BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

A pal of mine is looking at an older RT for around the £2K mark. The bike is over 10 years old and has approx 50K miles on it.
He's a bit concerned as to how reliable older bikes are and potential cost of repairs should anything break, so I said I'd ask my knowledgeable friends for some feedback 


I'm grateful for anything particular to look out for and general pearls of wisdom.  (Apologies .... just noticed this is in the wrong thread!  Hopefully the moderator will move it for me!  )

On a bike without a very clear history I would not look at anything earlier than 2007 due mainly to the servo brake system fitted to 05 and 06 models.  Apart from that its condition, history and mileage.

As the bike has less than 80K miles on it, a BMW warranty is available, https://www.motorrad-warranty.co.uk/Warranty

That will very much depend on its service history. 

Does the bike retrospectively need a FSH or is it more a case keeping it serviced after taking out the warranty.

If you make a claim its sure to be the former.  No insurance company in the world is going to repair something that has not been properly serviced.  Think the blurb makes that clear.

If you take it along to a decent BM dealer, get it fully serviced to spec then go for the lapsed extended warranty and you have to pay either a  12 months charge or each month which gives no cover until the intro period  is over and you are covered day 1,  month 2 onwards.  I know because  I has done it !

Do the cover on line using reg number, if BM are going to reject it that is the time it will occur.

This is the bit of the blurb which sounds like a nice get out clause


[size=12px]The service history of the Insured Vehicle will be required by the repairing Retailer in the event of a claim. The service history should be supported by corresponding invoices from the servicing or repairing Retailer.[/size]

Servo braked models in the US are cheap, 2k repair if servo fails, best avoided
Some older 2000-2004 RTs are great buys, very reliable bikes
Like most others have said, a clear service history is extremely important when buying a older bike

Jacksnipe wrote:If you take it along to a decent BM dealer, get it fully serviced to spec then go for the lapsed extended warranty and you have to pay either a 12 months charge or each month which gives no cover until the intro period is over and you are covered day 1, month 2 onwards. I know because I has done it !
Do the cover on line using reg number, if BM are going to reject it that is the time it will occur.

Was speaking to a friend yesterday who has let his service history lapse & would like to consider purchasing a BMW Warranty.

As above, if you get the bike serviced by BMW or a VAT registered independent to bring the service history up to date, BMW will then offer you a warranty.

Has anyone tried getting an on line quote for a lapsed warranty using their reg. no., on a bike without an up to date service history, (greater than 13 months or 7,000 miles since the last service),  to see if it kicks you out.

https://www.motorrad-warranty.co.uk/Warranty

Just been running through an online quote for a lapsed warranty.

Got to step 4, Bike Service Confirmation

"As you have chosen to purchase a BMW Motorrad Insured Warranty and your bike has no existing warranty cover, you need to confirm the following in order to proceed.

I can confirm that my vehicle has been fully serviced in accordance with the manufacturing recommendations/intervals and has not been modified in any way."

Terms and Conditions

"I declare that to the best of my knowledge I have answered all questions accurately."

The first payment is made by debit or credit card, then monthly by direct debit.

The policy start date is 1 month from date of application.

Does that not imply you need a full service history to get cover, not just one full service  just before you insure it.
No doubt they would take your money if you declared it was fully serviced but the crunch would come when you put in a claim.

RTman10 wrote:Does that not imply you need a full service history to get cover, not just one full service just before you insure it.

When I spoke to BMW Warranty Services, I was told that if the service history was brought up to date, they would offer a policy.

Don't know how far back they would accept this, my enquiry was based on a bike which had not been serviced for nearly 2 years.

If there is any doubt, best give them a call before parting with any money.

Jacksnipe wrote:If you take it along to a decent BM dealer, get it fully serviced to spec then go for the lapsed extended warranty and you have to pay either a 12 months charge or each month which gives no cover until the intro period is over and you are covered day 1, month 2 onwards. I know because I has done it!

Jacksnipe has done it.

Bike Service Confirmation, Para 2 manufacturer recommendations/intervals.  If you sign it has you will get the cover.  Make a claim you hsve to prove it.  I can't see one reciept for one service doing that.
Maybe he has details of a full service history, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations of course.

Checked the service history on my RT, I purchased it as an "Approved Used Bike".

Looking back, a previous owner had let the bike go 13 months & 3 days between the Running-in Check & a BMW Service which should have been done after 12 months.
Although this falls outside of the 13 months acceptable time period, the bike was sold to me with a "Used Bike Warranty". Have also had some warranty claims without any issues.

During my ownership, the bike has gone 6,870 miles between one service & on another occasion 13 months.
This is OK as the acceptable service intervals are up to 7,000 miles or 13 months.

I'll be purchasing an "Insured Warranty" on 1st March, to start on 1st April 2017.