Used BMW R 1200 C 1997 buyer's guide
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2024
- New cruisers and choppers now cost an avalanche, but fortunately there are some real gems of the past in this segment. We borrowed the BMW R 1200 C from Limbächer in Stuttgart to see if it was one of them.
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Great video. Well informed & narrated, with the quality of the visuals being top notch, particularly the drone footage. Nice work.
As someone who owns two R1200C's and an R850C (An R1200C with reduced displacement) I know them well.
A few things I can add or that weren't mentioned....
The single sided swing arm makes wheel changes on the rear as quick & simple as a car. I have a spare rear wheel & tire with a few necessary tools in a box, so if I get a flat, I can call family or a friend to bring it out to me, change it on the spot in 15-20 mins, and ride away. Shaft drive is also clean & maintenance free, requiring no lubrication or adjustment like chains, or periodical replacement like chains or belts.
The "opaque feeling" described by the front suspension is probably a consequence of unfamiliarity with the Telelever characteristics, where conventional front forks will dive under brakes, whereas the Telelever design is specifically engineered to dramatically reduce this almost completely, giving the unfamiliar a false impression of being "opaque" or vague because the expected "dive" reaction is absent. It's not vague, just more stable & controlled.
And one thing EVERY reviewer gets wrong...."little sound for a cruiser". It still surprises me how many folks get this wrong, even so-called experts. Every time they critique the sound of the BMW "C" Model Cruiserbikes, it always focuses on how quiet they are, with the overt or implied comparison to a Harley, as if there was some mystique to it or as if it was a phenomenon unique to Harleys or their many clones. The fact that most BMW buyers have tended to be "traditional types" who almost exclusively prefer to leave them stock, including their exhaust, means you are comparing an R1200C with stock pipes, against the complete opposite.... Go into a harley showroom and IF you can find a model the dealer hasn't already fitted with their "Screamin' Eagle" or whatever brand of open or "Shotgun" pipes without any form of baffling, start it up and it will sound like ANY other bike with it's factory stock exhaust system...a sewing machine. Because manufacturers HAVE TO build their bikes to conform & comply with all relevant pollution & noise laws & regulations. Once they've been delivered to the dealer in that LEGAL, compliant configuration, they've discharged their responsibility to those laws. The law is isn't so clear or tight on what the dealers can fit to their bikes as "optional accessories", and as the sound of a Harley is so integral to their image, they'll either bin the stock exhausts and fit open pipes on their own initiative, or encourage & convince the buyer to opt for them with arguments like, "Everyone does it. It's standard practice.", and so forth, and include the fitting in the price of the bike. Point being, when was the last time you saw or HEARD a Harley WITHOUT non-standard open pipes? Never. But what they don't mention in criticising the R1200C's meek sound, is that ALL internal combustion engines sound meek with restrictive exhausts, and ALL internal combustion engines sound completely the opposite with unrestricted exhausts. It changes their character totally, so you almost don't recognise your bike. The less restrictive, the more rorty, until you have NO restriction, and they sound like raucous, rebellious, righteous, anti-establishment tools of Satan. Your bike that sounded like an "Enya" record played quietly, now sounds like Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" with the volume knob turned to 11 out of 10. So, comparing unrestricted machines like Harleys to an R1200C with stock exhausts is illogical, stupid, & unfair. Pull off the BMW's stock silencers and start it with open header pipes, THEN judge it's voice when it isn't being strangled. People flip out over the sound of mine. I regularly get comments of stunned shock & awe, saying they didn't know a BMW could sound like that. ANY engine can with open pipes, stupid.
