VanRiver

Prayers up!!!!! Any updates on his condition since the surgery on Thursday?

I'm always late to the party! Happy B-day Mr. Puc!!!! Hope you guys are doing well!

Hello @cowpuc Very good question about bypassing the ABS! The answer is YES, it can certainly be bypassed.......but there is a bit more to it then just bypassing and tying a few brake hoses together. The ABS servo unit on the 2005-2009 bikes do the pumping for you as the brake master cylinder on the handle bars and foot pedal only pressurize to tell the ABS servo to do the heavy lifting and generate the full pressure to apply the brakes. The 1999-2004 K1200LT's had a different ABS unit that was NOT servo driven and therefore much easier to bypass. But if there is a will, there is a way...especially for a man of your motorcycle wrenching capabilities (you are my hero!)....plus several video's on Youtube showing how to do it for us novice wrench turners! I would totally be willing to do the ABS bypass on my own personal machine if I found a cheap bike or if my existing bikes broke, but due to liability and preservation of life I would probably never sell it to another rider with it bypassed. These are heavy bikes that go fast, and stopping safely is kind of a big deal. But I guess it couldn't get much worse then the braking capability of my stock MKII Venture before the R6 calliper upgrade. Could also carry a big rock on a rope tied to the top case for emergency stopping situations! Puc, you and I are cut from the same cloth......cheap bikes are always more fun to ride!!!!!

Howdy SpencerPJ! As my good buddy cowpuc mentioned, I'm the proud owner of a couple of BMW K1200LT's. I have a 1999 and a 2005 model year in the collection. To be honest, I totally love the K1200LT's!! They are especially good if you know how to turn your own wrenches. If you don't like working on your own bikes then the BMW's are not the right bikes for you. The next part of honesty is the K1200LT depreciation, it is significant because of the cost for maintenance not because they are a bad bike. Guys take them into the dealer and it costs a $1000 to change the brake hoses and flush the ABS system.....that is a tough pill to swallow on a 15 year old bike that has a market value of $3000 bucks, so they dump them on Craigslist and you can get them for some pretty good prices. I paid $1500 Canadian for my 1999 Beemer and I think $1500 or $1800 USD for the 2005 Beemer in Phoenix. I bought my 2 bikes from previous owners who lost interest in riding and let the bikes sit too long in the garage and won't run right on the day they want to go for a ride. They then take them to the BMW dealer to get an estimate on how much it would be to get them back on the road and get a crazy price estimate of thousands up on thousands of Dollars.....then the owner can't justify it on an old bike that they never ride so they sell to me for cheap. the previous owner of my 1999 even listed it as a "parts bike" since it wouldn't start (and it was just a bad battery that had sat for somany years and didn't have anough ummff to start the old girl). I've had opportunity to pick K1200LT's up for under $1000 bucks too but the wife won't let me buy any more until I sell some. I know you have already passed on the original bike you were looking at but in the future if you ever run into another K1200LT that looks interesting the 3 main points of weakness that are costly to fix are: #1 . The dry clutch that goes FUBAR if you have a main seal leak or clutch slave cylinder leak that gets oil on the clutch disk. That is a major and costly job to do a clutch on a K1200LT even just the parts if you are doing the work yourself. #2 : ABS Brake warning lights. The K1200LT had some temperamental and fragile ABS technology on them especially on the newer models (2005 to 2009) with the servo assisted ABS brakes. If the ABS unit goes FUBAR on a 2005 -2009 year K1200LT then the bike is a right off due to the cost of the ABS servo module (if you can even find a good replacement).......the 1999-2004 ABS is not as bad. #3 . Some bikes have a known issue from the BMW factory with incorrectly shimmed rear differentials that have early bearing failures. But I don't deem this as a killer anymore since there are tons of good diffs available on Ebay now and a couple hours of wrench turning to replace one, but back when these bikes were new it was a very costly part from the dealer to replace if it was out of warranty. The key is regular maintenance on these BMW's (as it should be for any motorcycle). That "Fragile ABS unit" I mentioned before will last forever if you just change and flush your Brake fluid every year like the manual says. There are BMW K1200LT's with 200,000+ Miles on them with no issues and I find the inline 4 "flying brick" motors to be very bullet proof (basically the same motor I have in my BMW Z4 car, just minus a couple of cylinders). I also find them fairly easy to work once you get all the plastic "Tupperware" removed from the bike to get at the mechanical bits. It takes a couple of hours work just to undress the old girl of all her plastic to get the motor, that is why the Dealer shop labour costs are so high for even the simplest of task. Plus they have so many more luxury features compared to my First Gen Ventures.....and best of all no stupid carbs to plug up over the winter....pure fuel injection Baby!! Long story short, I would not rule out a K1200LT, just find a good deal on one and watch this video from the K1200LT Master himself Kirk at the Illinois BMW motored club. He has videos on youtube showing you how to do almost every task possible to keep your K1200LT ship shape. He is a good guy! Here are some Pic's of my two Beemers while on the open road between Calgary and Phoenix. I think the K1200LT is one snazzy looking "Luxury Tourer", even if they are 20 and 14 years old!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Nice work @BratmanXj ! You are correct, it is a Yamaha XJ900P - or police version of the Seca like you said.

