2005 R1200ST starter failure

[Miketr1200st]

I have a 2005 R1200ST with 18,000 miles which I bought in 2007 and recently had a starter failure. I don't get to use the bike very much and normally put 1,000 miles per year with 20 trips per year. The bike is well maintained, garaged and is kept on a battery tender. I had a starter failure and had to replace type unit with a new one. I've been trying to get information on how common this problem is and can not find any useful informant on the web.

I was surprised to have this type of failure with a bike like this and wanted to ask the BMW community for any related feedback. Any information would be appreciated.

[Major Softie]

I would expect that to be very unusual, but you need to check on one of the sites that is more hexhead oriented.

Try http://bmwsporttouring.com

[the quinner]

I have a 2005 R1200ST with 18,000 miles which I bought in 2007 and recently had a starter failure. I don't get to use the bike very much and normally put 1,000 miles per year with 20 trips per year. The bike is well maintained, garaged and is kept on a battery tender. I had a starter failure and had to replace type unit with a new one. I've been trying to get information on how common this problem is and can not find any useful informant on the web.

I was surprised to have this type of failure with a bike like this and wanted to ask the BMW community for any related feedback. Any information would be appreciated.

Not "common" but not unheard of, either. The starter lives in a dirty environment. When I worked in a dealership, we replaced pretty many R1200 starters...mostly on police bikes (think about how many times a day a motor cop hits the start button added to the fact that they ride in all sorts of dirty/cruddy conditions). The police bikes also went through alternators much faster than civilian bikes...not to mention tires.