new old fjr

[dadsafrantic]

i am going to buy a commuter soon and the choice has come to a 2004-2007 fjr or similar years for a bmw k1200gt. who has an opinion on the reliability differences and lifespan of the bikes. also cost of ownership is a big factor in the decision.

thanks,

d

 

[FJR-Voltron]

Cost of ownership on the Bimmer is very high (esp if you don't do any DIY). Plus, factor in 92 octane gas.

FJR is probably one of the easiest/cheapest ST's to own as far as maintenance. Everything is very accessible vs such bikes as the ST1300, Concours14, and of course the K1300. Oil changes are a breeze on the Feej, as well as valve checks that only come up every 25000 miles (and the majority of them are still within tolerance). Also, the FJR runs on 87 octane gasoline.

Those factors alone were the reason I finally decided on the Feejer.

 

[Patriot]

get the k bike and a spare final drive...put the final drive in the trunk along with a full set of tools

Seriously, I will only own and ride a FJR, probably for the rest of my riding life. BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK IMHO

let's ride safe and be careful out there,

Mike in Nawlins'

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>... fjr or ... bmw k1200gt. (??)

<snip>... I finally decided on the Feejer.

But..., but..., you don't get the 'Roundel' (that blue/white round-thing...) -- and all the "high-class" doors it'll open for ya'....

 

[RadioHowie]

i am going to buy a commuter soon and the choice has come to a 2004-2007 fjr or similar years for a bmw k1200gt. who has an opinion on the reliability differences and lifespan of the bikes. also cost of ownership is a big factor in the decision.
thanks,

d

Okay, don't get yer panties in a wad or anything, but just from what you've written...starting off your post, to be exact...neither bike is what you're looking for.

Either you're not expressing yourself well, or your motorcycle mindset is WAY off the mark.

Let me explain -- your very first thought, at least in how you wrote it, is "I'm going to buy a commuter soon...." If you're only looking for a commuter, both the FJR and the K1200 are poor choices. Granted, many, MANY riders (myself included) commute on motorcycles. But buying a GT bike for commuting purposes doesn't make sense. For the same money you'd pay for a 5 year old FJR or K-bike, you could buy 2 Burgmans. That's assuming that 2-wheel motoring is a MUST for your commute.

Now, if you're looking at an FJR or K-bike for commuting, AND long weekend drives, AND multi-mile vacations, AND occasional forays into the mountains or desert for acts of social hooliganism, then either bike should certainly be considered.

BUT, if you're looking at an FJR or K-bike for driving to and from the cubicle 5 times a week, then you should be rethinking things. You don't have a location in your profile, so there's no way for us to know if you're not going to be able to 2-wheel commute 5 months out of the year because of snow and ice, or you live in the PacNorthWest where it rains 472 days a year, plus how committed you are to pull out the rain or cold weather gear everytime mother nature conspires to kill you.

I hope you take what I wrote with a grain of salt, 'cause I'm not trying to be antagonistic.....just realistic. For pure commuting purposes, there are many better choices than an FJR or K-bike. A late model Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic comes to mind as better choices.

BUT, if you're looking to ride and enjoy a motorcycle for the many things that it can do, from getting you somewhere fast, to cleansing your soul, then a 3 to 4 year old GT bike would be an excellent choice. And of the 2 you mention, the FJR would undoubtedly be the smarter choice, for a fundamental shitload of reasons, starting with cost of purchase to cost of maintenance.

Looking forward to your reply.

 

[FastLane Freddie]

Hello,

Cost of ownership is a concern and you are considering a German vehicle. Go with the FJR!

Thanks

Fred

EDIT: Saw the duplicate thread.

 

[FJRGuy]

You are going to buy a commuter and those are your options??? How long is your commute???

My FJR is super reliable and easy to maintain. Have no experience with the latter.

That being said, I am shopping for a good commuter to add to the stable as I find the FJR is way overkill for this purpose.

 

[JR'SFJR]

+1 The deal breaker for me was the final drive issues. I still have two older K bikes, have ridden BMW's since the early 90's., but have talked to too many riders with drive train failures on the late models.

Over two years ago, after purchasing my 07 FJR, I rode a 07 K1200GT in the Alps for two weeks. I really liked the bike. For me, it had the correct windshield, seat, handle bar position, and all the toys. To get the FJR the way I wanted it, I had to get a different windshield, Helibar tripletree, different seat, powerlets, cruise, heated grips, and fork springs. I do all my own work, so that helps. We have had two recalls, one on the ignition switch and the other on the computer for altitude surging. After 37k, I know I made the right choice.

 

[dadsafrantic]

i am going to buy a commuter soon and the choice has come to a 2004-2007 fjr or similar years for a bmw k1200gt. who has an opinion on the reliability differences and lifespan of the bikes. also cost of ownership is a big factor in the decision.
thanks,

d

Okay, don't get yer panties in a wad or anything, but just from what you've written...starting off your post, to be exact...neither bike is what you're looking for.