Bonus points if you can name that scooter too!

Hello Guys and Gals, let's play a game called "Name That Motorcycle - International Edition" I was in Amman Jordan a few weeks back and noticed all the local police were enjoying the lovely weather on their Yamaha's! Name that Yamaha Model if you can: By the way, if you ever go to Jordan, DO NOT DRIVE THERE! Lanes markers and traffic signs are only "suggestions", traffic circle are everywhere.....and the car horn is used as frequently as the brake pedal! I fortunately had a personal driver for my visit, otherwise they would have eaten me alive if I was driving a rental car. You have been warned! Which way to the airport?

Hey videoarizona and @cowpuc I'm still alive and kicking! Sorry, I haven't had much time to keep up on the ol Venture forum....work totally has been cramping my style! Thanks for thinking of me! I should be down in AZ next week, if you are around let's do one of our usual "meetings to solve the world's problems"! Been too long since our last visit!

Hey cowpuc so nice to hear from you!!!! It would be a total honour and privledge for me if you could name my 1990 Honda XL600V Transalp! You are a bike naming ledgend, and I always think of you brother when I hop on "AZZI" and "FiFi" the other 2 bikes that you provided names for. I'm sorry I neglected to get your advice with the naming of my last 2005 BMW K1200LT aquisition. I named her "Goldilocks"(because she is gold) which is rather uncreative compared to your excellent names, and I don't think the bike likes the name either! So if you have a better suggestion for the Beemer as well I'm all ears!!!! Here is a pic of FiFi and "Goldilocks" making friends in the Garage. AZZI is under the cover taking a winter nap. Other members must think I'm crazy talking about my bikes like this!!! Ha Ha! Thanks Buddy and Have a very Merry Christmas too!!!

Hi @Steven G, I'm back to snowy Calgary Yes I prepped the Plastic as well as I could, striping, sanding, filling, and application of all the hard core plastic primer and plastic adhesion products I could find over the counter. Sounds like you know how hard it is to make paint stick to plastic! The plastic on this bike had a very rough life of sun damage and some pretty big scrapes and scars. Unfortunalty buying used panels is a rather difficult and expensive venture for this old bike, so I decided to make the best with the old ones. She will never be a beauty queen, but at least if I take her out in the desert and take a spill no tears will be shed if a panel gets scratched. Thanks for the heads up on the clear coats! I did go for the standard white paint (no flake) as it it is easier to repair/touch up in the future as well as I'm no pro painter to be honest.....just a hack who thinks he can use a paint gun and/or rattle can. But I agree, a shiny flake paintjob glistening in the Arizon sun always looks awesome!!! As for driveline, she was in really good shape! All is running A-OK now after some new CDI packs and general maintenance, but I will be doing a carb clean/rebuild as she was sitting alone and unloved for a very long time with gas in her. The Previous owner had a highspeed flat tire incident on her that scared him so much that he parked it in his back yard and just walked away never riding her again for years until I bought it. I agree, tires were a tough choice. I'm not the dirt rider I used to be (too old and crippled now) so I opted for more of a street tred, but enough that if I want to take a rip off road she will be ready! Thanks for your interest and comments on the Bike! Maybe we can hookup for a ride and icecream this summer in Calgary when all the white stuff is gone! I will never lose my "Canadian fur". Ha HA!

Finally found some time to head back to Phoenix where my Honda Transalp project has been patiently waiting for me. Frame painted, Motor painted, new tires, new chain, lots of plastic prep and paint. This basket case that was left for dead in the desert is slowly coming back to life! Yes, I'm breaking the cardinal rule of restoration....I'm changing the color from the "Fighting Honda Red" to the classic "Honda Red, White, and Blue" which matches the Honda Promo poster I had in my room when I was a kid dreaming of someday owning this mighty enduro back in the 1980's! This is what she looks like after the latest wrench turning vacation: Here is what I'm hoping she will look like once I finished.....a boy can dream!

Looking good @videoarizona!!! I'm heading down to AZ on the 27th for 3+ weeks, hope we can meet up! Please talk to the weather man for me to keep the nice riding weather going.

Prayers up, and all the best to another brother from another mother.

I personally ssed to use a simple carpenter's wood clamp with a 2x4 to break my motorcycle tire beads. I would put the 2X4 on the back side of the tire to support one side of the clamp on the solid rim and then the other side of the clamp that turns and pushes I would position as close to the bead as possible so it would push the rubber down near the rim edge. Simple and it always worked for me with no special tools. I now use a "bead buster" which works awesome. Here is a pic of the type of clamp I used to use: Here is a video I did a while back showing the "bead buster" in action which is nice and small for storage and transport .........and only costs $99 on Amazon.

