Service SHOCK

[kinchy]

I won't mention the dealer, they have always been reliable and professional from a customer service perspective. Since they pick up and deliver (at no charge)during the winter I arranged for them to handle the 24K service. The quote to do so was $785 plus tax. I stumbled to the phone to call and verify that it might have been a key stroke error. It wasn't. I guess in the future I'll remove the plastic, change the fluids and plugs before they take in for service. $785 is ridiculous and I'm a moron to pay it but that's it. It's time to consider other options as much as I luv the RT. Can others chime in relevant to the 24K service cost? Is that number consistent with what your respective dealers charge?

Thanks

Wayne

[BFish]

the 24 includes fuel filter change i believe which takes a little time. you hit the nail on the head...remove plastic, change oil, tranny, fd and do your own air filter at a minimum. you'll have lower costs on some parts and no labor. if you can knock off an hour or two of labor plus parts the savings would be substantial.

[johnlt]

Seems a little high to me but not too far off for that major service. An alternative would be to find a reasonably local "tech day" on this board and do it yourself with help from others that have experience. Once you've done it yourself once, it is easy to maintain the bike from a normal service perspective.

[tallman]

They picked up and delivered your bike, door to door, correct?

Then they did a major service, correct?

How far are you from the dealership?

At real costs of well over $1/mile for pick up and drop off, it may not be out of line.

 

No offense, but before scheduling service is the time to talk about costs.

Do you go into a restaurant, one with a good reputation, and sit down and order w/out looking at menu?

Best wishes.

[hopz]

Seems to me that a major service ought to be done for neighborhood of $200. You buy the filters and fluids and such and do it yourself. Let the dealer do the brake flush and code read.

 

If you are not the type to do that work, then their price is part of the cost of ownership and you may be correct in questioning the cost. Not the truth of the cost but whether you want to pay for the proper maintenance.

[JerryMather]

As a reference, I paid over a $1,000.00 for my first and only service on my Ducati 996 when I first got it way back when. I did add on a few extras at the time that drove up the total price but the base service cost was right in line with what you were charged and I didn't get door to door service like you did.

 

As stated before, buy/read a service manual and next time, maybe start up a tech day with a few buddies in your area.

[philbytx]

Wayne,

If you have the time and the inclination, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars per year by servicing your own bike. It's not that difficult if you are handy with a wrench and this board is a wonderful resource should you have any questions

[keithb]

I cannot think of a better testimonial for attending a TECH DAY. Sorry for the shock and awe of it all.

[R80RTKen]

750 ish is what I paid last summer..

[Woodie]

Spring tech daze coming up in the northeast. (CT or NY, most likely).

[kinchy]

Woodie,

Can you reach out to me when you're aware of the details (location/time) for the CT/NY/NJ tech day

THX

[AZKomet]

They picked up and delivered your bike, door to door, correct?

Then they did a major service, correct?

How far are you from the dealership?

At real costs of well over $1/mile for pick up and drop off, it may not be out of line.

 

No offense, but before scheduling service is the time to talk about costs.

Do you go into a restaurant, one with a good reputation, and sit down and order w/out looking at menu?

Best wishes.

 

My 600 mile for the GSA was discussed prior to taking it in. When the pick up was done it was over $200.00 above the actual quote. I was told that costs rose but they "forgot" to tell me. I in turn simply "forgot" to write the check for that amount.

 

I too was appalled at the costs. It is outrageous no matter what anyone says. My 30K Honda Ridgeline service was $199.00. + tax and a $2.50 shop fee.

 

What was done?

 

Syn oil

air/fuel filters

tire rotation

new wipers

tranny change

rear diff change

coolant change

49 point inspection

 

Something is rotten about the cost of a BMW service charge. I will do my best to avoid it if at all possible. I don't mind paying $$ for an item that has value. This is over the top in my opinion. They keep screwing around and Japanese bikes here I come.

 

 

[BarOne]

Where and when, Woodie?

[rwbloch]

Let me chime in with some Ducati experience. I have limited mechanical skills and no confidence, but I signed up for a two day maintenance course on my style bike (two valve) offered by BCM Ducati. It was extremely valuable in increasing my knowledge of how to find my way around the bike and my understanding of what all the service/repairs entail. I do more myself now but I still won't adjust my valves. I am proud to say I even removed my seat (and put it back on correctly) which on the Multistrada is a complicated job.

