[drew4691]

Hello there, this is my first post and just wanted to say Hi! I just purchased a 1999 K1200LT with almost 60k miles on it on Friday. I do like this bike a lot...

IBut.. when you are in cruising speed (5th gear) and accelerate, it felt like there was no power being transferred to the transmission, almost like it would slip.. RPMs would go up, but no power it felt like....until i brought the RPMs down and could accelerate slowly to get up to speed. I thought it was no big deal since it is my first bmw, and the guy i bought it off of said "yeah you're probably not used to these engines" whatever.

well today, I was going up a hill, and lost power,,, kept downshifting to try to get some speed, but to no avail. until even in 1st gear it wouldn't go anywhere. all you hear now is just clunk clunk clunk when you put it in gear. So i immediately shut it down and towed it back to my house.

I hear maybe that a transmission bearing might have went out? Would this be expensive to get fixed? any info would be much appreciated! :wave
.
I'm in west central ohio, (springfield/dayton area) and will probably trailer it over to motohio on tuesday when they open.

 

[jzeiler]

Sounds like a lost clutch to me. The fifth gear is the first symptom. Surprized it went full tilt so fast. usually you get a few K miles before she gives up. Must have a good leak of some sorts contaminating the clutch. The front bearing in the tranny is known to go and when it does you get a squealing or "bucket of rocks" symptom but not loss of power transfer.

Clutch job at a dealer is going to run $1,200 and up. Very labor intensive as it takes a good 12 hours to accomplish. Sorry you had to experience that as a new owner.

 

[oldnslow]

Yep, the clutch is gone. Me thinks the previous owner knew of the problem, as this is something that happens gradually. Thats what really stinks!

If you are handy with tools, and have a space to work on it for a week or so, the clutch job can be done 'shade tree' style. Not complicated, just time consuming. Get a manual, and look around the web for instructions written by real people who have done it and write the instructions like they are just talking to you. It can be done for a SUBSTANTIAL savings!!

 

[gary45]

Hello there, this is my first post and just wanted to say Hi! I just purchased a 1999 K1200LT with almost 60k miles on it on Friday. I do like this bike a lot...

IBut.. when you are in cruising speed (5th gear) and accelerate, it felt like there was no power being transferred to the transmission, almost like it would slip.. RPMs would go up, but no power it felt like....until i brought the RPMs down and could accelerate slowly to get up to speed. I thought it was no big deal since it is my first bmw, and the guy i bought it off of said "yeah you're probably not used to these engines" whatever.

well today, I was going up a hill, and lost power,,, kept downshifting to try to get some speed, but to no avail. until even in 1st gear it wouldn't go anywhere. all you hear now is just clunk clunk clunk when you put it in gear. So i immediately shut it down and towed it back to my house.

I hear maybe that a transmission bearing might have went out? Would this be expensive to get fixed? any info would be much appreciated! :wave
.
I'm in west central ohio, (springfield/dayton area) and will probably trailer it over to motohio on tuesday when they open.

If you just got the bike the guy you got it from had to know the clutch was bad, have you talked to him, did you get it for a really low price

 

[drew4691]

If you just got the bike the guy you got it from had to know the clutch was bad, have you talked to him, did you get it for a really low price

He said the clutch is fairly new, but there is a "slight" tranny leak.. so from what i'm reading it looks like it could have leaked down and contaminated the clutch? I paid $4750, and had to buy an new battery for $160, So i'm in it for a shade over $4,900 so far. (not counting the gas $ to go over to Indiana and get it, bring it back, then go and trailer it back to my house after it broke down today)

I'm just hoping the stealership doesn't hose me..

 

[oldnslow]

If you can and have the ability, I would really do the job yourself. You will have a fantastic understanding of the drive line of the bike, which is where most problems happen anyway. You will know every nut and bolt from the wheel to the engine! Plus it is a 'bonding' experience!

 

[Bones1955]

Trust me he knew the clutch was shot.
You just bought the bike and it's shot in a day or two..no way call the guy up he at least needs to return some money or take the bike back.
He said the clutch was fairly new..ask for proof ..if none then that proves he misrepresented the bike..take him to small claims if you need too!

 

[wa1200lt]

Sorry this happened to you. If it helps, I do believe there is a special place in hell for any rat bastard who would take advantage of someone like the PO just did to you. What an ass.

Was he a member of this forum? Might be good to know who it is so we can shun him like the plague!

Loren

 

[oldnslow]

"yeah you're probably not used to these engines"

This is the statement that burns my butt. What a load of -----.

The clutch may be 'new' but if it is soaked in oil, it is ruined.

Dont sweat it though...no reason to let jerks ruin your day.

 

[drew4691]

lol thanks for the encouragement guys.

No I do not know if he is a member of this forum,

no, I'll probably not take him to small claims court (although I do agree he probably knew there was an issue that he didn't tell me about) but being out of state, its really not worth the hassle.

I'd like to work on it myself, but I really don't have the time, between work, and trying to close on a house, and other things going on, I'll probably end up taking it to Motohio and throwing money at it. I might as well have them go over the bike and make sure its good to go for the rest of the summer while its there.

BUT thats not to say I won't keep texting him telling him about the repairs that need to be done, and since I do have his name and address, I will be sending him a copy of the bill, just for the fun of it. Too bad too, he is a fireman with 30+ years on the force. whatev. I still like the bike.

