New Owners - Stupid Questions Thread

[4TooMany]

Originally Posted by itsatdm

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to take out the flashing temp light, seat belts, air bag, traction control, and abs on my wifes car, so she can learn to drive better.

Might actually work. This part especially:

"Peltzman concluded that while the standards had saved the lives of some vehicle occupants, they had also led to the deaths of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-occupants. John Adams of University College London studied the impact of seat belts and reached a similar conclusion, which he published in 1981: there was no overall decrease in highway fatalities."

In other words, those "features" of your wife's car make her more likely to kill a motorcyclist.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...nd-Behave.html

Fascinating stuff.

[4TooMany]

Wait, this one is motorcycle-relevant:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/ho..._street_savvy/

[HighFive]

Originally Posted by itsatdm

It flashes to get your attention that it is cold enough for ice to be on the road. I do not know how that endangers your life.

There could be an idiot involved in the process.

no doubt.

But it's allowed....with honor.....in the Stupid Questions Thread.

HF

[Karasu]

Ok first post and well what better place to start off!

So first thing first I'm in the market for a F658 or a F800, I won't start a debate here on which one I should be getting but I might end up with a F800 just due to the lack of any F658s available.

So the first question is where are all the used bikes? (P.s. I'm a Canuck) I thought you all would but up to the R12s by now just dying to pass your farkled rides on to a new rider like me .

Second question. How much should I worry about picking up a used F800 out of its shoddy Canadian warranty? I plan on checking the VIN with the dealership to hopefully get the proper DL on what work has and hasn't been done but both bikes I'm looking at are first run F8s (2008) with I hope not too many problems. Am I best off just replacing the rear hub, sprockets, chain, ad nauseum or were there just a small percentage that ended up with those problems?

Thanks for the advice in advance. I've been on here weeks just reading, so as to try to keep the stupid to a minimum but I think I might stick to posting here for a bit.

[Reaver]

OK Karasu, I'm just down the road from you. There are a lot of choices now on kijiji so they are out there. Buying at a Dealer maybe better but you'll pay for it. Most BMW owners are proud of their ride and will tell you where they got it etc. We just bought a used 658 off there and we're the 4th owners since 2010. Bought, traded in and serviced all by Wolf BMW in London. All records in place and even tho I bought private and had no intention of doing service there I was told to go for it. Great bike.

I'd prefer at least a 2009 but that's just me. Talk to the Dealer and get the history. The sellers package will give you the previous owner status. A lot of people buy these bikes cause of the amount of disposible cash they have and when the novelty wears off, they trade it or sell outright.

Recalls aren't time limited and as far as the rear wheel bearings go it's better the devil you know. Deal with it now and forget it. They're great bikes but not perfect. Just get a good winter price.

[Karasu]

Thanks for the quick reply Reaver!

Yeah I figure getting a winter deal is the ticket. I guess with all the test riding done on here anything that could go wrong has and I'll be sure to get advice to fix it. Yeah I'm waiting out a good deal but I guess in the end waiting a couple months will only ensure things are going to get more expensive.

One last question if you wouldn't mind. What kind of price difference do you usually see for mileage on. Say identical bike only one is with 30k and the other 15k. I haven't been seeing a big difference in price but I guess part of that is because they'll run to 100k anyways eh ?

Cheers for the help !

[Reaver]

Depends on the condition more so. I'd rather have a bike with a few more miles than one that was left abandoned in the garage. The price difference is negligable on kms, it's the accessories that add value. Our 658 had the same kms on it as our wrecked bike but came with the touring windshield, tank bag, OEM luggage and the maintenance CD, all for less than a no frills bike advertised now. We sold the excess gear for a grand which resulted in a real good deal on the bike. See tho that the valve check isn't immediately due cause that's $700-800 right there if you don't do it yourself. 20k kms for valves (20, 40 etc.) Fork oil change at 30k kms. Check the steering bearings also. Then again, get it certified at a BMW Dealer and you'll get all the info then.

