What do you think?

[AdrianS]

Bought my R1150R (2002 registered) in May 2007.
It came with a full BMW service history.
It had an inspection service ( big one) just before I had it when it had 21K miles.
It had an annual service in 2008 and all fluids were changed and the ABS fluid was changed and bled.

It now has 26,670 miles on the clock and I decided to carry out some maintenance myself to save some money.

I changed the engine oil, filter, gearbox and final drive oil. I also changed the plugs and air filter and decided to check the valve clearances.

The plugs were in poor condition and the plug casings were very rusty. The air cleaner was disgusting and heavily clogged up with debris.
The valve clearances were out but the worst thing I found was the rocker end floats were way out. I spent a couple of hours fiddling with the
end float and valve clearances to get them as close as possible to the specified figures.

When I finally started the bike up it was a different machine - so quiet compared to how it was before.

I am glad I carried out the maintenance but I wonder what the dealers had done in the bikes early life? I doubt the air filter had been changed looking at it.
I doubt the valve gear had been looked at - I believe once things are set at the first service they require mainly checking.

The dealer who carried out the work ( or supposedly carried out the work) is not local to me so I won't be going back there.

What do you think about my findings?

[towerworker]

Stuff happens. Some dealers are good and honest, others are not so. Happens in all facets of service whether it be a mechanic or plumber. We want to think our BMW shop and mechanic are always above board but they are just regular people like us.

The adage that says "If you want it done right---do it yourself" is so oft true. We are fortunate in that all the routine service to our R's is easily done by ourselves as long as we take our time and are not afraid of twisting a wrench. Plus there is a valuable resource available to you on this board. I find it relaxing and satisfying to do my own work. If I find myself trying to work on a system I'm not familiar with there are many good men here who will lend a hand (or at least a phone call).

Good luck!

Wayne

[CycleRob]

Really good BMW dealers have really good service techs. Near average or just OK talent and work ethic isn't tolerated. Every dealer is made or broken by the quality, precision and success of it's service dept. When it comes to service work, bad news travels much faster and much further than good news. If an impatient/irresponsible tech at dealer B checks off the box on work he/she has NOT performed, like not resetting the rockerarm end gaps or changing the air filter, it very likely will be tagged to sloppy dealer B when a pro does a future service. A bad reputation is then forged because most of dealer B's feedback has too many discrepancies and very few satisfied customers. Those sloppy dealers will be marked "thumbs down" with a red hot branding iron and many riders will "see" it and not forget.

When I turned to motorcycle service and repair as a career in 1994, I was politely criticized as being too slow. It was true. My job times slowly got quicker with repetition, special/better tools, refined methods and combined operations. Years of prior hands on experience, read/do/remember knowledge and understanding all the basics made diagnostics an easy game. Double or triple checking before job completion was the minimum. Even the tiniest insignificant error must not make it out the door. Fewer than 1% did. Our 4 digit advertising budget was fully transfered to lowering retail prices for our customers, who did all the advertising for us. Our Washington NJ shop was busy all year long. What does it say about the M/C industry when good business practices, just below retail pricing and quality work stands out as unusual? The most memorable compliment we are most proud of is when a customer who's part of a wild and somewhat lawless "group" confided to my business partner Ron: "Word is it's not cool to steal from you guys".

Talk to other riders. Ask around. When it's much more than just you with very good -or- really bad service work, add it all up. When the database is full, name the dealer. The good ones will be rewarded and prosper even in bad times and cold hard winters. The bad ones will not last even in good times and warm snowless winters.

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[boxermania]

Both towerworker an CycleRob make excellent points.....being a pragmatic, I'm going to share what I understand.

Reality #1 - Those that own a BMW (high priced bike) can afford to pay for expensive service.
Reality #2 - As a general rule those that pay to play don't have the time/inclination to validate what they received for their money.
Reality #3 - We have evolved to the point where technical knowledge and work ethic are hard to find.
Reality #4 - Product stewardship, as in warranty, is: A) Word in a document with unknown meaning, B) Lip service or C) Operator error, as the last resort.
Reality #5 - Oilheads are fairly sturdy engines and generally speaking very little will change after the first 6000 miles. A thorough service at this point, with few exceptions, will require minor changes for the design life of the bike.
Reality #6 - Oilhead engines are relatively easy to maintain, even if one has little or no mechanical inclination.
Reality #7 - Forums like this have the experience and knowledge base that will put to shame a large number of "Techs" that represent the brand......Ouch.......I can't believe I said that.

That's all folks.......

[TicTac50]

" like not resetting the rockerarm.

Where do I find the information how to do that resetting?
I think one time I did see the video somewhere about that.
Something to do with the gap and a torque plus 180 degree turn?
Will that help the noise, I hear sometimes, from my right cylinder at the idle speed?
Thanks.

[AdrianS]

TicTak 50

I don't know if adjusting the rocker end float will cure your noise but after adjusting the valve clearances and end float on my engine the engine was very much quieter. I think the end float adjustment was more relevant in making the engine quieter but I am sure someone on here will clarify if this is true.
It is not difficult to do - but it is fiddly. Look at the Adventure riders web site in the " Wisdom " section and there is detailed instructions on how to do it and a lot of other information for interest.
I was surprised that such small adjustments made so much difference to how quiet the engine ran.

[CycleRob]

Adjusting the rockerarm end float is not for novices! If the clearance is adjusted too tight or zero, the rocker will burn and fuse to it's carrier, holding TWO VALVES OPEN for the piston to HIT! Many times and HARD enough to bend them and dent the piston crown. Serious Platinum credit card repair costs will then follow.

You can check all 4 of them easily during the valve adjustment to ensure they are within tolerance. If any are out and you have some doubts about the what & how, then mention it to your qualified BMW servicing pro.

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