 

If such a program is offered by your local dealer I recommend you do it. I will certainly try to find something like that in New England with my new BMW.

 

RB

[peterbulgar]

Short answer - the cost is consistent with what other BMW dealers charge for a 24k service, at least on the coasts - dealers in the middle of the country may charge slightly less.

 

I felt the same way after my first 24k. My response was to write a letter to Motorcycle Consumer News in which I praised that magazine for including service costs in their road tests. I also questioned whether manufacturers give any consideration at all to the servicability of the products they create - apparently not much.

 

I've worked on my bikes in the past, but I'd rather have the dealer do all the work on this bike, rather than doing half the work myself and then taking it in for the things that I'm not equiped to do, such as fault code reads and ABS flush.

 

For my next bike (and my next car) I will investigate the costs for scheduled service more carefully. I may still go with another BMW, but at least I'll know what I'm getting into.

Peter '73 R75/5, '04 R1150RA

 

 

 

 

 

[Woodie]

NE Spring TechDaze is in April or May. Watch the Events forum for a posting. Past hosts have included Samsar, TomP, and FasterPill.

 

I'm hoping Samsar will put on another of his fantastic ones this spring, to help us as we prepare to host UN VIII in August.

[Dave in Doodah]

I do more myself now but I still won't adjust my valves.

RB

 

I have never owned a Ducati, but I imagine those Desmo valvetrains are a handful - even the 2-valve ones. I hope to someday have that problem!

[T__]

Dave, the 2 valve Ducs are not that bad & the 4 valvers are slightly more of a pain..

 

Time consuming? Yes.. Difficult? No..

 

Not rocket science by any means & if a person can read & understand the procedure (not difficult once you have been into one to touchy/feely the parts & see what does what..

 

Plus,, much like the BMW once the initial break-in is done they don’t seem to move much.. This winter service I only had to change one intake & one exhaust on mine..

 

The hardest part is getting access to the valves with enough line of sight & hand clearance to work in there without dropping anything or making a mistake..

 

It is much easier if the cam drive belts are removed so the time to do the valve setting check is at belt replacement time..

 

Probably the most difficult is some of the newer hipo 4 valvers that require setting the cam belt tension using a frequency measuring (plucking frequency) device as you just can’t simply set the belt tension using an allen wrench or twisting on the belt..

 

Twisty

 

[Fugu]

24k includes brake flush, too, doesn't it? That takes a little time, too.

 

 

Where did people get the idea that mechanic's labor is somehow worth less than their own time?

 

If you can not do your own work for whatever reason, and can not learn to do it for whatever reason, you really should value those who have expended the effort to do what you yourself can not. Sadly, it seems to be the prevailing attitude (with notable exceptions here) that it's a hard skill to learn when faced with it yourself, but it must have been really easy for the mechanic to get good at, so his labor and skill is not worth whatever he's charging.

 

I don't get it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[russell_bynum]

24k includes brake flush, too, doesn't it? That takes a little time, too.

 

 

Where did people get the idea that mechanic's labor is somehow worth less than their own time?

 

If you can not do your own work for whatever reason, and can not learn to do it for whatever reason, you really should value those who have expended the effort to do what you yourself can not. Sadly, it seems to be the prevailing attitude (with notable exceptions here) that it's a hard skill to learn when faced with it yourself, but it must have been really easy for the mechanic to get good at, so his labor and skill is not worth whatever he's charging.

 

I don't get it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand what you're saying and I totally agree. But...I think what shocks people so much is when they compare the cost of service for their BMW motorcycle with what they pay for their cars.

 

Of course...if they had BMW cars, then they'd think that BMW motorcycle service was a bargain.

 

Bottom line...the price is what it is. If you didn't get a quote beforehand, it's your own fault. If you got a quote and aren't willing to pay that much, then find an independent shop or do the work yourself.

 

Personally...$700 for a 24K service including pickup and delivery sounds completely reasonable to me, assuming they do good work. I'm assuming they're doing fuel filter and brake flush while they're in there...all of that takes time. Add in the time/cost/liability of doing the pickup and delivery and $700 sounds fine to me.

 

I wouldn't pay it...I'm way too cheap and I kind of enjoy doing my own maintenance, but if I decided I didn't want to bother, that price sounds fair for the amount of time/work involved.

 

 

[smiller]

$785 is ridiculous and I'm a moron to pay it but that's it.

I love it when the answer appears so early in the thread.