 

[dfinazzo]

I would ask him to go into it 50/50 . . . on the repairs. I have done this for others in the past!

The oil in the bell housing that can get on the clutch and cause your symptoms can
come from one of three sources:

1. The rear main seal in the engine
2. The front seal on the transmission
3. The clutch slave cylinder seal

If you have a dealer work on it make sure you get a warranty on the specific work they perform.

I developed a leak around the bell housing and immediately repaired it before the oil got
to the clutch. As it turned out is was a rear main seal on the engine. If you decide to do it
yourself I have some special tools you will need and can offer some assistance as I live in
Cincinnati - your southern neighbor!!

Good luck in your learning curve and experiences!!

 

[CharlieVT]

Reading your description, I too concluded that you have a contaminated clutch that was slipping. It was very likely slipping before you bought it and the prior owner knew it and decided to stop riding and sell it to some unsuspecting person before the clutch really went south.

What a sad story. The sort of story that makes me fantasize about hiring some thugs to go break the guy's knees. But "Time wounds all heels", and he'll get his deserved return in time.

You might call the guy and just see what he says. Maybe he really didn't know there was a clutch problem and a truly decent guy would feel bad and might even help you with the clutch repair costs. But I doubt it; the statement: "yeah you're probably not used to these engines" is very telling.

There are many helpful folks on this site, maybe someone near you can lend a hand. You do need a little reassurance that this BMW community is mostly really good folks.

I have a 1999 with 80K+ miles (I am the original owner) and it is a great bike. When you get your problems worked you, you're going to love the bike.

Hello there, this is my first post and just wanted to say Hi! I just purchased a 1999 K1200LT with almost 60k miles on it on Friday. I do like this bike a lot...

IBut.. when you are in cruising speed (5th gear) and accelerate, it felt like there was no power being transferred to the transmission, almost like it would slip.. RPMs would go up, but no power it felt like....until i brought the RPMs down and could accelerate slowly to get up to speed. I thought it was no big deal since it is my first bmw, and the guy i bought it off of said "yeah you're probably not used to these engines" whatever.

well today, I was going up a hill, and lost power,,, kept downshifting to try to get some speed, but to no avail. until even in 1st gear it wouldn't go anywhere. all you hear now is just clunk clunk clunk when you put it in gear. So i immediately shut it down and towed it back to my house.

I hear maybe that a transmission bearing might have went out? Would this be expensive to get fixed? any info would be much appreciated! :wave
.
I'm in west central ohio, (springfield/dayton area) and will probably trailer it over to motohio on tuesday when they open.

 

[Rocketsled]

Unfortunately, it's a Caveat Emptor kinda situation.

When I purchased my 2005, I had a short list of little things that had to get done to make it right. You could tell the previous owner had let things slip as he was 'gettin rid of it for a 1600'.

New battery ($80),
New front tire ($200-ish),
Fuse for the HID headlight ($0.25)

Seems all pretty minor...except for the
36,000 mile checkup. ($250 in parts and tools, vs $1k to have someone else do it)

The Rule of thumb is: "There's ALWAYS something unexpected when buying a used vehicle."

Think of it this way: If the repair is done right...it's one less thing to worry about.

 

[hschisler]

Sorry this happened to you, and I want to hold out a thin sliver of hope that the previous owner did not know the clutch was dying and that's why he didn't tell you about it. In any event, I WOULD call him to let him know about the problem, because if he did know then he needs to let his conscience work on him. That said...

STOP. If you're going to take it to Motohio, consider taking it 2 hours farther northeast to Mathias BMW in New Philadelphia. They did my clutch replacement 3-4 years ago for $1100, and their shop rate (today) is 60% of Motohio's. Their main tech is a BMW certified master technician and does most of our work. He is very good, and has done many scheduled services and other things for two LTs I've had. You're going to tow it some distance anyway, and you're going to spend some significant bucks - might as well call both places and get an estimate.

Also, consider new shocks while you're in there.

 

[drew4691]

Well I have an update after calling around to different service shops around the state...
All of the places I called do the clutch plus replace the three items listed earlier

1. The rear main seal in the engine
2. The front seal on the transmission
3. The clutch slave cylinder

I'll go by city rather than type all the different bmw dealership names..

New Philidelphia - $1565, but they can't get my bike in until 23 July
Wooster - between $1500-$1600 - Can have my bike in this week and have it for about a week.
Hilliard - $2300
Indianapolis - Closed Mondays
Columbus (motohio) - Closed Mondays.

I'll make some more calls tomorrow

 

[mwnahas]

New Philidelphia sounds like it was a bit cheaper than Cleveland (Parma) and has good rep. Parma did mine and did great job.

 

[GlennM86]

Since you are calling around, don't forget the independent repair shops that might exist near you.

Also, I recommend asking if they will perform the "weep hole mod" since they are already that deep into it.

There is a sticky post about the weep hole mod on this forum.

Good luck.

 

[hschisler]

The multi-line dealer in Hilliard isn't an 'official' BMW shop. They are an authorized seller and everything, but their work won't show up on BMW's computer system. Not sure why, or what that means, just FYI.

 

[drew4691]

Took it to Wooster,OH. I'm getting the clutch replaced and a full (60k) service....

Any recommendations on the parts they must replace while they have it torn apart? :bmw:

 

[LTFan]

I believe someone mentioned suspensions earlier on this thread.