I’ve owned 5 BMWs over the last twenty years. With various Hondas, Yamahas and one Suzuki in between.
My first was an R1100RS bought from a dealer with a years warranty. The test ride showed it was running roughly which I mentioned when agreeing the deal. They begrudgingly replaced the aged tyres, but failed to replace the just as aged valves, leaving me a slow leak that needed fixing the day we left for europe! They also failed to fettle the engine. A mate improved it while we were away. 11 1/2 months later while back in europe both head gaskets failed. They replaced them under warranty, but I’d had enough of it by then and sold it and got my first Blackbird.
A few years later I fancied a GS having wanted one when I bought the RS. The same dealer had a reasonably priced 2000 R1150GS which I bought. Again it ran rough, again they said they‘d service it, again they didn’t saying it had only done 2000mile since it last had one. When I pointed out that that was 2 1/2 years earlier they very begrudgingly agreed to have it back and do it. That day they lent me an R850R, which was a right hoot. They also managed to fit a brake pad in back to front. So back it went again for a new disc and pads. They also rebuilt the gearbox and replaced the contaminated clutch under warranty, as I’d noticed oil seeping from between engine and gearbox by then too. I didn’t keep it a year, deciding I preferred the Bird still.
A few years later a mate told me of his work colleagues R850GS that was for sale. It was only round the corner. He was keen to sell, needing money quickly for a car purchase, so I got it for trade money. If the dealer hadn’t lent me that R years earlier I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
Another few years on and another mate that had had an identical 2000 R1150GS to my first one, but from new, was upgrading to the last of the oil cooled twin cam models. I just couldn’t refuse his offer of having it for the trade price the dealer offered him. Unfortunately knowing it had been well looked after from new didn’t stop the input shaft shearing within months of buying. A year of procrastinating and by chance I found a local guy breaking a bike and bought his gearbox. Once fixed I decided to cut my losses and sold it on.
Jump forward another few years and my good friend with the new twin cam died. His wife pretty much insisted I had the twin cam as he’d always felt guilty when the gearbox went on the 1150, even though I’d said all along that it was just one of those things. I bought the TC for a decent price that was fair. This thing was fully loaded, every gadget of the day. I loved the ride, but with no warranty always feared the waiting failures, and the dealer that wanted £750 for a service. I also had my first ever off when a twat decided I wasn’t allowed to pass him and he rammed me off the road. The bike survived with minimal repairs needed, but once fixed I sold that one too. The wife wasn’t happy on it either, although she wouldn’t admit it until after it had gone, I knew.
So, I’m left with the only one thats been utterly brilliant the whole time I’ve owned it since back in 09. The R850GS, bought from the Lad round the corner, for under £2000, from which I’d also sold the factory luggage for about £400, preferring to use the givi boxes from the Bird. It’s needed nothing but basic servicing, hasn’t seen a dealer during my ownership, and has nothing much to go wrong. And I love it.
The S10 will never replace it, but it is the bike the 1150’s and the twin cam should have been. As various mates have moved onto ever newer and more complicated BMWs, I’ve seen them increasingly have more and more failures, and it’s nearly always the extra techy stuff. Starting with Brake servo failures. ESA shocks failing. Keyless fuel caps failing locked closed. Bluetooth connectivity refusing to connect. Exhaust valves seizing in the downpipes. Buckled wheels. The list goes on and these aren’t one offs, most have been repeated failures on different bikes and sometimes the same bike. I certainly don’t need to own one of the new ones to know whats going on with them.
This BMW bashing isn’t just us miserable old feckers creating, most of us have experience or first hand knowledge(mates bikes) of whats really happening with the newer models. If it wasn’t for the vast majority of issues being sorted under warranty they’d have long since gone under. I ride with guys that love them, they strut their stuff with the bike as their latest and brightest plummage, boasting about the latest features or how long before they get the next with it’s new upgrades, as if that’s all that really matters. . As I said before, it does rather leave you out of the conversations a bit.