Hey Condor, as you may know, in addition to Ventures I dabble with BMW scoots as well. So here are a couple of "personal opinions" I can contribute to your question. 1. Those BMW "oil head" engines are pretty well bulletproof. There is a reason BMW GS bikes are the prefered choice and what you hear people doing "around the world" trips on. Plus, that is basically the same engine that BMW has been using and refining over almost 90 years of the BMW Motorrad existence. Fairly route to see these motors go 200,000+ miles on the RS model Police bikes used by highway patrol departments (which has basically the same engine of the GS). I've seen them for sale on craigslist with 300,000 and still going strong. 2. They are so easy to work on! A man of your talents and expertise will find this motor a piece of cake to work on and maintain! You will laugh at how easy a valve adjustment is on this bike compared to what we have to do on our Ventures! A 30-minute job on the GS compared to a weekend on a Venture MKII for a hack wannabe amateur mechanic like me. 3. Oil level in the picture does not worry me one bit. This bike appears to have been sitting for a long time. The key to these bikes is to check the oil level on the centre stand when the bike is "WARM".....I think it even says that in the manual. Long story short, this is usually the process BMW riders are advised to follow when checking oil levels: a. go ride the crap out of your bike. b. park it on the sidestand for a few minutes while you take off your gear, and try to wipe the grin off your face. c. put it on the center stand. d. observe the oil level. the goal is for it to be halfway up the sight glass. 4. Although the 1100GS is still a large, powerful, and formidable motorcycle, it will feel like a feather under you compared to the heavy Venture and road bikes you are used to riding. The GS is actually the bike that most BMW riders go to as they get older or have injuries and don't feel comfortable riding the big BMW LT road bikes etc anymore. And once they try a GS they usually comment on the BMW forums saying they wonder why they didn't go to the lighter GS bike sooner! 5. The GS will go ANYWHERE! I personally believe it is right in the sweet spot of a street machine and still very capable in the dirt. It is not a street machine trying to be a dirt bike, nor is it a dirt bike trying to run on the street.....it was designed to be a jack of all trades. 6. Your auction bike looks to be taken well care of from the pictures. She probably was a "highway commuter garage queen" most of her life and then changed owners back in 2014 and has been parked outside in the tame California sun since then. Plus it has some interesting farkles on it (aftermarket rear alloy wheel?). She probably had a pampered life in California with mostly highway miles......and if the owner took good care of the outside they probably did the maintenance for the inside too.......but that is just a guess of course. Get it cheap, have some fun turning wrenches and getting to know your new scoot, and then ride the heck out of it!!!!! If you don't like it once you try it then you can sell it to me (cheap as well!) All the best to you and your decision!!!

I totally agree with @Prairiehammer on this one.....something smells fishy about this bike. The left front crash bar appears to be pretty scratched as well (distortion of the chrome in the picture) so she has been laid down during her life on the left side. So do you think it was an accident rebuild with later model parts, repaint to a 1990 colour (based on the extra non-standard chevron on the back trunk), or just a plain old Odometer 5 digit miscalculation? Might be the lighting thing in the pictures, but it looks like a slightly different shade of dark blue metallic than what Mother Yamaha put on her kids.....but it could just be me. Also, why would they put additional tacky car plastic bumper "Chrome" strips on the bags and fairing if she was pristine and stored almost immediately after purchase in a warehouse? Oh well, people do interesting things I guess. Long story short, not something I would touch as a buyer. But if someone does buy the bike I hope they join Venturerider.org so we can get to the bottom of this mystery!!!

Hey @dusty roads Yup, follow your gut my friend. Sounds like this is not the right bike for you, especially if it needs a lot of wrench turning and repairs to get it back on the road....and not to mention if you are finding it too heavy to be comfortable on. Did you take any pictures of the bike...if yes I would love to see them? Here is a great video from the President of the BMW Motorrad club of Illinois about what to look for when buying a used BMW LT. He has a whole set of instruction videos on Youtube about this bike and is an awesome fountain of insight and information. This is where I learned all my stuff from to get my Beemers running A-OK

I'm back home in Canada now, yearning and wishing I could take my new addition in Arizona "Goldilocks" out for a spin..... as well as to turn some wrenches on her for all the outstanding maintenance that I do on every old bike I buy. To solve my yearning I have been going through all my pictures I took when I picked her up.....The pics bring a smile to my face knowing that she is waiting for me the next time I head down to AZ. Here is one shot that makes me smile.......3 pretty girls in a row....They are all old gals, but so much fun to cruise with: 1. "Azzi" (Way in the back) 1986 Venture Royale 2. "FiFi" (Middle) 1999 BMW K1200LT 3. "Goldilocks" (Front) 2005 BMW K1200LT Poor Azzi is a bit smaller in stature and appears to be pushed out of the picture by the 2 big Germans.

