I test drove a 2009 Street Glide and liked it so much I thought I would look at a BMW as well. After all do I need another $22,000 motorcycle that I want to spend even more money on by buying extras? So I went to the BMW Owners Forum and as luck would have it the first subject that came up was, “What’s in your tool kit?”

Everyone needs to take a look at this. These guys are carrying way more than I do or ever have for any HD I ever owned including an AMF Sporster. I thought BMW was such a mechanically superior bike.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25332

 

Perhaps their philosophy is 'better to have a tool and not need it, then to need a tool and not have it'.

Ron

 

Another foreign line that has the American public duped. Just like their cars. Overpriced foreign junk!! Very expensive to maintain. Like japanese cars and bikes.

And . . . they are Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're joking right?

 

Just left the BMW camp, last two bikes were boxer twin BMW models. BMW guys are as odd, or odder, than Harley guys. They (we) pack around every possible thing, on the chance it may be needed. I never had any reliablilty issues with my BMW, but I still carried a tool roll that was incrediable. I have stopped and plugged two Harley tires with my kit though! As far as junk, etc., that is wrong. BMW is simply Europe's Harley. Terrific bikes, and I enjoyed the heck out of them, but now I am doing something different. But I do have to find some cooler riding gear, I look like I stepped out of an Aerostich catalog....

 

i've owned four beemers, all the air cooled boxers, great bikes, but they lack the soul of the harley. and almost like owning a moto guzzi, two dealers per state if you're lucky. now harley, i got two that are an hour away. another hour and a half. i'll stick with a brand that first, is cool, and that parts are available, Harley of course. beemers and guzzis use a lot of parts made of unobtanium.

 

Yeah, like Harleys are cheap to service . Or buy parts for.

 

Tom from http://harleygoodies.com/ here. A BMW is a different animal. I am not much for knocking any bike, but definitely a different kind of ride. A smooth highway cruiser. I used to work with a couple of guys who had beemers, and when their clutches would go out the cases would have to be split to replace it.

Regards,
Tom
Harley Goodies

 

My sort of father-in-law has been riding for almost 50 years. Most Harleys and dual sports. A few years ago, he bought a BMW R1200CL. I want to say that he gave around $16000 or so fully loaded. Maybe a tad more. From day 1, he was getting horrible gas mileage. No fix - just false advertising. Radio went out, and was replaced under warranty 4 times. Cruise went out twice. Problems with the clutch, problems with the bag locks. You name it. If it could go wrong, it did.

After about 6,000 miles (5 months or so) he decides he's had enough and goes back to the dealer to trade in on something else. The best they'll give him is $8500.

Long story short(er), he's going back to an Ultra Classic.

 

I've personally not found the two H-D's I've owned to be all that expensive to maintain and in fact they've been trouble free with over 100,000 miles between the two of them.

I do know that a water pump on a BMW sedan is $1200 though, so I'd say they take the cake for absurd cost to maintain.