Doh, busy weekend ahead

[Tommytuck]

I know it aint Raptor orientated but one is in for a busy weekend performing open heart
surgery on his BMW R1200GS......
Will give me the chance to have a blast on the Rap this weekend.
I have owned this machine (GS1200) for 5 year's now & the list of fix's so far is unreal
A mere 51,000 miles on the clock & just not cut out for my intended purpose.
Fuel pump controller / new final drive / 2nd new final drive recondition / clutch / clutch input shaft
& now clutch input shaft & gearbox bearings!
Why haven't I got shot of it sooner, because the rideability factor keeps me hanging on in there
Only one problem with working on the clutch/gearbox, the bike has to be split in two to remove the gearbox...

But, the joys of working on your own machinery & having good mates = cheap fix
£36 for 6 bearings & 2 seals (great being well in with local bearing company also )
No labour costs, well a couple of quid for mate splitting gear box to replace internals

Pic from the last strip down 12 months (10,000 miles) ago:

[Red Mist]

Was overtaken by a GS1200 the other week. Cheeky bugger! Me and a couple of mates had tagged on behind a Tuono. I was wary of overtaking in case he thought I was trying to race him when this BMW comes lolloping past.

I felt a need to give chase but as he was just keeping up a speed regardless of traffic, blind bends, general road conditions etc, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and let him clear off. I dunno, maybe he had a better view from up there and could see when cars were coming the other way.

Our brief pursuit got us past the Tuono though.

[Tommytuck]

Lol, it wasn't en route from Ullapool to Troon a fortnight ago by any chance....
Me & 3 mates tore up quite a bit of tarmac heading for the 20.20hrs ferry back to Ireland.
At one stage a very irate van driver was spotted banging his dashboard as we blasted past him ,
sort of makes a change from the "white van man syndrome" they dish out day & daily on way to work etc.

Yes, the big GS does have a degree of height advantage to see over the top of cars/hedges etc but deffo not
the blind corner scenario, that's just plain ole "chancin' yer arm"

Give any half decent pilot a big GS c/w twisty roads & they would be a damn hard act to follow!

Gear box going back into mine this evening & rebuild for Braemar highland games next Fri.
Gearbox & selector shaft completely refurbished with new bearings & seals, thrust bearing was on the way out

Will pop a few pics up soon....

[Red Mist]

There's obviously been quite a few road tests recently of the latest bikes from Triumph, Honda, Kawasaki etc which have been built to take a few sales away from the GS. In a lot of the early tests, the message that came through loud and clear was that the new bikes gave lots more power than the GS and made it feel like an old nail.

A few months on when a lot of the mags have had more chance to evaluate the new bikes against the GS, the message seems to be that the GS is still the most accomplished adventure bike on the market. Power's not everything. A few that I've seen have been ridden really quick down some windy roads that we have around here. Mind you, I've also burst a couple of bubbles when they've tried to leave my Rap on occasion.

Still a bit too much of a handful for me due to the height, but I wouldn't mind having a spin on one of the standard R1200s.

[Tommytuck]

Well Red Mist, I have owned & ridden one (2004 R1200GS) for the past 5 years amongst numerous other rides.
I can honestly say the rideability is the only thing that stops me from changing it for something else that suits my needs.
These particular bikes come with numerous common faults, which I have had the priviledge of coming across
Fuel pump controller failure / Antenna ring failure (not as yet) / final drive failure (on my 3rd FD already) / right hand piston & cylinder failure (not as yet) / Gearbox selector shaft & clutch failure / paint corrosion & the list goes on.
My personal view: Don't buy one because you will be hooked & grossly out of pocket unless your either mechanically minded, friendly with a BM mechanic or both
Footnote: I am pretty hard on my GS & have probably contributed to some of the faults due to over packing on tours/rallies & fleecing it on occasions while fully loaded.
It now has a mere 51,500 miles on the clock.....Shocking list of faults for such low mileage IMHO....

"It is the rideability factor that the magazines keep pointing out that keeps GS owners faithful to them, regardles of the cost!!!!!!!" FACT.....

In my defence: It was built to withstand rigorous use/off roading?
Spent a few hours on the ole GS last night rebuilding, another couple of hours will have her back on the road as good as new.

This aint a BMW/GS forum (I know), but I do posses the best of both worlds with entirely different riding characteristics in the form of the GS & pocket rocket Raptor.....
I do enjoy tinkering at bikes & the beemer has been an enjoyable challenge from day 1
The Rap was bought as my "boys toy" to modify & bling up for my own personal gratification.....
My GS does all the high mileage & donkey work whereas the Rap will be coming out to play when suits.

Once I get the GS rebuilt, the better half's F650 will go onto the ramp to finish off then it's "RAPTOR TIME".....
I got an SV1000 clutch MC & SC off ebay during the week so gathering up the rest of the bits & pieces for a hydraulic clutch mod for the V Rap whenever the ramp is freed up.

I will do a full pictorial diary on the mod incase its of any use to any other members thinking about doing the modification....(including the hydraulic clutch activated starter switch mod.)

This forum has given me a great deal of "heads up" info on the Rap, including what I would call "common fault" issues with specific bikes.
I bought the Rap as stated before, without seeing it (first time for everything).
It was advertised as pristine on ebay but definitely not what my version of pristine is can't complain for the agreed price though.....

Can't wait to get stuck into it & bring it up to "head turning" spec & rider friendly

Currently uploading to youtube a 12 minute Go Pro headcam video of our run up over Applecross in the Scottish Highlands a few weeks ago, viewing from the rear of my helmet Will post link when complete......
A few pics of the beemer rebuild from last night:

[Tommytuck]

Applecross ascent on the Scottish Highlands West coast......
Go Pro head cam recording from the back of my helmet a few weeks ago, turn your speakers up

[Red Mist]

I've not done that road. It might have to go on the itinery for next year's trip to Scotland. Looks like you had a great ride, especially with the weather. It makes a difference if you ride through a fantastic landscape and you can actually see the fantastic landscape.

Don't worry about it not being a BMW GS forum; I (we all?) like talking about bikes and hearing what other people have to say about them. In a perfect world, or at least one where I had a bit more to spend, I'd also like another bike as a workhorse while I treated the Rap to some tasty paint and shiny bits and pieces.

The air-cooled motor, shaft drive and long travel suspension all appeal . The spanner work doesn't though, and I can't afford a BMW mechanic's hourly rates. There again, I can't actually afford a BMW .

[Tommytuck]

Deffo pencil in Applecross & the Wester Rossa coastal route chief, you won't be disappointed.....(weather permitting)
Big beemer back on the road & running as smooth as.
Time to get geared up for this weekend's run to the Braemar Highland games outside Aberdeen

Hopefully the Troon ferry will sail, been cancelled all week due to adverse weather....saves a few miles travelling North from Cairnryan
stuck behind convoys of freight lorries on the A77.

Check out Applecross Highland Games 2013, that would definitely be the time to head up, cracking weekend.