Buying A Cheap, High Mileage BMW Motorcycle Is It Shot or Not?

@RyanF9 inspired this closer look into a motorcycle with well over 6 figures on the odometer to determine if it is Shot or Not? Should you spend you money on a bike with high mileage? We try to answer this question and have some fun along the way.

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[nateg]

I’m a motorcycle tech for a living. I rebuilt a transmission on a 2015 goldwing with a bit over 200k on her and re used the clutch plates because they essentially were looking still brand new. It’s 2022 and that bike is still going strong and has Just shy of 500k miles.

I’ve also worked on sport bikes with well over 100k miles. I still have a 2006 GSXR1000 which I bought new, ridden hard, and have 214k in her with the same clutch. Tires are another story lol

[rc]

The Hall sensors themselves are very reliable. The issue lies with Bosch (supplier to BMW) using the wrong temperature rating wire (80c) on the cable between the plate and the interface plug. The insulation literally crumbles from the heat at the front of the engine where the plate is situated. Moisture during heavy rain will short the signal wires (spark and fuel pulse) and the engine will quit. Extremely baked ones will fail even in dry conditions.
In mid 2002 the insulation was upgraded to high temperature (200c).
A visual check of the cable will confirm old or new. Hard shiny jacket 6mm dia is the old style failure prone cable. They all eventually fail.
Soft loose dull jacket 12mm dia is the updated insulation. These units do not fail.
Original old style units can be rewired with Teflon high temperature wire and will last the lifetime of the bike.
My R1150GS has 375, 000km on the clock. I rewired sensor at 80, 000 km, it has run flawlessly since.
I have rewired dozens over the years and had no failures.
The cost to rewire is significantly less than purchasing new OE or Chinese knockoff.
Find me on ADV Riders @GS Addict
I too am a BC Westcoaster

[ballockybill]

Good maintenance is the key . I bought a Honda CB 500 in 99, and put over 300, 000 miles on it . The engine still ran good as new .

[andrewstones]

I just bought a 1996 R1100 RT and I’m seriously impressed with the build quality of this, mine has a mere 74’000 miles. However, I used to live in Thailand where everyone rides bikes, not big ones usually but everyone rides a Honda 125 or equivalent. I can tell you that I have seen many a Honda 125 exceed 100, 000 miles miles with maybe a couple of sets of rings along the way.. the kind of service that any roadside mechanic in Thailand will do for 20 dollars. The secret (ok it’s no secret) is to start with a well tried and tested engine design and the change the oil very frequently. Not rocket science right ?

[soldat]

Ryan is young. He’s smart, but he’s young. He’s not wrong in that most bikes, the vast majority in fact, will be shot. The key is finding those gems who were owned by crazy, maintenance obsessed owners. I got my 09 1200GS, 75k km bike from a guy who tracked everything. All maintenance done at a certified BMW dealer. It was incredible but they are out there. You just have to have patience. Youth is not known for their patience.

Excellent video Rod. You earned a sub.

[thurstonhowelliii]

I know im posting late on this subject but feel it's relevant info.
I bought a 1999 R1100RT 0n 9/7/17 with exactly 34, 124 miles on it for $3ooo. I rode it home 450 miles. I immediately changed the stock brake lines and changed motor oil, gearboc oil, final drive oil, spark plugs, air and fuel filters. Valve adjustment and TB sync was also performed. At approximately 102, 000 miles I changed the front brake rotors and obviously nstalled new pads. Besides routine maintenance I have NOT put another dollar into the bike. Current mileage on 1/8/22 is 108, 221. The bike runs extremely well. Longest 1 day ride just over 650 miles. Getting ready to do a saddle sore 1000 in April 2022. If maintained properly, these bikes will get 300K miles without a hiccup.
My point is that it's not just mileage but the routine preventative maintenance and care by previous owner. New RT's range in price from the low $20'sK to high $20'sK. Just not looking forward to the clutch replacement somewhere down the road.

[gerrybezaire]

Bought a 2000 R1150GS in 2014. Now has 160K - I upgrade something every year during storage, one year brake lines, another year fuel lines, last year rebuilt the ABS system, and the alternator. Liked your video and thanks for the heads up with the Hall sensor - I'll replace it this year and have a spare. Cheers

[drewmorg.]

