I have a Craigslist and motorcycle weakens or illness!

[VanRiver]

Been at our vacation home for less than 2 weeks and I have already purchased 2 motorcycles....Yes, I have a problem. The wife is MAD, but always easier to ask forgiveness than permission. I need to block the Craigslist website from my computer!!!!!!

 

I need a support group...."Hello, my name is VanRiver.........Hello VanRiver.......I have a motorcycle Addiction......it has been 2 days since my last motorcycle purchase!"

 

Anyway, bought a nice project 1990 Honda Transalp XL600V last week, and today I picked up another BMW K1200LT. She is a 2005 with only 27,000 miles on it. This beauty has been sitting outside for the last year, unloved, and ready for a new owner. She runs and drives great, just needs TLC and general love, for some maintenance and to make her shiny and pretty again....as well as a few odds and ends here and there. Got her for $1800 bucks, I couldn't say NO!!!!! I already have a 1999 K1200LT in my collect and love it so much! I'm very excited to have an even newer model in the herd.

 

Here as some pictures directly when I bought her......all dirty and unloved.......Also, I tried a new motorcycle pick up service here in Phoenix today and they were awesome!!!! They had a really cool pickup vehicle that I thought I would share some pictures of as well.

 

I look forward to washing and polishing her up tomorrow (will post some nicer pictures then).....I think I will name her "Goldilocks"

 

[BlueSky]

Those are beautiful motorcycles!

[uncledj]

I'd have been all over that Beemer like a Hobo on a Hot Ham-N-Cheese.

Very nice.

[CaseyJ955]

Now thats a touring bike! Good purchase.

 

Ol' gran-pappy always said it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I do neither, rather I shamelessly do whatever I want. Gotta love that! congrats on the new purchases.

 

I hereby grant you permission to buy whatever steeds you wish for as long as you want.

 

T

[Kretz]

That's a very nice looking bike. And it was HOW MUCH???? Maybe you should go buy a lottery ticket!

The bike transport is just like the RoRo slides used for cars but on a smaller scale. Very innovative!

I see you live in AB, bought the bike in Phoenix, how do you go on with importing to Canada? What hoops do you have to jump through?

[videoarizona]

Wish I was up there to enjoy your purchases with you!

Looks great!

[VanRiver]

I hereby grant you permission to buy whatever steeds you wish for as long as you want.

 

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

[VanRiver]

That's a very nice looking bike. And it was HOW MUCH???? Maybe you should go buy a lottery ticket!

The bike transport is just like the RoRo slides used for cars but on a smaller scale. Very innovative!

I see you live in AB, bought the bike in Phoenix, how do you go on with importing to Canada? What hoops do you have to jump through?

 

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!

 

[VanRiver]

Wish I was up there to enjoy your purchases with you!

Looks great!

 

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!

[Kretz]

Holy Crap! That almost looks like a new bike!

As for importing, I know my local border crossing (Sumas, Wa) freight/ mail receiver "Ship Happens" used to offer a service where they looked after all the forms etc for you.

You got the vehicle delivered to them, it had to be there a couple of days while they applied for the necessary paperwork, cost wasn't silly but that service seems to have disappeared from their website. Maybe there are similar services offered by US/ AB border towns.

I don't think it's a particularly onerous procedure, here's the official Transport Canada info:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles-importation-usa-index-445.htm

http://www.tc.gc.ca/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles/importation/usa/vafus/list2/Section8_0.htm

hope it helps.

I tried previously to look into bringing a "salvage title" bike from US to Canada but no-one could give me any useful information, not Gov't, Transprt Canada or useless ICBC (insurance corp). So I just gave up after the big runaround!

Not the same but my RSTD was an Alberta bike. I was told I needed to get a mechanical inspection done, local stealership quoted me $150. I spoke to the mechanic & he said all they do really is check, lights, brakes, numbers (& not much else)

I went to get temp insurance so I could ride it to the stealership. My insurance agent said because the bike was stock, it didn't need an inspection, all I had to do was to take it to her, she checked the VIN # & then registered it as a BC bike. Saved me $150.

Of course as soon as I insured it I then had to pay the GST & PST on the price I'd paid. What a con! The Gov't collect taxes every time that bike is bought!

Edited August 11, 2018 by Kretz

[Flyinfool]

Nice bikes.

 

But I see you have not found my 1st gen on Craigs list yet.........

[BlueSky]

You probably know this but the 2005 model has the servo assisted brakes that have been a failure point that is very expensive to repair. Although, I have read that some bright person is now rebuilding the parts and it isn't as expensive to repair. I read that to prevent the failure, the brakes should be bled annually. There are videos on line showing how to remove and rewire the system to get rid of the servo assisted brakes but it also removes ABS.

[snyper316]

Nice bikes.

 

But I see you have not found my 1st gen on Craigs list yet.........

 

This could be good for me... Lol I have an addiction too

[VanRiver]

You probably know this but the 2005 model has the servo assisted brakes that have been a failure point that is very expensive to repair. Although, I have read that some bright person is now rebuilding the parts and it isn't as expensive to repair. I read that to prevent the failure, the brakes should be bled annually. There are videos online showing how to remove and rewire the system to get rid of the servo assisted brakes but it also removes ABS.

