When I first rode the bike, I really like the feel of it. The lack of fork dive on hard braking was new for me having ridden only Japanese bikes. The iABS brakes were really grabby at low speeds, and that took some getting used to. This is my first BMW and I am loving every minute of it. After riding it a bit I decided to start working on the necessary bits first. First things first, I had the 12k service done and discovered that BMW means "bring my wallet". I'll be doing most of my maintenance on my own. From that point forward, I changed the brake pads & bought new Michelin Pilot Road 4's. It now rides like a dream! I took the advice on these forums and cut the ties for the wires on the forks. I also covered some of the exposed wires using high temperature wire looms.
While I had the wheels off, I started working on the cosmetic stuff. I painted the swing arm and engine parts using Duplicolor engine paint. The exhaust headers received a nice black ceramic coating at a local place. I took the tank and panels off and had the dents fixed and the tank and panels, and headlight case repainted. I was inspired by the R nine T for the paint scheme on my Rockster. Anyway, here it is... I'll post some before pics as well. The only thing I'm sad about is that I finished all of this just as riding season is ending here in Texas.
