[Half Liter Bike]

Hey guys, new to The forum and first time poster here
I'm looking at a 2005 with about 15,000 miles on the odometer. Everything looks to be in order on the bike, is there anything specifically I should be looking at before I purchase? Or should I just hold out for a K1300?

These are really nice bikes and I didn't know what I was missing until now.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Beech]

About half way down in this composite of articles is a segment on the K13 with changes by Ricardo Engineering of the UK. There are many differences between the K12 and K13. Of course the K12 is a hot rod and snarls. But it does not have the best habits around town, it is really a road bike. The clutch of the K12 has limited oil exposure and there are mods to help. The K12 needs the new air box that came along in October of 08. Probably needs some software up grades too. If the price is right why not but it is a seriously older bike now and not cheap to maintain if you do not do your own work. (like valve adjustments take 4 or 5 hours at the dealer) I've owned both and so have some of my friends. If you can afford it but a newer K13S bike. Not easy to find because their owners like them.

https://cdn.ricardo.com/ricardo/media/media/rq_q2_2009.pdf

 

[du907]

I bought my 2006 with about 13,000 on it. It now has 33,000. I love this bike. With my handle bars raised and my foot pegs lowered, it is comfortable to me. There are a few updates to do that will make it a better bike. BMW doesn't redesign every 2 years like the Japanese do, rather they make upgrades and improvements. With such low miles it would do you good to put the newer clutch adapter (the clutch slave cylinder pushes the adapter which connects to the throw-out bearing). BMW was trying to get more oil to the "wet" clutch they designed. They changed the adapter a couple of times, ending up with one that has two slots to let more oil get to the clutch without taking oil away from other parts. You have to remove an aluminum plug from the end of the clutch shaft and hone down the stop edge so that the new adapter slides in and out freely. There is a DIY on this forum. Check for the timing chain jumping guard too. Remove the silver cover on the right side of the engine and you should be able to see if it already has one. Next, change the timing chain tensioner to new updated one. There are aftermarket ones but I would get the BMW one. The newer one has an oil reservior built in so it stops the rattle at start up. The last thing would be converting the fuel strip sensor to a float sensor for the gas gauge. There is a DIY on this forum. Total cost would be about $160.00. This will fix this problem permanently. Fuel strips are about $150 and $400 labor and may work for a year, maybe two, maybe a month, who knows?
After you buy it, change the brake fluid and rear end fluid right away so you know where you are starting from. This is the best way to trouble free service in the future.
Enjoy.

 

[aPhantomRider]

My dad always said: "Never by a first year car son"
I bought the "05 K1200S with18 Kmi knowing its problems.

This bike still costs twice as much as the '05 Suzuki Bandit 1200 I bought then but the price difference today is $3000 not $9000 so I bought the BMW K1200S for only $6000.

It has more design laws than all 3 of my first year bikes combined:
A '70 Honda CB750, '73 Kawasaki Z1 900, and an '82 Suzuki GS1100 advertised then as "The world's fastest bike"

Problems:
I hate the Bizarre turn indicators that add two on the throttle side. I can't find and accelerate at the same time.
Does the computer allow for adding an electronic turn cancel module?
The kickStand Shift Lever is in the way of changing the oil Filter.
The odometer noe reads 999,9999 a day after it was 17K.
The fuel gage strips never work and I just ran out of gas again.
The computer display now gives numerous warnings not useful.
The suspension settings are OK but I need fine tuning.
I added a luggage rack but broke two tail bags dodging mirrors while splitting lanes. A switch to a Givi top case broke the luggage rack.
I'm on my 3rd design because expanded saddle bags are to wide for a lane spliting.

Solutions:
I've added Heli-Bars to lower and extend the reach to turn easier.
For a secure Saddle I added foam seat cover from HT Moto.
For the clunky shifter I designed a bearing upgrade that gives me the confidence to race for $100 bill.

Bottom lines:

I'd rather have a bike and no girlfriend than a girlfriend and no bike.
There are solutions for the K1200S yet to be discovered.

I'd buy the K1300 if I wasn't broke.
Owning a K1200S has allowed me to:
" Live to ride and ride to live"

 

[Fried_Chicken]

I have an ’05 and I’d buy another in a heartbeat.

I upgraded the inner clutch basket and slave bearing clutch adapter thing (the picture du907 posted) with parts from an ’08 K1200S.

The last thing would be converting the fuel strip sensor to a float sensor for the gas gauge. There is a DIY on this forum. Total cost would be about $160.00.

The fuel gauge doesn’t work so I just reset the trip odometer. I really should do this though... ugghh.

It has the timing chain jump guard installed.

I also upgraded the timing chain tensioner to get rid of the startup rattle, but really didn’t have to.

The K12 needs the new air box that came along in October of 08.

I haven’t heard this... what?

So yeah, it has issues, but I really don’t care, especially for what they can be picked up for nowadays. The bike is supreme and I still wax poetic about it so much my riding buddies immediately groan as soon as the topic comes up.

My dad always said: "Never by a first year car son"
I bought the "05 K1200S with18 Kmi knowing its problems.

