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

hey guys,

New member here. I've got a 2002 R1150R abs that's just about due for its 12K service. Any rough estimates what I should expect that to cost from a dealer? I'm in New York City, but I don't mind traveling to get a better deal. Also need two new tires, I was going to get Metzeler Z6's mounted. I'm thinking either Cross Country in Metuchen or Max BMW upstate.

If anyone can toss out a good ballpark figure so I don't go to the dealer clueless, I'd really appreciate it, and any recommendations are welcome.

thanks,

Matt

hey matt, i also have an '02 r1150r in new york city and i'm real close to needing the 12k service. i'm not sure where i'm going to take it either but i was thinking of either Max BMW or Danbury BMW. i've had service done at Max BMW and i think they're great. they quoted me in the $500 ballpark over the phone and i'm hoping to find it for less. i'd be curious to know if that's high. i was going to call Danbury though to see what their labor rate is. it's also closer which would be nice. Also another thought that i had was doing it at the Frank's BMW shop in Essex, Vermont when i'm up for the BMWMOA rally. i was thinking of doing that because they have a $55 hr. labor rate which seems low compared to most places i've checked. i'll let you know if i get a quote from them. good luck. jason

same bike, same borough! I heard back from Metuchen and they said it's about 600 for the 12K, and then for the new tires and mounted and tax it would be up to $1150. Which seems crazy steep to me. Max BMW quoted me about $8-900 (again with new tires). I've got ABS, which may cost more. But I'm from Vermont, and I go up there a lot (tho I'll be out of town for the MOA) so Frank's might be a really good idea. Never dealt with them, but that's $15 an hour less than Max. I'm at about 10,300 miles now, but I'm planning ahead, probably for the end of June with the amount of riding I've been doing. How far is Danbury?

I've got a black 02 r1150r, Vermont plates.

Where do you live? And where do you park? I keep mine covered and locked to a post, live on a pretty quiet street in Prosp. Heights so it seems fine. Keep it in a friend's yard when I'm out of town.

drop me an email, himalayabiker at yahoo or post here. Love to compare notes on the bike.

Matt

Hey Matt,

I had a 12K service done last year on my 2000 R1100R (now have an 05 1150R) at MAX BMW in New Hampshire (where I live) -- also had new Z6s mounted at the same time. Bill was right around $1,000. One nice thing about MAX is that they will pick and deliver for service jobs over $100. I had the service done in February, so I wouldn't lose any time during riding season, so that was nice.

It ain't cheap, but I thought it was a very worthwhile service. Have you seen what a hassle it is to change the fuel filter? What was BMW thinking? (Oh right...creating revenue for the dealers...duh).

Good luck!

My dealer just qutoed me ~6.2 hrs of labor @ $75per, plus the parts.
I'm having the FD and Tranny oil done (synth), but no engine oil, filter or sparkplugs.
I am also having the clutch and brakes bled...non ABS.
The dude said I could be looking at ~$650.

I think I paid $580, with a new battery in NJ.

I was quoted approx $600 for the combined annual service and 12K service by Cliff's in Danbury CT. I get a free loaner bike with that.

You guys are making a great case for doing your own work. I plan to do all of mine unless it's special tool or expertise time. As the blonde says, "It ain't rocket surgery". - Lee

I had mine done about 3 weeks ago at Sierra BMW. It was quoted at $750 and came in at $680 including a throttlemiester install. Might be a bit of a drive from NY.

It is very easy to do the fluid changes yourself. You may end up with $40 in it with the oil filter, oil, fd oil, crush washers, and tranny oil. The rest is not too hard, but it is always your choice.

I would buy the tires from http://www.swmototires.com and try to find a local place to mount them.

YIKES!!! $650 ??

This bike has to be a one-of-a-kind in the motorcycle world. If you have all BMW Dealer servicing, it's one of the most expensive bikes to own. If you're able to do all the servicing yourself, it is one of the very cheapest bikes to own.

As you may have guessed, with 51,219 miles on my bike right now, I've already done four 12K services at about $45 each ($4/qt Castrol SynTech, $3 for 3923 Autolites + BMW oilfilter + BMW airfilter). I guess I left the Dealer's ~$2,400 labor fees in my bank. Even better, (or worse) - - - - that's not even counting the 6K services!!

CycleRob wrote:I guess I left the Dealer's ~$2,400 labor fees in my bank.

On top of that...

1) You have the satisfaction of having done it.
2) You know your bike better in the event that you have trouble on the road.
3) You know it was done right.

I bought my 2004 R1150R with 1,700 miles on it from a guy who used the dealer for the 600 mile check-up. Even with the simplicity of the 600 mile check-up, the bike had two oil drain crush washers on it. I took my father's Gold Wing to sell it for him and after he just paid for a "full service" none of the gear lubes or brake fluids had been touched. DISCLAIMER: Not all dealer service techs are idiots or crooks. Just found a good one yesterday.

I have an 04 Non-ABS and my 12k service was around $300 at Haps in Sarasota Florida.

CycleRob wrote:YIKES!!! $650 ??

