• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

DIY Maintenance

chewbacca

New member
Does anyone know of some stats on the number of owners who do their own maintenance?
I believe that there is a correlation between the type of bike you own GS, RT, K or R, S1000, etc and whether or not the owner does their own maintenance (something beyond just changing the oil). I'm just trying to put some numbers behind my opinions :laugh
 
F800ST here. The dealer never touches my bike. I do all my own tire changes, and balancing and any major maint. work such as worn parts are done by me.
 
The only DIY connection I see is warranty vs. no wrty & don't have time or know how or money vs. have time/money & know how or perhaps not lazy vs. , lazy:dunno :scratch:blah:scratch-how do you figure the model enters in? I have oilhead,airhead,thumper & a smoker so maybe the more bikes and time and less money and more know how equals me pulling the wrenches:lurk
 
K1600 here, do my own oil and brakes
My super dealer in long beach gives great deals on tires so they take care of that, valves and computer reset
 
-how do you figure the model enters in? I have oilhead,airhead,thumper & a smoker so maybe the more bikes and time and less money and more know how equals me pulling the wrenches:lurk

Is your "smoker" a 2-stroke or an old K-bike? :ha

I do all of my own maintenance, and most repairs on my airheads and oilheads but I wouldn't dare try to adjust the valves on a K or F bike. Too complex.

Ian
 
Is your "smoker" a 2-stroke or an old K-bike? :ha

I do all of my own maintenance, and most repairs on my airheads and oilheads but I wouldn't dare try to adjust the valves on a K or F bike. Too complex.

Ian

Shim valves aren't hard to adjust. And honestly after the first valve check or two they won't ever go out of adjustment for as long as you have the bike.
 
Shim valves aren't hard to adjust.

That is true for shim ON bucket like 2Valve early Ks.

On 4Valve shim IN bucket designs, they are MUCH more labor intencive as you must pull the cams.


And honestly after the first valve check or two they won't ever go out of adjustment for as long as you have the bike.

Not true. Valve recession, especially to exhaust valves will happen if left unaddressed. Valves on early Ks should be checked and adjusted if necessary every 15,000 miles. To not do so will lead to problems latter in it's life. A PROPERLY MAINTAINED early K will go several hundred thousand miles. If all you do are oil changes, you WILL start having problems before one hundred thousand.



:dance:dance:dance
 
That is true for shim ON bucket like 2Valve early Ks.

On 4Valve shim IN bucket designs, they are MUCH more labor intencive as you must pull the cams.
Still not hard to do and there are shortcuts to pulling the cams all the way out.


Not true. Valve recession, especially to exhaust valves will happen if left unaddressed. Valves on early Ks should be checked and adjusted if necessary every 15,000 miles. To not do so will lead to problems latter in it's life. A PROPERLY MAINTAINED early K will go several hundred thousand miles. If all you do are oil changes, you WILL start having problems before one hundred thousand.



:dance:dance:dance

I didn't say you didn't have to check them I just meant that they don't move much after the breakin. Everybike I've had with shim adjusters went well past 50k miles (close to 75k miles) before needing another adjustment.
 
Still not hard to do and there are shortcuts to pulling the cams all the way out.

Still not the quick and simple adjustment of the 2V. Could be intimidating to the inexperienced.

I didn't say you didn't have to check them I just meant that they don't move much after the breakin. Everybike I've had with shim adjusters went well past 50k miles (close to 75k miles) before needing another adjustment.

EXACTLY. People go the FIRST 50,000 without needing to do any adjusting, so they assume that they never have to adjust. You are correct, the FIRST 50,000 miles rarely require adjustments , BUT you need to do one around 50k and then check every 15k after that. Adjustments will be needed as the bike acquires more miles. Remember, we're talking about 27 year old K bikes that are expected to go several 100k, not Japanese bikes that you throw away before 70k.



:dance:dance:dance
 
You mean like the FJRs, Connies, Goldwings ect guys who are pulling in 100s of thousands of miles. There's so many Japanese bikes around and the prices are low enough you are going to see a lot more of them get abused and neglected compared to a Beemer.

I agree on the valve adjustment thing. Boxers with the screw and locknut adjusters can be done in 15 to 30 minutes depending on how adept you are at checking and if any adjustment is required. Very easy. It's one thing I miss about my 1150R. But the checks on my Fbike don't take very long. I can have the whole thing done (if no adjustment is required) in a few hours while enjoying my favorite tasty cold beverage.

Lucky for us we don't have the (old) Ducati check intervals or the PITA they are to adjust on most of our bikes :laugh
 
I was just concerned that someone with an early K might misunderstand your statement:

" after the first valve check or two they won't ever go out of adjustment for as long as you have the bike"

to mean: that they won't ever go out of adjustment as long as they have the bike.



That could cause them to not regularly check their valves and do damage to their bikes.



By the way, twenty minutes to check 6 valves on a K75 if no engine spoiler. Add 7-10 min. For each one that needs to be changed.




:dance:dance:dance
 
Over the last 35 or 40 years I have had K bikes, airheads, oilheads, Kawasakis, Hondas, Suzukis and even an Allstate once. I have yet to have anything done by a dealer or a mechanic other than reset the ABS on an early K (free).
 
Just the fact one owns a BMW, in many parts of the country, all but requires you do some of your own maintenance. My dealer is 2 3/4 hours away. Just to have them change the oil and adjust the valves would require an appointment 2-3 weeks ahead of time. Then a long day of travel and waiting.
 