I believe it was first released in ’04 in Europe.

 

[Fried_Chicken]

Like to be clear: the only bitchiness about the ’05 model stems from the improvements made to later model years and the K1300S. The bike is so leaps and bounds ahead of everything else out there, if BMW had left the ’05 the way it is, everyone would be happy with it, and it wouldn’t have the reputation it does.

 

[chriscanning]

If the OP is that way inclined do lots of home work...BMW launched the K in September 04 it was a disaster and they all got shipped back to Germany, i’d Be writing for hours covering all the bases, even by 07 with an updated model things were not right...BM changed the oil spec to 10/40, but they hadn’t done their homework and the cam chain tensioner would not hold the thinner oil so every one got a new tensioner.

I’ve just put a 1300 gearbox in an 07 K...it’s only then you see how much work they put into the 1300.

 

[Fried_Chicken]

Yeah the gearbox is dogshit unfortunately... functional, but dogshit.

 

[chriscanning]

When BM did the re launch in 05 I test rode one, actually had it showing 175 on the clock, what BM forgot that at sometime they have to be ridden normally and I thought it was absolutely pants and walked away.

The UK got lucky, in 2010 the UK currency crashed and Euro bike dealers flooded the UK buying anything with two wheels, and the majority of early K’s got shipped too Europe so early K’s as in blue/white and black/yellow are quite rare.

Even with my 07 K Sport have spent a small fortune getting it right, even then the 1300 is a better bike engine wise.

 

[Beech]

Small point but I believe the K12S started out with 10W40 but in an effort to get the clutch to function better they went to 5W40. (now most of their line is 5W40, I still use the 10W40 in my K13S though as the clutch works good in a K13.)

 

[chriscanning]

Sorry my bad memory, yes your right 5/40, but you would have thought someone at BMW..anyone!!! Would have checked the cam chain tensioner would hold it over night.

Having seen the inside of my K fitting a 1300 gearbox, which is a straight fit, the 1300 clutch most certainly isn’t because of the changes made from 12 to 13.

 

[Beech]

You're on the path. The 13 gear box is a improvement especially for the 3 degree undercut shift engagement dogs. The K12 clutch basket can be modified on the work bench to let more oil into the plates but the little push rod needs a mill to help it out. 2nd and 5th gears in the K12 tranny are prone to go south under miles of heavy use because the locking dogs are straight cut. Easier to buy a K13 push rod. A K13 chain tensioner is something that can be retro fitted to the K12. For some reason lots of development was needed to move on to the K13. Ricardo engineering and BMW did a huge improvement on the K13. All these parts are valuable now that the bike is out of production. If inclined snap up what you may need on Ebay.

 

[Fried_Chicken]

Is the K13S transmission a straight swap into the K12S?

 

[chriscanning]

https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=4620.0

 

[Fastdaddy]

Hey Chris,
Thanks for posting the link to the thread covering your Frankentrans swap.

I believe there are some talented folks here that have overcome the issue of the oil pump drive sprocket difference between the 12 and 13 clutches that you discussed here (from linked thread):

“At the risk of getting technical...the sprocket which is behind the clutch which connects it to the oil pump, not only has a different way of connecting but the 1300 version has an extra tooth, now the chain that goes over that small sprocket also drives the oil pump.
The chain has a tensioner but trying to fit the 1300 version with the extra tooth means the small chain is like a banjo string and that’s before fitting the chain tensioner, hence why my man stuck with the 1200 clutch and why John Sykes must do some kind of mod to fit a 1300 clutch…”

 

[chriscanning]

I’ll digress...through one of those quirks in life, when I first bought the K (2008)I was well connected in the bike trade and got all the oddball jobs on the bike done for nothing via BMW,one of its quirks was the take up on the clutch right at the end of e lever, they finally got it working at half way out, now...it picks up within MM of me letting the lever out and it’s fantastic.

Just for the record the back of k1200 clutch is totally different from the 1300, and hence for obvious reasons John Sykes likes to keep his mods a secret and who can blame him.

 

[chriscanning]

There you go.

https://i.ibb.co/vLkc7nc/2021-09-08-07-58-22.jpg

 

[rossmon1]

Hey guys, new to The forum and first time poster here
I'm looking at a 2005 with about 15,000 miles on the odometer. Everything looks to be in order on the bike, is there anything specifically I should be looking at before I purchase? Or should I just hold out for a K1300?

These are really nice bikes and I didn't know what I was missing until now.
Thanks in advance!

FIRST OFF, whats the BS with a captha for users with a logon to login? That sucks and so does the captha.

I bought an 06 in 2010 with 6K on it. The bike has been extremely reliable and has never let me down. It now has 36K miles on it. I do all the work! Important to check that all recalls expecially for timing chain tensioner, fuel tank have been done! The valves have been adjusted once at about 25K and barely needed anything. Of course doing your own
work will make any vehicle more affordable. I paid $6K for my bike then and all the money was returned to me via an insurance claim when an ahole on a harley purposely knocked my bike over in front of a police station!!! One has to have luck in all things! Ross