RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to:
editor@bmwmoa.org
A Tale of Three Cities Recently my brother and I returned from an 8500 mile tour of the U.S. and Canada, traveling as far east as Nova Scotia from our homes near Lake Tahoe. We knew that both bikes would require
service and/or tires during the trip; how- ever, since the route was fairly fluid, and we were on different service schedules; we weren’t sure exactly where or when. I saw that the odometer on my ’07 RT had clicked to 48K miles while visiting Niagara Falls. I started looking for dealerships that would be open during the next couple of days and came across Budds’ Motorrad in Oakville, Ontario. They were even open on the Monday I called. John Parker, the Service Manager for the dealership was able to fit this traveler in that day and even managed to do an annual brake fluid flush along with the 48K service. While the actual BMW store is rather small, the service facility is large with very friendly service technicians doing the work. The store is attached to a Mini car dealership, so the service waiting area is in the showroom. The facility is superb with coffee/tea service, massage chairs and a shuttle driver that’ll drive you anywhere in town if you like. After returning to the USA, my brother needed a 12K service on his ’16 GTL. We had spent the night in Groton, Connecti- cut, so he called Max BMW in South Wind- sor. Kyle Scheidel, the Service Manager, happily scheduled the service for that day and also managed to replace the RT’s star- board side headlamp bulb that had just extinguished itself that morning. While getting closer to home, we got
caught in rush hour traffic in Denver on another Monday. As we were trying to get off the freeway, my brother’s GTL picked up a piece glass in the rear tire, causing it to deflate. He had it towed to Foothills BMW and left a phone message with the dealership explaining what happened. The next morning, David Mack, the
18 BMW OWNERS NEWS August 2016
Service Manager for Foothills, was able to replace the rear tire first thing and get us on the road very quickly. I just wanted to publicly pass along thanks to the people and dealerships involved and to make a special note to anyone traveling through those areas; these people will see to your needs.
David Allen #139753 Gardnerville, Nevada
MacGyver - Road fixes I would like to offer some advice on the MacGyver letter in last month’s Owners News. Mr. Rourke rightly pointed out that Lee Parks missed the mark on the reader’s question. If I may, I would like to outline my experience in this matter. I migrated to BMWs for their reliability
and continue to drive them for the same reason. They can be a little more expen- sive than other brands, but the quality and design, in my opinion, easily make up for that extra expense. I have only had boxers because of the ease of access to the major maintenance components of the motorcycle. I am not a mechanic and have no formal training as such, but I can- not afford to pay someone $130 per hour to work on my bike, so I had to learn how to fix it myself. I now regularly give small seminars on everything from fixing flats on the road to maintenance tasks. There are many sources of information on maintenance, tools and techniques for bike repairs, including the BMW Repair Manual, Haynes type manuals, the BMW MOA DIY forum, questions to the forum, and often the dealer. Often overlooked are the seminars at the MOA Rally, an invaluable source of training and informa- tion I have not found in any other organi- zation. I have used all of these and try to be careful and make sure I have all the parts and tools necessary for the job before I start. I believe that if you start off
doing your own maintenance and simple repairs you will eventually get a good sense for the bike, its components and where everything is. The more you do, the more you will want to do and the more knowledge on how to fix the bike you will have.
I also have a close group of riders who
like to gather at my shop to do mainte- nance, change tires and fix whatever else needs it. Not all of their bikes are BMWs. I learn a lot of good tips from this group, and it is good to see how other manufac- turers solve a particular design issue. On the road, I carry all the tools neces-
sary to do all the tasks I can comfortably do, plus some parts I may need along the way. In addition, I carry a selection of nuts and bolts, cap screws, wire, duct tape, metal epoxy and rescue tape. Most impor- tant is my small computer with the BMW Repair Manual loaded on it and GS911 soft- ware. In addition, I load all the BMW deal- ers on the GPS in case of a real emergency. For long trips, I may carry oil filters and oil, so I can do a service in a parking lot. In the end, there is no list of all the tips
and tricks that will solve all the emergency repairs you will encounter on the road. Take all the resources you can carry and know how to use. Good maintenance will reduce the chance of on-the-road break- downs, and if you do your own mainte- nance, you are more likely to see some things that may need attention outside of a conventional maintenance schedule.
David Nicholls #105258
I know MacGyver When I started read the MacGyver letter in the June issue, it came to mind that I knew the answer: He lives in Colorado and his name is Matthew Parkhouse!
James
St.Clair #6869 Zimmerman, Minnesota
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