23 Years & I'm Leaving The BMW Marque

[JR356]

It's nice to see they let you take it for proper demo ride before making your decision.

 

 

Pat

 

No demo ride

 

That's what I don't like about other bike mfgs./dealers.You are supposed to make a multithousand dollar investment based on a few magazine reviews and sitting on the bike in the showroom while making vroom,vroom noises.

 

Hope you choice works out for you.

 

Please stay around,really like your ride reports and pics,as I grew up in Oregon and also lived in southwest WA for a time.

 

JR356

[keithb]

"That's what I don't like about other bike mfgs./dealers.You are supposed to make a multithousand dollar investment based on a few magazine reviews and sitting on the bike in the showroom while making vroom,vroom noises."

 

What an understatement and how true your statement actually is. There is no way I would buy ANY bike without a test ride, PERIOD, end of story.

 

[Exploreinman]

Hi Bob,

 

I live across the river from your old town of Aiken in Evans, GA. Sorry you've had such a bad experience with reliability and dealer service. Sounds really frustrating. Please send us a pic of your new ride, whatever it is you buy, and keep posting great pics of your rides on the west coast that us east coasters drool over!

 

I came from the other direction owning 9 other bikes before I bought my current 05 R1200RT. The all day, multiple day, comfort and performance of this bike beats everything I've owned previously. But to be honest though, the high cost of repairs on a major item concerns me, so I'm about to buy a 4 year unlimited mile extended warranty. At a little under 3 years old my bike has 27,000 problem free miles.

[wacokid]

But to be honest though, the high cost of repairs on a major item concerns me, so I'm about to buy a 4 year unlimited mile extended warranty.

 

Read the fine print. It's surprising what some 3rd party warranties don't cover.

[wacokid]

"That's what I don't like about other bike mfgs./dealers.You are supposed to make a multithousand dollar investment based on a few magazine reviews and sitting on the bike in the showroom while making vroom,vroom noises."

 

What an understatement and how true your statement actually is. There is no way I would buy ANY bike without a test ride, PERIOD, end of story.

 

There was a time in my early 20s when I wanted a Ducati 900SS (or maybe a 900CR) more than any other vehicle on the planet. I went to the dealership with serious interest in buying one and asked about a test ride. "Sorry, you'd have to go some event like Bike Week to get a demo ride." Guess what, I didn't buy a Ducati. I later bought a Buell after a test ride and then a BMW after a test ride. A test ride is a great marketing tool.

[Rphoto]

I rode one of those at demo days at the MidOhio Vintage Grand Prix. Very nice bike -- really, really big, but rides small, if you know what I mean. Tons of power. My only concern would be if it is reliability you want, Triumph isn't golden and has the same kind of spotty dealer network as BMW. If you want trouble free, go Japanese. Of course if you won't see yourself coming and going on a Rocket III Touring.

 

Rob

[davesbmw]

Bob

I like the looks of the Rocket I think it suits you

let us know how it rides

Dave

[DaveTheAffable]

Bob,

 

Even if you ride something different, you are welcome here. I look forward to your great ride reports and wonderful pictures.

 

Ride what makes you happy, but keep us happy by sticking around.

 

A request from one Midwesterner to another California guy.

 

 

+1

[ScottT]

"Jerk"

 

That says it all. So you won't say what you did. Thanks for the clarification. I have ridden nearly 700k on BMWs, done nearly all my own maintenance and not had anywhere near the trouble you have. Yeah, I'm calling you out for pointing the finger at BMW. They are not perfect but neither are you. Go ahead, get your FJR. Happy ticking!

[BigAL]

Hey Scott -

 

It ain't about you and your bikes. Chill.

 

Bob - Hope to read more from you soon!

 

AL

 

 

 

 

[wbrissette]

First off, I like others, wish you the best with your new bike regardless of brand.

 

There are a lot of stories in this thread about bikes with problems. Kind of reminds me of that song "Wednesday Car" by Johnny Cash off the Rambler LP (not one of his best, by the way). In it he talks/sings about how the only reliable car is made on Wednesday. lyrics .

