Newbie

Good morning everyone,

This will seem like a lame first post and I am sure you have heard this sort of thing before but, I am heading out this afternoon to look at a 2005 R1200ST that I found for sale and wondered what issues/signs to look for?

I have been trying to learn about what may lurk inside and I am hoping the fuel line recall has been done, will try to get some history from the seller... he is 2nd owner, got it from the US a few years ago. I live in apparently always cold Canada (southern Ontario to be more accurate) where we have to have all recalls handled before registering a machine we are trying to import... recall clearance certificate I believe they call it?

Anyway, I am off to continue searching the forums (I am still trying to navigate my way around here, hence the request... not trying to short cut my way to the answers, just new and short time frame) and learn about BMW's

Long time admirer of the brand btw... kind of hoping to get it and start my BMW world off!

Nice to meet you,

Dave

Hi Dave, welcome to the board. I've had 3 factory recalls so I think that is all you need to look for. The 1st was a replacement front brake banjo fitting that I wasn't aware was causing me a problem (BTW my ST has the best brakes of any bike I've owned in 50 years riding). The 2nd was the fuel pump for possible leaks. ( The original fix was to install a clamp around the plastic female fitting to prevent cracks that I thought was a marginal fix. I had already sealed around the plastic fitting causing leaks prior with JB weld for a preventative measure. So when the factory was going to put the clamp around the connection they couldn't install it and they replaced my pump assy.). The 3rd recall was for the aluminum rear disc brake holder (flange) that might develop cracks & replaced with a steel part. Other than normal maintenance, I've replaced an outside oil seal on my rear end (the easy one to get to) in 47k miles (75,639km). The servo (power) brake fluid is supposed to be changed as regular maintenance so you might want to check on that part of the service record. I do my own, but it is a bit much for those lacking mechanical skills and is a bit pricey for a dealer to perform.

I bought my ST new in 06' and it is my first BMW and I'm quite fond of it.

PS. I have some long time friends in Ontario (Kitchener/ Waterloo area) that I met from attending the Parry Sound Sportbike Rally. We (Rain Riders) are riding together on your Victoria Day weekend.

Hi George,

Thanks for the reply, I will look into these recalls... thinking now I am going to bet the current owner has not done any of them yet, will find out today.

Will do the basic once over's on it, ask a few questions and possibly pull the trigger. I quite like the look of the bike and it will be nice to get into a BMW finally... moving from my Kawasaki ZX-14 to this one, need to slow down and smell the roses a little I think, also looking for some comfort for the gf that the ZX just doesn't have.

Forgot to mention this one has 65,000km on it, seems sound... guy is selling because he doesn't make time to ride anymore...

Funny, I have been to Parry Sound several times (used to work up in that area also) but never had the chance to attend a sport bike rally... I may have missed some good fun! Nice you maintained the contact!

D

The ST is kind of a rare bird, only about 600 ST's were imported to the US '05-'08.

I just bought one a few months ago, and am still learning all of its quirks.

That being said, the major components (engine, trans, wheels, side cases, etc.) are common to the RT.

There were factory recalls on the rear wheel drive flange, fuel pump, speed sensor, and a few more that I can't recall at the moment.

In the US, if you call your local dealer, they will look up the last 7 digits of the VIN, and can tell you if recalls have been addressed.

Also, in the US, the dealer will perform the repairs for free.

If you're looking at the bike for the 1st time, when you turn on the key, the instrument cluster will show a BRAKE FAULT! symbol, this should go away when the bike has been ridden a few feet to reset the ABS.

There is a fairly common problem with the Fuel Sensor Strip, the sensor fails, giving false readings on fuel gage. It seems that they all fail in different ways, some give a LOW FUEL! warning flashing constantly on the dash, even with a full tank, mine runs out of gas with 3 bars showing on the gage, it's approx. $200 for the part, with no guarantee that it will last. I am still learning how far I can go on a tank, I get between 227 and 264 miles before it runs out with no warning.

I just had all of the recall work done on my bike, and the Stealership wanted $200 labor to replace it. They had already unplugged it to replace the fuel pump, so they wanted to charge $200 to walk to the Parts Dept. and back, never going back there. Sorry, Rant Over.

If you need a repair manual, get the Clymer's, it's much better than the Haynes.

There's a member here, Jim VonBaden, that sells repair DVD's, he also has a lot of experience with the ST.

Hi r77,

Thanks for that info... I will see how she does later today, will look for some of those issues, kind of a rare bird seems to appeal to me for some reason... kinda stoked to see it in person now!

Was looking for the source for the GS-911 tool... I can never have enough tools so that will be a nice addition to the collection! I will try to sort out which tool to get, not sure what the inteface to the bike is, will keep researching!

D

I'm going to jinx my bike now, but I haven't had any problem with my fuel strip. The gas gauge does confuse till you know that displayed 'empty' means the start of the reserve fuel in the tank which is over a gallon. A comment on the ST headlight. again the best of any bike I've owned in 50 years. If you buy the bike be sure to PM me and I'll pass along more little tips.

Well, I brought it home on Sunday and have ridden to work twice so far haha!

Will try to post a pic I took today...once I figure out how to do it

Well, I brought it home on Sunday and have ridden to work twice so far haha!

 

Will try to post a pic I took today...once I figure out how to do it

Generally you copy the url from the sight that is hosting the pic and add after it, and be sure there is a .jpg or .gif or .png at the end of your url.