100 + miles from a dealer!?

[26667]

For the past 40 years I've always been able to take public transport back n forth to a dealer. Now I live in a small town.

I'm considering buying an old airhead. Again. The last time I pulled this stunt, I spent three times more to fix stuff than I'd paid for the bike. And then sold it because I didn't trust it. Believe me, I am NO sort of mechanic. There's always oil on the driveway and a burnt finger when I change the oil and filter. But I love riding the darned things and have found one that belongs to a trusted friend of a trusted friend. I even have another friend who happens to be taking the 2 1/2 hour drive right past the guy next week and could drop me and my helmet off. I could grab the title, pee, and head home the slow route! On a really nice-looking, probably well-cared-for RT!

But what next??? What do folks who own 'em, and live more than 100 miles from a dealer, but need dealer service do? Just plan an overnight stay? Or if it's more than say a tune-up or tires, rent a car to get home? and then back again? Buy a (probably more ?) reliable Honda instead since there's a dealership about two miles from my house?

TIA for whatever bril ideas you may have!

 

[6322]

The first thing would be to learn to do as many of the basic maintenance tasks yourself as you can.

There may be other BMW riders in your area that can help you. Check the anonymous book. They may also be able to help you make the 100 mile trip as your friend that may help you pick up your new airhead. If there’s a local club, they may offer resources including tech days. You may also find an independent shop closer by.

Folks I know as well as myself, schedule needed appointments. In my case it does require at least one overnight stay. If it’s something simple, I schedule first thing in the morning so I can be on the road home in the afternoon. My dealer is 650 miles each way. Consequently, I do most if not all of my own service and work on other’s bikes as needed.

Old airheads are hard to beat for simplicity and parts are generally available. In my experience they’re dependable with regular maintenance.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[52184]

The airheads forum here is a very good source for information and advice on working on your airhead. And if you really want to learn how to maintain your airhead, head over to https://www.airheads.org and sign up. The Airheads hold Tech Days, events where you can ride or trailer your airhead to the site and get assistance with any work needed on your bike. And the best part is that the focus is on helping YOU learn how to do required maintenance on YOUR bike.

Best,
DeVern

 

[HSVPhil]

Greetings 26667!

I just put on my Airheads shirt to go volunteer at Harrison Brothers HW on the Square here in Rocket City.
http://harrisonbrothershardware.com

I just glanced at my Airheads’ dAIRectory, circa April ’22, which lists 9 members with a Chicago address {but 70 members in Illinois}.
We’re trying to get more involved here in the Tennessee River valley. Last fall, we enjoyed an overnight “Tech Session” with Greg Samples, the Tenn Air Marshall, in the Nashville suburbs. That’s the thing with “The Airheads;” they’re a friendly assortment of “characters” who enthusiastically help each other with keeping all Airheads Operational!

That said, U have to be willing to get your hands dirty working on your vintage BMW. Everyone is willing to greatly assist in many ways, but you need to actually lift a finger to keep your machine working & rideable.

Get involved with the Airheads near U! Another consideration is BMW Dealers are not interested in wrenching on Airheads - except in extraordinary circumstances... Maybe not true for Max BMW in New England and a few other random dealerships around the country....
https://www.airheads.org

Take the Plunge and have some fun with some Interesting New Friends!

Happy Trails whenever U can - Ciao!
HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen
USAF-Ret'd — & — USN-Ret’d
'75 R90S ————— '82 R100CS
’09 KLX250S ——— ’08 CRF230L
'14 K-GT ————— '16 R1200RS
’05 Vespa 200L


Mrs-K doing her own maintenance on her own R100 up in Nashville August, 2022


Airhead Central at the MOA Rally in Doswell, VA! Always some wrenching going on at a National Rally {even the RA Rally}!

 

[26667]

Good luck with your decision.[/QUOTE]

Thanx for writing!

 

[26667]

Thanx for taking the time to reply!

 

[26667]

Good luck with your decision.[/QUOTE]
Thanx for taking the time to reply!

 

[talmadge_w]

Agree with all others that learning to perform as many tasks yourself as possible is the preferred option. On an older bike you may also find a “non BMW dealer” mechanic closer to you than a dealer? Lastly, if you DO intend to rely on a dealer make sure they are willing/able to service an air head. Of the 3 BMW shops near me all have a policy of not working on bikes over 10-15 years old. Various excuses given for this but their roof their rules.

Anyway, hope you enjoy a new to you toy soon!

 

[20774]

Here's one list of independent BMW mechanics:

https://ibmwr.org/index.php/independent-bmw-mechanics/

Another is here:

http://micapeak.com/bmw/Airhead-Shops.html

The Airheads Beemer Club might have a newer list if you're a member.