 

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!!!!

[VanRiver]

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

 

Holy Crap! That almost looks like a new bike!

As for importing, I know my local border crossing (Sumas, Wa) freight/ mail receiver "Ship Happens" used to offer a service where they looked after all the forms etc for you.

You got the vehicle delivered to them, it had to be there a couple of days while they applied for the necessary paperwork, cost wasn't silly but that service seems to have disappeared from their website. Maybe there are similar services offered by US/ AB border towns.

I don't think it's a particularly onerous procedure, here's the official Transport Canada info:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles-importation-usa-index-445.htm

http://www.tc.gc.ca/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles/importation/usa/vafus/list2/Section8_0.htm

hope it helps.

I tried previously to look into bringing a "salvage title" bike from US to Canada but no-one could give me any useful information, not Gov't, Transprt Canada or useless ICBC (insurance corp). So I just gave up after the big runaround!

Not the same but my RSTD was an Alberta bike. I was told I needed to get a mechanical inspection done, local stealership quoted me $150. I spoke to the mechanic & he said all they do really is check, lights, brakes, numbers (& not much else)

I went to get temp insurance so I could ride it to the stealership. My insurance agent said because the bike was stock, it didn't need an inspection, all I had to do was to take it to her, she checked the VIN # & then registered it as a BC bike. Saved me $150.

Of course as soon as I insured it I then had to pay the GST & PST on the price I'd paid. What a con! The Gov't collect taxes every time that bike is bought!

[BlueSky]

I knew you had it under control! That is a beautiful bike and I was looking at one before I bought the 89 Venture.

[Uturn 780]

riv.ca

 

Check to make sure it is on the list of bikes you can import, title and paperwork at border at least 72 hrs before you arrive(I call ahead and make sure it's there). I prefer the smaller BC border crossings over Sweetgrass.

 

Nice purchase.😎

[Kretz]

riv.ca

 

Check to make sure it is on the list of bikes you can import, title and paperwork at border at least 72 hrs before you arrive(I call ahead and make sure it's there). I prefer the smaller BC border crossings over Sweetgrass.

 

Nice purchase.😎

 

It is, all bmw bikes are "approved"

[WRIDR]

Migawd, $1800 for THAT Bike?

 

Shined up - or even FILTHY - that is just SICK!

 

No wait, 'tis Yours Truly who is SICK... WITH ENVY!

 

What an amazing Find. Congratulations on The Buy Of The Year.

 

Rgds, WRIDR.

[Patch]

Yes a very nice find.

I remember you have experience with older bikes so likely need not mentioned check the tires manufactured year. They look like Bridgestone?

Certainly you will need the AB. safety done, there is a shop I've used in the past in Airdrie just of HW 2, good straight forward bunch there, used to older bikes. Let me know if you need that contact infoe.

[dusty roads]

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!

 

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114024[/quote

 

Exceptional purchase. Been looking at a 2003 which has been dropped, mirror some panel damage, tires, battery, etc. Bout 55.000km but my biggest fear is the ABS module seems to be gone and the BMW parts are nothing short of extortion prices. Asking 4500.00 but am sure it could be bought for less. Problem is how much money would have to be spent and the weight of the bike and would still end up with a 3000.00 bike. Do you know of a reasonable fix for the ABS module. If I could figure that one out I might consider the bike. If I could find something even close to yours, would buy it in a second.

[BlueSky]

There are several videos on line about how to eliminate the servo brake ABS system if that is what you want to do. I'm sure there are repair videos too.

[VanRiver]

Exceptional purchase. Been looking at a 2003 which has been dropped, mirror some panel damage, tires, battery, etc. Bout 55.000km but my biggest fear is the ABS module seems to be gone and the BMW parts are nothing short of extortion prices. Asking 4500.00 but am sure it could be bought for less. Problem is how much money would have to be spent and the weight of the bike and would still end up with a 3000.00 bike. Do you know of a reasonable fix for the ABS module. If I could figure that one out I might consider the bike. If I could find something even close to yours, would buy it in a second.

 

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!

[VanRiver]

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.

 

[dusty roads]

Drove to see the BMW on the weekend and it needs a lot of work. Has been sitting for a while and won't stop smoking even when running for a while on the center stand and thoroughly warmed up. Has been dropped and some damage has to be repaired. Needs just about every wear part replaced which will add up quickly to a high cost. ABS...motors can be heard working for front-rear circuit so it does not appear to be the ABS unit. It has been sitting and neglected so it could be a number of issues with the ABS. Bike is very heavy and at my age and diminishing strength I'm wondering if it's the right choice of bike. Rode one several weeks ago and it's a handful just finding room to do a slow turn. Might make a low offer and see what happens since the owner got the bike from a friend who was going to get it on the road, gave up and sold to current owner who is also giving up on the bike. Don't think he knew what he was getting into, although hi is mechanically very savvy judging by the vehicles he had and what he had done to them, the guy is extremely knowledgeable.

I thank you for the info and will see how things go. Will post if I end up with bike. In the meantime, will keep riding the Venture which has proven to be supper reliable since I went over it two years ago.

 

Still having problems posting proper reply...hope it displays.

 

 

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!