Either you're not expressing yourself well, or your motorcycle mindset is WAY off the mark.

Let me explain -- your very first thought, at least in how you wrote it, is "I'm going to buy a commuter soon...." If you're only looking for a commuter, both the FJR and the K1200 are poor choices. Granted, many, MANY riders (myself included) commute on motorcycles. But buying a GT bike for commuting purposes doesn't make sense. For the same money you'd pay for a 5 year old FJR or K-bike, you could buy 2 Burgmans. That's assuming that 2-wheel motoring is a MUST for your commute.

Now, if you're looking at an FJR or K-bike for commuting, AND long weekend drives, AND multi-mile vacations, AND occasional forays into the mountains or desert for acts of social hooliganism, then either bike should certainly be considered.

BUT, if you're looking at an FJR or K-bike for driving to and from the cubicle 5 times a week, then you should be rethinking things. You don't have a location in your profile, so there's no way for us to know if you're not going to be able to 2-wheel commute 5 months out of the year because of snow and ice, or you live in the PacNorthWest where it rains 472 days a year, plus how committed you are to pull out the rain or cold weather gear everytime mother nature conspires to kill you.

I hope you take what I wrote with a grain of salt, 'cause I'm not trying to be antagonistic.....just realistic. For pure commuting purposes, there are many better choices than an FJR or K-bike. A late model Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic comes to mind as better choices.

BUT, if you're looking to ride and enjoy a motorcycle for the many things that it can do, from getting you somewhere fast, to cleansing your soul, then a 3 to 4 year old GT bike would be an excellent choice. And of the 2 you mention, the FJR would undoubtedly be the smarter choice, for a fundamental shitload of reasons, starting with cost of purchase to cost of maintenance.

Looking forward to your reply.

Ok, more information about this commuter idea. I ride 20,000 miles per year just commuting to work. I ride rain or shine, hot or cold. I have one of the nastiest commutes in the Bay Area going into and out of SF on I-80 from the Vallejo Area. Maybe this bike is too big for commuting but that is what I am here to find out. I have used an '06 Suzuki GS500F and have put 45300 miles on it and didn't really ride it the first year. I am looking for a long term ride with excellent features, reliability and ease of ownership.

thanks,

d

 

[Reldeed]

I put around 22k/year commuting... I too bought a bike to help offset the expense of gas but, I'm a long time rider and wanted something that I could take out on the weekends and when I wanted to take the long way home.

I went for the ST line of bikes because of the sportiness as well as the sportiness. I looked at the k1200gt. I found a number of them within my price range but, for the same price I was able to buy a MUCH better equipped feejer. The only thing that my feejer doesn't have is the heated seats. (yet).

Anyway, I didn't take the time to look in to the Concours or ST1300. When I saw this bike, I was sold. and closed the deal in 3 days.

I average around 39-41 MPG on commuting and around 35-37 for fun. This is a LOT of bike. Make sure that you are ready for it.

Personally... and ONLY personally, I don't know that I would have been as happy as I am with this bike as I would have been buying a BMW. Good luck on your selection there are a lot of great deals out there at the moment.

 

[MojaveFJR]

You can call your local BMW dealer and schedule a day ride on their K's. Unfortunately you cannot do the same for the FJR. For me, I wanted one an FJR since I first saw one back in 2003. This coupled pullled up next to my shiney CBR954 and I looked at the lines and something just popped, "I WANT one". Waited 5 yrs but I got one. Well worth the wait. Excellent machine. Never looked at the BMW's. 6k more new was enough to shake me off that wagon.

Of course we won't talk about going out the following yr and getting an almost fully loaded R 1200 GS. NOPE. NOW, you want a fun snappy commuter you may want to consider an R 1200. However if you and the S. O. like to get out together on the weekends for a ride, then I don't recommend the R 1200. Plus the handle bars are wider and can make the lane splitting a bear.

 

[FJR-Voltron]

If I were going to buy any BMW as a commuter, it wouldn't be the K1200GT but the R1200RT.

 

[BIODSL]

While I agree a ST/GT might be overkill for a urban commuter, I'll just stick to the original question. I owned a R1100RS for over 5 years before I got the FJR. The RS maintenance schedule was a killer both in terms of frequency and cost. The FJR is in the shop a third as often at half the cost. AT 64K miles, the FJR has only been to the dealership twice. No contest that the FJR is much less expensive to own.

 

[rfespinosa]

I owned an '04 BMW R1150 RT for 12k miles. I owned an '04 BMW K1200 RS for 24k miles. I now have an '08 FJR with 7k miles.

The RT was reliable and not too expensive to own.

The RS had a leak on the rear drive three times, all repaired under warranty. I can't say for sure whether the dealer didn't repair it properly or whether BMW had a faulty design. But I can assure you that dear drive failures and leaks are a common posts on the BMW forums.

