BMW R1150GS

Advantages: Reliable, Good Fuel Consumption, Work Horse.
Disadvantages: Heavy, Slightly High on the Suspension, Price of Spares.

...Since I have been riding motorbikes since the early 70s. Only fair I put my review in. Now on my second Adventurer. Due to the first one being Stolen. The BMW R1150GS in line with it's predecessors has longer travel suspension, a 30-litre tank combination tyres and other modifications which sharpen its off-road focus although it being on the heavy side. It includes lower first and sixth gear ratios, and luggage options which allow clip on / off panniers. The spring pre-load adjustment for the front suspension is easy to reach but requires a c-spanner. There's an external adjuster for loading the rear spring which can be operated by hand. A long-handled screwdriver is required to adjust rear suspension damping but the adjuster is easy to reach. But the disadvantage point of that it sits slightly high on the road. Which makes climbing...

Ronnie-Taylor 06.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of BMW R1150GS

BMW R1100RS SE

Advantages: Comforable; Reliable; just a great bike:
Disadvantages: Oil inspection glass means getting on hands and knees!!

...I first purchased my BMW in April 2003, it is a W plated RS1100 SE, had 3,500 miles on the clock and cost £5,500. If you read my Moto Guzzi review you will see that I came back into biking after a 35 year lapse, and although I like and still have the Guzzi, it developed a problem (no spark) and is currently garaged. Also I had a couple of occasions to call out the AA, in London to fix a few 'minor' problems. I decided I wanted a superior bike, a one which had received good reviews and would not only be reliable, but would just go on and on forever. The only bike I could think of therefore was a BMW, and not being a sports bike person or a Harley man (cannot get to grips [sorry about the pun] with the heavy clutch in commuter traffic, a problem with my hand!!!) I could not really see what else there was to offer. Though I must...

PhilipHales 23.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of BMW R1100RS

BMW R1100RT. The riders bike.

Advantages: Weather protection, comfort, handling, fuel range etc.
Disadvantages: Poor headlamp, people think you are too old for bikes when you buy a BMW

...The BMW R1100RT is by far the BEST moorcycle for someone who likes touring at high (or low) speeds, and who likes to cover large distances at the same time. I have been riding for 37 years and have riden every type of machine there are. I feel the bMW is the best machine I have ever owned (up to now) I like the comfort. The weather protection, The handling, and the performance. On paper it isn't that quick, and to be fair it isn't, but we all know that figures are not true to life. This bike will (with a good rider) give most sport bike riders a run for their money. But when they are getting off to renew their circulation and filling up with fuel, you will be flying past, leaving them in your wake. Typically 200-250 miles without stopping is easy to achieve. Load space is superb too. With the panniers off the bike, you still have acres...

r1100rt 01.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of BMW R1100RT

Beeming Around Town on my R45.

Advantages: Comfortable, Nice Beemers
Disadvantages: Pricey

...The ‘Beemer Boxer Twin’, as all BMW twins are often called, means different things to different people. To myself, and I think most BMW owners, The Beemer bit explains itself (BMW = Beemer) Boxer (The engine is a box!) and Twin (2 Cylinders). In the time I had mine it needed 2 new tyres and a battery. I had it for 4 years. But then the engine blew :-) BMW made 28,158 of these bikes between 1978 – 1985. Not too many have survived until today, but the ones that have are usually in very good condition, ad have probably had 1 engine rebuild at least. That’s the problem with these bikes, their one fault. The engines are really really bad. Reliable, yes. Good for 50,000 miles, yes. But they blow like whistles. After 50,000 miles I wouldn’t want to take a BMW r45 engine over 80MPH. Ever. And the same goes...

o_morris 21.06.2003 · Read review
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Review of BMW R45

BMW Sytner Chigwell

Advantages: Great customer service, aparently no matter who you are.
Disadvantages: Services can be a bit pricey, but not as bad as you would think.

...I have visited BMW Sytner a few times over the last 3-4 years & I have to say, they have the best customer service i have experienced at any dealership, bar none. I am not your typical kind of guy you would see in a BMW showroom, I am 27 years old but look like I am 17, I probably go there looking a bit rag tag aswell (I think i do it on purpose, i am not fond of face value). But I always feel that they treat me with the same courtesy as all of their customers I have been to Sytner for 3 series parts a few times & no matter how small the problem, the staff are always very helpful & polite. They took their time to track down some E36 washers I could have probably got anywhere & smiled at me when i thought they would charge me for it!, lol. Specifically, i find parts prices are not that bad at all compared to mercedes or renault. I...