Man. Every obscure bike I want to research .... your channel comes right up. For a tiny channel, you're doing an immense job. And YouTube is rewarding you for it !!

[nickfry]

In fairness to disprove a bit of hyperbola you have chosen one of the most bulletproof bikes around. I'm sure that there are plenty on other less Germanic bikes that might need a lot more attention. Also interesting that the highest milage bike you could find was the BMW, guessing that many of the lesser marques never got that far. However it is interesting to see how relatively unscathed this bike is and testament to the BM's build quality.

[timwinfield]

For most bikes, six figures is getting long in the tooth but there are exceptions to the rule such as BMWs, Goldwings. and Evo powered Harleys. As always this depends on the riding style and maintenance attitude of the dreaded previous owner. General indicaters of the bikes health are things like tire wear, brake pad thicknes, overall cleanliness and oil tighness, and my personal favorite, oil condition. If the bike starts willingly and makes no untoward clicks and such, and otherwise exibits no unruley habits on the road, you've probably got a good bike. While you're on the road test, find a traffic free zone and take your hands off the bars at speed. If the bike has unrepaired damage it will probably not track or turn properly.
On the center stand test wheel bearings by grabbing the wheel top and bottom and attempting to rock the wheel. Same with front forks and swing arm . Never take the owners word for the condition of the bike, not because they are being dishonest necessarily but because many owners are not as familiar as they might be about things mechanical. I have about 240, 000 Km on a 2003 BMW GS and it runs and handles as well as a new bike. My best piece of advice about keeping your pride and joy in good order is to change the oil(s) regularly. Oil is cheap, mechanics are not.

[michaelscott]

OK, Rod, I'm like you, I've been wrenching all my I'm 74. (Just a little testament to my ability to see the big picture.)
I appreciate the fact that you're putting a "high mileage" bike through its paces so you can demonstrate to your audience that OLD bikes (like old men) still have some value left in them, even after they've been "down the road" many a time and for much distance.
The thing is, as some other commenter pointed out, as altruistic and genuine as your shopping for a high-miler might have been....the fact that you "came up with" a BMW almost assuredly helped you "make your case". After all, when you use a bike that is the piece de resistance of the motorcycle world, it's sort of like doing a shoot-out between a 50 yr old Rolex vs a Timex. Or even a Seiko.

In addition to testing a high mileage "Sherman tank" of a bike, the looks of the cylinder heads (when you're doing your compression checks) give the impression that you've happened upon a specimen that was over-wintered in the previous owner's living room, or even BEDroom....and cleaned with a tooth brush and chamois after every ride. Based on the cosmetic (i.e. outside) appearance of the machine, I have no doubt that the other guy probably changed the oil every 3000 kliks. (One discrepancy I WILL mention: I found it almost unbelievable that the spark plugs you show on camera came out of said, same bike!)

Regardless, I call a gentle, friendly version of BS for your doing a high-miler overview on a bike, the cylinder heads of which were pristine enough to be used as serving dishes for a delicious presentation of fois gras.

I challenge you to find an old "dog" and show us if IT'S got some tricks left in it after 100K miles.

[spudgunson]

Great video. I have a 2011 R1200RT which runs like it did when it came off the showroom floor. The only issue I have is that it consumes oil. The local BMW dealer technician said that industry norm is 500ml of oil per 1000 miles. This seems high. I've looked at some forums that suggest that the horizontal cylinders will draw in oil particularly when the bike is on the side stand. Whenever possible I always use the center stand now which does seem to reduce the oil consumption.

[cjf]

I had two second-hand BMW (R 80 RT, built 1986; R 1100 RT, built 1996) and drove both of them way past the 100.000 km. Both had issues on a regular basis. The R 1100 RT had a major issue at about 30.000 km, namely the glass where you check the oil level popped out at 200 km/h on the Autobahn, with, as a result, all oil lost within milliseconds and the right piston destroyed. Other issues were mostly due to wear and tear of different parts. But you could be sure, every year, there is something broken that would raise your maintenance bill way above 1.000 Euros. So, I'm sure these bikes can go above 200.000 km, and they ride really nicely and are generally reliable, but it's costly. Unless you can do the repairs yourself (which I cannot), you spend about the same amount on repairs per year as a new bike loses in value.