 

Seriously, I'm not sure that it's ridiculous (if that's what the dealer needs to eek out a profit) or that you're a moron to pay it (if you can't/won't do the work yourself then you haven't much of a choice.) As with all motor vehicles you can either learn to do the maintenance work yourself, pay someone else to do it, or don't own it. Those are the only options and you have simply chosen one of them. You might want to take a closer look at option one though.

 

 

[Fugu]

I think what shocks people so much is when they compare the cost of service for their BMW motorcycle with what they pay for their cars.

 

Would anyone let Jiffy Lube or a dealer quick lube do their oilhead valves or their brake work?

 

I don't personally think dumping fluids and swapping a few filters is the same type of work as brake system servicing and valve adjusting on a motorcycle. The labor rate at a Jiffy Lube is accordingly much lower than what a bike mechanic deserves. If Jiffy Lube wanted to charge me $500 I'd laugh right out the door.

 

Perhaps somebody who doesn't like service prices would like to open a huge dealership, large enough that they could have a quick lane with less expensive mechanics to do routine fluid changes for lower cost, and save the masters for the important stuff.

 

I also see where everyone says "I don't want to pay their rate to remove tupperware" - well obviously - then don't... But first, maybe search on the topic- lots of people manage to screw up that 'simple' task. Stripped inserts, etc.

 

If you screw it up that's one thing, but if the dealer screws it up- you want it fixed back to perfect, right?

 

Don't forget our friend liability. With the number of riders on this board reporting 0 speed drops, I'd think that topic would be pretty simple to grasp. They drop your bike they're working for free all day to fix it. That's not a value judgment- I'd want my bike fixed, too - but they have to factor it in.

 

 

 

 

 

[Boone60]

Nick's in DePere, WI is holding a service training day this Sat the 10th from 12 to 2. This weekend is oilheads, coming weekends other models.

[Dave in Doodah]

Dave, the 2 valve Ducs are not that bad & the 4 valvers are slightly more of a pain..

 

Time consuming? Yes.. Difficult? No..

 

Not rocket science by any means & if a person can read & understand the procedure (not difficult once you have been into one to touchy/feely the parts & see what does what..

 

Plus,, much like the BMW once the initial break-in is done they don’t seem to move much.. This winter service I only had to change one intake & one exhaust on mine..

 

The hardest part is getting access to the valves with enough line of sight & hand clearance to work in there without dropping anything or making a mistake..

 

It is much easier if the cam drive belts are removed so the time to do the valve setting check is at belt replacement time..

 

Probably the most difficult is some of the newer hipo 4 valvers that require setting the cam belt tension using a frequency measuring (plucking frequency) device as you just can’t simply set the belt tension using an allen wrench or twisting on the belt..

 

Twisty

 

Thanks much for the info, Twisty, and sorry for the hijack. I hope to ride a Monster someday and maybe make room for one in the garage...

[philbytx]

 

I have a BMW car and have only ever taken it in for one service !

Now I do it all myself !!

[RPG]

about the only thing I wouldn't attempt to do on my RT is to rebuild the FD, should it ever fail. And that's just because I don't have the specific pullers, etc.

 

Everything else (including all maintenance) is easily within reach of the average wrench. Once you get the plastic off, it's just a big Boxer motor.

 

Save your money, get to know your bike better and ride with a sense of pride that you're responsible for the way it runs.

 

RPG

[boatzo]

Do you go into a restaurant, one with a good reputation, and sit down and order w/out looking at menu?

Best wishes.

 

Every time I go to Hooters !!!

[AZKomet]

24k includes brake flush, too, doesn't it? That takes a little time, too.

 

 

Where did people get the idea that mechanic's labor is somehow worth less than their own time?

 

If you can not do your own work for whatever reason, and can not learn to do it for whatever reason, you really should value those who have expended the effort to do what you yourself can not. Sadly, it seems to be the prevailing attitude (with notable exceptions here) that it's a hard skill to learn when faced with it yourself, but it must have been really easy for the mechanic to get good at, so his labor and skill is not worth whatever he's charging.

 

I don't get it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand what you're saying and I totally agree. But...I think what shocks people so much is when they compare the cost of service for their BMW motorcycle with what they pay for their cars.

 

Of course...if they had BMW cars, then they'd think that BMW motorcycle service was a bargain.

