I adored my time with the BMW R12 nineT, I just can't forgive its electrical reliability issues
In a way, I’ve already summed up my time with the BMW R12 nineT in my last update where I ticked off the hits and misses the bike achieved during our time together.
Read more
- Update one: First impressions
- Update two: Time to see how the retro fares on a wet Welsh weekender
- Update three: Electrical gremlins
- Update four: Long pillion journey for the BMW
- Update five: The Long Way… to Garmisch
- Update six: The upgrades that have made a difference
- Update seven: Hits and misses after 10k miles with the R12 nineT
But in reality, you can’t shrink the bond between yourself and a motorcycle solely to a clinical list of pros and cons. Once you’ve had a few adventures with it, it’s more than a frame, bolts and brushed aluminium (which I still love on the tank). After all, this BMW boasts that trademark Boxer engine’s thumping opposed pistons, which made it more than a machine – it has a proper heart, too.
That is something I’m going to miss. If there’s anything you want to say about the R12 nineT – regardless of whether it’s the newest version or one from yesteryear – it’s got character. And I know I’m not alone in thinking that, as I was constantly told by R nineT owners that had chosen the bike as a result of rose-tinted nostalgia.
But, for me personally – and even though I loved the looks, the heritage, the engine, the grunt, the comfort, and the adventures we shared – I don’t think I would part with my own money to own one.
Why? In a word: reliability. For almost £15k, I want my brand-new bike to run seamlessly and cost-free for the first 10,000 miles (not including flat tyres and service intervals etc). But in today’s world where electronics and gadgetry are the norm, I can’t forgive the BMW’s electrical niggles.
Perhaps I would if my mileage stayed with the UK’s borders, but once I was without the comfort blanket of being on UK shores, those reliability niggles caused serious anxiety.
Don’t get me wrong, in the grand scheme of things, there weren’t major faults (except for the bike not starting after a rest stop, and when I had no working headlamp or dash) and even though we didn’t get to the crux of the issue when the bike went back to BMW, I think it was just a loose wire or connection that could have been easily solved with a few spanners and a lot of time.
But much like owning an electric vehicle, the fear of being stuck somewhere was very real. The BMW dealers I needed to visit were always helpful – no matter which country I was in – and the bike, both in the Alps and in the cities was superb. I only wish I’d fitted a small screen for the motorway just to take the ache out of my shoulders.
Much though the niggles marred our time together, it’s fair to say that I’ve not been deluged by owners with the same problems, so I may be one of the unlucky few who had an issue, so I recommend you get out there, take one for a test ride and see if you fall in love. After all, aren’t we told it conquers all?
