Bmw Twins Owner Survey
BMW Twins Owner Survey
How Well Earned Is BMW's Reputation? 293 Owners Provide the Answer
Over the years. devoted owners have given BMWs a mystique that borders on legend. According to True Believers, BMWs just get nicely broken-in at mileages where other, lesser brands wear out. And, they claim, Beemers are smoother, quieter, more comfortable, more reliable, better finished ... etc.
BMW’s excellent reputation is well known, but are they all that good? Japanese motorcycles are rapidly catching up in price, but size for size, BMWs are still more expensive. Do those extra dollars pay for quality or merely image? Two hundred ninety three BMW owners wrote to tell us about their bikes, making this our largest survey so far (survey forms kept arriving after the first two surveys went to press). Those owners told us of riding experiences ranging from dirt roads in India to Autobahnen in Germany, totaling over six million miles.
Because of the family relationship of the various BMW models, we included everything from the R60 to the R100RT in this survey. The replies represent 37 R60s, two R65s, one R69, 76 R75s, 21 R80s, 37 R90s, 27 R90Ss, 41 R 100s, 34 RIOOSs, 16 RIOORSs, and one R100RT.
Most (70 percent) were purchased new and new or used, they’ve accumulated more miles than the other bikes we’ve surveyed so far. The new' BMWs have an average of 21,400 miles on the odo and the used BMWs have 18,100 with their present owners, for an overall average of nearly 21.000 miles. Individual mileage figures were as high as 145,000 miles and several owners told of friends with even higher mileages on their BMWs, adding support to the BMW reputation as a long-distance machine.
If you think a lot of those miles were done while touring, you're right. Touring was first for 76 percent of the riders, pleasure riding also came in at 76 percent while 67 percent use their BMWs for commuting and transportation. One rider did some road racing and one individualist uses his for off-road riding.
BMW's efforts over the last few years to appeal to younger or sportier riders are borne out by the comments on riding style. The largest number (48 percent) ride moderately hard, 6 percent ride very hard, 38 percent have an average riding style and only 8 percent say they ride gentler than average.
On the average, they ride 9870 miles a year, compared to 9550 for the Yamaha 750 and 7500 for the Kawasaki 900/1000. Fuel economy is 49 mpg for the R60 and R65. 45 mpg for the R75, and R80, 46 mpg for the R90s and 43 mpg for the RIOOs, giving an overall fuel economy of 45 mpg, a figure very close to that of late model Yamaha 750s and to the 900/1000 Kawasakis.
Ease of maintenance is a favorite subject with BMW owners. A whopping 85 percent say their bikes are easy to work on and the remainder say average. Not a single rider thought his BMW difficult to work on. It follows that many owners would do their own work. Thirty-four percent always do, 40 percent usually do. 22 percent do some of their own work and only 4 percent always rely on a mechanic or dealer.
Complementing the BMW’s ease of maintenance is the availability of parts. An overwhelming 92 percent of the owners say parts are always (48 percent) or mostly (44 percent) available. Six percent say parts are sometimes hard to find and 2 percent say they are always hard to find. Several riders who found the local dealer unsatisfactory or too distant told us they have good experiences ordering their parts by mail from Capitol Cycle in Washington. D.C.
Whatever the source, only 6 percent of the BMWs have been idle while waiting for parts and the wait, ranging from one day to four months, averaged 26 days. Both of these figures are the lowest we’ve encountered so far. One rider said his bike is never dow n for want of parts, only want of money.
Despite the ease of maintenance and plentiful parts. BMWs do have a few maintenance problems. Ignition timing leads the list with 12 percent of the owners saying the timing is difficult to set (newer models) or that it must be set frequently (R60 and R75). Five percent (almost aíl late models) find the battery hard to remove and other problems (4 percent each) include frequent or difficult carburetor synchronization, faulty oil seals and difficult oil filler access. Sixty-two percent say they have no maintenance problems.
In a sense, the ease of maintenance is wasted on the BMWs because the owners report they don’t need much in the way of “other than normal maintenance.” The only areas reported by 5 percent or more of the owners are: assorted seal leaks (10 percent), internal transmission problems or stripped input shafts (8 percent) and short-lived batteries (7 percent).
According to the owners, frequent preventative maintenance is the key to keeping a BMW in top shape and most of the hints are along the lines of keeping the carbs balanced, checking the ignition timing regularly, changing the oil frequently and the like. Or, as one rider put it. “Give it love.” Another rider cautioned, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Other suggestions include keeping the throttle on when cornering, putting a section of rubber hose over the R90 clutch cable to keep it from wearing through the petcock, keeping the muffler breather holes open to prevent rust and disconnecting the battery before doing any service to protect the diode board.
Contrary to legend, some BMWs do break down, but it’s not a frequent occurrence. Only 9 percent of the BMWs in this survey broke down and stranded their owners, as compared to 13 percent of the Yamaha 750s and 10 percent of the Kawasakis. The 9 percent figure becomes more impressive when the age of the motorcycles is considered. The Yamaha and Kawasaki weren’t available until the mid 1970s, while some of the BMWs in this survey have been on the road since the early 1960s.
A popular lament among some BMW purists is that “They don’t make ’em like they used to” and that the latest models just aren’t as good as the old (pick your favorite model). A quick look at the breakdown figures shows this isn’t true. By mode! type, the breakdown percentages are: R60, 8 percent; R75, 21 percent; R80, zero, (no reported breakdowns); R90, 17 percent and R100, 7 percent.
Possibly because of the small numbers involved, there are no definite patterns in the breakdowns, but the most common problems are stripped transmission input shafts (six reported) and wheel bearing failures (four reported). Some of the other problems include corroded battery terminals and cables, (many riders replaced the original equipment Varia battery with a tractor battery or a Yuasa motorcycle battery), miscellaneous ignition problems and a few' broken cables.