 

Bottom line...the price is what it is. If you didn't get a quote beforehand, it's your own fault. If you got a quote and aren't willing to pay that much, then find an independent shop or do the work yourself.

 

Personally...$700 for a 24K service including pickup and delivery sounds completely reasonable to me, assuming they do good work. I'm assuming they're doing fuel filter and brake flush while they're in there...all of that takes time. Add in the time/cost/liability of doing the pickup and delivery and $700 sounds fine to me.

 

I wouldn't pay it...I'm way too cheap and I kind of enjoy doing my own maintenance, but if I decided I didn't want to bother, that price sounds fair for the amount of time/work involved.

 

 

So what justifies a $55.00 oil change on a bike and only $20.00 on a car? What about the filters for a RT (or others) that are 20.00 when a car filter can be had for $4.00?

 

And a coolant change for a car is more time intensive on a bike than a car? Have you seen a plug change on some of these cars lately? They can be time intensive and ugly!!!!! Not gonna buy it Russell.

 

My 325i service/ oil change does not come even close to 700.00 @ a BMW dealer.

[wellcraft]

i've had the 600, 6k, 12k, 18k, and 24k and all of them except one cost less than 200 bucks, the one that was over 200 bucks was 400 but i had additional work done besides the 24K SVC. 700-800 bucks for a service is too much based on what i've paid in the past. i've always got my services done at desimone motorsports in NJ.

[upflying]

I consider myself mechanically handy and normally enjoy doing my own service and repair to my vehicles. I do so not to save money but to stay active, remain busy and feel productive. Working on mechanical things makes me feel good and relieves stress.

There are occasions however when I don't feel like working on them. In that case, I choose to pay someone else to do the work for me.

Don't know about other states but in ca. the cost of the work must be disclosed up front before work begins. Labor around the SF Bay Area is now over $100/hr. $700 for a 24/k service for a relatively rare motorcycle (1% of registered motorcycles) seems fair to me. Pay to play I suppose.

[smiller]

So what justifies a $55.00 oil change on a bike and only $20.00 on a car? What about the filters for a RT (or others) that are 20.00 when a car filter can be had for $4.00?

Some of it is, err, 'boutique' pricing to be sure (motorcycles seem to be like boats where you can take an essentially identical product, package it in white and call it 'marine' quality, and then charge 50% more.) But... it's also a fact that there's what... maybe 1 BMW motorcycle to every 1,000 BMW cars? Those quantities do make a difference in parts and service costs.

 

 

[Paul Mihalka]

One big difference may be that a car dealer or shop (forget the likes of Jiffy-Lube) has so much volume that it can have a novice young man just doing oil changes and may be very minor maintenance. At the BMW motorcycle dealer the volume is so low (lower than most Japanese bike dealers) that oil changes (and tire changes) are done by the same technician who will rebuild your motor if needed, at $80 to $100 an hour.

[tallman]

Paul,

another factor is the intervals for service.

A previous post mentioned MCN and published data on maintenance costs.

Frequently I note that when looking at the cost of maintenance, based on their figures, over a long interval such as 36,000 miles.\, the BMW costs are lower.

Comparing cars and motorcycles isn't apples to apples.

Look at the cost of tires for example.

I paid $400 dollars for a pair (one?) of trifocal glasses.

Certainly not $400 worth of parts involved.

Is it cheaper to do your own, ususally.

Go ahead.

If you choose to have dealer do it, there should be a pretty good estimate for routine service intervals available at that shop.

I know there is at ours.

Extras are extras.

 

I do dispute any generalizations about BMW dealers and costs.

Incidents seem to be related to certain places and at others, few and far between.

Dave, if your estimate is off significantly from final bill w/no extras, a polite inquiry should remedy that.

It would here.

But, that incident doesn't address all service experiences at all shops.

Best wishes.

[kinchy]

Thanks AZ,

It is what it is. As a few have have suggested; learn how or shut up. I'm not losing sleep over the $785. I simply wanted a sanity check. The other dealer in CT would probably be more. $19 for a quart of Spectro syn oil is greedy. I've done the fluids/removed the plastic and changed the plugs. Probably an hour and a half all together. Perhaps the fuel filter change and brake fluid flush is time consuming? They said the labor is 6 hours.

I'll learn how to do the TB and valve adjustments and minimize the damage next time.

W

[GordonB]

Thanks AZ,

Perhaps the fuel filter change and brake fluid flush is time consuming? They said the labor is 6 hours.

