Just bought A Beemer

[Suzukian]

It's good to know good shops, and visit them too. I have purchased accessories from shops like this just to patronize them.

[trevor]

It's always about relationships in all walks of life. I have forged many good relationships. I have a very good relationship with the owners and employees of Suzuki and BMW dealers that I deal with....I feel I get treated very well..for example I get loaner bikes when ever my bikes are in for service, priority bookings, accessory discounts etc. I also help promote their businesses....in the last 3 weeks I have sent two friends two buy bikes from my Suzuki dealership and there has been many more.....it's a two way street, I find.

[GS1150Pilot]

I think I'm done with any dealerships for the foreseeable future. I bought the BMW from a private seller and it is a total gem. I do my own maintenance on my bikes and have independent Harley and BMW shops for things that transcend my abilities/patience. My father worked for Porsche for twenty years before opening his own shop, which found him (and his customers) much happier. I always prefer the independent shops as a result.

[Rob S.]

It's always about relationships in all walks of life.

Right. It's the people. A good guy could be at a dealer or private, though a dealer might not have final say.

My guy is the owner/operator. He has a good reputation. His specialty is turbocharging Hayabusas, though one of his earlier projects ('77 KZ1000 turbo) is also on display.

The only other person I've ever seen working there is 'Bob,' who used to own an 11EZ. They own a dynomometer. Their work is impeccable. I'll mention the shop name in a moment (a 'senior' moment ).

His name is Davis. The shop is Powerhouse Motorcycles in West Babylon, New York. They work on sportbikes. The only thing he would do for my Sportster was slap an inspection sticker on it.

[Brendan W]

Just replaced the clutch cable on the R1100R. It broke miles from home in bumper to bumper traffic.
Kicking a big twin into gear is not like a wet clutch multi and then had to figure out how to get home without stopping
Got a replacement made by Venhil. I looks very good.
I made the mistake of thinking that a '97 bike was new compared to an '80 850G.
Another newb error to add to my impressive list.

[Suzukian]

I'd take your 85 R100RT any day of the week.

[Brendan W]

Update on the R1100R.
A screeching fuel pump is not necessarily a blocked filter. It could be that the last replacement, with the date and mileage scratched on the filter, included not tightening the Oetiker hose clips.
The throttle cable might look okay but someone could have replaced the nipple at the top end resulting in a shortened cable and that's why the throttle position sensor was rotated fully against the stop and the air bypass screws wound fully in to keep the idle speed down.
A forty year old mercury carbtune is not guaranteed to tell the truth.
The shocks might be brand new but that doesn't mean they were set up right. Maybe someone installed them out of the box and just wound the damping up fully to hide the fact that they had little or no preload.
Guilty on all counts of assuming that because it was a much newer bike things would be okay.

[srsupertrap]

Great score Mason! Wishing miles of smiles.

I agree with Eli69.

[GS1150Pilot]

Great score Mason! Wishing miles of smiles.

I agree with Eli69.

You're gonna laugh: I gave the R1100R to my brother and am now eyeing a K1200 to replace the Harley.

[srsupertrap]

You're gonna laugh: I gave the R1100R to my brother and am now eyeing a K1200 to replace the Harley.

No laughing. A friend at work bought a 2003 K1200 RS with a ABS indicator light on. He shared BMW has discontinued the ABS units which are super $$$. I guess that explains the Craigslist ads I see occasionally with a cover over a BMW ABS light indicator?

I have noticed all the K1200RS, K1200GT, R1150RT & R1200RT have dropped into the $3-6K range.

[GS1150Pilot]

Yep, I'm finding nice ones for $3500-4500. I am, however, holding on to sanity by also looking at FJRs and ST1300s.

[trevor]

Yep, I'm finding nice ones for $3500-4500. I am, however, holding on to sanity by also looking at FJRs and ST1300s.

I like the looks of the fjr better but I think it’s hard to beat the st1300. Love my st1100