Hi guys! after years of convince to my wife, I just purchased a 02 blue R1150R TODAY! YEAH! she still not happy but it's always easiler ask forgiveness rather than permission.
I have not ride ANY bike since out of college. that's like almost 20 years... the last bike I had is GPZ 400 back to late 80's early 90's... I just miss that feeling so much but with marriage, kids and house mortgage, it is not easy to go back on the road - alone. Ha Ha
The bike wont be here till 2 weeks later. it has 15k miles on it. one owner well maintenance and totally stock. Own couple BMW cars but never a bike. my questions is - what do I expect the maintenance from this kind mileage? any potential problems at this mileage?
Thanks for your input.
Eddie
Last edited by EddieRR on Thu Apr 27, 2006 11:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Congratulations on the purchase! I have an 03 with 20k miles on it with no trouble whatsoever. (bought new) I have done all the required maintenance myself with no difficulty. There's not that much to it really.
If you don't mind tinkering yourself, find a good service manual and you will be well prepared. You will find all the help you need on this board.
Welcome!
Thanks guys! yes, I love working under cars. I can do some basic maintenance like change oil, brakes, suspension...etc. but I know nothing about engine. I'll find myself a good maintenance book and parts CD, that's great suggestion. any recommend online store/dealer to mail order parts?
Since I am waiting for truck deliver my new toy, I made a wallpaper for me to staring at until it arrive. I couldn't fine a hi-res image so image is slightly rough...
It still strikes me when I walk past my Piedemont Red 02 in the garage. 38k miles on her (26 thousand of them of them mine). There has yet to be another bike I would consider owning instead of the Roadster.
Put on the bags and windshield its a tourer. Pull them off, and in 2 minutes you've got a naked hooligan bike!! Cold? Flip on the heated grips. Still cold ? Plug your electric vest into its 12 volt outlet. Heck, hook up the socks, chaps, radar detector, phone charger, and coffee grinder while you're at it!! That automotive alternator puts out more than enough amps.
Welcome to the board EddieRR. You've quite possibly stumbled onto the last motorcycle you'll ever need.
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence" - Napoleon Bonaparte
Maintenance. 15k is low for a four or five year old bike. I would suggest having the brake fluid changed, oil changed, valves adjusted, throttle bodies balanced and have the cables adjusted.
If you can work on car brakes, you can do almost anything to the Roadster. The oilhead motor is a great engine for home mainenance. Learn how to adjust the valves and give it a try. It is a rewarding experience.
Finally, I have a suggestion. Because you haven't ridden in a while go out and sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course. It will help you a lot even if you rode a lot in the past. It will also make your wife happy.
Have fun.
Regards,
Jeff
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
EddieRR, congratulations on the bike and welcome! You've made a great choice and I know you will enjoy your bike for years to come. As for maintenance, there shouldn't be much really, if the previous owner took care of it. In fact, it won't need the next scheduled service until 3,000 miles have rolled by with its new owner at the helm.
new2BMW wrote:
Finally, I have a suggestion. Because you haven't ridden in a while go out and sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course. It will help you a lot even if you rode a lot in the past. It will also make your wife happy.
Eddie, you will love this bike and if your wife rides with you for some wonderful lunches and overnight stays at romantic locations, she will learn to love the bike as well. Make sure you work at this as it really pays off!
I just got the same bike man and love it! May be the last bike i ever get.
Congrats!
One suggestion...i hadn't ridden since my 20's, then got the fever again in my 40's...i'm glad it wasn't THIS bike first...it was another, but point is...
i dropped the bike about 6-7 times before i got used to it...everyone knows what i mean...when you're new, you don't quite have the balance right when you come to a stop or coming to a stop, and you'll drop it...it's so embarassing...but you don't want to learn this with your new Atlanta Blue baby. I know, I wouldn't have believed it...i'm very coordinated and balanced, but it STILL happened to me. So be careful...got another bike you can practice on? BTW, it usually tips and falls over to the left.
Thanks Albert, you just destroy my confidence...
I was about to get a old CB750 first but I just can't justify pay 3k for a 10 years old bike. I had ridden bike for straight 5 years in college, rain or shine. I was so confident I can handle the R and not drop it.... now I'm really worry about it... I have sign on the safety course but it will not start before R arrive... hopefully I don't drop it until then...hee hee
Got a stupid newbie question. how can I tell if I have ABS or not?
I'm looking for helmet right now. what is best color to go with Atlanta Blue baby?
I know what you're going through Eddie---waiting every second for the bike to arrive. I purchased mine out of state and I wound up waiting almost a month for it to get to me. But it was more than worth it!
As far as first bike (again) worries, true, the weight of the R was more than my Honda 550/four was some 20+ years ago when i first rode and it did take getting used to upon re-entering riding in my late 40's. I did drop my R once before getting my comfort level up---though it involved more a dumb operator error/break in concentration more so than the bike's weight factor. Still, you need to be aware that it can be really heavy at slow speed once it leans past the degree-angle-of no-return. Other than that, I got used to it after my initial 30-60-day period of anxiety dealing with the bigger bike and it now feels like an old friend.
Definitely take the rider safety course. After going through it myself I wondered how I managed to stay alive my first two years of riding 20 years ago. The course makes you aware of so many things that will better prepare you for re-entry to the two-wheeled world. Now I look forward to each and every ride and make up excuses to take it out. This is a really unique motorcycle and is a great conversation starter. Have fun. Ride safe. As far as helmet color, go with your gut but it's hard to go wrong with basic black [/img]
KMACR
2004 Titan Silver R1150R Non-ABS
"Rubber side down is always a great idea..."
Aim wasn't to destroy confidence, but so you wouldn't do what i did...tip - when coming to a stop, be very aware and get that left leg out ready to support the bike, be READY each time for it to start going left, and brace yourself...after getting into this habit, she may never go down...then you'll have the balance come naturally. (it's all a matter of getting used to the balance)
eddie, get a pair of stanton head guards! the great thing about r's is that the heads really protect the rest of the bike (and you!) in a spill. i've had to low speed spills and i can definitely NOT reccommend the bmw head guards! the bike took amazingly little other damage though, and now i have a pair of stantons!
..mine's an 02..almost 5 yrs old now and people still say "Wow..nice new bike".. 
