2-Wheel Tech

I need your advice on what to do. My ride for the past 5+ years has been my beloved 2015 R1200RT. Bought it in Nov. of '19 with 8500 miles and it now has over 74000 miles. 90% of its miles has been commuting to work. Very long story short, it now needs a new stator, which is a $5000 repair. 😱 At this time in my life, I can only have one do-it-all bike financially and due to space in the garage. Last fact you need to know is my job has changed and I cannot commute on cycle anymore. So, instead of 12k miles per year, it'll be way closer to about 3k per year from here on out.

Do I 1) Bite the bullet, have it repaired and keep it? Pros: I love this bike. It's dialed in. Has everything I need. Probably the least expensive option. Since I'll be riding less, I could keep it for may years before it reaches 100k miles. It has been very reliable until this stator failure. Cons: Is this the first of many things that will go wrong on it? It's a 10yo bike with many miles.

Do I 2) Have it repaired and and sell it? Pros: Only way to get the most money for it. What's my next bike? Doesn't a newer bike with less miles mean more reliability? Cons: Spending $5k on a bike to get rid of it. Expense of a newer bike AND the accessories it needs. What are the potential problems or issues with the next bike?

Do I 3) Sell it as-is and get another bike? Pros: Avoid spending $5k. Cons: I'll get virtually nothing for it.

Regardless of what I do, it'll be awhile until you see me around on the bike. My wife and I are celebrating my daughter's wedding this month and I cannot do anything with the bike until the Spring.

I appreciate your advice!

Looking at the Max BMW Parts Fiche that bike uses an alternator which is belt driven off the front of the crankshaft...

The alternator is $1,500.00

I can't see where the extra $3500.00 is coming from to install it. Who diagnosed the system and told you it was a stator?

https://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=52026&rnd=10232024

I would call Hermys and see what they say...

BTW If you are a MOA member you can submit your parts invoice and get 10% refunded.

A quick scan of the web says the engine has to come out but that is supposedly a 10 hour job which makes it sound like you were quoted $350.00 Hr

The bike is at Redline in Tabernacle. They consulted Hermy's about the repair. Guy at Redline said he was told it's a 20hr job and the part is $2000. Guess I just need to take it to a BMW shop for them to give me an accurate quote.

Hermys labor rate as of March 2025 was $115.00/Hr so even if it is 20 Hrs that would be $2300.00 Labor. Alternator (BMW List Price) $1500.00 so that is $3800.00... $1200.00 less than you were quoted.

Unless there are other parts that Redline didn't mention like a voltage regulator something doesn't add up unless their labor rate is higher than the dealer.

Talk to Jason or Rob in service tell them you are a club member and let them know I sent you it may not help but it probably won't hurt... LOL.

Could be Redline is just going to load up your bike and drop it a Hermys and pick it up when done and make $1200.00

Aging hacker-Warranty voider...

The used part is a good option, however I believe there is an upgraded part used on the '16's on up. And maybe if I want longevity I should just get new. I also don't want to spend any money on a part before the shop tells me exactly what it is. All of that being said, if it is $3500 vs $5k, that to me is WAY easier to swallow.

I would'nt worry about additional things going wrong on that bike. I just sold my R1200 GS/ADV and it had 194000 miles on it. My R1150 GS/ADV currently has 112000 on it. I would get another quote. Perhaps wait until the fall when service departments are slower, that may drop the cost substantially. Also, Cross Counrty BMW im Metuchen will pick up and deliver yor bike in the off season fro free. I have used this service in the past. YMMV

Ron

Aging hacker-Warranty voider...

BIG EDIT-David, you are a very good mechanic. With the amount of videos floating around, I feel you could tackle this yourself. At least strip the bike down before delivering it to the shop to save on hours.

Just off the phone with Hermy's. The service guy I talked to had a stator replacement on his personal bike a couple years ago, as well as processing other bikes so he knows it well.

The stator is an issue on the '14 and '15 1200 bikes. He confirmed it was remedied on the '16's on up. It's a 18 hr job. So that's $2100. The newer upgraded BMW part is $1400. The incidentals (Oil, filter, coolant, seals, etc.) are $300. With tax it'll be right around the $4k figure. The repair and stator will be guaranteed for 2 years.

There is another option which he did with his bike. Instead of a OEM stator, they could send the old one out to be rewound. That would knock off $1100 off of the whole job. HOWEVER, Hermy's would not guarantee the job. It's a compelling option but it's still the old design. I'll have to think about that.

One last thing, they do pick-up and delivery in the off-season, even to NJ. So that's good. I am aiming to have this all done before this Spring.

Don't forget that if you are an MOA Member you can get a 10% rebate on all of your Genuine BMW parts when you have the job done!

I was wondering where Kevin came from... I read back through the entire thread thinking I had a senior moment and missed something!

Sorry, auto-correct while typing on phone...

Ron

Aging hacker-Warranty voider...