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another newbie

5K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  RBEmerson 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey everyone. I just discovered these forums a few weeks ago as I was researching these bikes. I pulled the trigger this evening and bought my 2002 K1200RS. It's my first bike in 17 years, so I'm going to take some time to get back up to speed.

I learned to ride on an old Yamaha Virago, and then traded up to a VFR700, and then had a Honda Nighthawk for a few years. I moved to Los Angeles and didn't bring the bike with me, and that was back in 1996.

I've been in Utah for 10 years, and have finally bit the bullet and bought the bike I always wanted. I'll post more pics, but this is a quick one I snapped after parking it in my garage this evening. I took it out for a quick spin, and it does all com back to you, just like riding a bike.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
I'll do it.

Hello and welcome.
Brick K bike are getting a bit long in the tooth, but there's still plenty of life in them.

I own a number of bike right now, including a 2003 K1200GT. Also owned an '04 GT 7 years ago.
Basically the same as your RS especially considering the fact that your RS has the Comfort windscreen (standard on 02--5 GT) and the hand / wind guard, also standard on 02-05 GT.

Poke around, lots to see about these bikes.

For whatever it's worth, I'll give ya a few starters as a welcome to the neighborhood.

All IMO or IME . Your results may vary.

Many k12RS/GT will puff considerable oil smoke on cold start when stored on side stand.
Normal condition. If yours is too much, use the center stand when parking as needed.
It'll help.

Small oil leak at LF of motor (timing chain cover) is fairly normal. Frequently not worth fixing... In you picture it would be creeping around to the bottom FRONT edge of your valve cover

If, on the other side of the bike from your picture, there is a golden yellow discoloration on the visible engine cover,the bike has already suffered a fuel line quick connector (plastic) failure. iF SO, Then they have probably already been replaced with upgrade. If your engine cover is still shiny grey...they might not have failed yet. Many of us change them b-4 they fail as a preventative measure.

I have the same wind screen on my GT. The standard GT Screen. If you find the ride to be too noisy, meaning too much wind roar as the air flow is directed at your helmet, you might consider a Laminar Lip for it.
Got one on mine. IMO Very effective for ~$100
Much more quiet.

If you want to paint the Handguards to match the bike...
Colorite sells spray cans for ~$40.00
They specialize in Motorcycle color match. Never tried them, but I would if I needed to.

Oh, one more thing. The OEM headlight sucks.
Not enough for nigh-time riding at any speed other than parade.


Refresher riders courses are always a good idea.
Caution... It's wilder than ever out there.
Expect the unexpected.
Knock wood for all of us.

That's my gift to you.
do enjoy
d'milan
 
#3 ·
Er, are you posting the pic from Australia? Everthing's upside down. [/big wink]

Seriously, welcome to the fun!

I'd lose that windshield in a heartbeat, particularly out west where the wind really blows. That windshield is pain waiting to happen, plain and simple. Go back to the stock windshield and all will be well. Honest.

On the quick disconnect issue - the original QD's are made from Delrin or something like it. On the male side of each QD, there's a small spout with an o-ring at the end. The spout shears off at the base or at the groove for the o-ring. When that happens, gas comes out of the line. If this happens when the engine's running and the fuel pump is pumping... :boom:

The quick fix for the headlight is to replace the low beam H3 (halogen) lamp with an HID lamp from DDM Tuning for $23. This is a for-real HID lamp, not an incandescent lamp painted blue. The installation involves putting hole in the back of the lamp assembly dust cover (search on HID installation here), but the results are vastly better and don't involve adding external lights.

I Highly recommend David L. Hough's Profficient Motorcycling for coming back up to speed on riding.
 
#4 ·
There I spinned it for you or was that just me seeing the thumbnail upside down???

 
#5 ·
I really appreciate the advice and insights.

I had already read about the QD issue, and I'll check that today.
Is it a pretty easy thing to do myself?

I'm not a huge fan of the touring windshield that's on the bike. I had planned to replace it with something more like the factory original. Is there a good source for those besides a dealer or junkyard? I checked out Pirates Lair, and they're out of stock on all models for my bike.

The book looks like a great refresher, so I'll order that today. Thanks again for that tip!
 
#8 · (Edited)
I thought so.

One was included with the sale when I bought my used 2003 GT .....Light green tinted...

It was quite effective. If a bit cludgy. I sort of liked it.
They quit making them.
I've learned that the heavy weight of the screen, combined with the rather harsh front end, the tabs kept breaking off.


Originally, I was refereeing to a BMW K1200GT standard screen with a Laminar Lip

The best set-up if you want protection is Aeroflow.
They don't make 'em anymore.