The FJR has been reliable. I had a recall on the ignition switch, it was replaced under warranty. There are thousands of posts here about that, I don't consider it a problem, it has been fixed.

I installed heated grips and electronic cruise control on the FJR, both features that were standard on the K bike and I have come to love.

The RT: lightest of the three, most engine vibrations, best weather protection, largest carrying capacity. Least desirable engine. Most desirable chasis.

The K RS: very difficult to handle around the garage and the parking lot, top heavy. Rock steady at speeds, handled well. Best engine performance of the three. My '04 had rubber mounted engine and it was completely smooth at any engine speed, I had to look at the gear indicator to tell what gear I was in.

The FJR: best bang for the buck. Best handling of the three, whether in the garage, in the parking lot, or in the twisties. Most reliable of the three. Best dealer network of the three. Great engine performance.

BMW's are funky. They are different. You must accept some quirckyness.

Ron

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Great observation RH.

To play along, I chime in with the FJR. When commuting; that suggest traffic, and having rode both bikes, the fjr is just rides lower, finesses better. Depending on your riding skills, the fjr will definitely see you through. Of course if you are traveling 3 blks to job and 60 miles on frwy, then it boils down to your preference.

For me, when I went to pick up my fjr, a k12gt, beemer owner pulled up and for some reason starting telling me how he regretted buying the k12. It was an 05 and just did not feel right. He had came to the dealership(sold bmw's too) and needed to order a mirror because that morning he had popped it off on his wifes car. While I was looking around, he told me that a new mirror would cost $500.00; he was thinking superglue or and epoxy to get him through. That's just a mirror.

Of course, I am curious to know what responses you got when posting this same question on the bmw forum?

 

[dll]

I seriously wanted (want?) an R1200RT ... I took one out for an afternoon just the other day, and love the bike ... however it's incredibly expensive, not as fast, and service/maintenance is insane compared to the FJR. I've driven BMW cars for years, but never out of warranty/full paid maintenance for good reason.

 

[Shawn]

I had a similar question earlier this year when I was wanting to get off my BMW K1200LT...

For me, it boiled down to

• initial cost between the FJR & GT - I could buy the FJR and farkle the heck out of it and still be money ahead
• Perceived reliability, especially around the final drive - I didn't want a 4-5% rear drive failure hanging over my head
• Cost of ownership - maintenance costs looked to be less on the FJR, can burn Unleaded, etc.
• Dealer network - FJR has more dealers for those instances where I can't work on something myself
• Owner networks - pretty much a tie; both have an active owner network
• Touring - another tie

I had lusted after the GT for a couple years, but obviously went with the FJR and don't have a single regret.

 

[DaJudge]

i am going to buy a commuter soon and the choice has come to a 2004-2007 fjr or similar years for a bmw k1200gt. who has an opinion on the reliability differences and lifespan of the bikes. also cost of ownership is a big factor in the decision.
thanks,

d

Within the years you listed, there are two different versions of the K1200GT and two generations of the FJR. With either, 2006-newer will be the more recent versions (which is what I would suggest that you consider if your budget can handle it). If you are looking at a prior generation K-GT (like an '03-'04), be mindful of the very limited adjustment of the power windscreen. Also, those years are no longer supported much at all in the aftermarket (like for touring windscreens and other accessories). I like the style of the '03-'04 K-GTs better and there are some good deals out there on them, but the wind management wasn't good enough for a tall guy like me.

I had a similar question earlier this year when I was wanting to get off my BMW K1200LT...
For me, it boiled down to

• initial cost between the FJR & GT - I could buy the FJR and farkle the heck out of it and still be money ahead
• Perceived reliability, especially around the final drive - I didn't want a 4-5% rear drive failure hanging over my head
• Cost of ownership - maintenance costs looked to be less on the FJR, can burn Unleaded, etc.
• Dealer network - FJR has more dealers for those instances where I can't work on something myself
• Owner networks - pretty much a tie; both have an active owner network
• Touring - another tie

I had lusted after the GT for a couple years, but obviously went with the FJR and don't have a single regret.

Shawn--you sound just like me. Even though I seriously thought about an '06 (newer model) K-GT, I picked up a used '07 FJR for the same reasons you stated. For me, the nearest BMW dealer is 90 miles away. The Yammy dealer is 3 miles. There are times when I still lust after the '06 and newer K-GTs. ESA, Electronic Cruise, 152hp, and all the other various goodies are mighty tempting. :dribble:

IMHO, the suitability of the FJR as a commuter (which I use it for about 2x/week) depends on a couple factors. The nature/length of your commute (open road, freeway or city streets) and your ability to handle this kind of bike in traffic. For a city-type commute, something like a V-Strom 650 may be better than a larger powerful bike. The FJR or K-bike really shine when they have some room to run.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Welcome from SoCal.

I came off of a K-bike. I liked the K1200GT, but not the outrageous price. I'll never go back to BMW.