BMW Maintenance

[TPadden]

I have just returned from a quick 5000 mile trip out west (Colorado, California, etc.). I made it back from LA, a little over 2000 miles, in 36 hours with a 6 hour camp in Tucumcari. Turned over 105,000 miles on my BMW..........

I was feeling bad about not riding my K1200LT for over a year - unplugged the Battery Tender, rolled it out of the barn, checked the oil and tires, and left.

The bike hadn't been near a dealer in 3 or 4 years, for those who know LT's - original 19 ball rear bearing, never lubed clutch spline, original clutch and everything else but filters and shocks (Ohlins). I quit checking the valves about 60,000 miles ago because they never changed.

Not so much as a hiccup in over 5,000 miles on a 100,000+ mile bike (including a 10,000 mile Alaska trip) that's been sitting for over a year .......

So much for the high cost of BMW maintenance; and I forgot how well the pig handles the twisties. !

Tom
Gainesville, Mo.
Weeki Wachee, Fl.

 

[Austin city limits]

Congrats Tom!!!

 

[Mellow]

That's great Tom. Always like hearing these stories. And I'm all for pigs in the twisties.

 

[TPadden]

That's great Tom. Always like hearing these stories. And I'm all for pigs in the twisties.

Joe,

Thanks for George's phone number. I didn't want to bother him if he was busy - and he was - changing a water heater; sounded too much like work !

After seeing 100+ temps from 29 Palms through Joshua Tree and Needles I was just happy to enjoy air conditioning in Kingman! The temp then quickly dropped to 60 by Flag.

Tom

 

[Mellow]

That's a rough section to go through.. I remember heading to Joshua Tree on my way to the coast last year and after topping a big hill/mountain - don't remember where - maybe right after Kingman... anyway, whew it got hot fast.. 113 I think...

Also, this is not off topic, I'm gonna move it to other motorcycles as it's a good testament to BMW.

 

[snowmoer]

That's a rough section to go through.. I remember heading to Joshua Tree on my way to the coast last year and after topping a big hill/mountain - don't remember where - maybe right after Kingman... anyway, whew it got hot fast.. 113 I think...

Also, this is not off topic, I'm gonna move it to other motorcycles as it's a good testament to BMW.

Rough, that is what I ride in every day! 118 a few weeks ago on the way home from work. Those temps stuck around for a week. It is a dry heat!

Good to hear your luck with the BMW. I will still stick with the ST. I do not have the $$$ for a BMW.

 

[S2000-Dave]

I'm not trying to STeal this thread but,,, since there are some BMW riders here, I thought I would ask. Have any of you ridden a R1200CL ? If so how was it and are there any mech issues know with this model? Thx

 

[TPadden]

Rough, that is what I ride in every day! 118 a few weeks ago on the way home from work. Those temps stuck around for a week. It is a dry heat!

Good to hear your luck with the BMW. I will still stick with the ST. I do not have the $$$ for a BMW.

I was just glad I didn't take my Valk - didn't see gas stations within the Valk's range!

I'm sure I will have the same luck with my ST (my next 100K'er).

Tom

 

[S2000-Dave]

bump,,,,

 

[jasonJonas]

my gs has 122k on the clock, i've done the vast majority of maintenance and it's still the funnest and most comfortable bike in the stable. working on it is about as pleasurable as it can get cuz everything is right in front of you and not under a bunch of tupperware that does little to keep the heat away from the rider.

uh-oh. did i just take a shot at the st13? oh well, it's true, but that doesn't mean i'm getting rid of the st by any means. i can stand the heat and i'm always in the kitchen.

 

[jasonJonas]

I'm not trying to STeal this thread but,,, since there are some BMW riders here, I thought I would ask. Have any of you ridden a R1200CL ? If so how was it and are there any mech issues know with this model? Thx

i haven't ridden one, but the early reports i read indicated the power is a bit anemic. but those that ride them, love them. i know a guy that rode his up to prudhoe bay this summer. if you'd like to talk to him, pm me and i'll send you his email.

 

[TPadden]

...... not under a bunch of tupperware that does little to keep the heat away from the rider.

Not true for the K1200LT - one thing BMW knows is how to use the 43 metre long and 15 metre high aero-acoustic 150MPH wind tunnel it owns.

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/bmwtechnik.htm

Not only does the LT's tupperware completely keep the heat away but it is the only bike I've ever owned that as long as you keep moving keeps you dry in a rainstorm.

My previous K1100 was almost as hot as the ST but it amazes me how there is absolutely NO heat coming from the K1200LT.

It's still a pig; but a cool pig that dances !

Tom

 

[jasonJonas]

Not true for the K1200LT - one thing BMW knows is how to use the wind tunnel it owns...

yep. i had an 1150rt prior to the gs and never felt the heat from the bike. it would seem honda should be able to engineer more of the heat away from the rider. i don't expect an a/c unit on the bike, but i don't need a bleedin broiler either.

i was talking to a friend just last night. he's in a quandary about what bike he wants to buy - 12rt or st13. he's no mechanic so there's the mechanical issues/cost of the beemer and the heat issues of the st. i couldn't, in good conscience, tell him go buy an st because he's a sensitive guy too and we all need to evaluate the heat issue personally. he'll get it figured out.

 

[therider]

I found two links on the bmw maintenance topic, and blogged about it: http://joydutta.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/26/cost-of-ownership-of-bmw-motorcycles/

I guess R1200RT is a great bike, but dont know what the regular maintenances be like. Wherever I have seen bmw and asked the riders about maintenance, the reply is the same, they all go to dealers.

 

[TPadden]

.....Wherever I have seen bmw and asked the riders about maintenance, the reply is the same, they all go to dealers.