[JongJande]

I have installed 4 hole injectors on my BMW R1100RT of 1998 and I can recommend all BMW owners to do the same. It makes a hell of difference at low revs in particular in cities etc. Engine runs much smoother at low revs and picks up speeds much better.

[Kris]

It’s one of situations when both you and F9 are correct… it’s all about intended audience.
Ryan is making his videos targeted at beginning to intermediate riders that usually have a set budget to start riding.
You looking at that bike from a standpoint of someone with professionally equipped shop.
In of a typical F9 audience finding a “simple” $2500 maintenance item (that one of the above posters mentioned) on bike they just bought definitely makes that bike “shot”.
Myself I treat mileage on a bike just like a car… but with factor of 2-3 for big tourers and 5 on everything else.
Would I buy 200k Toyota Camry or 100k Gold Wing? Probably… if they checked out ok and the price was right.
Would I buy a 50k sport bike or 200k Dodge Neon? No.

[brentfellers]

83 honda nighthawk and a 85 kawasaki eliminator, are my two oldest. They are far from 6 figures, but both were thrashed, crashed and left outside in northern bc for literally decades.
The pride and joy i get from taking a piece of "garbage " and turning it into a beautiful machine again is immeasurable.
Currently looking for a crusty goldwing...no worries about kms. Japanese design is truly the highest standard 👏 👌

[nickklaas]

OMG I was just given an old BMW 1100 that has 145k miles on it. The previous owner died and this cool bike was passed around. No one wanted it because of the mileage. it is as clean as yours. I took it because it just was too nice a machine to see parted out. I haven’t ridden a motorcycle for 18 years and it was a little Honda 250. I wanted to make this a winter project and sell it but if it works out I might take riding lessons. What a great video, THANK YOU

[garyturner]

Enjoyed the video. Imho, BMW riders, and touring riders, are generally unlikely to abuse/neglect their machines. I bought a new R80RT in 1983, put 220, 000 kms on it before giving it to a friend. Bought a new R1200RT in 2007, has 184, 000 kms on it now. Fuel pressure controller replaced under warranty, put on new Wilbers suspension at 140, 000kms. Read about final drive bearing failures so replaced mine at 140, 000 kms, naturally, after all that work, it was good. Ah well, it kept me occupied during the winters months. I do my own servicing follow the schedule, run synthetic throughout and I enjoy working on it.

[michaelready]

I have a 2001 R1100RT in perfect condition with 118K miles .Personally, I find the R1100RT one of the most beautiful RTs of all years. I don't find the airheads particularly aesthetic tho many people do. Th R1100RT is perfect for me. Also, the upgraded bike, the R1150RT has a 6 speed transmission and seemed to have many problems in the first couple years. The previous owner of my bike kept impeccable records. I do some of the simple maintenance but leave brake bleed, valve timing and throttle body sync and other things to a local independent BMW mechanic who was factory trained on oilheads in the late 1990s. He's one of very few oilhead mechanics in California. I treasure him because I don't really want to do much mechanical work myself.

BMW changed the R11RT transmission design in 1999 and the last couple years are better than the earlier versions with less problems. Even still they still have, as some people call them, an agricultural feel and sound.

A common problem with the R11RT is the ABS low-voltage sensitivity. If the battery voltage is low, the ABS lights come on. If you ride for a bit and then restart, the lights will often go off on their own. You can hit the ABS momentary switch on the dash but the lights will come back on. I never really understood what that switch was for. I keep my bike on a Battery Tender Jr. and the ABS lights never come on.


Thanks for hte review. 👍

[demotors]

I've had 21 BMWs. 5 K bikes. 2 F bikes. 14 R bikes. In my opinion If normally maintained the clutch is the limiting factor in how long it will last and that depends mostly on the rider(s). One exception might the K1200 LT. A leaky rear main seal can drastically shorten the life of the clutch regardless of how it is ridden. Many of my Beemers had over 100k miles on the clock and ran well.