 

There are many factors into why a bike (or any piece of equipment fails). Sometimes the issues even beat the factory guys who designed and built them, even on properly maintained bikes. One of the local riders in the Buell club had just such a bike. In and out of the shop for multiple failures, dealer had the factory guys on the phone trying to determine why part X failed when it had just been in the shop. Over the past 2 years the bike has spent more time in the shop than out of the shop. Eventually the owner said, enough, and everybody from Buell Customer Service, to the local dealer agreed. The local dealer contacted HD (since they own Buell), and with the support of Erik Buell himself, got HD to buy back the bike and give the owner a new bike. Based on his problems, I'm convinced his original bike was a Friday car (see JC lyrics). He has put a few thousand problem free miles on the new bike and is once again happy.

 

I've been fortunate to have some pretty trouble free cars and bikes (and I'm hoping it stays that way). But regardless of brand of bike somebody somewhere has a story of a bike that shouldn't have ever been built.

 

Best of luck to you and the new bike!

 

Wayne

[Chunky]

Hey Scott -

 

It ain't about you and your bikes. Chill.

 

Bob - Hope to read more from you soon!

 

AL

 

I'm glad you pointed that out to Scott. I love my BMWs, I just hate the few bad dealers that happen to be around me here.

 

 

 

[Chunky]

First off, I like others, wish you the best with your new bike regardless of brand.

 

There are a lot of stories in this thread about bikes with problems. Kind of reminds me of that song "Wednesday Car" by Johnny Cash off the Rambler LP (not one of his best, by the way). In it he talks/sings about how the only reliable car is made on Wednesday. lyrics .

 

There are many factors into why a bike (or any piece of equipment fails). Sometimes the issues even beat the factory guys who designed and built them, even on properly maintained bikes. One of the local riders in the Buell club had just such a bike. In and out of the shop for multiple failures, dealer had the factory guys on the phone trying to determine why part X failed when it had just been in the shop. Over the past 2 years the bike has spent more time in the shop than out of the shop. Eventually the owner said, enough, and everybody from Buell Customer Service, to the local dealer agreed. The local dealer contacted HD (since they own Buell), and with the support of Erik Buell himself, got HD to buy back the bike and give the owner a new bike. Based on his problems, I'm convinced his original bike was a Friday car (see JC lyrics). He has put a few thousand problem free miles on the new bike and is once again happy.

 

I've been fortunate to have some pretty trouble free cars and bikes (and I'm hoping it stays that way). But regardless of brand of bike somebody somewhere has a story of a bike that shouldn't have ever been built.

 

Best of luck to you and the new bike!

 

Wayne

 

Thanks for your words of encouragement Wayne. I intend to keep riding until I'm too old, blind, or jsut get tired of it. (Not likely) Nobody like to make multiple trip to a mechanic for the same problem. My issues had been going on for a year now. Before that I had 45,000 trouble free miles. I'm an electronic troubleshooter by trade. I've been diagnosing problems for 41 years and can tell you stuff breaks. LOL

[taters]

i totally agree. i have an 04 rt and lots of problems. last one cost $4000 luckily i had an extended warranty. and luckier still they honored it...only because i had dale the service manager of las vegas bmw in my corner... gonna probably go with the triumph tiger or a vee strom....i feel your pain and frustration....taters

[swfraley]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

[Redbrick]

Dump the BMW, keep the camera!

 

 

Pat

 

I'll second that

[Les is more]

Congrats on the new ride! Just be sure that it gets you out there to take more of those beautiful pics!!

[hANNAbONE]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

 

......eR --- uM.... I did it..!

[10ovr]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

 

......eR --- uM.... I did it..!

OK now there is 2 of you,,,

[Boone60]

Over on the FJR Forum they have some interesting discussions going concerning high service costs and design problems with the bike.

 

 

[JamesW]

Bob, hate to beat a dead horse but when you said you had to make 3 trips to BMWWO for a battery problem did you have a BMW gel battery installed or was it something like a Panasonic? Wish you knew what kind of oil filter was in question at the time you had the motor melt down. I am one of those that does all own maintenance and I do kick myself at times for not using BMW parts just because ya never know. Oh, have you ever visited Portland Motorcycles up the 205 near the airport? That's actually where I bought my '04RT before the Tigard store opened. Seems I remember they sold maybe Triumph at that time. I'm probly wrong.

[Paul Mihalka]

I think you can find a wider spread of defects and maintenance costs between bikes of the same brand/model/year than between the average defects/maintenance of different brands/models. They all have Monday bikes and Wednesday bikes. Same, every brand has good and bad dealers, and every manufacturer has cases where they are generous and cases where they let you sink.

[Penforhire]

My FJR was cake to service 100% myself, and I'm not a good wrench. I only ever used my dealer for his tire changing machine!

