Why so many cheap used Beemers for sale?

[Doc_V]

I'm amazed at how many cool old Beemers there are on Craigslist for under $3,000. Hell, there's plenty under $2000 and some pretty nice ones in the $3000 - $4000 range. You don't even see that many comparable size Kawasaki's, Yamahas, Suzukis or Hondas for that kind of money. Are they unreliable or UNGODLY expensive to repair or what? Why are they cheaper than all the other brands?

 

[VicTim]

I like the old Beemers but I'm scared to buy one because I don't want to fix it all the time. I think you never really know with any old bike. Sometimes you get lucky though.

 

[SFSV650]

How old are we talking?
I've seen K75's from the 80's in so-so condition asking $2,500 to $5,000.

 

[Gary856]

I don't understand the question. Generally, the used BMWs I see are relatively expensive, with relatively high mileage.

 

[kelsodeez]

ex- bmw owner speaking here.

its a combination of 3 things that make them terrible used bikes:
1. expensive parts
2. needlessly difficult to work on
3. lack of reliability

mechanically, bmw's are usually pretty sound. its all the bells and whistles that tend to stop working for no reason at all.

 

[Ogier le Danois]

ex- bmw owner speaking here.

its a combination of 3 things that make them terrible used bikes:
1. expensive parts
2. needlessly difficult to work on
3. lack of reliability

mechanically, bmw's are usually pretty sound. its all the bells and whistles that tend to stop working for no reason at all.

This.

And these are probably a lot of the 1100 boxer motors with the surging fuel injection problem.

 

[dmfdmf]

ex- bmw owner speaking here.
its a combination of 3 things that make them terrible used bikes:
1. expensive parts
2. needlessly difficult to work on
3. lack of reliability

mechanically, bmw's are usually pretty sound. its all the bells and whistles that tend to stop working for no reason at all.

This.

And these are probably a lot of the 1100 boxer motors with the surging fuel injection problem.

You guys are making me glad I didn't buy a BMW and got a V-Strom instead.

I was in the market over a year ago and the three must-have requirements were ABS brakes, fuel injection and less than 10 years old which pretty much narrowed my choices to used BMWs or Suzukis (at least of the models I liked). This is over a year ago and I don't recall seeing any reasonably priced Beemers. Anything in the $3000 range was superannuated, like from the 70's or 80's, or superused like 200K miles. Any modern BMW bikes in that price range needed $1000's of work, like failed shaft drive bearings or top-end rebuild, etc.

 

[larry kahn]

I'm amazed at how many cool old Beemers there are on Craigslist for under $3,000. Hell, there's plenty under $2000 and some pretty nice ones in the $3000 - $4000 range. You don't even see that many comparable size Kawasaki's, Yamahas, Suzukis or Hondas for that kind of money. Are they unreliable or UNGODLY expensive to repair or what? Why are they cheaper than all the other brands?

You mean '70's era airheads (I resemble that comment!) or '80's oilheads/K models? Airheads are pretty basic to work on and own.

 

[bcv_west]

The vintage airheads (70s, early 80s) are generally more expensive than same-era Japanese bikes, and less than brit or italian stuff. They're easy to work on and own, though spares tend to be pricey.

The early oilheads (R1100s especially) have low resale, they were considered fugly and they tend to have expensive problems - drive train is all in a row, so to work on the transmission or clutch you basically have to disassemble from the back. The R1150s are a little better on resale, with fewer transmission problems. R1200s seem to do just fine on resale.

 

[SFSV650]

The early oilheads (R1100s especially) have low resale, they were considered fugly and they tend to have expensive problems - drive train is all in a row, so to work on the transmission or clutch you basically have to disassemble from the back.

No one on craigslist seems to know that.
I wanted an R1100S for a long, long time. I despaired at the prices, $7k for 15 year old bikes in some cases, until I was snapped out of it.

 

[Ogier le Danois]

No one on craigslist seems to know that.
I wanted an R1100S for a long, long time. I despaired at the prices, $7k for 15 year old bikes in some cases, until I was snapped out of it.

The RTs are the cheap ones.

You can buy 2000ish examples for $2,500-3,500 all day. Heated grips, electric windscreen, full set of bags.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/...ax_auto_year=&min_auto_miles=&max_auto_miles=

Pity about the issues, when they run right or your are not in the surge zone, they are great touring rigs, if a bit heavy.

 

[bcv_west]

I've started to see S models in the >3k range now too. And I've ridden one, they're fun, I'd pick one up if I saw a deal. But yeah, RTs are the lowest. I paid peanuts for an RT last year as a guest rider touring rig, and will probably sell it for even fewer peanuts shortly. It's got its issues and I never liked it much, but if you want to run high-speed sweepers carrying you, your SO, and luggage for days, the RT is hard to beat. And the ABS saved the bacon of more than one guest on bad CA roads.

 

[aminalmutha]

Because they suck.

 

[corndog67]

Because they suck.

I've ridden a bunch of them. I believe you are correct.

 

[aminalmutha]

BMW... how to suck all the fun out of riding motorcycles.

 

[planegray]

Because they suck.

I've ridden a bunch of them. I believe you are correct.

You two are absolutely correct, my '01 r1100s has sucked for 100K miles of trackdays, goat roads, hours of 100+ in the desert, touring with full kit, and commuting. The totally sucky maintenance has consisted of: tires, filters, oil, do-it-myself valve adjustments, and a few minor maintenance issues related to my negligence.

yep, it has totally sucked

 

[aminalmutha]

It probably put you to sleep the whole time, too.

 

[SFSV650]

It probably put you to sleep the whole time, too.

You're forgetting who rides BMWs.
If I wanted a rush, I'd stand up too fast. :x

 

[aminalmutha]

:laughing

 

[planegray]

It probably put you to sleep the whole time, too.

¿ You've seen me ride ? :confused


C GROUP FO' EVA' !!!... yo :banana