$$ Maintenance $$

[jnrugg]

I have an 02-RT and did the valves myself and it was the first time I had taken the right side fairing off. Glad I did.
The return line disconnect was broken and not latching, the alternator belt needed to be replaced, found some wires that were starting to chafe and the valves were too tight the the idle too low.
A dealer had done the valves last year and a TB sync. Just setting the idle correctly made the bike so much better.
I am all thumbs but besides saving money I now know where stuff is, how things are connected and how the dealer screwed me. (They closed right after the service which may explain a lot).

[racer7]

Farkles will bleed you, maintenance not so much as noted below. Good news is once its "fully farkled", that bit is all over if you did it correclty and these bikes will run up some silly miles and last a heck of a lot of years with dcent care. You'll proably get sick of it and want something else long before you wear it out..

Depending on riding style, many get 6K to 9K from a rear but let's say 10K for your PR3 rear and 14K for the front to be conservative, Allow about $400/pair if you buy aftermarket and have mounted locally. I buy several sets at once and always have spares in my garage and use about 2 sets/bike/yr...
6K maintenance intervals can all be done by you with a little training/reading depending on your mechanical experience so no cost except for fluid, filters, plugs and sometimes gaskets- most of us reuse them bunch of times and its not an issue if done correctly- dealers typically replace gaskets at $40+/set for a valve adjustment.
Aftermarket pads- good ones- are cheap and less than 1/2 the price of stock and rotors rarely need replacement. Again very low cost if you do it yourself. Don't be tempted to skip periodic brake fluid replacment every 2 years at least- gummed up brake units can be very expensive to replace.

Dealer parts and labor are pricey. Parts are often silly expensive for OEM and much of that can be reduced by other sources like e-bay, Beemer Boneyard and all the usual outlets. Dealer labor is $70- $110+ / hr of which little goes to the mechanic. That can be reduced by doing it yourself (free) or local indie shop with BMW expertise (1/2 or less of dealer rate, typically). I've got a local friend, ex BMW dealership guy who does my overflow stuff on the set of bikes I maintain- when I'm too lazy or too busy though I do almost all of my own. Introduce yourself around your local BMW club and shops and you'll get in the network soon enough- and keep asking here as you run into issues. A few jobs are best left to the pros unless you're good with wrenches and have a bunch of time and the willingness to make or borrow some special tools needed- most of those are in the category of jobs that require "splitting the bike" but even those are done by more skilled and ambitious (or penurious) owners.

As is said many times on this site- the cheapest thing about a BMW is its owner...We own expensive stuff and want to save every nickel.....

21K is more than an average owner does per year for sure but there are many who do a lot more than that as you will note if you read the mileage contest results in ON and rmember that many have no interest in the contest- they just ride. You might turn out to be one of those yourself eventually. The comment about having to fix what a previous owner put off is a pretty common happening and the wild card in buying a used bike. Hall effect sensor (ignition trigger system) issues on the models that have them are fairly common but also pretty easy to handle.

My 08RT gets approx the same mileage as my car, a 2012 VW turbodiesel that averages low 40s,, and the bike costs a little more to operate because it has higher tire costs and the car has basaic maintenance in its purchase price so hard to dissect out. A K1200RS I ride chews tires even faster, gets slighty worse fuel economy and is bit more work to maintain..

[Bmandiego]

Aftermarket pads- good ones- are cheap and less than 1/2 the price of stock and rotors rarely need replacement. .

My front brakes are kind of grabby. The shoes aren't too worn, but the rotors have some pretty big grooves. The rear brake is much smoother after he replaced the rotor and pads.

[CLYEAGER]

I know what you mean about service costs. I agree that regular services are pricey, but I've come to believe that the BMW approach and schedule for regular services is to keep a check on things that could go wrong or replace things such as fluids, seals etc. to prevent more expesinsiive failures and likely help prevent problems while riding. Their services, of which there are 2 basic ones repeated on a 6k and 12k basis actually include quite a list of things, in case the service invoices provided by your dealer are lacking itemized expences. I have the Clymer manual for my high mileage R1150GS and it lists the many items addressed by certified BMW service providers. After seeing what all is done and considering the steps and time it takes to do all these things (which are desribed in the Clymer), I don' t feel quite as bad about the cost. Their approach is not to ride it until something breaks and then fix it alone (like other brands may do), it's to make sure everything is OK so you can ride with confidence, knowing that everything is OK.
It's true that wth the manual and right tools, you can do what you're comfortable doing and then tell them to not include those items in the service and save some money.
If you haven't seen one yet, looking at the microfiche for your model provides the prices for just about evey little piece on your bike.
For example, in the original scenario cited at the beginning of this thread, use the microfiche to see the price of a new rear rotor (over $200 for the OEM rear rotor), then the manual to see what's involved in replaing it, and you can begin to appreciate and uderstand how that routine service turned into a $1500 shocker.
If you haven' t had access to your model's microfiche, you can find it at the A&S Motorsports website by looking under 'shop by your model' for parts and accessories. I have found it very useful in finding and odering parts that aren't usually listed under quickly available parts lists.
Hope this helps, or at least makes you feel a little better about your recent iinvestment.
have fun, ride safe,
Curt

[bikerfish1100]

(fwiw, most dealer websites offer parts fiche pages with pricing. its not just A & S.)

