Should I buy this RT

[FirstTimeBuyer]

Hi always wanted a RT but I broke my left ankle In a football injury so I have been unable to ride manual bikes. For the past 4 years I have been riding a Honda Africa Twin DCT. My ankle is finally better and strong enough for me to ride manual bikes with no discomfort


I am a all year round rider never owned a car and have always wanted a 2nd bike so I can chop and change


So i have been looking around the market and found a BMW R1200RT 2008 model done 170k miles, 3 owners not a police spec. For £3000 with finance and admin fees it will go up to around 4000£


As it's done a lot of miles and is 12 years old I am hesitant to purchase it.


I'm not that experienced with RTs what type of issues should I look out for


How reliable are they


If it needs a repair of some type is it crazy expensive?


Is 3000£ too much how much should I try to bargain it for?


Any tips would be appreciated.


Also I am nervous about going back to manual as I have not used a clutch in 4 years. How easy are these beats to ride with the clutch. Thanks

[emlevy]

I don’t know the values in the UK used bike market but here in the states, that bike is priced about double what it should go for. I’d say £1500 tops.


Not sure what could go wrong with the bike -- I’m sure others will chime in shortly -- but any vehicle that has 170k miles on it seems like it has been reliable so far! But with three prior owners, you simply don’t know what you’re getting.

[hammo]

In the UK you can pick up an ex-police 2012 model with around 50/60k miles for 4/5 thousand pounds so i would say that £4000 for a bike with 170K miles is over the top , has it been serviced regular ? and yes if you are not mechanically minded BMW dealers labour costs are high !!!! the pitfalls are always there with a second hand motorcycle , best to have a good look around the market , some dealers will give a short warranty not sure if you can purchase a warranty with a bike with 170k miles !!!!! best of luck .

[Casbar]

I would say it is overpriced. We run two 07 RTps as blood bikes, both have around 37k on them and are well looked after. But things do break, we have had to replace drive shafts, fuel strips regularly and various other bits. But the thing is, buying an older bike, you are not paying 18k so expect to have a fund for repairs and a lot is doable at home. Have a trawl through eBay and assess prices.

[MikeS]

There's a few on auto trader around the 4 grand mark.
Possibly a couple of years older but a lot less miles.

[Ed17]

It would make the situation a little understandable should the bike come with a two year warranty and at the same time being in a prime condition (all the farkles and such).
I'd look for a bike with less miles on it. Sure, it could go another x-K miles but it could also prove to be a serious money pitt!
Because of the milage (and I'm used to kilometers) I would never go near such a bike, especially for that price.
Imho: don't do it.
Ed.

[Rod]

It seems quite overpriced to me. A quick search on autotrader suggests £4K should put you in the 2007-2008  30-40K miles bike bracket.

Rod

[MEM62]

At that age and mileage, it is not a £3k bike.  Even if it were, why would you spend £4K buying a £3K bike?  Not thinking that will be the best decision you have ever made.

There will be plenty of lower-milage machines out these for your £3K budget. 

"Should I buy this RT?"  in short - No.