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

Hi, I've just bought a 97 r850r and am having a couple of problems with it. I would appreciate some advice.

I bought the bike through the dreaded Ebay for £1750 from a dealer near London which is about 250 miles from me.

On getting it home and riding it the clutch has started to slip and I have noticed a couple of noises from the engine. On start up whenever the bike has been sitting for 10 minutes or more and the oil has drained back to the sump, there is a deepish knocking sound from the engine, possibly more from the left side, which lasts for a second or 2 till the oil has been pumped round. Then the engine runs quietly apart from what sounds like a slightly loose valve on the right pot, a light tapping sound. On closer inspection the bike appears to have had quite a hard life with lots of engine paint flaking off and the wiring all spliced back together at the headstock.

I have contacted the dealer who has offered me a refund if I get the bike back to him, or to fix the problem with the clutch and return the bike with us splitting the cost of transporting it. To add a further twist to the tale, when I was trailering the bike back here 2 straps broke and the bike fell off the trailer, trashing the screen, a mirror and scraping the front master cylinder. Obviously I would have to replace these parts in order to get the refund for the bike.

So the question is, with 57k miles on the clock is the bike going to be a money pit after the clutch is sorted, and is the knock normal or a concern? At the moment the offer is to fix the clutch and I am not sure how keen he is going to be to invsetigate the noise.

I have priced up getting the damaged parts replaced and it is going to cost me about £150 if I return the bike but only £50 if I live with the scraped mastercylinder and put on a cheaper screen. In all with fuel costs I will be about £250 out of pocket if I return the bike and I would still need to find another bike. I would rather swallow this though than hang onto the bike if it is going to cost me more in the long run.

Cheers

Iain

Hi! Do you really want that specific model? What made you decide to get that bike instead of the others available? Are you willing to spend more on it or would you rather spend your hard earned cash on a more reliable unit?

My 2 cents worth....good luck on your decision.

Iain,

Greetings to the Motherland! Gees, I don't miss those winter months at all.

Sorry to hear about your problems. I get the feeling that you want to get out of this deal and start again. You already suspect that the bike has had a hard life (despatch rider with taste?).

I reckon that you'll be paranoid of every little noise, wobble, etc from now on. This will reduce your riding pleasure and increase your frustration.

Whilst you have a deal on the table with the dealer, get rid! Yes, it might cost you a few pounds now, but think of it as an investment in a better future.

Remember, it is winter there, the time when bikes are supposed to be hard to sell. Get your money back and go find some sweet, low K's bike that has been cared for. You'll enjoy it so much more than sticking with this one.

Idea - maybe try the BMWOR UK for members selling bikes or speak with dealers about any trade-ins that they wouldn't normally showroom.

Good Luck.

Martyn

Here is a place that you could start, if you decide to try to repair the bike.
http://www.beemerboneyard.com/

You can also look for "Used BMW motorcycle parts" on http://www.google.com

Good luck.

Rossi,

If there is a problem with the clutch itself rather than the cable gap adjustment (it is a cable operated clutch, right?), I would return the bike. Replacing the clutch is a major operation. In addition, the clutch may be slipping due to contamination from gear oil or engine oil, which means replacing the corresponding seals.

The left cylinder noises that you describe may be normal cam chain tensioner noises. I bet that you can solve the right-side noises with an adjustment of the valve or rocker shaft gaps.

If you decide to keep the bike, you may be able to change the clutch yourself. It will take you a couple of days, but it is not that difficult. If you need to get it done, contact Steptoe at http://gsshop.co.uk/, but he is in London too.

Keep us posted.

Greetings, and best of luck with your purchase.

The brief rattling on startup most likely due to the left cam chain tensioner is not of great consequence from what I've read here and other places. Slightly rougher idling is about the only effect that has been noted. An updated left cam chain tenstioner is available and can be swapped out, which should eliminate the problem. This is one of my winter projects on my R1150! (as soon as the parts show up)

Ticking valves may just not have been adjusted in quite a while. Pretty easy to remedy on these opposed twin's.

The spliced wiring sets off some potential red flags though. Should electrical problems develop down the road they can be frustrating to track down, and un-timely.

There may still be alot of miles left in the bike if you decide to keep it. This forum holds a great wealth of expertise and information.

yeah, get rid of the bike and buy one with no troubles. you should have no problem finding one.

enjoy the ride back to the dealer. ride it like you stole it!

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I would be able to keep this bike without always having a question in the back of my mind so I have ordered the master cylinder etc so I can return the bike. Hopefully
I will find a low miles BMW within my price range. If not I'll need to think again about which bike to buy.

Cheers

Iain

Where abouts in the UK are you? You should be able to get some advice locally regarding the clutch and second hand parts are available from http://www.motorworks.co.uk

rossi wrote:Thanks for the advice. I don't think I would be able to keep this bike without always having a question in the back of my mind so I have ordered the master cylinder etc so I can return the bike. Hopefully
I will find a low miles BMW within my price range. If not I'll need to think again about which bike to buy.

Cheers

Iain

I have to say that I think the bike is a dog which will bite you some day. The price was low even for an 850 which is only realy popular with the dispatch rider. But when looking for a BMW not worry too much about the mileage. It's the history that matters, they will take a lot of use but they need to be serviced and looked after. Yours sounds like it's been just left out in the yard and given a kicking once in a while. Check out the BMW main dealers, in the main they are good and don't have crap on their fronts.