Help choosing my next ride

[PirateRiderBen]

Well folks I do need a replacement for my K bike. I've narrowed the search to a 2011-2014 Cam head R1200R, and a 2015 Concours 1400.

I see how the concours could be great in winter and maybe for long trips, but it weighs 200 pounds more than the R bike. And in reality there's no need for 160 horses on the street. No doubt a Kawasaki will be cheaper to run and maintain. I loved the R bikes down low grunt and really everything else. I'm worried about the potential for expensive repairs though. My K bike experience was less than optimal but my understanding is the boxer bikes are a whole different world in terms of reliability.

Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated!


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[Bob]

First, you need to RIDE the bikes you're looking at!! That way you won't be moaning about clunky shifting, etc. afterwards!

[Ed]

And in reality there's no need for 160 horses on the street.

You're kidding, right? ...it really doesn't get very exciting until you're north of 200

[PirateRiderBen]

Bob, I worked with John at Eurosport and took the red R12R they had there out for 60 miles (oops, it was too much fun to take back)
I rode Broz's Connie last summer and I took a short 10 mile demo ride on one last week.

I also demoed the 2016 R1200RS.

What an amazing machine! So expensive though.


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[Bob]

And in reality there's no need for 160 horses on the street.

You're kidding, right? ...it really doesn't get very exciting until you're north of 200

Speaking of HP, is the Bandit back together yet?

[Bob]

...I loved the R bikes down low grunt and really everything else. I'm worried about the potential for expensive repairs though. My K bike experience was less than optimal but my understanding is the boxer bikes are a whole different world in terms of reliability. Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated!...

Well, since you asked for advice.....I gather you are fond of those boxer twins and for good reason. They are fun powerplants with lots of low-end grunt. The camheads are very reliable motors. Not sure what you mean re. "potential for expensive repairs" though, unless you toss it up the street in a cacophony of sparks and shredded plastic lol. But seriously--make sure the brakes have been maintained properly, no ABS warning lights flashing after you apply them. Also check the rear wheel for movement at 6-12 oclock. 6-12 allows 1mm movement at the rim edge. Try to do this with the drive warmed up. BMW has improved the FD design over the years by adding venting, and possibly other "covert" changes we'll never hear about. Those are the 2 most expensive repairs you could face on a camhead. Lower mileage on the bike is a real plus!

And one thing I didn't mention--you can save substantial $$$ by doing your own maintenance on boxer motors including valve checks and adjustments. No need to take to the dealer.

[Ed]

Speaking of HP, is the Bandit back together yet?

Not yet- have everything here except the replacement cylinder head, and the guy doing the port work just sent it out via FedEx on Friday... definitely psyched to have that bike back on the road.

While the engine's been apart, I've also converted it to USD forks with a set from an early-'90s GSXR... it'll be a very different bike after this

.

[Bob]

Speaking of HP, is the Bandit back together yet?

Not yet- have everything here except the replacement cylinder head, and the guy doing the port work just sent it out via FedEx on Friday... definitely psyched to have that bike back on the road. While the engine's been apart, I've also converted it to USD forks with a set from an early-'90s GSXR... it'll be a very different bike after this .

Will a new dyno run show any increases?

[PirateRiderBen]

I guess my experience with the K bike has me just a bit hesitant. Cooling system has to be bled and pressurized, had to have special tools to work on different things, one time use aluminum bolts on clutch cover, poor transmission that was to my belief in the early stages of failure. Etc Etc.
I really really loved everything about the R1200R.
Of course my Japanese bike group friends warn me of failing final drives and 6k mile service intervals.
I've done a lot of research and I really can't come up with anything negative about the R1200R except for a common failure of the fuel gauge sensor strip, which is warrantied by BMW for 12 years.
I don't even see final drive failures really as common as many seem to think they are.
The 2012 in Asheville has three hard bags, 14,600 miles, two seats and the 12k mile service was done with all fluids and valve check. So it's turn key really. Could use better tires, as it has some half worn metzler roadtech or something like that. But that's the only fault I found with it.

Kawasaki is pretty much change the oil tires brakes and forget about it. 25k mile service intervals, almost 0 real issues I can find. Only thing I see is some spotty issues with the keyless ride system.
But, it's still 700 pounds. And I honestly don't know when I will be doing any long haul touring and I think the R bike would still be able to do that as well.
Both bikes have ABS and traction control and neither have cruise control.


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[Bob]

6K service intervals for the camhead means change the oil and ride! Check the valve clearance every 12K--a job ANYONE can do in 10 minutes. And on my 2010 camhead, it did not need a new valve shim until 40K miles. Everything that requires maint. on the R12R is easily accessible.

In the end, buy the bike thats most fun to ride.

[Ed]

Will a new dyno run show any increases?

No- will be backing the compression down a couple of points (from 12:1+ to about 10:1) so if anything, it'll be down 5 to 7 horsepower... should stumble into the low 160s with perhaps mid-90s torque at the wheel.

New head puts more emphasis on high port velocity and low-lift flow numbers than maximum flow, which translates to sharp throttle response (provided I do my part with the tune). It wasn't all that fussy about gas with the higher CR, but was past the hairy edge of trying to keep it cool... should still have enough oomph to merge with traffic