Some are convinced that less is better...
clean air flow and all that jazz....
to each his/her own.

enjoy
d'milan
 
#9 ·
Ok, at the risk of asking a dumb question, is there a trick to getting the BMW hard bags to clamp onto the mounting rails.

When I bought the bike, they were attached. I had the seller show me how to put them on and take them off, and after removing them, I cant get them back on.

The center brace that rises up and grabs the rail seems to not line up quite right. I'm just wondering if there's some trick to getting it to grab more easily.

Any info is appreciated.
 
#11 ·
A whole new generaton of "newbies" . . .

Hi kastegir,

Welcome to the forum and the world of K bikes. All good advice above. There's just a ton of info available on this site.

Here's something a little offbeat. I say that, because it's a concern at my house.

Your garage. . . is it sloped so that it's lower in the front for drainage and to meet the driveway ? The reason I ask is that it's next to impossible for me to back my bike up over the concrete edge of my garage. The asphalt has of course settled too.

But here's my tip. Even if I could back my bike in, like in your picture, I wouldn't do so. This bike doesn't sit back far enough when it's on the centre stand. I would be afraid that a major nudge would send it forward and crashing to the ground. I can't see everything from your one pic, and it's not one of those "don't ask me how I know this"
type of tip. Just thought I'd chime in too.


There seems to be a fair number of used K12RS's out there being bought up. A lot on this forum in the past 4 weeks or so.

Do the fuel line QD's, negotiate with a dealer on a stock screen if you can. They won't be selling many of those anymore.

The hand guards are fine in cold weather. Otherwise, pop them off.

Keep the questions coming. It's a pretty helpful group here.
 
#12 ·
I really appreciate the response. My garage and driveway are both concrete, and the garage is level, but I'm also planning to put something under the centerstand as well.

I managed to track down an OEM windscreen from a dealer on eBay, and got it for a good price. I'll have it this weekend, and will get the bike cleaned up and take some new pics.

I'm going to look into the fuel line QDs this weekend as well. And get a Rider's Manual from the local dealer, hopefully.
 
#13 ·
"True dat" about rolling down hill. I stopped at the bottom of our drive, to check the mail, and just narrowly avoided a slow speed dump as the side stand began to fold. If you have to put the bike somewhere, facing downhill, leave it in gear. Don't worry, you can't start the engine without hauling the clutch in.

On the handguards. Meh... I don't pull mine even in the middle of summer. It just doesn't matter that much. And, IMHO, the bike looks better with them on.
 
#16 ·
Good deal on the windscreen. I like the paint, BTW. I don't think I've seen that style before. Looks good! [/two thumbs up]

On the bags, trick is to get the lower arm onto its support and the front hanger in place at about the same time (lower arm first). Once they're set, the rear hanger will come into place without much fuss. But if the lower arm isn't done right, there's no hope of getting the bags hung.
 
#17 ·
About the QD's...
The tupperware has to come off the right side to get to the QD's to change them. The good news is you should be able to see one of them above and slightly left of the crank case. Look through the big opening on the right (brakes) side of the bike and that should show you either white plastic QD's or metal QD's. Changing the QD's isn't too hard but do plan on catching gas in the fuel lines. And make sure they go on right way round - that is the male end of the new QD is where the male end of the old QD was, etc.

I used hose clamps, although, strictly speaking, the spiffy compression rings are better. If you have some rings and the tool to install them.
 
#18 ·
OK, got the rider's manual from the dealer. Looked at the QDs, and they're metal, so someone has already attended to that issue.

Upon closer inspection, the silver "paint" is actually decals, so I removed the stripes under the windshield. They were peeling, and didn't look great. Of course, in doing so, I could see the real reason that they were there. Someone had repaired the faring on one side where it had some gouges in it. Nothing bad, and they were well repaired and looked good, just not painted properly. So, I'll get some touch-up paint and sort it out...
 
#20 ·
kastegir said:
OK, got the rider's manual from the dealer. Looked at the QDs, and they're metal, so someone has already attended to that issue.

Upon closer inspection, the silver "paint" is actually decals, so I removed the stripes under the windshield. They were peeling, and didn't look great. Of course, in doing so, I could see the real reason that they were there. Someone had repaired the faring on one side where it had some gouges in it. Nothing bad, and they were well repaired and looked good, just not painted properly. So, I'll get some touch-up paint and sort it out...
Great news on the QD's!

Too bad the tupperware took a hit. If you can stand it, I'd have the piece shot with the right color. The Red Flash's PO went the touch-up route for some (purported) garage rash (I'm now almost certain it was a slow speed drop) - not a good outcome, even with an official BMW touch-up kit. Reshooting will be somewhat spendy, but you'll be happier with the results.

If it wasn't mentioned before, think about changing your low beam light for an HID (DDM Tuning comes in under $30 and is excellent value for money).
 
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