[jayasi]

Hi guys - long time lurker, first time poster. I'm looking to purchase a 06 R12R (in Canada) with 86k km (53k miles) on her, two previous owners and a decent service history. She was given a full peace of mind inspection last year and no red flags. Its pricing at 3500 CAD (2700USD).

Wanted to get thoughts on few things:

• Is this considered high mileage? I know these engines are bulletproof, but not sure on other components
• Any big issues to consider with this model? Can't really find any info on 06 models as 07 seems to be the first year in the US
• Overall thoughts on the deal

Cheers

 

[mjgt]

Welcome to the forum jayasi. I can't really offer any advice on your purchase but I'm sure someone will chime in soon.

 

[dbyker]

Welcome jayasi.

Was not aware Canada had an '06 R12R, first year in US is '07 as you said.

Upsides: The mileage is not high, the price seems reasonable, and the known ownership history and recent inspection are desirable. If it looks, sounds, runs & rides good, it probably is good for now.

Potential Downsides: First year model can have more issues than later models, but in this case the 1200 engine goes back to the '05 GS & RT (and possibly the even earlier R12C cruisers) and has been pretty reliable. Other '06 boxers had servo-assist ("whizzy") brakes, they're not bad but unnecessarily complex and expensive to repair if they break so IMO you're better off with standard '07+ brakes (BMW figured this out too). At that age & mileage the machine may have been sitting for a while, so run & ride for a bit if possible to ensure no fluid leaks from dried seals. Known issues with first-generation R1200's are fuel strip (no biggie) and driveshaft / final drive issues (not super common but expensive and potentially stranding when they happen); believe there are a few other less common ones like plastic fuel system connectors, other folks may chime in with their experiences.

Recommendation: While I like the first-gen Hexhead R12R's very much and if you buy it it will serve you well and you will enjoy it, if you can stretch for a '11-'14 second-gen Camhead R12R, IMO you'll have a better and more enjoyable long-term experience.

HTH!
Best, Dave

 

[jayasi]

Welcome jayasi.

Was not aware Canada had an '06 R12R, first year in US is '07 as you said.

Upsides: The mileage is not high, the price seems reasonable, and the known ownership history and recent inspection are desirable. If it looks, sounds, runs & rides good, it probably is good for now.

Potential Downsides: First year model can have more issues than later models, but in this case the 1200 engine goes back to the '05 GS & RT (and possibly the even earlier R12C cruisers) and has been pretty reliable. Other '06 boxers had servo-assist ("whizzy") brakes, they're not bad but unnecessarily complex and expensive to repair if they break so IMO you're better off with standard '07+ brakes (BMW figured this out too). At that age & mileage the machine may have been sitting for a while, so run & ride for a bit if possible to ensure no fluid leaks from dried seals. Known issues with first-generation R1200's are fuel strip (no biggie) and driveshaft / final drive issues (not super common but expensive and potentially stranding when they happen); believe there are a few other less common ones like plastic fuel system connectors, other folks may chime in with their experiences.

Recommendation: While I like the first-gen Hexhead R12R's very much and if you buy it it will serve you well and you will enjoy it, if you can stretch for a '11-'14 second-gen Camhead R12R, IMO you'll have a better and more enjoyable long-term experience.

HTH!
Best, Dave

Thanks for the input Dave, appreciate it.

Its good to know that this mileage is not considered high. I had heard about the fuel strip and agreed it doesn't seem like a big deal. I was more concerned about a lot of final drive issues as I've heard that they can be expensive, maybe it was just the internet blowing it up, but its good to know its not a common occurrence.

I'm going to check her out in the next few days, will revert back on outcome.

 

[dbyker]

If you get a first-gen Hexhead with a fuel strip issue, ask a dealer if it's still covered under BMW's extended warranty (10 or 12 years ?)

If not, just fill your tank, reset your trip meter to zero, ride 200 miles, then look for a gas station. A fairly safe range from full to empty is about 240-250 miles in my experience.

HTH, Dave

 

[jayasi]

Welcome jayasi.

Was not aware Canada had an '06 R12R, first year in US is '07 as you said.

Upsides: The mileage is not high, the price seems reasonable, and the known ownership history and recent inspection are desirable. If it looks, sounds, runs & rides good, it probably is good for now.

Potential Downsides: First year model can have more issues than later models, but in this case the 1200 engine goes back to the '05 GS & RT (and possibly the even earlier R12C cruisers) and has been pretty reliable. Other '06 boxers had servo-assist ("whizzy") brakes, they're not bad but unnecessarily complex and expensive to repair if they break so IMO you're better off with standard '07+ brakes (BMW figured this out too). At that age & mileage the machine may have been sitting for a while, so run & ride for a bit if possible to ensure no fluid leaks from dried seals. Known issues with first-generation R1200's are fuel strip (no biggie) and driveshaft / final drive issues (not super common but expensive and potentially stranding when they happen); believe there are a few other less common ones like plastic fuel system connectors, other folks may chime in with their experiences.