BMW dealers are a varied lot according to the owners. One commented, “What local dealer? Whazzat? Closest billfold pirate is 60-70 miles.”) Other riders had lengthly stories to tell of dealers who went out of their way to be helpful (such as taking a needed part off a display bike so the owner wouldn’t have to wait for it to be ordered). Luckily, the better dealers are more common. Sixty nine percent were rated “very good” (38 percent) or “good” (31 percent), with 14 percent “fair,” 11 percent “poor” and 6 percent “very poor.”
Predictably, touring goodies form the bulk of the accessories added by BMW owners. Fairings (70 percent) and saddlebags (60 percent) are the most common. continued from page 119 followed by luggage racks (27 percent) crash bars (23 percent), sissybars or backrests. custom seats, and handlebars (all at 17 percent), horns ( 15 percent), cast wheels (11 percent) and tank bags (10 percent). Other popular accessories include taillight multipliers and Cyberlites, auxiliary instruments, cruise control and shocks.
continued on page 144
BMW Owner Survey
Which accessories work? Krauser bag? must, because 80 riders told us how much they like them. Vetter fairings are next on the “especially good” list, winning praise from 27 riders, followed by Fiamm horns, praised by 22 riders and Luftmeister fairings, listed by 21 riders. Other good accessories (mentioned by three or mord riders) are: Lester wheels, Avon, Wixom and BMW “S” fairings, Ez Berg seats. Eclipse and Harro tank bags, Reynolds centerstands and backrests. Craven, Samsonite and Wijtom saddlebags, Koni shocks. Boyer Bransden and Dyna III ignition systems, VDO gauges and Cyberlites
The list of unsatisfactory accessories is much shorter. Vetter fairings were criticized by 13 riders for weak mounts and high weight, while 12 riders listed poor workmanship, cracks and buffeting as faults of the Luftmeister. The Krauser saddlebags were panned by five riders an<¿ the Wixom bags by three riders for flaws such as poor design, leaks or insufficient room and finally, three riders disliked the design of the Krauser crash bars.
Few of our BMW owners modified their machines and when they did, it was usually to improve the touring characteristics rather than to improve performance. Fork springs were changed by 15 percent, elet^ tronie ignition systems were added by 12 percent and 8 percent installed a larger oil pan. Four percent of the BMWs have modified or aftermarket exhaust systems (one rider said a pair of Super Trapp pipes for a Yamaha 500 Single work well.) and other modifications listed by 2 percent o¿, more include: larger batteries, lowered compression ratio (to reduce detonation), air filters, lightened flywheels (to reduce shifting clunk) and miscellaneous cylinder head and internal engine modifications.
BMWs have an enviable reputation for reliability and ride comfort and these qualities are the most commonly mentioned “best features.” Thirty nine percent of the BMW riders like the handling, (“Its more bike than I am a rider.”), 32 percent appreciate the ease of maintenance (“. . . I have done valve jobs in hotel rooms.”), 24 percent admire the light weight, and 22 percent like the smoothness. Workmarf* ship and quality were listed by 21 percent and other “best features” include fuel economy, power, shaft drive, quiet (“.. . as a mouse in a pillow factory”), uncomplicated design, cruising range, pride of ownership (“Riding the thing home when
I first bought it, I was shouting at the top of my lungs on the freeway in German!”), looks, torque and good headlight (later models).
Most of the BMW owners are a little reluctant to point out any worst features, (“It is barely broken in with only 72,000 miles—I haven't found them yet.”), but a few flaws are mentioned often. The chief gripe is the spring-loaded sidestand which tends to fold up at the wrong moment and allow the bike to fall over. Eighteen percent complained about the sidestand and nearly as many are upset by the purchase price ( 17 percent) and high parts prices ( 16 percent). Ten percent each mentioned the transmission clunk and the need for premium gas. 9 percent complain of low-rpm vibration. 7 percent aren’t comfortable in the stock seat and the center stand, muffler rust and lack of power were each listed by 5 percent of the owners. One rider said the worst feature is, “There is a certain lack of involvement from never having to adjust and grease the chain or constantly fiddle with it to keep it running, and a lack of sense of adventure when you hit the starter button and know it will start.”
What would the BMW owners change? “Nothing” said 13 percent and the same number want a better sidestand. Nine percent want BMWs to run on regular gas. 8 percent each want a better seat, or a lower price. 7 percent want electronic ignition, better brakes or a smoother clutch engagement. 6 percent want less shift clunk and 5 percent want a different riding position or a larger battery.
Owner loyalty is the ultimate test of a motorcycle and here the BMW does quite well. Of course there are die-hard BMW fans who are blind to all other brands, but of the 293 owners. 91 percent said they would buy another BMW. placing BMW in between the Kawasaki 900/1000 (88 percent) and the Yamaha 750 (97 percent). However an additional 6 percent of the ow ners told us that price is their reason for not choosing another BMW. so except for the expense, BMW owner loyalty would be tied with the Yamaha 750 at 97 percent. The remaining 3 percent list poor service, outdated design, low power, poor quality, premium gas requirement and reliability as their reasons for not wanting another BMW.
Twenty-two percent told us they want a different model from their present mount. The majority of these want to go to a newer or larger model though a few R100 and R90 owners want a smaller machine and a couple of R75 owners want an older model. Many owners had stories to tell, such as the owner whose wife liked his BMW so much, she moved it into the den for the winter. “Too damp in the shed for Herman.” What does it all mean? Are BMWs as good as their reputation? Would you want one? You decide. 3