 

That community posts excellent detailed photo how-to's for most service items. The valve ticking has always been a rare failure AND always covered by Yamaha, even after warranty ended. You have to love that valve adjust interval (26K miles IIRC and rarely need actual adjust then). That is a seriously durable bike. Even the heat issue in early years is overblown (ST1300's blow more heat on the rider).

 

OTOH, I do prefer my R-RT and am glad I sold the FJR. I actually think it handles better and has as much HP as I need in the twisties, while being way more comfy with a much better fairing. Oh, and the RT handles big people 2-up much better!

[Whip]

Over on the FJR Forum they have some interesting discussions going concerning high service costs and design problems with the bike.

 

I like the "New Ticking Sound" thread.

 

 

Interesting side note on the ticking.....until recently I got letters from Yamaha reminding that if my 03 bike developed the "tick" they would replace the motor at no cost to me no matter how many miles it had on it. They also told me to pass on the info to the present owner, if I no longer owned the bike, and they would give him or her the same deal.....even if it was the fourth owner and the bike had 150,000 miles on it. I just went over the thread you mentioned, it is only in one bike. Also they sell more than 10,000 FJRs in the US every year. BMW sell about 13,000 bikes in the US total. I have yet to hear of an FD failure in a FJR.

 

 

YES, I did sell the 06 FJR for my K12R.....and I like the K12R better.

 

Whip

[Traveler]

My riding buddy had the same thing occur with his 1200 GS. He sold it within a week. Guess I can understand, I almost did the same thing a few weeks ago due to issues with stick coils and maintenance costs.

 

But, it is the winter time, so there was no urgency to ride across the country on a new bike and better judgement took hold. I have never enjoyed a bike more than the one I have now in over 30 years of road riding. So, I did the maintenance myself as an early winter project and convinced myself that I did right.

 

But that monster Triumph sure looks good...

[Exploreinman]

Bob,

 

I was curious if you gave any of the other sport-touring bikes a thought? Honda ST1300? FJR1300? The new Connie

 

Also, I've heard that Triumph is coming out with a new sport-tourer with shaft drive. Anyone else heard this?

 

Cruisers are great if that's the kind of riding you like to do, but they're a different animal the above sport-tourers.

[tlc]

Bob,

Also, I've heard that Triumph is coming out with a new sport-tourer with shaft drive. Anyone else heard this?

I have a 2000 Triumph Trophy 1200, and it is a stunning bike. I also have a 2001 Bonneville, and I had a 2003 America. I have heard for about five years that Triumph was going to replace the Trophy. I got tired of waiting, so this past summer I traded the America on a 2008 R1200RT. Now the Trophy is for sale.

 

All my Triumphs have been remarkably trouble-free and well-made. However now that I have the RT I doubt I will ever go back to Triumph, even if they do replace the Trophy.

[Chunky]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

Not to worry, the deal fell through today because the Triumph dealership told me his BMW wholesaler does not want my bike. I'm stuck with my BMW for now. I picked it up from the Tigard, OR dealer who charged me $220. for a battery. And you wonder why I want to dump BMW!!!!

[JamesW]

$220 for a battery installed probably isn't bad considering how much disassembly work has to be done to replace the battery.

[Lawman]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

Not to worry, the deal fell through today because the Triumph dealership told me his BMW wholesaler does not want my bike. I'm stuck with my BMW for now. I picked it up from the Tigard, OR dealer who charged me $220. for a battery. And you wonder why I want to dump BMW!!!!

 

"My latest BMW is a 2005 R1200RT with 53,700 miles and I had an engine blow on it at 45k. I'm tired of high maintenance cost, uncomfortable overpriced bikes & dealers set on gouging customer with no warranty on their mechanical work. I've had my R1200RT in 4 times for a starting problem and now they say it's a bad battery."

 

Guess I can understand someone not wanting this one..

[JamesW]

Bob, good news!! Portland Motorcycle Co. at 10652 NE Holman, Portland DOES sell Triumph, BMW, Suzuki, and Kaw. Maybe they can help on that trade in. They gave me a deal on my '04RT by knocking off $1K. Check um out on line. I never went back for service as I heard some not good things about their service dept. but hey, that was over 4 years ago. The day I took delivery I told the salesman that I would never see him again and I never did. I would go back to them to purchase a new bike if they made it worth my while like they did in '04. The way I understand it they discount their motorcycles big time to lure Washington buyers and they are only a couple miles from the state line for that reason. Used to be on SE 82nd if my memory serves but moved to be closer to WA.

