BMW K1200GT

This review is for the 2006 onwards K1200GT with the slant 4 engine, not the earlier bikes with the flying brick engine.

To ride it is not a bad bike. The engine gives it a performance not far of that of a full blown sports bike, which for something this big and heavy is something of a revelation. Handling is good provided you show the bike who's boss otherwise it will be off into the scenery as soon as look. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a novice.

Reliability is truly awful. I bought the bike with 4000 miles on the clock and before it had reached 9000 miles the final drive failed, the centre stand broke, it lunched 2 fuel sensor strips and refused to start when hot. The engine sounded like it was going to explode at start up and needed a modified cam chain tensioner and a plastic gismo to stop the cam chain jumping teeth, none of which were paid for by BMW even though they deemed these modifications necessary.

Fuel consumption was about 50mpg provided you weren't too enthusiastic about the throttle and tyre life was around 5000 miles on the back and 7000 or so on the front. YMMV on that depending on how enthusiastic your riding style is.

Would I buy another? Absolutely not.

BMW K1200 GT SE

Only had this bike a month, but it is far and away the best bike I have owned. I was a bit doubtful about ABS, but it cam in to it's own when I hit some loose gravel when cornering at about forty MPH.

I tend to keep on top of fuel and rarely let any vehicle get much under half full so I can't give a true indication of MPG. However the read out on the BC computer says 53~54MPG and I reckon thats not far off.

Although the price seems a bit steep, I also got a twelve month BMW warrenty and the European breakdown cover, so all in all I reckon its worth paying that bit extra. I would deffinately recommend this bike to others.

I bought this bike after comparing it to a 1200RT, the GT is far smoother, however watch out for Cam Chain upgrades and a clunky gearbox, brakes dont have the feel of non assisted systems. That said its smooth upto 6,000 rpm (say 100mph). New 1300 models have a upgraded clutch and Cam system. It is hard to tame at slow speed in corners. Overall for a large bike its great for Comfort and a touch of fun, speed and sheer build quality, leaves others behind in the class stakes.If you over 5'8 get a tall screen. Booster Plug is a must to enhance smoothness !..Get one around £100 best upgrade without a doubt, bit fiddly to fit but worth it.

I decided to change to a K1200 GT after a couple of years with a Kawasaki ZX7R, which was a great bike, but not suitable for my age (fifty something) and shape ! The K1200 is like a rocket powered sofa. It is quiet, silky smooth, and has a deceptively fast acceleration. I have had no problems with the bike in the two years I have owned it, although I must admit I only use it in Spring and Summer. Road handling is very good for such a large bike, although it can be more difficult at low speeds. It can also be a bit twitchy in the wet, but that may be due to the tyres. Insurance is 30% or so cheaper than the Kawasaki, as it is a Sports Tourer, as opposed to a Super-Sport.

a few problems for a top end bike;

1 noisy clutch replaced several times

2 ABS needs time to operate brakes otherwise lookout.

3 BMW batteries last a year which is lousy.

4 sometimes takes a lot of time to start

I am very impressed with the handling and comfort especially on some of our poorer UK B roads. Fuel consumption is better than my Triumph 1050 Sprint. Brakes are great with the EVO assist but lack the feel of the Sprints. On the twisties the 1200 tracks well with just a nudge of countersteer on the bars. Luggage space is excellent and when taken off the 1200 looks almost sporty with that whopping great can on the side! I have to say that it is too easy to go fast, so effortless is the acceleration and lack of speed sensation helped by the eassily adjustable windshield. ESA (suspension ) makes for easy rebound adjustmentt when on the fly. Overall I have been very happy with it...but time will tell!

Powerful and fast. Pulls strongley from low revs in any gear. The finish is good. The servo brakes are very effective A great bike once on the move but a pig when stopped. It is very heavy and wants to throw iteslf onto its side. The problems with crankshaft oil seals, clutch slave cylinder are expensive. I live in dread of servo brake control unit problems ( these are not uncommon). With a full BMW warrenty these are OK but once out of warranty (and all of the 03-06 Gts are) they can be a vow of poverty. They have plummeted in value which says it all. Very few people want them which is a pity because blasting accross Europe is a breeze on one.

Overall its the weight that lets it down. Parking and slow speed manoeuvering is awful. If it does fall over it will cost £1000+ to fix.Very heavy. Servo brakes potentially mega expensive. Clutch slave cylinder failed at less than 20K miles. cosy £1000 to fix. It dumps fluid all over the friction plate. If you cruise at over 80mph the fuel consumption goes through the roof and you will get through 20 ltrs in 160 miles or less.

Having rode motorcycles for 40 yrs the BMW K1200GT is one of the best, after a short period of time some faults started to show, clutch squealed on take off, they fitted a new modified thrust bearing this did not cure the fault and led to another long wait before a new clutch could be fitted. On another occasion while riding in warm conditions on a country road with some lovely twists and turns the bike started to misbehave by accelerating on its own with having to pull the clutch in to control it. Yet BMW would if left to them make me wait 4 to 5 weeks before they could look at the problem even though plenty of other bikes have had the same problem. Finally and at this moment in time the ewc as a fault this is been recalled but was only informed when I tried to sort out the other problems. to sum up this bike is brilliant to ride but and very comfortable .but if you want one only buy it from a BMW dealer and make sure the above faults have been rectified.

Having not rode a bike for 17 years and then jumping on the 1200 GT -well, what a bike. It felt fantastic. A bream - smooth and graceful with pulling power. Then a bought it. But also tried the 1200 GS - no thanks - it wasn't for me. - But I'm sure its a good all rounder.

Tried the rest they didn't match up to the BMW K1200. Build quality just didn't compare. Also the 6th gear in a few were really only overdrives - not the beemer it has the torque to cope from 30.