[xaman]

Hello all,

I'm new to touring bikes, but have been considering one for two up day and weekend trips with my wife. I thought I would get serious about researching over the summer and buy in the fall, but just ran across this one at a dealer over the weekend...

It's a 2003 with 102k on the clock, selling for $2995 plus taxes and fees.

The sales manager told me it was a single owner bike, traded in on a brand new Goldwing (Honda dealer, not a BMW dealer).

Seems like a killer price, but I'm not sure why the dealer would list it cheap. I tend to be a bit of a pessimist -- if it's too good to be true, it probably is .

Just looking for advice on what to look for, what questions to ask, etc. they are closed today, but I could test ride it (15miles) tomorrow. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

 

[DanDiver]

Check out the prices of a low mileage 2003 (trader publication/ Craigs list/ Ebay) and then subtract the difference. If you are prepared to put that into it, then yes, it might be a good deal. When you spend less than expected, put the difference aside as insurance.

Maybe it's possible to contact local BMW for service records on the bike? It would be worth the cost of having a BMW tech check it out. $100 spent might save you or at least set the correct expectation.

 

[DanMartin]

Take it for a drive. Make sure all the dash lights go out after you have moved 10-20 ft.
No flashing lights. Get it in 5th at 2500 rpm, about 50mph, gas it and see if rpms
increase more than road speed. If so, clutch is slipping. $2k+ for dealer to fix,$5-600
for you to fix.
Lots of good help on this site.

 

[southern_nj]

Interesting post...seems like a fair price; however, I would consider buying one with 30,000 miles on it vs. 100,000. When you look at the prices for your repairs/service, you will see why.

Are you handy with a wrench?

G

 

[deputy5211]

Take it for a drive. Make sure all the dash lights go out after you have moved 10-20 ft.
No flashing lights. Get it in 5th at 2500 rpm, about 50mph, gas it and see if rpms
increase more than road speed. If so, clutch is slipping. $2k+ for dealer to fix,$5-600
for you to fix.
Lots of good help on this site.

+1

 

[copperstatetour]

I second the lower mileage bike idea, but these things can go hundreds of thousands of miles relatively incident free so I wouldn't sneeze at 100,000 on the clock.

I would take the advice of those above and get on the bike for your test drive and take it directly from the Honda Dealer to the BMW Dealer and have it checked out. This will also get you acustomed to opening your wallet wide for the BMW tech and motivate you to become a grease monkey. But seriously, they will know what to look for and if anything will probably give you a pessemistic view of the health of the bike.

I am a stingy cheapskate so I would try to whittle them down on the price, pocket the balance and then you don't have to worry.

 

[fpmlt]

Anyone from this forum live nearby that can take the bike for a test ride? Someone with experience could give more perspective.

 

[jkriner]

I would search for any service history on the bike.
I just purchased a 2005 K1200 LT with 120,000 on the clock with complete confidence.
The PO had a complete service history from initial purchase.

 

[oldnslow]

Hmmm....I don't own a K1200, but have been 'shopping' for one for about 3 months, looking for the perfect deal. (I have a K100RT). Here's my take on it. 3000 for the bike from a private seller would be a pretty sweet deal. But I would expect it to need to be 'freshened' up a bit. (tires, fluids, etc..) I see most bikes with that year and mileage have been in the 4000-6000 range. The mileage doesnt alarm me but here's what does. A Honda dealer has the bike on a trade in. They at most gave the PO 1500 for it, probably closer to 1000. To me that indicates the PO wanted out of that bike real bad. If he was the original owner, he may have known of an upcoming major problem, or if he wasnt the original, this bike may have put a bad taste in his mouth from problems and he wanted out now, and didnt want another BMW for any reason.


Then again, it could be the deal of the century! By if I was buying it, I would plan on 2000 worth of repairs in the near future.

 

[xaman]

Thanks guys for the sound advice. I hope to test ride it, and will report back my findings.