Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

I'd say it's a good buy if it's in good condition.

Things to look for :

Water dripping from the water pump - there's a small hole under the water pump on the left of the engine.

Steering head bearings - lift the front wheel (by pulling the handlebars towards yourself while the bike is on the sidestand), and feel if there is a "notch" when the handlebars turn past the centre position.

Those are the two most common failings.

I own a 98 Funduro with about 120 000km on the clock.  These are good bikes with very few problems.

At about 70 000km I needed to have the counter-balance shaft oil seal replaced (she was spitting oil into the airbox).  This requires the engine to be opened up, and this cost me about R9000 at Atlantic Motorrad.  The upside is that several small things in the engine got attention. 

At about 110 000km the starter motor clutch needed replacing.  I think it cost about R3000 in total (including labour at Atlantic Motorrad).  Also the rear linkage bearings and the stearing-head bearings have been replaced.

The nice thing is that parts and expertise is available at the dealer, and there is a lot you can do yourself.

My bike has done many serious off-road trips, with pillion, and she is a keeper.

You will never go wrong with BMW.

If worried speak to one of the dealerships or even better take it to them for a quick look over. They will quite happily help you.

My personal opinion is once you bought get give it a good service. A oil change and a new sparkplug does wonders.

Thanks Peter, Leon and Charles for the advice.

I think I'm going to go for it - I just need to get the OK from the financial director (i.e. the wife) :)

Frank

Before you buy, take it to Atlantic for a service.  Shane is an expert on the Funduro, having built himself up one from scrap.  He has also serviced mine many times.

Offer to pay for the service if you do not take the bike (or go halvies with the seller or something).  And do not be stupid like I was.  For about a year I was convinced the dealer would be expensive and so I took the poor bike to Suzuki South where they did not quite have what it takes to treat a lady of this calibre.  After a quote of R4000 from Suzuki South for a rectifier, and under R2000 for the genuine OEM part from Atlantic Motorrad, I changed my errant ways and now Brenda Buttercup only gets serviced at an authorized dealer or qualified BMW mechanic.

One such mechanic that I make use of who is excellent value for money and was the mechanic at Atlantic who looked after Brenda, but has since started his own workshop, is Andrew King of Kingtec Motorcycles.  All my bikes go to him, and since he has taken them over they have never run better.  He is in Retreat and you can reach him on 072 811 7969.  He also does bike recovery if ever you get stuck on the road.

I concur Charles.

Get the bike to a dealer/good reliable mechanic for a check up before paying over your hard earned cash.

This will quickly give you an idea of whats wrong/right as well as probably things that will need to be attended to in the near future.....brakes, chain, sprockets, service, etc.

I just bought my wife a lovely GS 650 2001 Model for R30K from a Club member..............so maybe you might consider saving a bit more and buying a "younger" GS.

I am also in negotiations for a 2007 Dakar for R35k (it is currently being checked over by a dealer)..............if you look around long enough there are really good buys to be had. Remember however that not all "good" buys are "bargains" so have them checked out beforehand it may be the best couple of hundred rands you ever spent.

My 2 cents...you can get a lot more bike for R24k than 1994 model.

If you look around you'll get a younger bike.

Have a look first.

Nothing wrong with the Funduro, just for R24k you can find younger.

Thanks Charles, Geoff and Andy.

I'm not in a huge rush - so perhaps I should look around a bit more as Andy suggests. Where should I be looking - I've tried Gumtree and a few other sites, but perhaps you guys could point me in the right direction. Geoff, you seem to be finding some bargains - where did you look?

Does the fact that it only have 25000km on the clock offset the age - or not really?

Do members of the club sell their bikes?

Frank

Yes they do Frank.....check the for sale section on the Forum.

I watch Gumtree like a hawk, as well as Cape Ads, bike Find, auto trader, BMW Motorrad web site, newspaper ads, etc. The dealers are also a good source as they often get guys who want to trade bikes but the won't pay what the seller wants but a private deal will. So you all win!!

I know of another GS available  (2004 I think) at around R30+K, I have not had a good look at it though- give me a call and I will look at it for you and give you an opinion.

Geoff

0828078130

They specialize in used BMW bikes and can arrange finance.  www.biketique.co.za

But they're expensive. 16 months ago, I paid them R57,000 for my 24,000 km 2004 Dakar, that was far from spotless and which had a snag list as long my arm, i.e. had not been PDI'd prior to sale.

I was in a hurry to buy and did not have the patience to wait for a correctly priced bike. Had I been, I could have saved my self at least R10K.

Not really:

1. The boxer engine and the Rotax 650 engine are what we like to call kanniedood.  Properly serviced they will run for hundreds of thousands of kilometers.  So a low mileage is no big deal, and neither is a 'high' mileage.  On some bike models, 20 000km means they  are getting close to an engine rebuild - not so the BMW.
2. On an older bike, a low mileage means it has not been run regularly.  When a vehicle stands, the seals and bearings do not get regular lubrication and they corrode or perish.  Often, this means that there are many seals, gaskets and bearings that need to be replaced.  This can be expensive if they are in the engine.

Thanks to all for the advice and kind words.

Goeff has kindly offered to look at a bike for me this afternoon, so we'll see what comes of that.

I'll keep looking and let you know how it goes.

Frank