On collecting my example of prime German horizontally opposed twin, OHV technology I was advised not to lock the petrol cap as they tend to rust inside and you can’t open them! I rode proudly home.After two days I noticed the hydraulic brake fluid reservoir was leaking and running everywhere. I returned to the dealer who fitted a new cap. 40 miles.
Shortly after this I found a leaking oil seal at the gear change shaft. I returned to the dealer who fitted a new seal. 40 miles. Soon, I discovered the new oil seal was leaking so I returned to the dealer who fitted another new seal. 40 miles.
By then it was time for the free first service. This was fortunate as both fork seals were leaking and the light, indicator and even headlamp flasher switches were faulty. 40 miles. The dealers only confirmed that the fork seals were faulty and sprayed the switches with WD40! On the ride home I found that the switches were still not working correctly.
Took the bike in for the fork seals to be replaced and the switches renewed. The lights were now OK, that is they came on when they were switched on and didn’t flash with the indicators. The headlamp flasher switch still stuck on. They said this was a common fault. 40 miles.
Took the bike in to have the flasher switch changed. They only agreed to do this after I got shirty with them. I’d been polite and understanding up until then because that’s what BMW owners are like, aren't they? 40 miles.
After the first winter I found that the exhaust pipes had lost most of their chrome. The silencers needed constant cleaning to keep ahead of the rust. The 5000 mile service was not carried out properly. 40 miles to get this done.
I had been worried all the time by noises in the engine. One expects tappet noise but there was a very loud tap in the left cylinder which the mechanics couldn't hear. The suspension was very crude and seemed to absorb no shocks at all, often throwing me right out of the saddle when going over bumps in the road. If it hit a bump on a bend it got exciting!
I was not impressed with the cheap plastic instrument panel with loose blanks over holes not in use. These blanks vibrated and made even more noise, amplified by the screen. The gear change was fine when new but after 5000 miles was bad - it baulked and often dropped out of gear. It had several neutrals. The brakes are definitely not up to hard use, with the front disc fading badly. The bike is also difficult to clean, the wheel design especially poor.
At approximately 5600 miles I realised that the speedo was up the creek. Another common fault, apparently. This became clear when I reached 130mph on the Hog’s Back. I went to Coombs of Guildford to get this warranty job done. 30 miles. I have nothing but praise for this dealer, who did the job in half an hour whilst I sat in comfort drinking their coffee!
General comments. Nice lazy engine. Good low speed handling and fine at speed on a good surface. Lovely riding position. The screen was too low by at least an inch. Fairing generally was not good despite its massive size. My legs still got wet and rain sucked in behind the rider, dripping down my neck.
The BMW panniers let rain in easily. This I consider a very serious fault and the lockers each side of the fairing do exactly the same. Generally, down to some cheap, penny pinching construction. A rear plastic mudguard that doesn’t come down far enough at the back - why should a mudflap be extra on such an expensive bike? The rear light is also a cheapo. The weak horn is identical to the one on my MZ, made in the GDR. The mirrors just fell apart and had to be Araldited!
The switches are not a patch on Japanese ones. The switches on my ‘37 Sunbeam were better! Let alone the ones on my CZ and MZ. You could expect trouble with a cheap bike but not a BMW. Petrol consumption was not very impressive. All in all, not a happy experience. 280 miles were covered just getting the faults fixed. It was exchanged for a Kawasaki 450LTD which was a lovely reliable bike and which had me smiling again!
Michael George