BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Spoke to my local dealer in Ottawa, Ontario today (6 December) and he had the pricing and options sheet for the new K1200GT. Base price is $25,600(Cdn) -- that's about $2000 more than the base 2006 R1200RT. Options are about the same price as the RT, for eaxample, Zenon headlight ($500); ESA ($985); Heated seats ($300); cruise ($500); high windshield ($350); Alarm ($300). They also offer "packages" now. Package number 3 includes the xenon headlight, cruise, heated seats and ESA and costs $2000 ($285 less than ordering separately). Like the RT, other items are available like a tank bag, small topcase, large topcase, low seat (800-820 mm vs std 820-840 mm), power socket, onboard computer etc.

Are all these quoted prices in Canadian dollars?

Yes.

Mmmmmm. The GT is gonna be expensive then...Well, I only wanted to look at one, maybe sit on it a little, you know kick the tires, smell that new bike smell...

Hey, Arkline...

Now maybe you are beginning to see what I was posting about earlier in the year about the Yamaha FJR1300A, though I was comparing it to a BMW R1200RT then...

Here is the 2006 BMW K1200GT, which is really a more comparable motorcycle to the Yamaha FJR1300A - they are both larger than 1 liter inline fours, with DOHC and four-valves per cylinder, fuel injection, shaft drive, detachable bags, adjustable windshields, and they both make big horsepower.

Now if the conversion factor is correct (using http://www.xe.com currency converter), and the Canadian price represents closely what the US model K1200GT is going to cost, you are looking at a *BASE PRICE* for the K1200GT of...


Wait for it...


$22,096.37 !!!


Now let;s assume for a moment that BMW will round that down to $21,995.00, shall we?

The Yamaha FJR1300A (non-electronic shift "standard" model with ABS) has a MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) of $13,999.00.

$21,995.00 - $13,999.00 = $7,996.00

Read that S-L-O-W-L-Y...

A SEVEN-THOUSAND-NINE-HUNDRED-AND-NINETY-SIX DOLLAR price difference...

Is a BMW K1200GT *REALLY* worth $8,000 more than the Yamaha???

BMW's pricing structure is getting pretty ludicrous, if you ask me...

And the "Roundel Tax" has become just way, way too much for Beemer ownership.

And I am getting my brand spanking new 2006 Yamaha FJR1300A for a good bit under $13,000.00 - out-the-door - including tax, title, & license - *AND* a five-year warranty, too.

$13-K Yamaha with a 5 year warranty...

$22-K BMW with a 3 year warranty...

Hmmmmmm... How much gas, or how many tires, or how much in accessories or riding gear, or how much in hotel rooms will $9,000 bucks buy?

Hell, there's a whole 'nother motorcycle there in $9,000 dollars...

Dallara

Well, I don't remember disputing your argument about pricing....

This is really disappointing, though. 22K for a roadburner with roundel? I'm pretty sure I won't be doing much more than sitting on one at the dealership...mebbee take that "test" ride...

Hey, Arkline...

I didn't mean to suggest you were ever disputing me about BMW's current idiotic pricing structure. I was only pointing out that some seem little bothered by it in previous threads.

I *KNOW* you have a similar opinion to mine on BMW current pricing policy.

Sad thing is I love my BMW, and really thought I had found a "home" for my future motorcycle purchases when I got it... But now BMW has run me off due to their excessive "Roundel Tax"...

Oh, well...

Dallara

Not sure a currency converter portrays the actual costs of the 2 bikes in Canada. BMW Canada lists the MSRP on the K1200GT as $24,500 Canadian, perhaps that price has increased?

The Yamaha Canada website has 2 FJR1300 models:
The A model for $18,899.00 CDN.
The AE model for $20,999.00 CDN.

BMW's have always cost more, as long as I can remember as a kid hanging out in a BMW/Duc/Bimota shop in the '70's as a kid.

The only explanation I ever got for this was from my cousin (who had a R/? bike for 300k miles) back in the 1970's:

"When you get past 100k miles you find out why"

Dallara,

Seems like the price structure on BMW bikes is mirroring the price structure on lux. German cars v. "average" (I know you like that word) cars.

Mercedes E320 for $54,000
Ford 500 for $27,000

Both get you around town, have airbags, 4 doors, 4 wheels.

The Mercedes E320 is IMHO about the ideal family sedan for LA, solid, quality, drives perfect at 80mph, very safe construction, not flashy. But no way is it econcomical. So your financial situation determines if the "differences" are worth it. Same as BMW bikes. Obviously, if you make $1 million per year, doesn't matter what you spend. If you make $30,000 per year, makes a big difference and no way can you justify the pricy name. Most of us fall somewhere in between, & we have to decide for ourselves. I will say that one advantage to living in high wage/tax/housing cost California is that vehicles seem cheaper for us here than in more average parts of the country. When a moderate house cost $800,000 then $15,000 for a bike isn't too bad. If your living in a $150,000 house, a $15,000 bike must seem pretty pricy. As long as bikes remain under $20,000 they seem fairly reasonable to me, over $20,000 & I too will raise an eyebrow.

I have noticed that prices for used RR's seem to be firming up some, so maybe BMW is being successful in raising prices. My dealer says no more financial incentives on the horizon. Maybe thats part of it.

I personally have decided I like the BMW boxers. Were I to go for an inline 4, I would really tend toward one of the Japanese brands that have perfected that engine. That new FJR looks like one killer bike. I would want to see the K1200's out for 3 or 4 years, just to get all the little kinks out, before I bought one. Of course, not having available servo brakes would be a serious downside to the FJR.

sjbmw wrote:"When you get past 100k miles you find out why"

If one thing is sure, it's that this is no longer a valid reason. Especially with the continuing saga of rear drive failures. Not to mention past transmission failures.

Plenty of Honda's go well past 100k miles with bulleet-proof reliability and absolute minimum dealer intervention during that time period.

Now, buying a BMW because you like the pride of ownership is different. That's perfectly reasonable as a reason if it turns your crank.


Bruno
Montreal, Canada
Gerbing Heated PANT LINER Review
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides/prod ... -liner.htm

Dallara wrote:Hell, there's a whole 'nother motorcycle there in $9,000 dollars...

Heck, there's nothing wrong with having a V-Strom 650 as a second bike.



Bruno
Montreal, Canada
Gerbing Heated PANT LINER Review
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides/prod ... -liner.htm
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