Only new or one time owners - everyone I know, and I've owned BMW's for over 20 years and attend at least 5 rallys a year, does their own. Most are like me - oil (including rear drive and tranny) and tires with an occasional valve check. Even my screw and lock nut oil head valves settled down by their second check at 10,000 miles and haven't changed the last 4 times I've checked them. They only go to a dealer if something breaks or to just visit . Silly annual things like air filters and brake/ clutch/ radiator fluids are saved for about every 3 years (winters).

That said - in defense of the expense of going to a dealer the BIG difference is BMW dealers only let TRAINED mechanics work on bikes; they don't get their training working on customers' bikes !

My Honda's (Valk and ST) also have about 90,000 miles between them and haven't been back to a dealer since their 600 mile services. If it ain't broke don't fix it, just ride it; works for me with modern motorcycles.

I kind of disagree with your Blog's bottom line: Find a used airhead and learn to repair it yourself.

There is a BIG difference between simple maintenance and repair. You can learn to do simple maintenance on any motorcycle with a minimum of effort, cost, and tools. When things break - and that is seldom with either a Honda or BMW - I'd let any BMW dealer (mechanic) do the repair but with a Honda I'd learn to repair it myself and take it to a dealer (17 year old wrench turner or 40 year old ATV mechanic) only as a last resort .

Tom

 

[E the B]

I looked at both bikes carefully before going with the ST. Not being a mechanic, one factor that swayed me toward the ST was the small and shrinking number of BMW dealers in my area. In the past year, both the Cincinnati and Indianapolis stores have closed. That put my closest dealer about three hours away, versus 10 minutes to the Honda dealer. That wasn't the only factor, but it was significant.

BTW, I ended up with a barely-used, warranty-clad '04 with no heat issue. I wonder why the heat issues vary so widely. Go figure . . .

I think I'll keep it !!

 

[TPadden]

... Not being a mechanic, ......

You have something in common with most people I've met that work in Honda Service Departments !

I know there are exceptions but I'd rather ride 3 hours to get something fixed than keep going 10 minutes to get more things broken........ My nearest BMW dealer is more like 4-5 hour each way away so I don't vist him more than once every year or two.

When I visit dealers I try to spend some time talking to service personnel. My 40 years experience is: BMW has middle aged manufacturer trained motorcycle mechanics who know what they're doing and have been doing it for years; Honda has younger personnel who are ALWAYS conducting on the job training on customer's ATV's, Jetski's, and the occasional motorcycle ("What's a ST?"). The few good Honda mechanics always seem overworked. All BMW and Honda personnel are human and can make mistakes .........

It's a fact, and a good thing though, that most modern motorcycles will probably NEVER break and owners are visiting the dealer for "service" not "repair" .

Tom

 

[buffgunner]

Another way to look at this is - I'd rather not need to have my bike fixed very often rather than have to frequently visit a great mechanic 3 hours away!

 

[TPadden]

Another way to look at this is - I'd rather not need to have my bike fixed very often rather than have to frequently visit a great mechanic 3 hours away!

Not sure your point - mine is ALL modern bikes are VERY reliable (as well as easily user maintained). If I were looking for a mechanic at a dealer I'd look for a decent one no matter what the distance.

I am not nor have I ever been a mechanic !

I currently own and service: 2 Honda's, 2 BMW's, 2 Suzuki's, a Kawasaki, a MV Agusta, and a Yamaha. All have been purchased new within the last 10 years and have a total of a little over 310,000 miles. ONLY ONE HAS EVER BEEN TO A DEALER TO BE FIXED (or serviced) and that was for a minor warranty repair.

Cost of maintenance and distance to dealer have never entered my motorcycle purchase equation; I don't even know where the nearest MV dealer is since I bought it from a BMW/Ducati/Triumph/MV dealer over 1,000 miles from Gainesville.

Tom
Gainesville, Mo.
Weeki Wachee, Fl.

 

[buffgunner]

Not sure your point - mine is ALL modern bikes are VERY reliable (as well as easily user maintained). If I were looking for a mechanic at a dealer I'd look for a decent one no matter what the distance.

I am not nor have I ever been a mechanic !

I currently own and service: 2 Honda's, 2 BMW's, 2 Suzuki's, a Kawasaki, a MV Agusta, and a Yamaha. All have been purchased new within the last 10 years and have a total of a little over 310,000 miles. ONLY ONE HAS EVER BEEN TO A DEALER TO BE FIXED (or serviced) and that was for a minor warranty repair.

Cost of maintenance and distance to dealer have never entered my motorcycle purchase equation; I don't even know where the nearest MV dealer is since I bought it from a BMW/Ducati/Triumph/MV dealer over 1,000 miles from Gainesville.

Tom
Gainesville, Mo.
Weeki Wachee, Fl.

I have has similar experiences on all the bikes I've owned. The only time I ever went to the dealer for anything was warranty service when my old Yanaha XS11 was new. The quality of the mechanics becomes a very minor issue if you don't use them.

This is an interesting and surprising 2004 survey I found in Motorcycle Magazine news online. It is flawed in that owners were asked to state their opinion on the reliability of their own bikes. I suspect a quantifiable survey would be a bit different.

1. BMW (90%)
2. Honda (89.2%)
3. Yamaha (85.5%)
4. Triumph (84%)
5. Suzuki (83.2%)
6. Kawasaki (82.8%)
7. MZ (81.3%)
8. Harley-Davidson (80.1%)
9. Aprilia (77.1%)
10. KTM (74%)
11. Buell (72.2%)
12. Cagiva (70.5%)
13. Ducati (69.1%)
14. Moto Guzzi (68.8%)
15. CCM (63.8%)

http://www.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/2004-09-08101210MWEBMP.htm