2001 BMW R1200C "JAMES BOND"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-R1200C-JAMES-BOND-ABS-PHOENIX-CRUISER-SUPER-RARE-/110677274197?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item19c4e12e55#ht_504wt_1167

I've never ridden a R1200. I have ridden a friend's 1997(?) R850R which I loved.

Thoughts?

I love everything about it...

What about price? At what price is it a steal? a deal? full market?

 

I would think $6-7k is all the money in the world for one of these bikes. It only lasted a few model years. They were unpopular when new, the looks are very polarizing.
That is a great thing if you like it and few others do.

 

Thanks. Agree. I was thinking maybe up to 7.5 due to low miles,...

As for the looks... I hated them when the came out, but in my younger days I wasn't fan of the boxer engine either...

I do like having something different... and the BMW's exude quality.

 

I had a 2000 Stiletto (R1200CST.)

It was a bulletproof all-around bike. The telelever + ABS + the wide drag bars made for a bike that was unbelievably maneuverable and would stop faster than you could put your feet down, but the engine was just not anything special. Wasn't anything you could do about it either.

I miss her for thoughtless commuting, but that's about it.

You can imagine what the new cost was (I bought it out of the crate,) but it was during the .9% days so it was an easy purchase.

Just never really blew my skirt up enough to want to keep it, you know? Second owner still has her and still loves riding. They *do* align with some people.

 

The one in the add is not the James Bond version. I have a James Bond version (bone creme color) that I bought brand new in 2001 and has only 5,500 miles on it. It was just under $17k OTD with 0.9% financing for 60 months. Easiest monthly payment ever.

Despite being a former 600 supersport racer on R6's and an R1 rider now, I love the bike and ride it once a week. A friend has the identical bike with more than 30k miles and his rides just as well as mine.

Prices for R1200C's are starting to creep up now from a bottom as they start to head towards the collector's bike class.

 

I always thought they were interesting bikes.

What kind of power do they have?

 

I bought one when they first came out.

The exact same color combo as Bonds.

Loved it - very comfortable especially the flip up passenger seat for a backrest.

Sold it after a year or so - one of the best cruising bikes I ever owned.

Paid 13 or so for it - sold it for 8 ... wow who would have thought these would go up!

 

I think the HP is in the low 60's on just under 600lbs wet though it feels like more. My R1 sports over 150hp on under 400lbs, but the BMW is pleanty quick for a cruiser. This twin has lots of torque. Top speed is around 110mph and it has antilock brakes and pulls away from cars at the stop light without difficulty. More upright than most cruisers and very comfortable to ride and very nimble for what it is. I don't ever plan to sell my 10 yr old one.

A guy walked up to me when I got off it at the gym the other day and thought it was a brand new bike and mentioned how beautiful it was and that he has never seen anything like it. He was shocked when I told him it was 10 yrs old and not made anymore.

 

I will have to say though that the r1200 (in any variation) has the best control set on a bike.

Love the thumbed and self-cancelling turn signals. The position and shapes of the buttons also made it very easy to concentrate on riding without looking down. Actively looking at adapting them to my Ducati.

OK... Dangit... I want her back.

 

Here is a pic of mine (sort of hard to see but all I got).
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I was the Service Manager in a large BMW motorcycle dealership and have ridden MANY BMWs...including the R850R and the r1200C...

The R1200C is nothing like an R850R. If the 850 made you appreciate BMWs, make absolutely certain you ride the cruiser prior to purchase. Both are good bikes, but they are worlds apart...apples and oranges.

 

Will do. Thanks for the input. Any issues on the R1200C's? I've heard the ABS components are $$$... are they reliable?

There is a BMW AD 5 miles from my house.

 

What's a BMW AD? Auto dealer? If so, probably very little help...

There can be issues on the cruisers...yes, ABS components can get very expensive (the ABS "hydro unit" is currently ~$2200.00)...which is reason to be wary of either: low mileage bikes...or, bikes with unknown or missing services. BMWs don't like to sit and the ABS system is sensitive to dirty brake fluid and water. Having said that, the R1150 series with their servo controlled brakes tend to be the bikes most often found with neglected brakes...they are expensive to maintain, so many owners opt to not do that service.

There were a few recalls and campaigns that applied to the cruisers...nothing major. The biggest complaint from day one on the cruisers has been the bad quality chrome. The Cruisers came out when environmental laws were really clamping down on the chrome plating processes used in Germany and Europe.

There are a number of things unique to the Cruisers...a single, central throttle body as opposed to a TB for each cylinder...makes the Cruisers a little bit less smooth than the other BMW boxers, but this is also the key to its torquiness and the general "cruiser feel."

The "most developed" of the R1200C series is probably the R1200CLC. It is definitely an acquired taste visually (aren't ALL German vehicles?)...it's the one that looks like a locomotive from the front.

Most importantly: Have somebody familiar with the model do a PPI. There can easily be a thousand dollars worth of services that either 1) need to be done...or, 2) were done.

 

Thanks.

By BMW AD, I meant BMW Motorcycle authorized dealer.

 

I have a 2000 r1200c euro model. I had an 04 also. I traded the 04 for a r1200gs. The C was made to compete with harley. It was bmws stab at a tourer ant it was fabulously successful. At the time it was bmws best selling bike ever. Comfortable riding position abs brakes. They actually dumbed down the technology to compete with Harley. Aside from all the cool tech stuff it had manually adjustable suspension. The abs module is very expensive but the are readily available used all over for 250-500 dollars. I replaced one on my 00. The 04 bike, the last year of production, was a big technological advance with integrated abs, front to back, and dual plug. The result was that, as with current BMW abs the application of front brake applied just the right rear brake automatically. The dual plug dramatically smoothed the engine. I kept the 00 bike because I liked the euro model set up with low wide bars and fog lights. I always get compliments on the bike. People love the look. So do I. Probably the only weak spot is the Crome. BMW does not do good Crome. Power wise it's a cruiser,, high torque not a high speeder. Tops comfortably is 80-85 Above that is scary. The r 1200gs is the best motorcycle in the world. Nut said.

 

Umm...I sure don't mean to be argumentative or disrespectful, but where in the world did you get this info? The GS has been BMW's best seller for a long time...

Total production of ALL R1200C variants was just over 40,000 from 1997 to 2004...at the same time (actually 1999 to 2003), they built nearly 60,000 R1150GSs (and another 18,000 GSAs)

The R1200C was definitely a "hot" bike for a short time...movie marketing does work. I sure wouldn't say it was fabulously successful, though.