In The Clutch Of A Lady

Hi, I have been reading up quite a bit on R!200GSs' used in adventure riding and have noted that a frequent problem is the clutch giving trouble or packing up. When we did our Extreme trip earlier this year both R1200GSs' developed clutch problems as well. Is this a design problem and, if so, are BMW doing something about it.

If I was considering a long overland trip I would be hard convinced to select the R1200GS if this does happen to be a problem. This is only my perception from reading articles and listening to some of the members talking and, although I like too take the mickey out of my colleagues who ride the GS, I actually consider it to be a super bike which really looks like it means business in the role for which it was designed.

Can someone with GS experience please enlighten me on this perceived problem. If one is going to do an overlander it is not always possible to have a back up vehicle so I am interested to hear if my concerns are valid or not.

Many thanks

1150GS Adventure's clutch is good for about 70000km. Not sure what the 1200GS does on a clutch. Suppose that the bigger horsepower will probably decrease the clutch life if the same quality clutch is used.

can not speak for others but the 1st clutch on my 2005 1200GS lasted for 15 000km. However, I was led to believe the replacement clutch is of much better quality with a far longer life span.

Thanks for this info - someone actually recommended that I purchase a 1150GS Adventure as a second bike but obviously I will need to do a bit more research. Can anyone else comment on the 1220gs clutch of late?

Kind regards to all that read this and can assist.

As one who has replaced a entire R1200GS clutch mechanism at 30 000kms, I suspect that the problem has more to do with the style of riding and the type of terrain travelled. As I was not the person who put the first 22 000km on this bike, it is difficult to verify this...
May people will turn on the power while the clutch is in the "transition phase" - i.e. when the input and output shafts are not yet at the same speed and the plate is not yet in full contact with either. This prematurely causes wear of the friction material. In a wet clutch (as on most Japanese machines and some of the BMW K-models, as I recall) there is also a primary reduction gear so that the clutch plate turns at 1/2 or 1/3 of the crank speed to start off with and the oil helps to prevent burning of friction material.
On the Boxer motor, the clutch is a single dry plate, turning at the same speed as the crankshaft - just like your motorcar. As such, it is air-cooled and there isn't much of that inside the bell housing..! When too much power is applied before the engine and gearbox are fully engaged, the plate slips and heats up, accelerating the rate of wear, sometimes giving off a burning odour.
I first noticed the problem as a feeling that when I turned on the power to overtake a vehicle, that the engine revved in response but the the speedometer did not respond with the same gusto...! I had raised it with my workshop manager, who pointed out the possibility of the clutch lever catching on the grip protectors if they have twisted slightly - a design 'feature' that has had wide postings. (This problem has resulted in the re-design of the grip protectors on the '08 face-lifted model.) I now check this every time I ride, using my left hand to push the lever away from me to make sure it is not catching.
I think that a combination of riding style, possible lots of soft sand and a few thousand kilometers of clutch lever catching resulted in the demise of the clutch on my R1200GS at 30 000kms. My previous bike, a R80/7 was bought at about 42 000kms. Ten years later I sold it at 128 000kms - still with the same clutch plate in place. (I had exchanged the gearbox after a bearing popped its cage and I had some steel chunks go swimming about in between the interlocking metal cogs, but at the time the clutch plate was still perfectly OK and so it went back in.)

How long will the clutch plate last with my style of riding and the terrain I traverse? I'll let you know in another 30 000kms....!

My 2007 Adv is currently on 38 000km and so far no problems - touch wood.

Another killer for the Boxer dry clutch is slow, stop-start town traffic, with frequent pull aways & stops. After a while one can smell the clutch and I cannot think it is good for it. It must reduce it's lifespan.