Cost of first 12K & annual.

[Dev]

Well got the bike over to the Dealer on Friday morning, and picked it up that evening. Have to say I was a little shocked with the cost of the plug in and service.

 

Looking at getting a Haynes/Clymer and doing the services myself from now on.

 

What'll I need? Here's a provisional list:

 

I have these;

1/4" and 3/8" socket sets for bolts

Screwdrivers for screws

Multimeter for testing looms, fuses, etc.

Knuckles for grazing

Coluorful language for the above occurence.

 

What I think I'll need:

Instructions, from Haynes or Clymer, NOT Ikea

Feeler Guages for valve clearences

Balancer unit for Fuel Injection

Torque wrench for putting the bits back together

Talky wench for oil stains in carpet

 

Anything amiss?

 

Dev.

[Les is more]

Hi Dev!

 

Another addition to your library should be the BMW repair CD you can pick one up for a good price at Motobins UK

 

Spider Monkey fingers also come in handy!

 

Don't forget to check out the M/C FAQs up in the header of this site.

[Blue Beemer Dude]

Well, Dev, you did omit a few key facts. Like the model of motorcycle that you are riding. You also forgot to mention how much you paid for the service (please convert into all major currencies for those of us not in the U.K.) so that we can laugh at your misfortune.

 

I would also suggest a set of allen wrenches (or hex key set, as they are also known) and a nice set of wrenches (spanners as you say over there) both open end and closed end. On my '04 RT those sneaky Germans put on a couple of Torx fasteners, so you may need some of them too.

 

On the BMW, many of the torque settings are quite low, so be sure to get a torque wrench that is good down to low numbers. I had to buy a second wrench to get the ranges that I need for all the car and bike stuff.

 

And a hammer. You never know when you just need to beat the hell out of something to persuade it off.

 

Good luck. HTH,

 

Michael

[Blue Beemer Dude]

Ahhhh... I see now (looking at your profile) that you also have an '04 RT (good choice ) and that you are a light house tec. We need to hear more about that.

 

Michael

[ShovelStrokeEd]

An assortment of Torx sockets and wrenches is probably a good idea, depending on the age of your bike. Also model year dependent is the need for a fancy funnel for brake bleeding. I have found multiple uses for a large kitchen type syringe, called a turkey baster in the USA, for inserting/removing fluids. Suck the old stuff out of the master cylinder on a brake bleed. Squirt the right amount of gear lube into the transmission and rear drive without spill. A small grease gun is a handy thing. Old panty hose make great strainers as well as bug removers. If you don't have a lift in your garage, make sure to invest in a set of knee pads, the garage floor can do cruel things to your kneecaps.

[Wooster]

Dev,

 

You list many good items, colorful language, knuckles for skinning; I'm most interested in the "talky wench for oil stains on carpet". Can you post part number ?

 

Somewhere in this site is the "BMW.com Official/Unofficial R bike Tech Daze Manual": I've stored this in my computer's documents section yet can't recall where I got it. This 18 page document talks you thru most of the common maintenance items. Also, another site (not half as nice as this) provides similar unofficial shop-like documents; this alternate site can be accessed via this site's links and is ibmwr.org.

 

Lastly, as ShovelStrokeEd recommends, getting physically comfortable will wrenching (or wenching) makes the task more, well, commodious. I use two foam kneeling pads obtained at gardener supply shop so when I move from one side of bike to other, a soft spot is waiting for me.

 

Good luck, O'Wooster

[Dev]

Thank's all for the info. Got to get me one of them there CD's

Doing out a list of tools to buy now.

With the type of mileage I do I'm looking at 5 services a year on the '04 RT.

 

With respect to Blue Beemer Dude, I'm not in the UK, all you Canadians make that mistake.

 

I don't have a Garage as such, but a 12x8 shed. I think it'll be either DRY or in my Parent's Garage I'll be doing my wrenching (definitely their Garage for anything major, they live 5Miles from my local dealer, I live 50!).

 

Actually looking forward to getting my hands dirty!

 

Dev.

[bmweerman]

Also need some kind of widget to drain the transmission oil without getting all over the manifold. Miss September works in a pinch, or you can make your own out of an old oil container.

 

Good decision on doing your own maintenance too!!

[Blue Beemer Dude]

With respect to Blue Beemer Dude, I'm not in the UK, all you Canadians make that mistake.

 

After extensive research, I now know that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but not Ireland.

 

My apologies.

 

You know how it is with us Canadians. If it ain't in this country, we are totally ignorant about it.

 

Michael

[Dev]

 

 

After extensive research, I now know that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but not Ireland.

 

My apologies.

 

You know how it is with us Canadians. If it ain't in this country, we are totally ignorant about it.

 

Michael

 

No worries Michael

 

Nice lights on the Avtar BTW.

Does anyone use their 'foglights' for general riding?

I tend to use them for filtering, and in the dark near my house (VERY narrow country lanes).

[Blue Beemer Dude]

Nice lights on the Avtar BTW.

Does anyone use their 'foglights' for general riding?

 

Thx. Yes, I use the fog lights all the time. My thinking is, the more visibility, the better. I also have the Kisan modulator on the high beams, but I've gotten to where I hardly use that anymore driving in town. No need to be upsetting the cage drivers any more than neccessary (they are already teeming with jealousy and envy as it is ). Plus sometimes when I follow people, they think I'm a LEO and pull over for me. One of these days someone is going to do it, get mad and shoot me. Remember, here in the US, everyone has a gun.

 

Michael

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Somewhere in this site is the "BMW.com Official/Unofficial R bike Tech Daze Manual": I've stored this in my computer's documents section yet can't recall where I got it. This 18 page document talks you thru most of the common maintenance items.

 

It's not actually hosted on BMWST; I've got it on my own website, here.