Recommendation: While I like the first-gen Hexhead R12R's very much and if you buy it it will serve you well and you will enjoy it, if you can stretch for a '11-'14 second-gen Camhead R12R, IMO you'll have a better and more enjoyable long-term experience.

HTH!
Best, Dave

Another question - is there any mileage range that these R12Rs are prone to the final drive failure or is that just at random?

 

[MartinJV]

Wow.
$2700 is a good deal for any mechanically sound BMW R-series built with the R1150 or R1200 engines. Yours comes recent approval of a mechanic?!
I just bought a nicely accessorized 2012 with 21,000 miles, and I was HAPPY to give $7k. Hm. I overpaid(?) haha.
And 50,000 miles is really nothing to worry about for a bike that passes a proper inspection.

 

[Panzermann]

Other '06 boxers had servo-assist ("whizzy") brakes, they're not bad but unnecessarily complex and expensive to repair if they break so IMO you're better off with standard '07+ brakes (BMW figured this out too).

The Max BMW parts fiche shows the 1200 Roadster from 2005 having the non-servo assisted brakes.

ABS2 modules can fail though, due to doing rear brake duty on the linked brake action, and are an expensive fix (if you choose to repair rather than do without ABS).

 

[jayasi]

Wow.
$2700 is a good deal for any mechanically sound BMW R-series built with the R1150 or R1200 engines. Yours comes recent approval of a mechanic?!
I just bought a nicely accessorized 2012 with 21,000 miles, and I was HAPPY to give $7k. Hm. I overpaid(?) haha.
And 50,000 miles is really nothing to worry about for a bike that passes a proper inspection.

Yeah the owner had gotten an inspection done with a bmw mechanic 500km ago and no red flags from it. Valve timing was also done 10k km ago. I’m gonna check the documents when I take a look at her.
Gen 1 1200s are far and few where I am, and not many ppl seem to ride them, so maybe just a motivated seller haha.

 

[jayasi]

Yeah the owner had gotten an inspection done with a bmw mechanic and no red flags from it. I’m gonna check the documents when I take a look at her.
Gen 1 1200s are far and few where I am, and not many ppl seem to ride them, so maybe just a motivated seller haha.

The Max BMW parts fiche shows the 1200 Roadster from 2005 having the non-servo assisted brakes.

ABS2 modules can fail though, due to doing rear brake duty on the linked brake action, and are an expensive fix (if you choose to repair rather than do without ABS).

That’s good to know. Is there a way to turn abs off on these years?

 

[joe4702]

A year and a half ago, I bought a 2009 with 46k miles from my local BWM dealer.
It had no service history, the dealer bought it at auction. Cost me $5600 US + TTL.
Never owned a BMW before, took a chance based on the dealers reputation.

I've put 5K miles on it, no issues except a TPMS battery went out a week after I bought the bike.
The dealer replaced both TPMS sensors for $200, which was a signicant discount.
The air filter and alternator belt were new (changed by dealer).
Fuel strip still works.
I changed all fluids except for the clutch mineral oil.
Changed spark plugs and fuel filter. The latter was unnecesary - the old fuel filter was clean inside.
Checked valve clearance (all good). Did a throttle body sync and IAC cal using Motoscan.
Pulled the drive shaft, removed some minor surface rust and lubed splines.
Found a deal on here for a set of OEM shocks from a 2013 R with only 5K miles on them.
They made a not large, but noticeable, difference in the handling, so I suspect the original shocks were a bit worn out.
I found rust under the gas cap, cleaned that up and painted it, added the rubber ring.

Going forward, my main concern would be if the clutch wears out or has issues.
I would change it myself, but it would probably take me a month of Sundays to do that much work.
Beyond that, if there is a major failure where parts costs run into the thousands of dollars.
I don't think that's too likely but would probably get rid of the bike at that point.


Never ridden a camhead, from what I've read, it may be a bit smoother, the low-speed throttle response is probably better due to newer EFI tech.
My hexhead can be a bit tedious to ride in stop and go traffic and it has some vibration at idle and certain RPMS, but nothing terrible.
I've been tempted to get a low mileage camhead but I've kind of bonded with this hexhead.
If I ever replace this 09, I will probably jumpt to an LC bike.
I don't like the styling as much but they have been growing on me.
Functionally, I'm sure they are superior in many ways.

Have fun with your 06 if you end up getting it!

 

[jayasi]

A year and a half ago, I bought a 2009 with 46k miles from my local BWM dealer.
It had no service history, the dealer bought it at auction. Cost me $5600 US + TTL.
Never owned a BMW before, took a chance based on the dealers reputation.