The only DIY connection I see is warranty vs. no wrty & don't have time or know how or money vs. have time/money & know how or perhaps not lazy vs. , lazy:dunno :scratch:blah:scratch-how do you figure the model enters in? I have oilhead,airhead,thumper & a smoker so maybe the more bikes and time and less money and more know how equals me pulling the wrenches:lurk
Ok, let's start off with the warranty thing. In the USA DIY does NOT void the warranty, PERIOD. I see time and know how as totally valid, but money? For all but the most complex items, DIY is far cheaper than dealer. Lazy may not be lazy at all. It might be preference. For some, the older you get, it seems, the less you really like to monkey around changing oil, etc. Capability and desire are two separate things but probably won't affect the overall trends.

When I got my FJR, a few years and bikes ago, I was looking at BMW's. All I heard from other riders was BMW's cost an arm an a leg to maintain and you can't do yourself. Both not true, but a LOT of non-BMW riders believe it. I have since learned just how easy it is to maintain my R1200GS. Now for the flame because the following is not politically correct. Over my years of riding (48 of them), I have seen that certain bikes attract certain personality profiles. IMO, the guys who prefer a GS to a K1600 are "generally" different. Some people ride both, there might be a K1600 going down fire roads, and there are lots of GS's out touring. I would bet that GS riders do more DIY maintenance than K1600 riders, but I'd like to see numbers to support that. I have been wrong once or twice, I think :scratch
 
Valves: My 2005 R12RT valves have settled in (now at about 65k miles). I check them, but haven't wrenched on them in the last 20k miles, they don't change. I think this stability is from age and the seating of the head gasket and not shim related vs. standard adjuster. I can't imagine the standard locknut adjuster turning in use if done properly.

I do all my own work: Tires, tuneups, electronics, repairs, final drive rebuild, transmissions, etc.

I own a 2005 R12RT, 1974 R90/6, 2010 Yamaha Virago, 1997 Suzuki DR350, and a 2007 CBR600RR for the track.

Whenever I hear of someone who is mechanically capable, but "fears" shimmed valves, electronic troubleshooting, carb rebuilds, tranny work, etc., I know it is just someone who has bought into the fear. Get a book, get a mentor, and learn. None of it is difficult. The internet has put tons of information at our fingertips that 20 years ago would have taken a long time to find, if ever.
 
The technician at the dealership has

BMW training and lots of service literature
lots of tools, including BMW special tools
experience
parts on hand, including a BMW parts expert

Politically correct ... it bothers me lots that some folks approach DIY as if none of the above is important or required. Since the DIYer isn't making a living doing this, s/he can do the work for a much lower wage, but when trying to do it without the listed resources it quickly approaches a fool's game and the possibility of doing expensive damage. Silliest of all are those that feel they can jump into something they've never done before without even owning a service manual. I'm certainly not inclined to try to bail someone like that out when they come to the Internet for help as IMHO they're demonstrating a disdain for professionals and for those DIY folks that have taken the time and spent the $$ to obtain resources.

I still haven't forgotten the guy who wrote in here "do I have to take the whole front end off this motorcycle to change a turn signal bulb?" I answered him with the respect he earned but couldn't be bothered to show. No.

Yes, everybody has to start somewhere at some time, but a little preparation goes a long way. I almost always recommend joining your local BMW club and/or having a friend that's an engineer.

And, there's the paradox that all of us when we buy a used bike would love to have documented service records and if they are DIY we discount them. Some DIY savings may be lost when it comes time to sell the bike.

Finally, it's nothing but an inappropriate (and boring) ego trip to attempt to in any way categorize who does and who doesn't DIY. Owning a motorcycle, owning a BMW, owning a particular model BMW, doing DIY, being young, being old, being afraid, being brave ... none of this makes you a superior or inferior individual. Unfortunate premise for this thread.
 
I do own service manuals for all my bikes, I agree it's vital to doing good work. No disrespect to the paid technicians - some of whom are proffessionals, others are not - but I trust my skills as a mechanic and know when I do the work, it's done to my standards. I've seen some really bad work come out of proffessional shops and have had to fix it too often. I am a licenesed mechanic, I went to school and studied and wrote exams for that title. Although it was not in the field of motorcycles but automobiles, most of the skills and knowledge are relatable if not directly applicable.

I too have high quality tools, lots of them, and I'm not afraid to add to them when it's required or warranted. I've even fabricated my own tools at times, having the skills and equipment to do so.

Yes some jobs may take me longer to complete than an experienced factory trained tech might do it in, but that's just a matter of familiarity, not skill. Often it's just because I did a lot of extra details that the paid tech just can't justify spending the time to do. Many times by doing the work myself, I can actually complete it sooner than I would have been able to schedule it in to the shop and then wait for them to do it and I can do it at a time convienient to me and my schedule and or needs.

The majority of the work I end up doing is routine maintenace and up-keep. I seldom have had to do major work on my bikes since I am meticulous with the work I do and very thorough at keeping up to or exceeding the reccomended intervals. I tend to be proactive with the jobs rather than reactive. That kind of service would cost a small fortune from a paid shop.

Discount my bikes value because I worked on it myself? I would consider that an insult to me and refuse to deal with such a buisiness or individual. The condition of my bikes speaks for itself and can be seen. The quality of my work is apparent and can be verified through my own records.

All of that said, I am likely to be more of the exception than the rule, but I get the desire to do one's own service work. Whether it's just for convienience, or for cost, or for pride of ownership, I respect that. Yes there are some who should not be trying this at home, but I'm happy to pass my knowledge on to those who seek help through places like this site. I've leared a lot of great info from others too. I'm all for the spirit of DIY. :thumb
 
Back
Top