My F800 sits in my country garage and is a fav with mice. Check under the seat for evidence and look down the snorkel if possible. They like to build nests on top of the air filter which the engine will eventually suck that whole mess into itself. I've repaired some wiring also from the little beggars chewing. Our 658 was fresh out of the 20k inspection so the filter was changed and bike inspected.

If you buy one, PM me and we'll see what stuff I can sell you.

[Loutre]

Originally Posted by Karasu

One last question if you wouldn't mind. What kind of price difference do you usually see for mileage on. Say identical bike only one is with 30k and the other 15k. I haven't been seeing a big difference in price but I guess part of that is because they'll run to 100k anyways eh ?

Cheers for the help !

Can't help you for the Canadian status on that, but here in france we calculate an average of 8000-10.000km per year for these kind of bikes and +/- 1% on the price for ever 1000km that has been overdone (or not been done).

hope this helps,

Cheers,

Loutre - Tom

[Karasu]

Awesome! Thanks to the both of you for the help!

It's nice to at least have a ball park to work with. I have my eye on one that has been pampered by a mechanic, that sounds like it's in great shape. I just have to figure out how to buy one from overseas now! (Traveling till March)

Reaver when I pull the trigger you'll be hearing from me, my buddy just got a 2009 658 too but it sounds like those farkles are long gone.

Well I'm bound to join the club sooner or later. I'll have to get a bike to learn to ride at some point. So count on me being around to keep this thread rolling.

[NotSoPlainJane]

Originally Posted by HighFive

Very interesting, Itsatdm. I'll have to pack some fuel and go run her dry to test this. Seems to be an odd configuration of communication. Countdown to zero, but still have 35 - 40 miles of range remaining. I'd think (or hope) the fuel light and the fuel range counter were sync'd together closer than that. Of course, I understand the fuel range is a computation based on running average for mpg. But still, it ought to be dialed in closer than that.

Nevertheless, it is what it is. So, good advice I think....to go find out for myself. There's that "Knowing" issue again.

Now, come on new owners, I know you have some more stupid questions you want to ask. See what great info came out of the last question? I need your help, as I'm too stupid to even think of all the stupid questions. But here's another:

"If I perform my own oil changes, does that violate my warranty?"

Does all service really have to be done by a certified BMW mechanic to maintain warranty rights? Seems they have a loophole (or more likely "loop-out" at every turn). So, I just want to know....for sure. Is there a real policy rule regarding this issue. Because I'm surely not going to take my bike into the shop for basic service maintenance....like re-adjusting chain tension, bleeding hydraulics in the brake lines, etc. Where's the line drawn?

HF

Iwas told by the salesman that as long as I kept reciepts for oil etc. and kept records and did the suggested work at the right mileage that the warrantee would be honored ..... Truth ?? We will find out won't we..... joy

[SansSand]

I was told the same save receipts and mileage pictures to confirm done at proper intervals. That said I alway have the dealer do my bike under warranty. They have found issues I was unaware if and replaced while under warranty. I may not have noticed until out of warranty. That is what has worked for me. Bit then I am not much if a Motörhead. Can do basics. But that is about it :)


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[joker64]

First off let me say thanks for starting this thread so I didn't have too ! Heres my stupid question . what services other than oil , oil filter , air filter and lubing the chain need be done on the 650GS ?I hope I'm not asking the questions as someone else . I didn't read all 72 pages .

[Loutre]

Originally Posted by joker64

First off let me say thanks for starting this thread so I didn't have too ! Heres my stupid question . what services other than oil , oil filter , air filter and lubing the chain need be done on the 650GS ?I hope I'm not asking the questions as someone else . I didn't read all 72 pages .

You DIDN'T read all 72 pages?! Get out of here!

once a year you should (that's what they say anyway) change your brake fluids

[Reaver]

Well, since you don't like reading.....don't bother with this.....

http://www.ascycles.com/bmw_motorcyc...hedules.aspx#F


n00bs. Pheh.

[Clone68]

New Vstrom owner, it is a 2007, the service lists replacing the Brake lines on a regular basis, seriously, they look like they are perfect, it only has 20000K on it. Has everyone followed this recommendation?