W

 

The fuel filter and brake (EVO) flush are the big labor items, and not req'd on each major svc, without 'em your bill would have been in the $400 range, to keep some perspective.

[John in VA]

The fuel filter and brake (EVO) flush are the big labor items, and not req'd on each major svc, without 'em your bill would have been in the $400 range, to keep some perspective. [/quote"]

 

You're right, EVO flush isn't a 10-minute job if done right. The 24k service costs what it costs.

 

Also, we can't compare the costs (or wastes) of personal time and materials of devoting all of a Saturday afternoon doing greasy diy stuff with a dealer's door-to-door bike pickup and delivery red-carpet service by skilled, trained mechanics while the owner sips beer on the back deck (or whatever we want to do). That's real perspective. Some like the diy (I do, for many things), some don't and if you don't you gotta pay. I installed Ohlins myself, but I'd never try a brake flush.

 

I changed 4 brake pads on my '00 323i for $100 in parts in 90 minutes. The dealer wanted over $500 and my favorite independent BMW shop wanted almost $300. But I'd never try to do something like flush the complex brake system myself.

[keithb]

"But I'd never try to do something like flush the complex brake system myself."

 

This procedure is not hard just a methodical process and anybody can do with some help/instruction along the way. I just did my 05 RT 2 weekends ago with the help of a friend and it was no big deal. The biggest part of the procedure is pulling off all of the dang plastic. Attend a tech day and you can do this procedure for less than $10 which is the cost of the brake fluid vs. $400 at the dealer.

 

[Rich06FJR1300]

with prices like this and they wonder why sales are dropping (or that they only have 1% of the market?) Its getting to be that only the 100% totally loyal bmw owners are going to stick with this brand (and all the yuppies that can part with 800 dollars to do a service).

[Dave in Doodah]

People have complained of dealer service costs since I can remember... originally it was just imports, now it's everyone... for all types of vehicles - 2 or 4 wheels. And I, for one, am happy for the perceived high cost of dealer services - that's how I got such a good deal on my preowned R1150RT!

[Fugu]

Its getting to be that only the 100% totally loyal bmw owners are going to stick with this brand (and all the yuppies that can part with 800 dollars to do a service).

... and anyone with a set of wrenches and a little bit of gumption.

 

[gmarktbone]

The quote I got last summer was 800, and it didn't include the fuel filter. BMW dealerships throughout the land are making mechanics of us all. I did most of the service, and found a great guy in town to do the brake fluid/fuel filter and saved a ton. I hope to never have to use a dealership for service. They have priced themselves out of my market.

[bootzilla]

As a few have have suggested; learn how or shut up.

 

I wouldn't look at it that way, though - it's more like learn how and save money, or learn how and know what has been done to your bike...that perspective is way better motivation to jump in and get your hands dirty.

 

Sometimes I work on my vehicles for fun, sometimes because I don't want to wait on someone else, and sometimes just because I am cheap - but you always get a feeling of satisfaction when you're done. Best part is, if something goes wrong on the road, you have a much higher chance of figuring it out and getting yourself going again...big bonus for those extended trips.

 

In the end, it is all just nuts, bolts and things that plug into one another

[boatzo]

As a few have have suggested; learn how or shut up.

 

I wouldn't look at it that way, though - it's more like learn how and save money, or learn how and know what has been done to your bike...that perspective is way better motivation to jump in and get your hands dirty.

 

Sometimes I work on my vehicles for fun, sometimes because I don't want to wait on someone else, and sometimes just because I am cheap - but you always get a feeling of satisfaction when you're done. Best part is, if something goes wrong on the road, you have a much higher chance of figuring it out and getting yourself going again...big bonus for those extended trips.

 

In the end, it is all just nuts, bolts and things that plug into one another

 

This is a very good point. Back in the day (hate that term), we all used to do most of the work on our cars and bikes. I used to have my saddle bags full of tools and spare parts on my 70 Harley and worked on it many times on the road side. Today, it seems the shade tree mechanic is a thing of the past (albeit, my grand children say that about me). We didn't have onboard computers, canbusses, and the like. It was mostly all nuts and bolts. I rarely even open the hood on my cars anymore. I do most things on my RT but when it comes to the motronic, and the ABS system, I feel lost and rely on the dealer because they have the equipment to plug in. And, my 99rt is much simpler than the 1200 hex heads. Don't know what I'd do with one of those?

