Good points. With some electronic ABS, a dealer-only scan tool is required just to do what should be considered minor do it yourself service. What we are used to doing in an afternoon with a couple friends and a cold beverage could end up costing hundreds. Or having what should be a minor breakdown somewhere, something that an ST owner could track down and repair themselves on the side of the road; but typically even minor things are far from do it yourself repairs with a BMW.
I think what really bothers me about them is the lack of dealer network. With a Honda, IF it breaks down (and thats extremely rare), chances are there is a local dealer nearby. If you are rural, it might be 50 miles away. I live very rural, and I think there are 3 within 50 miles. Not only that, the chances of Honda having something you need in stock is pretty good; at worse, its a few days away. On the other hand, the closest BMW dealer is a couple hours from me, and that is the ONLY one anywhere near that close; if I have a bad experience with them, there aren't others. You could easily find yourself broken down several hours from the closest BMW dealer. Then when you get there, you might get told that the part you need is 3+ weeks away.
A friend who owns a fairly new BMW, still under warranty, tells stories of having to schedule warranty repairs up to a month away. Then when it goes in, it could be several more weeks before the parts arrive. That would really bother me after spending that much, especially considering how short our season is, and buying a bike that is made to spend a lot of time on.
This thread is about a ride report on the bike itself- and I think it looks like a superb sport tourer, and BMW really brought it all together. I'm glad some have been able to ride it, and I sure wouldn't turn down an opportunity like that. I just think there are things beyond the bike itself that need to be considered before running out and plunking down some large cash for it.
Jim