 

[senseamidmadness]

How's your mechanical aptitude so far, and how much are you willing to tackle?

I own two Oilheads, which have some advantages when it comes to owner maintenance (electronic ignition and fuel injection are mostly maintenance-free). That being said, I do all my own maintenance because I'm 1. usually too cash-poor to give the professionals their asking price, 2. paranoid after having to fix the work of "professionals" quite a few times on vehicles, 3. a bit of a fearless nutcase when it comes to trying new mechanical tasks, and 4. have a lot more time than money.
I live within 40 minutes of a dealer, but they (until a recent ownership change anyway) had a very bad reputation and two friends of mine both had horrible experiences with service. They also charged an arm and a leg last I saw -- something like $130 an hour for labor -- and refused to change tires not purchased through them at a markup.

Anyways, it's an interesting life being unsupported by the local stealership. I've had to dip into this forum's braintrust plenty of times and have gotten lots of helpful advice. It took me about about 8 months to get my bike from the condition I bought it in to riding and reliable with plenty of tool purchases and head scratching -- but mine had been sitting unloved in a yard in Georgia for at least 2 years. If you buy an Airhead with much better maintenance history than mine and learn how to do all the routine things, you'll probably be alright if you're already a decent shadetree mechanic. The bigger stuff like transmission or final drive or gauge cluster rebuilds, if ever necessary, could be done by mail-order. You may be lucky and have a few MOA folks near you who can help out, too.

 

[pglaves]

I am at some of a loss as to what to say. For my entire BMW ownership experience I have been blessed with an excellent relationship with a dealership which worked on BMW bikes from /2 to current. I have had a personal friendly relationship with the owners, key service writers, technicians, sales folks, and parts staff of a superior dealership. Engle Motors in Kansas City, MO., and at other dealers in Iowa City, Sturgis, Clarkston and Essex Junction.

At the same time I have a five or more year experience writing technical articles for a local club and a twenty year 1995-2015 go at monthly columns in the BMW Owners News (ON).

I am sad that some dealers do not wish to mess with 11 year old bikes, and am still glad that some dealers will. I would also encourage every member to figure out how - or to find folks who know how to do the simple, but often needed tasks like changing oil and filter, changing brake pads, replacing shock struts and the other normal simple just nuts-and-bolts tasks needed to stay on the road.

p.s. My house in Texas is 430 miles from the nearest dealership and 988 miles from my preferred dealership. But I will get there when I need to. 100 miles would be a joy ride anywhere in the great plains or the southwest, if not in other congested areas I wish to avoid.

 

[stevenrankin]

Alternate

I read about a lot of people buying airheads these days. I frequent a local shop who does airhead only repairs and restoration. I have restored my one bike a couple of times as well as others. This month's Torque of the Matter is a good article to read for anyone wanting an airhead.

I from my experience I have spent a lot of money over the years keeping two airheads on the road and now only one. Luckily I have enough mechanical ability, can decipher tech manuals and wiring diagrams to do my own repairs and my friend will bail me out if I can't so labor costs are not too high when something needs done. Learning the particulars of airhead repairs didn't come to me all at once, it took time and repeated effort to learn to make proper repairs on my bike. One thing I do have is a good sense of what repairs I can and can't do and I don't cross the line. Not everyone is a mechanic or mechanically inclined. I have a best friend who is a wizard at carpentry but doesn't know an Allen wrench from a Philips screwdriver. He is smart enough to let a mechanic do repairs and tune ups on his bike. LOL, not me.

My friend just did a major refresh on a customer's bike to get it back on the road only to have the guy complain about the cost. The same customer if he has taken the bike to a BMW dealer would have paid far more for labor because dealerships are in the business for profit. My friend is retired and runs his business as a retirement thing, meaning he can give people a break on costs.

I joke about laying out tools such as a torque wrench, voltage meeter, feeler gauges and all the tools I have in my shop onto a table, taking a picture of it and posting it on the various airhead forums with the caption "If you don't know how to use these items, don't work on your bike!" Yes, it is a nasty note but true. As airhead owners we have fewer and fewer shops willing to work on our bikes the repairs and tune ups fall on the owner. I have seen owners who have no mechanical skills and end up making things worse. Joining an airhead forum or the Airheads club is not the answer. I have a couple of guys near me who are more than willing to help me work on my bike but, have poor mechanical skills or are sloppy. Airheads are seemingly easy to work on and for the most part are but a lot of guys should have their fingers tied together rather than let them make repairs. These are the guys who gave me the inspiration to coin the term "previous owners disease" When working on a new to you but used airhead.