Thanks @dusty roads ! Yes, you are very correct that BMW parts can be expensive......BMW stands for "Bring More Wallet"......but eBay is your friend when it comes to parts for these bikes as they are still plentiful. As @BlueSky said, fixing the ABS unit is not really a viable option due to High costs and really no service shop in the world that is equipped to fix and guarantee them. The best solution at this point (in my opinion) would be to bypass the ABS as so many other BMW owners have done and documented on Youtube. This is what I would do if mine were to ever go kaput (fingers crossed this never happens). I have lived most of my riding life without ABS on big bikes I have owned, including Goldwings and Ventures, and I have seemed to survive without it.....so living without ABS on the Beemer sounds like a viable solution. BUT none functional ABS is the ultimate bargaining chip if you are a potential buyer to get the price down on a BMW bike of this vintage. To be honest, $4500 is too high for a 2003 with a bad ABS unit and minor panel damage. Might be worth waiting a bit longer for a better bike to come along....OR....give him an offer in the $2000 range expressing your ABS repair concerns to see if he bites. All the best with your hunt for a nice K1200LT. Be careful, as LT's are almost as addicting as the first gen Yamaha Venture!

Can hardly wait to see the pics, sounds like a dream garage!!!

Thanks @Kretz for the information! I'll have to look into that type of service at one of the AB border points.

Thanks @BlueSky, yes I'm very familiar with the Servo brakes.......and potential Clutch weakness, and rear diff shim issues these bikes have a reputation for.....You hit the nail on the head!!! Basically, if the ABS servo pump is "kaput" it costs the entire value of the bike to get it repaired. This was the first thing I checked with this purchase. Goldilocks' ABS is working fine with no error codes, so knock on wood as I hope she stays that way. You can bypass the servo but then you lose ABS functionality which I think is rather risky on a heavy bike like the LT. The key to these BMW's, as with any complicated cruiser (Ventures, Goldwings, etc..), is maintenance. Simple things like changing brake fluid, changing engine oil, changing Diff oil, changing transmission oil on a regular basis keep these machines running a long time. But if you have an owner that doesn't know how to do it or even care about proper proactive maintenance, then the life of the bike gets shortened very quickly. In the case of used BMW's, what I find is people can afford to buy the expensive bike price but if they don't know how to turn their own wrenches and don't like paying the prices at dealers for the regular maintenance, the life of the bike gets shortened real quick. One of the reasons I got this particular bike so cheap was the previous owner didn't turn his own wrenches and got a quote from BMW of $550 to replace the front and rear brake pads and have a brake fluid flush done. He thought that was too expensive and thought he should sell it since he doesn't ride it very much and couldn't afford the upkeep. But for me who can do all this simple maintenance in my garage in a couple of hours on a sunny Saturday morning for only the cost of some brake pads and fluid, it is no issue to keep this bike on the road and proactively do it on a frequent basis. I think this is the same story for many Venture's as well. The folks on this forum are "wrench turners" and actually enjoy doing the "basic" and "not so basic work" on their bikes, compared to many other riders who need to rely upon and pay a dealer for every little issue. That is why I like hanging out with you guys and gals so much!!!!

Hey @videoarizona Buddy! Both my Beemers are in AZ right now, in October the next time we are down come on over and let's take them both out for a ride and lunch. You can take me on that loop ride we did last time and then you get to test drive one of the BMW's. Hopefully it will be cooler and nicer to ride in on October!

Hey there @Kretz greetings to a fellow Canadian rider! Yup, we share our time between Alberta and Arizona. Good question about importing! I have only imported vehicles from Canada to the USA and not the other way around yet. When I imported a Honda minivan a few years back from Can to the USA it was really easy, just needed to confirm that the car was on the DOT list of safety compliant vehicles to align with USA standards, needed to get a few letters from the manufacturer stating the vehicle was up to date with any recalls or repairs and then needed to show all the ownership papers to US customs and that was it. I have a feeling it might be a bit more laborious getting this bike into Canada since Canada seems to always make things harder......and from what I have read I will also need to get a mechanical inspection from Canadain Tire once the bike has crossed the border, but I think it will be fun to try and learn the process. I'll probably do it next spring and will document the process of importing and post it here for you or any anyone else who might be interested. In the meantime, time to sprucer ol' "Goldilocks" up and get her ready for a ride up to Canada next spring and some nice trips in the desert in the meantime. Hope my other K1200LT bike "FiFi" doesn't get too jealous! Got her washed up today!

Thanks @CaseyJ955 I have been waiting all my life to hear those words!!!!!! I'm Free!!!!!