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New owner 08 r1200rt


dcan

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Purchased 08 r1200rt, 21k miles. Nice clean one owner bike. I think I got a really good deal because the break failure light is on, costly abs, correct. The owner always had it serviced at a BMW shop. What else do I need to do, watch for? Thanks

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Purchased 08 r1200rt, 21k miles. Nice clean one owner bike. I think I got a really good deal because the break failure light is on, costly abs, correct. The owner always had it serviced at a BMW shop. What else do I need to do, watch for?

 

 

Morning dcan

 

On the ABS issue?-- you never know, it might be an easy repair or could be an expensive repair-- get someone with a GS-911 to get the failure codes.

 

What else do I need to do, watch for?-- About everything that can fail on a modern motorcycle.

 

The majors are:

 

Has the rear wheel flange been replaced with the steel one? This was a BMW recall.

 

Has the fuel pump pass through been replaced (or have the reinforcement ring installed) this was another BMW recall.

 

Have the brake lines at the ABS controller been replaced? Another BMW recall.

 

Otherwise look for any signs of oil leaks at rear of engine & look at the clutch master cyl reservoir to see if the fluid looks black (black fluid can be a sign of the slave cylinder having issues)

 

Also check the final drive for having excess wheel movement (cold) & for any signs of crown bearing growling in the foot pegs at very low speeds.

 

Otherwise just look it over very closely.

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You may want to check the FPC,(fuel pump controller)

Many had problems with the original, that is silver.

Replacement is black. See if there is water in the

area. Mine was flooded!! Takes some time to get to it,

have to remove the left side tank cover.

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Ok, why 04 over 08? I had a 97 and the 04 felt like the 97, old and heavy. The 08 is night and day over the 04. Does the 08 have more problems? The difference in cost was only 2k, so I thought the 08 was a lot better deal. Thanks

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Ok, why 04 over 08? I had a 97 and the 04 felt like the 97, old and heavy. The 08 is night and day over the 04. Does the 08 have more problems? The difference in cost was only 2k, so I thought the 08 was a lot better deal. Thanks

 

Agreed Dcan, I jumped from an '04 (which I loved) to an '08 and never looked back. Cruise, more power, easier to work on (but for the final drive) :( all around better bike, and not a lot of extra electronics to worry about like on the WC model.

 

I've put 20K trouble free miles on mine in the last two years and expect her to go another 100K.

 

Bill

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Ok, why 04 over 08? I had a 97 and the 04 felt like the 97, old and heavy. The 08 is night and day over the 04. Does the 08 have more problems? The difference in cost was only 2k, so I thought the 08 was a lot better deal. Thanks

 

Fair question. I've heard the '08 final drive can be a bit of a problem maybe more than the FD on the '04. To my eye the hexheads are just kind of, no offence, butt ugly but then I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your '08 seems to have an ABS issue which could be not so good on the old pocket book. An '04 with only 8K miles if it is also pristine in every way would be a rare find. I sold my '04 which I bought new and put about 60K miles on her. I really bonded with big blue and even though I like the '10 FJR I replaced the RT with I kind of wish at times I had kept the RT. Now, I still have my pride and joy that being a '93 R1100RSL and to tell the truth if I had to make a choice between the '93 and the FeeJeR I'm afraid the FJR would go down the road. I am just partial to oilheads I guess. Wow, an '04 with under 10K miles, hard to pass up.

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Based on other members' experience, replacing an ABS control module on late-build Hexheads can cost anywhere between US $2000 and 2500.

 

Also consider this: according to the local BMW dealership, the most common causes of death for these ABS units are all maintenance related. This means that either the previous owner lied about the bike "always being serviced at a BMW dealership" or said BMW dealership has failed to follow the correct maintenance procedures.

 

Be sure to price both things in if you really want that bike.

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Long and short is BMW builds an expensive machine to maintain and their reliability is questionable and not just by me.

 

As an example take my '93RS. I just had to replace my front brake master cylinder assembly because the brake fluid had corroded the bare un-anodized aluminum cylinder bore. The cost was $465 and that was after the dealer had pity on me and gave me $30 off msrp. OK, that's not bad for a 23 year old bike you say and you might be right but in the records on the bike I see the original owner had the same problem in 1998 so the bike is now on its 3rd master cylinder. The first two were both not anodized but lucky for me the 3rd time was a charm and it is anodized.

 

I would be most concerned with that ABS warning light. BMW and their single sided swing arm is going to be hard on final drive bearings as compared to a double sided assembly as in the old airhead design no matter what year you're talking about and if you are unlucky repair will set you back. BMW drive train problems are legendary.

 

It is quick and easy to remove the ABS system on an oilhead and convert to very good and powerful manual brakes. I'm not sure about how easy this would be on a 2008 but something I would consider doing if it was me before I would pay any huge amount of money to BringMoreWallet. Beware that ABS warning lamp else you get bit in the old back pocket.

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Hi dcan. Welcome! I have an 06 RT. While I did my homework prior to buying, the more I dug around, the more I began to worry about my RT. I have the Wheezy brakes, and to read it on the interwebs, I should have had at least 2 servo failures, and " OH MY GAWD! YOU RIDE THAT THANG!!?, yada yada yada. While there are points of concern - and recalls - I absolutely head-over-heals love my bike and have not experienced servo or final drives issues. Bike issues tend to get concentrated and have a multiplying effect that can make it seem like 1 out of 3 bikes is destined for major disappointment. What's unread on the web are all the riders who've had zero issues. Except for the fuel strip.

 

Hopefully your ABS issue is a minor one. Maybe someone around you haves a GS911 and can check your codes. :dopeslap:

 

Best of luck and enjoy the bike!

Edited by workin' them angels
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What could dealer do to screw it up? not change fluids on scheduled times?

 

Morning Mark

 

Not much as the usual cause of failure on the BMW I-ABS Gen-2 system is a motor brush sticking or a failing internal pressure switch & neither is caused by lack of service or late service.

 

 

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My R1200 ABS first failed the same day after it got the fuel pump done. Prolly Coincidence.

 

I had an R1100RT for a few years. I needed help getting the thing off the centerstand fully loaded more than once.

 

Don"t ask about sidestand spear issues in camping grounds. Ended up carrying a block of wood for the sidestand.

 

The dodgy front Ball Joint and weeping head gasket caused all sorts of grief till I found/fixed the issues.

 

But I loved it. 300Kgs of pure joy.

 

Loaded.jpg

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The link above shows that services are not yet available for earlier bikes with iABS (the whizzy servo units).

 

https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-ate-abs4/ shows rebuild services available for the 2008 RT and others with iABSII.

 

In any case, call them before removing the ABS module from the bike or shipping it to them.

Edited by lkraus
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What could dealer do to screw it up? not change fluids on scheduled times?

 

Morning Mark

 

Not much as the usual cause of failure on the BMW I-ABS Gen-2 system is a motor brush sticking or a failing internal pressure switch & neither is caused by lack of service or late service.

 

 

+1

 

You could flush all circuits every other month and it wouldn't prevent module failure. Not a maintenance issue.

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