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buying a K1200LT a mistake?

6K views 51 replies 40 participants last post by  rusmckay 
#1 ·
As I read thru this and other forums I'm beginning to think I made a mistake buying a 2002 LT with 20K miles. I read about having to change throttle cables, oil leaks, rear drive failures, lousy dealer service, $800 mirrors falling off, expensive service, being top heavy, and on and on. I wanted a reliable touring bike and didn't want to get a Goldwing because every one has one of those. But now I feel that the BMW might not be so reliable and more expensive than other bikes to maintain.
Am I getting worried over nothing or did I make a mistake?

Newly retired in PA
 
#2 ·
harleybmwbiker said:
As I read thru this and other forums I'm beginning to think I made a mistake buying a 2002 LT with 20K miles. I read about having to change throttle cables, oil leaks, rear drive failures, lousy dealer service, $800 mirrors falling off, expensive service, being top heavy, and on and on. I wanted a reliable touring bike and didn't want to get a Goldwing because every one has one of those. But now I feel that the BMW might not be so reliable and more expensive than other bikes to maintain.
Am I getting worried over nothing or did I make a mistake?

Newly retired in PA
Don't worry just ride it !!!!! I bought a 2000 with 13200 on the clock 2 1/2 years ago now have 38,000on her with out even a hickup and I pull a trailer:eek:
 
#3 ·
harleybmwbiker said:
As I read thru this and other forums I'm beginning to think I made a mistake buying a 2002 LT with 20K miles. I read about having to change throttle cables, oil leaks, rear drive failures, lousy dealer service, $800 mirrors falling off, expensive service, being top heavy, and on and on. I wanted a reliable touring bike and didn't want to get a Goldwing because every one has one of those. But now I feel that the BMW might not be so reliable and more expensive than other bikes to maintain.
Am I getting worried over nothing or did I make a mistake?

Newly retired in PA
Well, I'm new to BMW also after owning Kawasaki's exclusively for 30+ years and my last bike being a Voyager XII I owned for 17 years. I hope that you are worrying about nothing!

I think you have to keep in mind that forums such as these capture all of the bad stuff and little of the good stuff. I sold my Voyager after it had two final drive related failures. The first, at 36,000 miles, was must a leaking pinion seal. This wasn't a big deal and took a couple hundred bucks to fix. However, when the seal failed again at 44,000 miles, it wasn't so benign. This time the coil spring that tensions the seal lip came out of the seal and was ingested by the pinion bearing. This isn't a field repairable unit according to Kawasaki and thus they wanted to sell me a new final drive for the princely sum of $1,500 (which is about twice what I understand BMW FDs go for). I instead bought a used FD for $300, installed it and then sold the bike as I no longer trusted it.

So, all brands have trouble and I don't yet know if BMW is more or less troublesome than other brands. They do seem to have a higher than desirable FD failure rate, but there is also slight evidence that the problem has been less prevalent in later models, although apparently this year's Iron Butt had an unusually high failure rate so maybe not.

Personally, I'm going to ride my LT and though it were bulletproof and not worry about it until it proves otherwise. So far, but with only 3,600 miles, so good!

Matt
 
#5 ·
Ride it like you sole it!

The only concern I have, is the amount of money that I spend on tires.
I average 2K on a set of tires. Front and rear.

My sportbikes get 2K on the rear and at least I two rear to a front.

The LT just simply gobbles up tires.


I don't worry about things breaking until they break.
THe LT is a fine machine...
All Motorcycles break.

Look at Harley's.
 
#6 ·
MikeERideWNC said:
Ride it like you sole it!

The only concern I have, is the amount of money that I spend on tires.
I average 2K on a set of tires. Front and rear.

My sportbikes get 2K on the rear and at least I two rear to a front.

The LT just simply gobbles up tires.
How do you chew up a tire in 2K miles? I have 3,600 on my OEM 880s, and they are worn 40% at most. I'm expecting to get at least 8K and maybe even 10K.
What brand(s) are you using? The soft compound sport bike tires? I got one of those on my Voyager once as they didn't have the 481s in stock in my size and it barely made 5K (I got 10K+ on the 481s).

Matt
 
#7 ·
Mark,

Don't worry about your new bike. Just enjoy the ride!

You have come to right place for information and help with anything that may go wrong with your bike. Read the forum and you'll find all the things that are likely to ever go wrong with the LT. You'll know what to look out for and what items to make sure you maintain.

