BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

All,

I recently purchased my first BMW bike, 2004 r1150r w/abs. The bike had approximately 5,600 miles when purchased a few weeks ago. I've been riding with no issues/complaints and I'm now getting close to 6K. My brother has a friend who is an aircraft mechanic and currently owns 4 BMW bikes. He offered to "show me the ropes" regarding maintenance and has all the necessary tools. I've purchased the maintenance manual, and have many of the tools needed and now I'm trying to decide if I should take the bike to the local dealer for the 6K service or take my brother's friend up on his offer.

My primary inclination is to work with the friend, save a little money, and learn a lot about working on the bike. However, I have not had the bike inspected by a BMW shop and I'm curious if there is an advantage to having it checked out. Not knowing the true level of expertise of the friend (I assume being an aircraft mechanic and an avid BMW owner he is likely very good/knowledgable) I worry about screwing something up. I guess a third option would be to do the work myself, but this is my least favorite as I believe experience is invaluable.

I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on the subject. Thank you kindly!

A qualified aircraft technician equipped with the right tools and manuals ought
to be able to cope with a twin cylinder push-rod engine. Are his bikes in good order?
The decision is yours.

I also have an '04 which I purchased used with a few thousand miles on it. I took it to the dealer for my 6K service, and though the guys were nice and seemed to be competent, they don't necessarily have time to go over in detail the kind of information you want about your new "baby". After getting a rather large bill and no noticeable difference in how it performed, I decided to start doing the maintenance myself and am ready now to do my 24,000 maintenance. Though I'm fairly mechanically inclined, I wouldn't say I have a real knack for mechanics. That is the beauty of the 1150r - its easy to work on and with all of the people on this board, you will either find previous posts about a problem/procedure or you can ask and people will point you in the right direction. This board is an incredible resource and people are always willing to help (caveat: make sure you search the previous posts before asking questions). Posts like Valve Adjustments for Dummies which I believe is in the maintenance section is spectacular and is a step by step guide to adjusting valves that even includes the most convenient methods and best type of tools to use.

Soooo, if it was my bike in hindsight, I'd think about using your mechnanic friend, but also research as much as you can what is required for a 6K service (you can download a service checklist from the internet) so you can be an active particpant in the service. You will gain confidence and can begin to do much of the service yourself. I feel like my bike is in better shape because I'm caring for her and by doing this you notice things about the bike that you might not notice if someone else is working on it. Other resources are the other boards like advrider.com and your local bmw club. A lot of those guys just love working on bikes or helping thinking through problems and can be a great resource. You can always decide to bring it in to a dealer if something major comes up that you are not willing to tackle yourself. Just my $.02. Good luck!

ccameron

Do it with your friend, aircraft mechanic with 4 BMW's......it's a no brainer and you'll have the opportunity to learn. Basic maintenance on the R259 is not dificult at all and within reach of most owners.

Thank you guys. I'm going to research the site to educate myself on all the tips/tricks and then take my brother's friend up on his offer. Hopefully with this approach I'll be savy enough to know if the guy really understands the bike or if he is just claiming to have expertise. Thank you again for your thoughts and suggestions!