can imagine it was not pretty. Other than my pride thankfully I was not hurt and was able to ride my banged up bike to the house about 90 miles. I fixed the HD and thought that maybe I was getting to old for this stuff (the accident scared the s##t out of me as you can imagine). So I bought a used BMW Z4 Sports car for my toy and sold my HD. About a year later, I was really missing a bike, I found a 2002 LT with only 10K (one owner) at the local dealership in Charlotte so I bought it. That was in Oct. 2013, now in Dec. 2014 it has 22K on it and I am so happy. The Ultra Classic is a super nice bike and I truly enjoyed it. But after going back to BMW, I would not go back to HD. Enjoy your bike and ride it like you stole it and everything will be fine.
 
#9 ·
I believe the HID headlight did not come out until 2006. My LT is a 2005 and it has standard bulbs in it.
 
#8 ·
Greetings:


Can these be re-upholstered? The replacements are $280 (gee, sounds like Harley parts pricing).



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Buddy you aint seen nothing yet.:histerica Wait until you need a painted piece of plastic and see what BMW wants for that.
 
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