[Chunky]

$220 for a battery installed probably isn't bad considering how much disassembly work has to be done to replace the battery.

 

No argument there, the seat lifts up & two whole screws must be removed.

[Chunky]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

Not to worry, the deal fell through today because the Triumph dealership told me his BMW wholesaler does not want my bike. I'm stuck with my BMW for now. I picked it up from the Tigard, OR dealer who charged me $220. for a battery. And you wonder why I want to dump BMW!!!!

 

"My latest BMW is a 2005 R1200RT with 53,700 miles and I had an engine blow on it at 45k. I'm tired of high maintenance cost, uncomfortable overpriced bikes & dealers set on gouging customer with no warranty on their mechanical work. I've had my R1200RT in 4 times for a starting problem and now they say it's a bad battery."

 

Guess I can understand someone not wanting this one..

 

There you go, jumping to stupid conclusions. The wholesaler never saw the bike or heard it's history.

[Chunky]

Bob, good news!! Portland Motorcycle Co. at 10652 NE Holman, Portland DOES sell Triumph, BMW, Suzuki, and Kaw. Maybe they can help on that trade in. They gave me a deal on my '04RT by knocking off $1K. Check um out on line. I never went back for service as I heard some not good things about their service dept. but hey, that was over 4 years ago. The day I took delivery I told the salesman that I would never see him again and I never did. I would go back to them to purchase a new bike if they made it worth my while like they did in '04. The way I understand it they discount their motorcycles big time to lure Washington buyers and they are only a couple miles from the state line for that reason. Used to be on SE 82nd if my memory serves but moved to be closer to WA.

 

Thanks, I'll check them out.

[Chunky]

Bob, good news!! Portland Motorcycle Co. at 10652 NE Holman, Portland DOES sell Triumph, BMW, Suzuki, and Kaw. Maybe they can help on that trade in. They gave me a deal on my '04RT by knocking off $1K. Check um out on line. I never went back for service as I heard some not good things about their service dept. but hey, that was over 4 years ago. The day I took delivery I told the salesman that I would never see him again and I never did. I would go back to them to purchase a new bike if they made it worth my while like they did in '04. The way I understand it they discount their motorcycles big time to lure Washington buyers and they are only a couple miles from the state line for that reason. Used to be on SE 82nd if my memory serves but moved to be closer to WA.

 

Wow, I just looked at their website & not only do they sell the Rocket III Touring but for $1,000 under list with a 4 year warranty instead of 2. You may have saved my bacon. I'll call them & ride over to talk if they are interested in a trade. They're less than 5 miles from me. Thank you James.

[DaveC]

There you go, jumping to stupid conclusions. The wholesaler never saw the bike or heard it's history.

 

Did it ever occur to you that maybe the BMW wholesaler reads this forum? LOL

 

 

[Chunky]

There you go, jumping to stupid conclusions. The wholesaler never saw the bike or heard it's history.

 

Did it ever occur to you that maybe the BMW wholesaler reads this forum? LOL

 

 

I've calmed down a lot since yesterday so I'm not going to make much of a remark here. The Wholesaler doesn't have my name or personal information. The Triumph dealership really wants to sell me the Rocket 3 and has done everything in his power to make it happen. I didn't have to tell him of my starting problem or pay $220 to fix it. I'm dealing in good faith to build a relationship based on trust.

[tallman]

Good faith.

 

Yep, know all about that.

Some customers can be taken at their word about condition of a bike.

Others, not so much...

 

[dhanson]

My GT sits while I ride the Tiger, but then the GT is under warranty, just need to do the research for what needs to be done before I go to the dealer. Poor feeling about BMW for me, just too expensive. But, I look at it as an investment that I should be able to recoup some while enjoying the benefits of riding.

 

I sold a Versys to get the Tiger, never saw either around here (Louisiana) still don't see either, ha!

 

Every purchase is a risk, car included, but it is still loads better than building it yourself!

 

Make it three of us.

 

[hopz]

$220 for a battery installed probably isn't bad considering how much disassembly work has to be done to replace the battery.

 

Yes, it is a real PITA to take the seat off like that.

 

I hope that was a joke. (?)

 

Regardless, Bob has a very valid point. I must reiterate, all over again*, that BMW seems to me and many others that their approach to customer service and support is considerably different from others. I guess the question, from the consumer point of view, comes down to whether their attitude and approach produces a better bike.

