BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I am new to this forum and I am looking forward to learning from all of you.  I am looking to return to riding after an extended absence.  I used to ride an early 80's standard style bike for a lot of years. It seems that styles of bikes have changed a bit over the years.  I have zeroed in the 1200rt as the bike i am interested in.  A dealer has a high mileage (100,000) 2005 r1200rt for sale.  They said they have the service records and I have seen the bike and it looks great.  I was not able to ride it as I wasn't planning on stopping at the dealer and didn't have my gear. Are there things that I should be looking for, or any specific questions to ask?  Am I correct to assume that if the bike was serviced properly, that there is still a lot of life left in the bike?  Anything to look for during the test ride? Or should I walk away and keep looking?


Any advice or direction you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Unless the bike's exceptionally cheap - and I suspect it won't be, being a dealer sale - I'd say to carry on looking, the market has plenty of reasonable-miles, early RTs at low prices. I suspect my own 30k-miles '06 bike would realistically sell for around £3k - how does that compare to the one you're looking at?
Having said that, the RT/GS/ST line can generally take high mileages as long as things are looked after properly. First on the list to check on an '05 bike would be the servo brakes, which it will have - Googling will tell you all you need to know, but the system is well-known for failing, leaving you with what BMW call 'residual braking' (think around 15% of normal stopping power....scary!) and a big bill to sort it (think £13/1400, there's no cheap fix other than to remove the system completely, leaving you with standard, non-ABS brakes). Then I'd look at suspension - ESA units (electric adjustment) can fail and should be checked through all settings, standard units should be checked as you would on any potential purchase. The rear drive unit should be checked for play in the bearings. Engine and gearbox should be OK, the engine's a fairly noisy unit, being air-cooled, and the dry clutch (as in a car) can make things sound even noisier - speaking of which, check the clutch for slip, as fitting a new one is a major job, requiring the bike, in effect, to be split in half to get at it. Look at the engine front cover for corrosion - not a catastrophe, a lot of boxers have it, but it's an eyesore and a pain to sort it properly.

There'll be other stuff to check, but only as you would on any bike you're thinking of buying.
Let us know how you get on.
Pete

As an example, this one has just gone up for sale on UKGSer....40k miles, described as in excellent condition and well-serviced, £2995. Not much good if you're not UK based, of course!

Pete[attachimg=1]

Thank you for the good information.  You are correct that it is not cheap - asking $4200.  The RT you posted looks great, but I am based in the United States. There are so few available locally.  A possible failure of the  servo brakes would be very concerning. I guess I should look for a 2007 or newer to avoid that possibility.

I would keep on looking around , $4200 sounds a bit much for a model with 100,000 mile under its belt , i agree with the last post get as much information on the model you are interested in before you start looking around , if its a dealer do you get any kind of warranty ? its a mine field buying second hand anyway good luck my friend let us know if you get a deal .

SERVO BRAKES, keep looking if the servo pump fails it’s $$$$ to replace

T6pilot wrote: SERVO BRAKES, keep looking if the servo pump fails it’s $$$$ to replace

But $0.0 to remove.

havighurst wrote: I am new to this forum and I am looking forward to learning from all of you.  I am looking to return to riding after an extended absence.  I used to ride an early 80's standard style bike for a lot of years. It seems that styles of bikes have changed a bit over the years.  I have zeroed in the 1200rt as the bike i am interested in.  A dealer has a high mileage (100,000) 2005 r1200rt for sale.  They said they have the service records and I have seen the bike and it looks great.  I was not able to ride it as I wasn't planning on stopping at the dealer and didn't have my gear. Are there things that I should be looking for, or any specific questions to ask?  Am I correct to assume that if the bike was serviced properly, that there is still a lot of life left in the bike?  Anything to look for during the test ride? Or should I walk away and keep looking?


Any advice or direction you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

There's one here and here . For what it's worth, I never had any brake problems with my 2005 R1200RT, but it was always dealer-serviced.

havighurst wrote: Thank you for the good information.  You are correct that it is not cheap - asking $4200.  The RT you posted looks great, but I am based in the United States. There are so few available locally.  A possible failure of the  servo brakes would be very concerning. I guess I should look for a 2007 or newer to avoid that possibility.

I agree with the others comments. I am in New Hampshire and was looking hard for an older affordable RT. I went to see an '05 at Max BMW. It had 50,000 miles on it. They wanted $6995.  I kept looking at Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist and found a 2007 with 82.000 miles on it. One owner. The guy was in his 70's and had a heated shop with a lift. He has been across country three times. He had all the records and the bike looked great. Engine sounds great  and it drove like a new bike. No ESA but everything else 'cept a radio. I got it for $3900 and have put 1000 wonderful miles on it. Milleplod's advice is sound.  You will find one.