I've put 5K miles on it, no issues except a TPMS battery went out a week after I bought the bike.
The dealer replaced both TPMS sensors for $200, which was a signicant discount.
The air filter and alternator belt were new (changed by dealer).
Fuel strip still works.
I changed all fluids except for the clutch mineral oil.
Changed spark plugs and fuel filter. The latter was unnecesary - the old fuel filter was clean inside.
Checked valve clearance (all good). Did a throttle body sync and IAC cal using Motoscan.
Pulled the drive shaft, removed some minor surface rust and lubed splines.
Found a deal on here for a set of OEM shocks from a 2013 R with only 5K miles on them.
They made a not large, but noticeable, difference in the handling, so I suspect the original shocks were a bit worn out.
I found rust under the gas cap, cleaned that up and painted it, added the rubber ring.

Going forward, my main concern would be if the clutch wears out or has issues.
I would change it myself, but it would probably take me a month of Sundays to do that much work.
Beyond that, if there is a major failure where parts costs run into the thousands of dollars.
I don't think that's too likely but would probably get rid of the bike at that point.


Never ridden a camhead, from what I've read, it may be a bit smoother, the low-speed throttle response is probably better due to newer EFI tech.
My hexhead can be a bit tedious to ride in stop and go traffic and it has some vibration at idle and certain RPMS, but nothing terrible.
I've been tempted to get a low mileage camhead but I've kind of bonded with this hexhead.
If I ever replace this 09, I will probably jumpt to an LC bike.
I don't like the styling as much but they have been growing on me.
Functionally, I'm sure they are superior in many ways.

Have fun with your 06 if you end up getting it!

That’d great intel on what to watch out for based on similar mileage bikes. Thanks for that!!

 

[Panzermann]

That’s good to know. Is there a way to turn abs off on these years?

I don't believe so - I couldn't find anything in the manual.

If the unit fails, brakes still operate without the linked rear operation, so you ride it like a non-linked system.

It will register a fault code and display an error on the dash though - which you can ignore if you choose.

https://manuals.bmw-motorrad.com/manuals/BA-Extern/IN/BA-INTERNET-COM/PDF/R_0378_RM_0606_R1200R_01.pdf

 

[dbrick]

I bought an '07 R in '09, and rode it happily to 53K when I departed motorcycling (in an elective fashion!) in 2021. It was an absolutely wonderful ride, and were I still riding it'd still be in my garage.

For me, the bike had some challenges. While I liked the handling and the drivetrain, the riding position didn't fit me, and I ended up replacing the seat, the bars, the footpegs, and fabricating a new shift lever. All this was done in the first few years, and resulted in a supremely comfortable ride. If you're interested in any of those changes, I have the posts I made about the changes on the other R12R forum; drop me an email: dbrick [at] cruzio dot com. They were a lot of work, but I enjoyed the Quality Garage Time.

The results were exemplary: the bike turned into a completely comfortable mount, fast and quiet enough, and suitable for both long trips and around-town use. I was delighted.

I had only one mechanical challenge at ~35K miles: one of the rear u-joint trunnion bearings failed, which resulted in the fracture of the driveshaft's u-joint mount. The shaft had to be replaced. The work was done by an experienced BMW mechanic, who observed that he'd seen this failure mode before, but it wasn't so common that he worried much about it. Things happen.

All in all, it was a lovely experience. I always grinned when I walked into the garage.

 

[dbyker]

Panzermann is correct, the ABS can't be turned off (ASC can) as far as I know (having owned an '09).

David Brick has been riding a long time and you can take what he says as rock solid truth.

Cheers! Dave

 

[jayasi]

Finally ended up pulling the trigger. She was a 07, not 06 as the owner thought, and was in great shape, checked for wheel bearing issues, oil leaks etc. No visible red flags.

However the only thing i noticed was the rust after I removed the fuel cap (picture attached). I reckon there is more rust below and needs an extensive clean. So I have that work and wanted to clean and lube the final drive just to avoid expensive issues down the road. Any work resource you could redirect me to or advise on these two will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[joe4702]

Congrats.

Forum search on gas cap rust or similar terms should pull up multiple threads. Clean the rust off or convert it using one of the magic chemicals you'll see mentioned in the threads, then paint. Add the rubber ring although dont know how beneficial that is.

Besides rust, my drain line was plugged. I used some nylon line from a string trimmer to clean it out.

I also added a piece of coat hanger wire across the bottom of the filler neck. Apparently will prevent fuel strip damage from inserting the gas nozzle too far. A suggestion I saw on here or another forum.

Check the rear brake caliper to make sure the sliding pins are lubed. My rear rotor was always hot, caliper needed lube.

YouTube has videos on spline lube process. Not too difficult. You should not need to completely remove the drive shaft but if you do, on this model, you have to remove the swingarm. The drive shaft only removes out the front. Other models/years, it can be pulled out from the back.