This bike has to be a one-of-a-kind in the motorcycle world. If you have all BMW Dealer servicing, it's one of the most expensive bikes to own. If you're able to do all the servicing yourself, it is one of the very cheapest bikes to own............

True enough. Dealer did the 600mi service, I did the 6k myself...very simple.
I'm having the dealer do the 12k + clutch/brake bleed, partly so there will be some 'history' of my bike there. As a BMW owner, I've got plenty of 'spare' cash laying around, you know....
Until the clutch & splines need service, this will be the last time they touch it....

You know, here's the rub. You buy a bike with heritage and a certain cult allure and much of the apparent value comes from how well the bike was maintained. Two people who have looked (including a dealer) asked me the magic question; "do you have the stamp and signature on the services?"

Now I suppose I could have done the 6K, 12K etc services ( I have done all intermediate oil changes, TB balance and valves myself) but then if I had done the required cycles myself I'd have to answer "no" and try to convince the buyer that I did it right and he doesn't really need those "stamps".

If the bike was beyond the warranty I wouldn't bother but as things sit now I have the maintenance book, all the stamps and signatures so I guess in BMW land all is well.

If I have one complaint about BMW it would be the maintanence schedule. What modern engine needs valve adjustments and TB syncs every 6K miles? What a load of crap. I'm a mechanical engineer and no good design requires adjustment at those intervals in this century. IMHO

If I had the time, I would do most of the maintenance myself. I have too little time and too many demands on it.

I have a couple of issues with DIY service. I have bled brakes before, successfully, but I am not sure I would do it on my ABS-equipped bike. Also, with DIY service, you cannot read the Motronic fault codes that are in the memory.

I hate paying $ to the dealer. I hate that there are so few dealers, but at this point, it is what it is.

rdsmith3 wrote:Also, with DIY service, you cannot read the Motronic fault codes that are in the memory.

There are ways...

http://www.largiader.com/articles/motronic.html

I don't have ABS (intentionally) but I have seen self-service instruction on that as well. As far as not having time, well we each gotta answer that for ourselves. I don't feel like I have time either, but I enjoy the time I spend maintaining my bike and it adds to my confidence that if anything happens "out there" on the long lonely road that I will be able to work it out. Not guaranteed, f'sure, but it beats not knowing what all that banjo-work under the gas tank does, or for that matter, even how to take the dang thing off.

Lee

I just did the 12k service, it wasn't so bad....becasue of ABS I will continue to pay for the annual service to get the brake fluid changed.

Bud wrote: You know, here's the rub. You buy a bike with heritage and a certain cult allure and much of the apparent value comes from how well the bike was maintained. Two people who have looked (including a dealer) asked me the magic question; "do you have the stamp and signature on the services?"

Well, with the stamps you might get a bit more on resale, but if you keep the bike for a few years and add the cost of the services to the resale equation, you still end up losing money going to the dealer.

I guess it comes down to a couple of things: Do you like to twist wrenches? Do you like the idea of knowing how your bike works? Do you trust the wage-slave that's servicing your bike?


IMO I'd rather do the work myself because I like a few solitary hours with good tunes in my garage and I know it's done right. Nothing like getting your bike back from the shop and finding out Joe Mechanic forgot to tighten a clamp, 20 miles into a trip. In my car, I've always felt that if something was missed, I'm pretty safe. On a bike on the other hand . . .

Compared to my GS before and my wifes ST, other than the fuel filter maintenance , these bikes are a breeze to work on

How to handle those pesky questions about stamps? Tell them you decided that you'd prefer that the work was done the right way Guys like us who maintain their own bikes, especially a beemer, tend to be fanatical about everything being 100% Hell, I change out all my fluids every spring, do my valves, TB's, filters etc. just for my peace of mind. I'm sure the dealer would love to do that for you for $1,000. a crack.

Anyway, that's my 2 pesos worth.

We are all being 'had' when it comes to servicing!! I have lived in other countries and it's always the same when it come to getting your beemer serviced (car or bike). The delares always try explaining how important it is and then you check the bill - they charge for so many 'extra' things (a lot of which are not required) just to get deeper in our wallets.

Our chosen motorcycle has an air cooled twin cylinder motor in a low state of tune. Everything is very easy to get at (that's why they made the boxer their choice of motor all those years ago) and can be serviced by anyone, provided that you have the time a few tools and the inclination. My own recent experience here in the US of getting my rockster serviced was a joke - I feel certain that all they really did was change the oil, oh, and put 50psi in both tyres, not install the seat correctly, scratch the gas tank, forget to fit the lower bolts holding a rocker cover on and set the idle speed to 1500rpm! All this they did in 1.5 hours but they charged me for 3 - great!

Sure, if something goes wrong with a component then the dealer is useful, and I understand that so long as you can demonstrate that the bike has been serviced properly then they will honour any warranty work.

I think a lot of warranty claims are related to problems with finish or maybe a starter motor etc (though there was a problem with gearboxes in the early 90's)

When did you last here of one of these motors blowing up? When was the last time someone had to even change the rings? Do you really need those special oils? Do you need to worry?

Don't worry - just go for another ride