 

We all have to make our own decision on that.

 

 

* this message brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

[tallman]

And to be reredundant, it all depends.

I know BMW dealerships that charge much less per hour than the UJM and HD and other Euro ones, and seem to have very loyal customer base from thousands of people.

I know BMW dealerships that charge more than other dealerships carrying other brands.

I know BMW dealerships that caryy multi line and charge the same for all.

The latter would be an example, NOT, of the "BMW" generalizations that abound in threads like this.

If 20% of the BMW dealerships are bad, that still leaves 130 excellent ones.

Put the broad brush away.

I have seen customers of our who had mechanical problems in other parts of the country who got the same excellent treatment from another dealership.

And, I've seen customers who didn't get such stellar treatment.

In Bob's original complaint of work being done and then the bike crapped out, I know of many dealerships that would have handled that differently.

I'll take him at his word that there wasn't something else involved.

As to a Triumph dealership not wanting a BMW trade, even assuming they don't have knowledge of problems w/it (you'd be surprised perhaps to find out that dealerships of different marques talk to one another when trades are proffered) I can understand their position.

The pst 3-4 Triumphs we've had in trade we couldn't give away.

We had one Rocket 3 with Corbin bags, seats, fairing, that was beautiful.

It also had been chipped and exhausted.

6 months of pushing it around and it went very cheaply to a new home.

It all depends on time and place.

Best wishes.

 

[Paul Mihalka]

I work with a bike dealer who represents five brands. We have a separate used bike department with it's separate manager. It is the best money maker of the shop. For trade-in values whatever the manager says, that's it. The new bike sales guy has nothing to do with it, which can be good and bad. There are brands we just don't take in trade, not because they are bad bikes, but because they are hard to sell for us. Triumph, Moto Guzzi, Victory are among them. Ducati would be there if we would not be a Ducati dealer. We also don't take bikes older than x years or with more than x miles. It's all business, not emotions.

[GregB]

The quality of the service work and customer service of my local BMW dealer, Brown Motor Works in Pomona CA, is one of the big positives that influence my choice of a new motorcycle.

 

I have had four different brands serviced at their respective dealerships recently. Two of those dealerships are closer to me than the BMW dealership. One is owned by a neighbor. BMW service was still the best.

 

FWIW, I have owned a repair facility for european cars for 30+ years. The person who runs that business left a few years ago and was the service manager for a large motorcycle dealer (20+ persons in service department) before he returned 4 years ago. Another friend that worked there for 20 years is now the shop foreman for one of the largest european dealerships in SoCal. A friend is a service tech in a different BMW dealership.

 

I think it is key that you find a good dealership and do what you can to give them your business. I don't want to comment on the original post but the complaint about $220 for a battery seems unreasonable. I bet part of that price is sales tax and the labor probably is their shop minimum. Certainly you don't expect them to take a bike into service and process it without a minimum labor charge of .5 hour to 1 hour labor.

[Dave in Doodah]

"I'm so disgusted with BMW unreliability that I'm getting a Triumph."

 

You don't hear that every day :-)

 

Not to worry, the deal fell through today because the Triumph dealership told me his BMW wholesaler does not want my bike. I'm stuck with my BMW for now. I picked it up from the Tigard, OR dealer who charged me $220. for a battery. And you wonder why I want to dump BMW!!!!

 

I am sorry, but if someone is willing to spend 220 bucks on a battery, I don't see the logic in bagging on the manufacturer. It would make more sense to bag heavily on the dealer and take your business elsewhere, IMO.

 

That said, I am sorry you are not happy with your experience and hope it all works out for the best.

[JamesW]

Good luck with them Bob. Be careful with their service department. 4 years ago they were going through mechanics and service managers like a baby and diapers. I have never really figured out BMWWO. I have no experience with the Tigard store only Eugene. They had just started up in Eugene when I bought my '04RT and I called them and asked what they charge for the 600 mile service and they didn't really know exactly what to say. They said "maybe $600" and with that I began doing my own. About a year later I attempted to flush my brake system and got myself in trouble so I took the bike to them and they fixed me up for about $300. I learned how to flush brakes the right way after that. I wish BMW had never gone to the highly complex designs of today and had just stuck with the tried and simple airheads. I have an '81R100RT in perfect original condition with only 7K miles and if I had to choose between the 81 and the 04 the 04 would be history no question. Complexity for the sake of complexity doesn't get it. While you're at it check out Steve Prokop near you at Dundee (503)538-8120 for service. He does good work. I think he is mostly airhead but I'm not sure. I recommend him highly. A tour of his shop is worth the trip.