krslim 23.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW

Halliwell Jones Chester (BMW) - Give Them A Wide Berth

Advantages: Some pretty cars to look at in the showroom
Disadvantages: Poor after-sales, the ability to 'create' problems with your car (then refuse to accept liabilty)

...My wife purchased a 2nd hand Mini Cooper last year (2008) and included with the car was the TLC 5 year servicing plan. The car didn't appear to have been serviced upon collection, and the absence of any service book dealer stamps would seem to confirm this, so in March this year (2009) the car was booked into Halliwell Jones Chester (BMW) for a service. We explained the situation to the service desk advisor who assured us that the car would receive the necessary attention. When the car was collected, the mechanism which operates the drivers' seat sliding back/forth was inoperable - we'd had no previous problems with the seat (or the car at all) until that point. The dealer agreed to replace the seat rails and mechanism under warranty, but argued that they hadn't caused the seat to fail. Coincidence therefore? In the weeks following...

thpba3 19.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW

BMW RT1100 v RT1150

Advantages: handling, performance, functionality
Disadvantages: Price, BMW dealerships being too busy at the moment!

...So the new 1150 RT is out, with many similarities but some big differences to the 1100. I've got a 2000 RT and have tested the 1150 and confess to being impressed, but not overly. Not enough to warrant a trade in for sure! The 1100 is a great bike and should not be under-estimated. It certainly keeps up well enough with the sporty 600s upto 110mph and is guaranteed to leave you feeling less ruffled, dryer, warmer and a lot more smug than the sports bike riders. Personally, I prefer the looks and characters of the BMW brigade, so the Honda Pan European wasn't an option. If it was, that would be a difficult choice! So what about the 1150? Waiting lists are long and dealerships are really busy at the moment - is it worth the wait? I have to say no! Sure the new linked brakes offer fantastic stopping power (touch the rear brake...

ellislp 26.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW R1100RT

More grunt than a whole sty of pigs

Advantages: Big, comfortable, everything you'd expect
Disadvantages: Heavy, expensive, needs a different riding style

...(on the Autobahn of course) will happily stay there all day, every day, as long as you keep pouring fuel in it. Your typical BMW is an object lesson in defining motorcycling your own way. Take the engine. BMW made their first horizontally opposed twin (or BOXER) in the 1920s - and have generally stuck to that in one form or another for the remaining seventy five years. Yes - they've toyed with other configurations, the rather odd in-line triple which was featured on the 'K' series engines, and they make a 'lightweight' single (that's in BMW terms!) but the Boxer has been an enduring theme, and is what they do best. My first and only experience of BMW bikes is on an R1100R. The first 'R' identifies it as a 'boxer' engine (all the 'R' series machines are based on this configuration) and the final 'R' indicates 'Roadster...

dobieg 24.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of BMW R1100R

BMW Approved used car warranty in doubt

Advantages: I have seen none to date
Disadvantages: A BMW approved used car from a main dealer proved to be a nightmare

...Two months ago, I purchased a BMW 323ci convertible from Vines of Guildford who are BMW main dealers. The car is 8 years old and had just over 47000 miles on the clock. It was sold with a BMW used car warranty but with certain exclusions due to its age, explained to me after I had paid a deposit on it. In the last couple of weeks, knocking noises have started coming from the engine which have progressively got worse. I've owned three BMWs and I know these cars well but I've never had one do that before. Very worried I checked the service history booklet 'Evidence of maintenance work' that came with the car and this is what I found ... 09/05/2000 Pre-delivery check No running-in check at 1250 miles 20/11/2002 Oil service at 12632 miles (6 months late) 05/05/2005 Oil/Inspection 1 and 2 at 21055 miles (1 year late) And then no...

cravenh 09.11.2008 (24.11.2008) · Read review
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Review of BMW

R850GS long distance review

Advantages: Superb Handling and build quality
Disadvantages: Expensive service costs

...For any of you contemplating the purchase of a s/h R850GS, I owned one for 12 months last year and would endorse it as the "best" bike I have ever owned. For two and a half months I traveled Europe from the battle fields of Ypres through Normandy, Brittany , to the Dordoine. Then accross the French Alps into Italy. Right accross Italy to Austria via the Brenner Pass, then down to Vienna. Back to Bavaria, then along lake constance accross into France again and via Champagne, Poitiers and central France to Calais and Home. throughout this journey, the GS performed impeccably, no breakdowns,glitches or any problem, even one stretch where I was in the saddle from 9am to 9am travelling right accross France, she didn't miss a beat. Overall the GS gave good economy (45 ish MPG) superb handling (fitted with Metzler tyres) and superb...

Harleyman 02.01.2005 · Read review
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Review of BMW R850GS