If the final drive goes there isn't much you can do about it before hand. Just change the fluids often. I change mine every 3,000 miles along with the oil. You can buy a brand new drive for $800 and install it in an hour or two if the worst case happens.

I'd be more concerned with a leaking slave cylinder since that can contaminate the clutch and result in a 20-30 hour repair if you tackle it yourself or $1500-$2000 if you have a dealer do the repair. Drill the weep hole and you'll eliminate the potential for contaminating the clutch.

Good Luck,
Kevin
 
#8 ·
MikeERideWNC said:
Ride it like you sole it!

The only concern I have, is the amount of money that I spend on tires.
I average 2K on a set of tires. Front and rear.

My sportbikes get 2K on the rear and at least I two rear to a front.

The LT just simply gobbles up tires.


I don't worry about things breaking until they break.
THe LT is a fine machine...
All Motorcycles break.

Look at Harley's.
Man I get 10,000 on a rear and around 18.000 per front.!! You riding without air in dem tires??:eek:
 
#9 ·
katnapinn said:
Man I get 10,000 on a rear and around 18.000 per front.!! You riding without air in dem tires??:eek:
I think he replaces them when the little rubber tips wear off:) :histerica :histerica :histerica :histerica :histerica :histerica :histerica
 
#10 · (Edited)
harleybmwbiker said:
......Am I getting worried over nothing or did I make a mistake?.....
Relax and just ride it. Most of the stuff discussed around here will probably never happen to you. In 100K (+,-) LT miles I had a few problems, but nothing like one may think from reading the forum. For example, my mirror(s) never fell off, never had an engine oil leak, no gear linkage ,rear main seal, throttle cable failure, nor transmission failures. Luckily, I have had great service from either of two local dealers.
I had a drive failure at 46K (covered under BMW warranty) even though I was out of time and over 30K!.
Other than routine maintenance the bike(s) have been mostly trouble free.
 
#11 ·
Look at your addresses and look at mine.

I don't ever ride a straight road... By choice.

I got 3K on the ME880.
2K on the Storms.
I gaurantee that I ride my LT more aggresive than any other rider on this site.
If you doubt that statement, let's go for a ride. :dance:
 
#12 ·
One thing that will make you feel better and make the LT cheeper to own is to attend a "tech day" in your area and learn to do the maintenance yourself. If you take it to the dealer for everything then you are going to spend a lot of money.
 
#13 ·
He's running the same as me. They are very sticky tires. Here's a picture of mine from the Dragon.

Voyager said:
How do you chew up a tire in 2K miles? I have 3,600 on my OEM 880s, and they are worn 40% at most. I'm expecting to get at least 8K and maybe even 10K.
What brand(s) are you using? The soft compound sport bike tires? I got one of those on my Voyager once as they didn't have the 481s in stock in my size and it barely made 5K (I got 10K+ on the 481s).

Matt
 

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#14 ·
bad things good things

..... like anything ells in life nothing is perfect, it's all about the way you look on things .... & with this heavy Puppy the key word is interaction ….
just logged 3500 miles on my 2000 Red Canyon (47K on the Odo), Southern CA to Indianapolis IN ...... this Bike is amazing Bike, and if it brake down I'll fix it & keep riding, and riding, and riding ....
 
#15 ·
yair1956 said:
..... like anything ells in life nothing is perfect, it's all about the way you look on things .... & with this heavy Puppy the key word is interaction ….
just logged 3500 miles on my 2000 Red Canyon (47K on the Odo), Southern CA to Indianapolis IN ...... this Bike is amazing Bike, and if it brake down I'll fix it & keep riding, and riding, and riding ....


Amen! Bother.
 
#16 ·
Like Mr Pie Princess says......

:histerica
katnapinn said:
Man I get 10,000 on a rear and around 18.000 per front.!! You riding without air in dem tires??:eek:

I get at least that on my Metzs!
 