Excellent information
Cheers, James. Sometimes you just gotta set the record straight. It amazes me that people think Harley Davidson have a monopoly on loud, tough sounding bikes, just because they've had their super restrictive, ultra quiet, factory-fitted, noise law compliant exhausts removed and replaced with open, straight-through pipes with no baffles. Which are then compared to other bikes that are still being choked & strangled by their super restrictive, original factory-fitted exhaust systems, that are subsequently criticised for sounding lame. Bolt the stock exhausts back onto any Harley and it sounds like a sewing machine. But just because all Harleys have open pipes fitted almost as a rule, folks think their sound is some kind of mysterious quality unique to the Milwaukee product. It's NOT a valid comparison. Remove the stock silencers from all the other bikes the Harley is being judged against, and suddenly they ALL sound just as mean, tough, & loud as any Harley. But in all road tests & reviews this fact is universally ignored by the journalists writing them, nor questioned by those reading it. And it's been this way since forever. Like I said, I have open pipes on my BMW's and Royal Enfield, and people nearly fall over in shock when they hear them, like there must be some Voodoo involved in getting them to sound that way, because ONLY Harley's can sound like that. Idiots.
@TomFlaTTop_BMW You are spot on and say it better than anyone else. I added a third BMW to my collection. As you know I have the BMW R 1200c. I also have the CLC and now. I acquired a 2005 BMW R1200 ST. Ride safe/ride often.
Btw: Love your videos on how your C model sounds after some exhaust work. I am considering the kalinsky pipes, but for 1200 bucks, I thought that was a little high. I would do the install myself, but that's still a lot out of pocket.
@@jamesbonanno3359 Hey James. I thought I recognised you. Been awhile. I remember you had an R1200 C and a CLC. Congrats on your new ride. Now you have to choose between two kinds of BMW cruiser or a sports-tourer when you feel like a ride.....nice dilemma to have! I like the ST. Good balance between sporty dynamics and comfort. Enough grunt and good handling when you feel like getting on it, without curling you up like a pretzel in a racer crouch, in a nice looking package. Nice one! Thanks for the kind words. Glad you like the videos. Been so busy I haven't posted one for some time. See to that soon. The sound on my videos is as good as I can get it, but in real life the contrast in the exhaust sound is more dramatic than the microphone on my GoPro can sometimes do justice to. Though I guess it's good enough to give you some idea, as I still get compliments on it from the videos. But you should see the reactions from others riders when they hear one of my "C" Model BMW's in the flesh! The Kalinsky pipes are really nice quality and they have a huge range of styles available for the BMW "C" Models, but yeah, they're not cheap. Although, I've seen systems from other brands for not much less that look & sound awful. If I had no other option, I'd probably buy the Kalinsky unit when finances allow. There was a guy in the U.S. called Bob Hookijac who was fabricating really nice systems for the R1200 C. I tried to contact him last year about one of his products for a friend, but his daughter replied and told me he's retired and no longer making them. If you had someone custom build you a high-quality system like the one on my R850 C, you'd probably pay at least that much if not more, and that's IF you can find someone with the skills to do it any more. It's a dying artform, unfortunately. The install is straightforward and no problem to tackle yourself if you're handy with the spanners. Just a reminder if you consider buying a replacement system or having one made....make sure they have the bung for the oxygen sensor to screw into, welded into the cross-pipe or balance pipe between both sides of the silencer like your stock system, or else your fuel injection won't function properly. Anyway, good hearing from you, mate. At the moment I'm busy installing a straight through "Fishtail" exhaust on my Royal Enfield 500cc single, and also a 4 inch extended swing arm I had made for it to give it a longer, lower, custom look. I'll post videos when it's done. I recently replaced the in-tank fuel pump & filter on my black R1200 C....not technically too difficult but a bastard of a job! If you've ever attempted to replace the battery on one of your BMW Cruiser bikes you'll know what I mean, as the tank has to come off to do that job also. Enjoy your bikes, James. Keep 'em shiny side up and steer clear of the incompetent Muppets on the road around you. Drop me a line anytime and keep in touch. 👍😎
@TomFlaTTop_BMW Thanks Tom. I really appreciate the time you took to give me a detailed response and hit all the points that I had made in my statement. Are you on Facebook by any chance? I have a lot more information about me in general there and some pictures of my different motorcycles.
Enjoy the projects and turning the wrenches. Ride safe and ride often.
Nice to see the odd video still popping up on this bike. Love mine 😎
I got one. Love it 👍👍❤️❤️
How many miles will a R1200C last ?
200k km min
Nice cpu voice over lame