A really positive dealer experience

[Switz]

Last Tuesday I picked up the new R1200RT at Scottsdale (AZ) BMW. I was there at 2:00PM expecting to ride to the mountains and Payson northeast of Phoenix and return home before dark. Things did not work out that way and I left at around 6:00PM so was in the dark and cold air. I found out that several adjustments needed to be made during this shakedown ride. When I pulled into the home garage, some screws fell on the floor from the Suburban peg lowering kit.

 

The next morning I rode to the dealer and these issues were addressed (I had resecured the screws myself). I decided to repeat the same route because of hills and light traffic. Twenty miles out of town, I suddenly noticed amber droplets showing up on the flat cowl surface below the front brake handle bar. I stopped to look things over thinking it might be engine oil spray since I had just tweeked the engine to 5,000 rpm. No sign of engine oil and no obvious brake fluid leak. I had nothing with which to wipe off the fluid. I continued the trip and when I got home I wiped the stuff off the bike. However, there was damage to the paint. I still could not tell where the problem fluid was originating.

 

The next afternoon (Thursday) I go back to the dealer. After much looking, they determined that there was a seal failure in the front brake plunger assembly on the handle bar. A quick call and we discovered that it was too late to get something moving from BMW parts before the next week.

 

After a few minutes of consultation, they wheeled a new bike in from the sales floor and proceeded to dis-assemble both bikes to get at parts and swap goods ones for the damaged ones. Everthing had to come of the front of the bikes, including fuel tanks, to get at the wires for the heated grips that had to be removed to get the brake reservoir assembly off the handle bar. It took over three hours and four mechanics and I was out the door by 7:00PM with new plastic body panels and front brake control system. I rode straight home.

 

Today, I rode to a different location and completed the break-in miles. Yeah! What a surprise when one opens the throttle firmly in the lower gears. There is more power and acceleration than I believe I have experienced to date on any previous motorcycle I have owned. Yet, when cruising at low speeds and low engine rpm the machine was very quiet. It reminded me of the quietness of my R69S in high gear idling down a street.

 

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) I go in for the first break-in service (I will have about 700 miles on the bike at the dealership door). Monday I will get ready to ride to Redding, CA (about 1,000 miles each way) starting Tuesday to get a Rick Mayer seat conversion done. I am really looking forward to this trip!

 

I think Scottsdale BMW went out of their way to help in this situation!

[TEWKS]

Louis, you've got a great attitude. You'll be happy with the Rick Mayer seat.

 

Pat

[ChrisRappl]

Glad to hear that they took care of things properly. Too bad you had to go through that, but, most things in life are not perfect. I have a question about the loose screws. The Suburban Machinery peg lowering kit for the R1200RT has a pin and cotter pin and reuses the existing pin, spring, plastic bushing and e-clip. I don't believe that it has any screws. Where did they come from?

[Switz]

Both Suburban passenger lowering pegs have a small set screw with an Allen female socket that is tightened against the frame of the bike so they do not rattle. The left set screw is behind the double screw panel. The right one ust backed itself out and fell on the floor.

 

BTW. Make sure you use blue loctite on those two set screws as well as the four screws per side on the ELF foot pegs that faster into the cyclinder head.