 

We need the dealers and will have to pay the price for some of the work and try to do the best we can by doing things ourselves as far as we can go.

[mikeR1100R]

Routine vehicle maintenance is definitely something that requires some planning in order to get it done properly and to minimize the cost.

I have so far done all my maintenance on my "98 R except for tire changes, thanks to Tech Daze and a modest amount of mechanical ability.

However, the value of one's time also must be taken into consideration. There are car/bike maintenance procedures that I might not do simply because I my have other things going on that prefer to spend my valuable time on. Ergo, some stuff gets hired out. The timing belt on my VW Turbo Beetle comes to mind. I do the research, choose a shop and pay their price.

My personal preference is to do all the routine bike maintenance at Tech Daze. It is fun, a great social occasion, and there are a lot of really smart, experienced people there to help and teach.

Mike

[GordonB]

Blah Blah Blah, Post Post Post, Rant Rant Rant;

It isn't JUST BMW motorcycles that have expensive dlr svc. ALL mechanics, Auto, Motosport, Dealer, or good private mechanics charge an avg of $80 bucks an hour. Having the fuel filter on a Honda Accord changed will run you $300, a major svc (per schedule) $500 plus. You choose to do the work or pay to have it done. Get an estimate or don't. We choose to ride an expensive bike. And I think most of us are beyond "Yuppy".

[tallman]

Well said.

In a recent MCN comparison between the Buell Ulyses, KTM, and GS, the GS had the lower cost for maint., esp. when calculated over a long bike life.

MCN found this to be true for a 75,000 mile comparo w/LT, Gold Wing, and HD bagger. Cost of purchae, all scheduled maint. resale.

#1 BMW #2 Honda #3 HD

 

MCN is in the process of revamping their criteria for maintenance costs (such as battery w/main. free being prevalent).

I'm suggesting the also show total for XXXXX miles as schedules vary. A bike that is $300 every 3,000 miles is more expensive than a bike that is $500 every 6,000 miles.

[keithb]

"Sometimes I work on my vehicles for fun, sometimes because I don't want to wait on someone else, and sometimes just because I am frugal - but you always get a feeling of satisfaction when you're done. Best part is, if something goes wrong on the road, you have a much higher chance of figuring it out and getting yourself going again...big bonus for those extended trips. In the end, it is all just nuts, bolts and things that plug into one another."

 

The above statement pretty much sums me up. Heck, I worked on a friends 05 Concours for 3.5 hrs. on Saturday and I felt great aftering helping him out.

 

P.S. I have to agree with GordonB. Have you been to a car dealership lately to have service done? The Toyota dealer down the street was charging $95/hour last year when I had the A/C repaired. 5 years ago it was $80-$90/hr. at the Dodge dealership. Let's face it folks service is expensive anywhere you go nowadays.

 

[DaveTheAffable]

I paid $400 dollars for a pair (one?) of trifocal glasses.

Certainly not $400 worth of parts involved.

Is it cheaper to do your own, ususally.

 

Woohoo! Tech day for trifocals at Tallmans! If Florida wasn't so far, I'd be IN!

 

 

[Woodie]

My personal preference is to do all the routine bike maintenance at Tech Daze. It is fun, a great social occasion, and there are a lot of really smart, experienced people there to help and teach.

Mike

 

You are now one of THEM!

 

[AZKomet]

Well said.

In a recent MCN comparison between the Buell Ulyses, KTM, and GS, the GS had the lower cost for maint., esp. when calculated over a long bike life.

MCN found this to be true for a 75,000 mile comparo w/LT, Gold Wing, and HD bagger. Cost of purchae, all scheduled maint. resale.

#1 BMW #2 Honda #3 HD

 

MCN is in the process of revamping their criteria for maintenance costs (such as battery w/main. free being prevalent).

I'm suggesting the also show total for XXXXX miles as schedules vary. A bike that is $300 every 3,000 miles is more expensive than a bike that is $500 every 6,000 miles.

 

Why have a bike that needs service at those all too frequent intervals at all? Does it have to do with keeping dealers afloat? Getting back to my FJR days...a coolant change/brake fluid change every 36k or 3 yrs and a valve check @ 28000 km. Yes, it can be done (and has been by the japanese). This whole annual service thing is BS....as well is the 6k service non-sense.

When I get done with the GSA I'm not sure another BMW is in the cards. That Concours is appealing to me at this point.