#17 · (Edited)
Great Ride, No Problems

I bought my 04LT back in June thinking of a 4,000 mi trip I had planned for Aug. Then I started reading all the "repair" threads on this site. I even posted a thread similar to yours about being nervous about my trip out west..
I've now put close to 7,000 on it since I bought it. (24,000 to 31,000) It is running better now than when I first bought it.
All I have had to do is change oil etc. (& final drive oil)
I keep looking for oil drops, and I'm paying close attention for any clutch slippage. I bought metal cables to catch the mirrors, if they fall. I'm planning to drill the weep holes at the 36,000 mi service.
Its a great bike. I test drove the wing, it was just not made for me (6'5".) I did not want a Harley (I put on too many miles).. The LT was the only bike that could do all I wanted.. It still is.
I think its just the nature of this site to focus on "problems." It makes sense. Who's going to post every day about a "great ride" "no problems" ??
Its obvious by the tire wear that there are riders out there that are pushing their LTs a lot more than the average rider, and they are staying with it.
I'm really happy with mine, and when it does have a problem, I'll fix it and keep riding. Its not perfect, but I can't think of another bike I'd rather own.. :bmw:
Jeff
 
#18 ·
I had most of the problems the LT can present, plus the worst one I have seen here that only I had (broken ring lands on all 4 pistons), plus the very difficult to replace starter sprag clutch. That makes me probably the most experienced person here with all the possible LT problems.

I don't have a bike right now, totaled my second LT, and due to financial reasons (just retired and moved from San Diego to Tennessee), but when the finances allow I will get another bike. Guess what is in the top billing when I do? You guessed it, another LT! Second on the list is a GS.

Although I had a lot of issues with the LT, over 120,000 miles, it is still the bike that just plain FIT me and my riding better than anything else could. I may go to the GS because I don't think that multi 1,000 mile day rides are in my future any longer, and I may ride more locally than I did before, when I was riding all over the country.
 
#19 ·
I agree most people will complain then give thumbs up, it's the same with anything. My 03 is driven everyday and other then gas and oil changes it only gets better with riding it. I have the 24K coming up and I intend to do most of the work myself, now that I can get the tupperware off. Enjoy the bike and just ride
 
#21 ·
MikeERideWNC said:
I gaurantee that I ride my LT more aggresive than any other rider on this site.
Yep, I doubt that.
MikeERideWNC said:
If you doubt that statement, let's go for a ride. :dance:
I'm sure we will:)

Let's put it this way. Our endurance team chewed up a team called Deals Gap Racing and Team Hammer 2. then we'll go from there.

BTW I get 7-10K miles on Metz's and really hate to get tickets, especially in NC.
 
#22 ·
trouble free

I have had my 05 for 3 years and have put 15,000 miles on it. I know that's not a lot of miles but I have had no trouble at all with it. I replaced my 880's at 10,500. They probably had about another 1500 left in them. I just got out of warranty, so I hope to have no trouble in the future.
 
#23 ·
OK!

Mike, Rock and John can the rest of us come and watch? :rotf:

I KNOW that I don't belong anywhere near that group but I sure would like to see what some of you guys can do with an LT. I know that Joe has high praise for John's riding skills.

How about a track day on LT's? That way us slow guys won't have to try to keep up to see the action. We can just sit in the bleachers and watch. :D


Kevin
 
#24 ·
Stop reading.

When I went to Alaska and back, one of my fears were all the fears I have read on this forum. I as scared to death that I was going to break down. However I returned after 12060 miles without a problem. I just finished another 1100 mile trip to North Carolina. Now I agree with a lot hear that the problems you read will probably not happen to the bike. So I ride with less fear.
 
#25 ·
Don't be afraid.....

MikeERideWNC said:
Ride it like you sole it!

The only concern I have, is the amount of money that I spend on tires.
I average 2K on a set of tires. Front and rear.

My sportbikes get 2K on the rear and at least I two rear to a front.

The LT just simply gobbles up tires.


I don't worry about things breaking until they break.
THe LT is a fine machine...
All Motorcycles break.

Look at Harley's.
Laugh at Harley's.....;)

My 2002 LT served me very well for 4 years. Never stranded me. Tires lasted 16,000 miles (METZ). Dealer replaced throttle cables free under warranty.

My GT OEM tires are already replaced at 9,400 miles. Zero GT problems in the first 15 months of ownership. I run the GT harder. I had METZ Z6 installed because I was impressed with the life of the Metx on my LT.

No problems with either bike other than me not riding them enough due to our crap weather or my business interfering with my fun...;)
 
#26 ·
bowlesj said:
Yep, I doubt that.

I'm sure we will:)

Let's put it this way. Our endurance team chewed up a team called Deals Gap Racing and Team Hammer 2. then we'll go from there.

BTW I get 7-10K miles on Metz's and really hate to get tickets, especially in NC.
Lets see if we can get an LT's day race up Pikes Peak
 
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