Faults:

Starter motor.

General Comments:

I bought this, my first BMW because the brand has excellent parts support, better than any other make except Harley Davidson.

I was tired of buying used Japanese bikes, only to find critical parts were scarce.

Buy aftermarket BMW parts, as it's cheaper. Only go to the dealer if you have no choice. They carry everything, but are expensive.

This BMW driveline is engineered like a car, a two-cylinder Porsche 911, not a motorcycle.

Inline crankshaft, boxer layout, oil/air cooled, large, dry one plate clutch, separate bolt on transmission, shaft drive, automotive type starter and belt driven alternator.... it's a car's driveline on 2 wheels.... it's quite easy to service accordingly.

This is a standard style bike. But the rear suspension is engineered like an expensive dirt bike or adventure bike, not surprisingly, since it's very similar to the BMW GS model. The rear suspension is long travel, single shock progressive linkage, with adjustable preload and damping, rare for a street bike. It's smooth and compliant, better than most bikes.

The front suspension is unique. It's like a car front suspension turned sideways. A single control arm ball joint, spring and separate damper, like a car. It's also very smooth and compliant, but has the SIGNIFICANT advantage of eliminating brake dive. Squeeze the front brake and the front end is rock steady and controllable. All bikes should be this good!

The downside of all this goodness is the bike sits WIDE and TALL.... too tall for many riders. I'm 6 ft and barely comfortable. Long travel suspension and a tall engine force much weight like the battery and gas tank up high so the whole thing is top heavy. You need STRENGTH to muscle this bike at low speed, or when pushing, to prevent the whole thing from falling over.

Even at speed, the top heavy weight is evident. Low speed cornering.... you're fighting the bike to prevent it from falling too far into the curve But the faster you go, the less evident this problem is. You get used to it, but it's not a bike for short, weak people.

However, when riding, the bike makes you feel like Superman. It's fast, with 89 hp and a 12 sec flat quarter mile time. Tremendous low end torque and mid-range power. Instant throttle response. Stable ride and handling at higher speeds. And the brakes are fantastic. Sport bike brakes with a power assist and ABS. Very powerful with fingertip control. They're interlocked as well. The front brake lever actually applies all brakes in perfect proportion. There's no need to use the rear brake pedal unless there's a special need, like a speed wobble.

Although it's a standard bike, the riding position is more sport bike, with a forward lean and considerable weight on your arms and hands.

The transmission has a high first gear.... too tall. Low speed city riding, and taking off from a standstill requires too much clutch slipping to be comfortable, although the low end torque helps.

The transmission has 6 closely spaced gears so one shifts a lot, but it's easy to keep the engine revs in the sweet spot, 2500-3000 rpm.

The transmission is clunky, with long throws and sometimes a reluctance to engage first gear.

My bike has all factory accessories. Removable passenger back rest, luggage rack, 2 excellent hard cases, waterproof, water tight and easily removable. Also a small windshield, heated grips, a nice clock and the upgraded seat. This makes the bike a competent, comfortable sport tourer.

Fit and finish is excellent. Every part is painted, or plated, polished and finished to perfection. It's a very high quality machine. The bike is 19 years old but people think it's new.

It's quiet, like a car. I like quiet bikes. It's not for everyone, if you like a loud exhaust, go elsewhere.

These BMWs were expensive, but depreciate quickly. A used one like this sells for about 15% of the original cost.

This bike's superpower is versatility. It can do everything well. It tours almost as well as a Gold Wing. It zips around at hyper speeds almost as good as a sport bike. It handles rough roads almost like an adventure bike. But unlike any of those, this BMW does it all. You can't sport around on a Gold Wing and you can't tour on a sport bike. And neither one can do the rough roads. But this bike can do it all.... not as well as the specialty machines, but quite well enough.

But it's not a beginner bike. It's unforgiving of beginner riding or poor skills. Even my Harley-riding buddy is intimidated by it and refuses to try riding it. This bike rewards the experienced rider with excellent, versatile performance.

Faults:

This is a 2002 BMW R 1150 R (not Rockster). She is BMW's standard bike.

- Fuel quick disconnect for taking off the tank cracked and leaked.

General Comments:

It's my first one. I do 99% of the work myself with a manual and the center stand. The shaft drive makes it easier to maintain.

Sits like a 4 wheeler, which is comfortable for long trips. I have made many 6 hr trips on her. You might want a peg lowering kit if you're over 6' tall.

The saddle bags are money for grocery getting or trips (you can also pack them with ice and beverage as they are all plastic).

This bike also has electric ABS brakes, and stops on a dime. The para-lever/ dual-lever suspension makes cornering and braking fun as the whole bike lowers instead of getting nose heavy. The CG is higher, and she is quick to go into a curve, and with a torquey personality she accelerates enough to hang with sport bikes in traffic/ actual situations.

The removable large windscreen blocks too much wind, and I only use it in the winter. Heated grips are also a nice bonus.

I never use the power point, but if you had a GPS, maybe you would like it.

The 5.4 gallon tank gets 43-45 mpg, and goes 150 miles before the light comes on.