[26667]

look at your service receipt. i bet the labor on the new rotor jacked up the $

[CLYEAGER]

Bemandiego, here's a recent experience of my own you can relate to:
I took my GS in to have new tires put on, predicted cost of about $450.00. While I was waiting, the service mgr informed me that I should come and look at the state of mr rear disk brake. He took me back and showed me pads that had about 1mm thickness eemaining and the rotor was very grooved out, about 1/2 the original thickeness( he was pretty sure it was original disc which would have over127k miles on it. Looked like a vinyl record except every groove on it was of varying depth. No arguing both were shot. So, while the wheel was off, might as well replace pads and disc. My total went from $450 to $1150 just like that. But he was right and and that was a safety thing. My choices were get it done while already there with the wheel off or do it all myself (NO THANKS), so allI could do was grin and bear it.
Oh, and my wife was even more pleased than I was with the news. I still have bruises from that :^}

[pffog]

50,000 On my R1100S, total cost for dealer maintenance, ZERO, I did pay $150 to have the Ohlins/Fox shocks rebuilt. The rest is so easy I can't imagine paying someone else to do it.

[bikerfish1100]

50,000 On my R1100S, total cost for dealer maintenance, ZERO, I did pay $150 to have the Ohlins/Fox shocks rebuilt. The rest is so easy I can't imagine paying someone else to do it.

pretty much.
mine has seen a dealer 2x in 91K miles. first was when the dealer convinced me that i could not install a front shock myslef (and had them do SS brake lines at the same time), second was for a stripped trans input shaft.
all regular (and nearly all irregular) maintenance gets done at home.
i am a "shadetree mechanic" with no formal training whatsoever- but beemers are so darn easy to work on, why pay someone else to do it? even if it take me twice as long- that still equates to my paying myself about $50/hr. them's good wages, i say.

[CLYEAGER]

Yeah, I envy you guys with the tools, skills and fortitude to do all that stuff yourself.

[osbornk]

I didn't get my first motorcycle until 1974 and didn't get a BMW until 15 or 16 years ago. Other than having the ABS reset after changing the battery on an 92 K bike (zero $), I have never had a motorcycle worked on at a dealer or any other mechanic. I've split the case to replace a transmission gear on a Suzuki, stipped a 450 Honda down to the frame to to straighten it, replaced the differential seal on a K bike among other things beyond regular servicing.

I am a little odd though. I took a car differential apart to find out how spider gears worked. I overhauled a Ford C-4 transmission to prove I could. I had to take it out 3 times because there was a little ring that I kept breaking on assembly but it worked when I got done. After that, a Powerglide was a piece of cake (unless it was a reverse problem).

[bikerfish1100]

Yeah, I envy you guys with the tools, skills and fortitude to do all that stuff yourself.

skill is learned by asking, reading, watching and doing.
tools are paid for with the $ we don't give to a dealer for labor.
fortitude comes from the realization that the bikes were assembled by people, are worked on by people, and that we is people too.
after all, this is not rocket surgery.

[Bmandiego]

It'$ in the $hop now getting new $tainle$$ braided brake line$ after the old one$ bur$t. It's only going to be about $500.00 this time.
I'm dealing with a lot of deferred maintenance issues right now.
Since I bought the bike about 2 months ago, I've invested in new tires, rear rotor and rear pads, braided brake lines, and service costs totaling about $2600.00. Price of purchase for the 2000 R1100RTP was below market at $3500. So all-in-all not looking too terrible. I'm hoping to get it to a reliable condition. I'd like to get new rotors and pads on the front, some Hella driving lights, Some Denali's as well. I've got space on the back for some button lights and I'm going to check for new grips, because mine are old, worn, and uncomfortable.
I feel like I'm throwing money at it, and it likes it.

[oldnslow]

Are the 'newer' bikes that much more complicated than my 85 K? If I had to have 'others' work on my bike, I would never be able to afford it. This K bike is the easiest, most straight forward vehicle I have ever worked on. For gosh sakes, I changed the front pads in a parking lot with a screwdriver, claw hammer and a pair of pliers! (Could have used a big rock in place of the hammer if need be).

I know we all aren't mecanically equal,( I have a friend, that if you gave him three dirt bike motors tore apart in a single box, he could put all three back together, while I would struggle to open the box) but dont be afraid to try it. Anything that you mess up can be fixed!

and read and read and read the service manual. Put it in the bathroom and skip the Reader's Digest!

[PGlaves]

Nobody learns calculus in kindergarten. Start with the easy things and grow your knowledge. Seek help when needed.