[Dave in Doodah]

More of a quick detour than a hijack (I hope)...

 

How can you have that nice airhead and NOT put miles on it? I have an '83 R100RT with 97K on it and I am suffering major separation anxiety as I prepare to sell it as part of the deal with my wife when I got the '03 this summer. I started the old bike up last night and she just purrs like a kitten. Can't wait to ride her again when I get the forks put back together. But I must say, not sure I could chose one over the other if I had to make the choice... Wait... Okay, I guess I AM making the choice. I just can't get over the performance of the new bike. It is still fairly simple, IMO, and I know I will still be able to do basically all the work on it myself. The ABS brakes are freakishly good. The handling is incomparable. It still has some of the character of the old airheads but, I must admit, there is something about the old airhead that is irreplaceable. I am sure I will have another one someday... when I get another garage built perhaps.

[JamesW]

More of a quick detour than a hijack (I hope)...

 

How can you have that nice airhead and NOT put miles on it? I have an '83 R100RT with 97K on it and I am suffering major separation anxiety as I prepare to sell it as part of the deal with my wife when I got the '03 this summer. I started the old bike up last night and she just purrs like a kitten. Can't wait to ride her again when I get the forks put back together. But I must say, not sure I could chose one over the other if I had to make the choice... Wait... Okay, I guess I AM making the choice. I just can't get over the performance of the new bike. It is still fairly simple, IMO, and I know I will still be able to do basically all the work on it myself. The ABS brakes are freakishly good. The handling is incomparable. It still has some of the character of the old airheads but, I must admit, there is something about the old airhead that is irreplaceable. I am sure I will have another one someday... when I get another garage built perhaps.

 

lol...lol...I know what you mean. I ride the old beast to the annual Fire Flight Rendezvous at Maupin, Oregon just to watch folks drool over it. Don't sell your beast! Take wife to dinner and buy flowers, anything, but keep your air headed beast!

[Dave in Doodah]

She's already made a counteroffer - replacing her '95 Tahoe with a new 645 Ci... It's mighty tempting!

[Chunky]

The quality of the service work and customer service of my local BMW dealer, Brown Motor Works in Pomona CA, is one of the big positives that influence my choice of a new motorcycle.

 

I have had four different brands serviced at their respective dealerships recently. Two of those dealerships are closer to me than the BMW dealership. One is owned by a neighbor. BMW service was still the best.

 

FWIW, I have owned a repair facility for european cars for 30+ years. The person who runs that business left a few years ago and was the service manager for a large motorcycle dealer (20+ persons in service department) before he returned 4 years ago. Another friend that worked there for 20 years is now the shop foreman for one of the largest european dealerships in SoCal. A friend is a service tech in a different BMW dealership.

 

I think it is key that you find a good dealership and do what you can to give them your business. I don't want to comment on the original post but the complaint about $220 for a battery seems unreasonable. I bet part of that price is sales tax and the labor probably is their shop minimum. Certainly you don't expect them to take a bike into service and process it without a minimum labor charge of .5 hour to 1 hour labor.

 

Normally I would agree with you about the minimum labor charge but remember this was my 4th visit for the same problem. They either warranty their work or they don't.

[Chunky]

Good luck with them Bob. Be careful with their service department. 4 years ago they were going through mechanics and service managers like a baby and diapers. I have never really figured out BMWWO. I have no experience with the Tigard store only Eugene. They had just started up in Eugene when I bought my '04RT and I called them and asked what they charge for the 600 mile service and they didn't really know exactly what to say. They said "maybe $600" and with that I began doing my own. About a year later I attempted to flush my brake system and got myself in trouble so I took the bike to them and they fixed me up for about $300. I learned how to flush brakes the right way after that. I wish BMW had never gone to the highly complex designs of today and had just stuck with the tried and simple airheads. I have an '81R100RT in perfect original condition with only 7K miles and if I had to choose between the 81 and the 04 the 04 would be history no question. Complexity for the sake of complexity doesn't get it. While you're at it check out Steve Prokop near you at Dundee (503)538-8120 for service. He does good work. I think he is mostly airhead but I'm not sure. I recommend him highly. A tour of his shop is worth the trip.

 

Steve worked on my bike when I first moved to Oregon. He's an excellant mechanic & certainly gets a thumb up from me.