BMW dealerships in some cases won't work on older bikes so even if you have a shop next door, you may be out of luck if you buy a bike past their work on date. This not only applies to airheads but to oil heads as well.

I love my airhead bike! I consider it the almost perfect bike for me, for me, maybe not others. If you don't have a dealership nearby that works on airheads, and can't do the work yourself save yourself the grief and buy a new bike with a warranty.

By the way BMW is not the only name in the game for new bikes, There are a lot of great OM bikes out there for less money and just a good. BMW is no longer the best bike in the world as far as I am concerned. That title ended in 1995. St.

 

[PoorUB]

I agree with everything said. Learn to do basic maintenance yourself would be my top suggestion. Second choice is to schedule service and ride the bike there and back. 100 miles is a quick run, a couple hours one way.

My dealer is 200 miles away. In four years my RT has been there twice, first time I forget why, the second time was to check the valve clearance and cam timing. I can check the clearance myself, but not the timing. That trip they needed the engine cold so I just loaded the RT in my pickup and ran it down.

I rode Harleys for close to 200,000 miles. I can count the number of times my HD was in a dealer's shop on one hand and have fingers left over. The closest dealer was 5 miles away.

 

[Omega Man]

I joke about laying out tools such as a torque wrench, voltage meeter, feeler gauges and all the tools I have in my shop onto a table, taking a picture of it and posting it on the various airhead forums with the caption "If you don't know how to use these items, don't work on your bike!" Yes, it is a nasty note but true.

Kinda runs afoul of the mechanical learning process.

Learn to do basic maintenance yourself would be my top suggestion.

As one learns.....and asked questions or for help, one acquires the tools.

OM

 

[pauls1150]

Guess I was extremely fortunate in my early childhood - my father and my grandfather (on my mother's side) both had tools, and both would let me "play" with them, especially on my bicycles. My grandfather was directly responsible for starting the teaching of how to use my hands (THANK YOU!), while Dad made sure I got a decent education (another THANK YOU!).
I still have some tools from each of them in my toolboxes, so if their spirits are wondering where the heck they went... I fess up.

On the other hand, I've had to work with Masters- and PhD-degreed engineers who were afraid of 5 volts, couldn't put "Unit A into Location B" per the print and with the right hardware (also clearly called out), and didn't know which end of a soldering iron to pick up. Those who "climbed thru the ranks" and/or had more than just "book learnin'", were typically a pleasure to work with.

So the moral is...
Do what you can, never forgetting Clint Eastwood's famous line, "A man's gotta know his limits."
Help those you can, and share your knowledge with those who have an open mind and are willing to listen to Truth, even if it is in opposition to their preconceived ideas.
But yeah, there certainly are some who should never be allowed near anything more complicated than a toothpick!

 

[bluehole]

26667, like you I have minimal mechanical skills. I am fortunate that my dealer (Morton's, roughly 70 miles away) works on Airheads. I also have a very good local independent who takes very good care of my Toaster. Several years ago I a fair amount on things like an Omega electrical upgrade, Euro Motoelectric crank fired ignition, etc. Since then, I have not had a problem with unforeseen repairs. Rode to and from the Springfield rally and back (over 2,500 miles) with no problems. Will I ride to Redmond? No, but I believe and Airhead can reasonably reliable. Like you, I love riding my Airhead. If you can find a good independent or the right dealer you may find addressing a few key items will make your motorcycle trustworhty. I hope you find a solution to your problem. I can appreciate your situation.

 

[kbasa]

IMHO, owning an airhead means you're going to have to support it yourself, especially if you're 100 miles from a dealership. Dealerships won't touch them and the independents that know how to work on them from their time in dealerships are all retiring. Same for a /2. They regularly require some hands be laid on them to keep them happy and that can get expensive quickly if you have to farm it out.

I have a younger friend that bought himself a 1965 Ford Galaxie and he had to learn to work on it to own it. If you're up for learning, then I'd say go for it. But if you're anticipating having to pay someone to work on an antique bike, that's going to be tough now and only tougher going forward as us old farts and our knowledge disappear.

When I started riding back in the 70s, you HAD to know how to fix your bike because chances were good that at some point you'd HAVE to fix it by the side of the road. If you think you're comfortable riding a 30+ year old bike around and knowing that you understand how it works and can fix it, then you should buy it. But if your understanding is that your bike is powered by little balls of white light and the whole thing runs because there are magic fairies inside, then an old bike isn't going to be for you.

My humble opinion. I'm super cheap and was poor when I started riding, so I brought my skills from fixing my $100 crapcan cars over to bikes. It's the only reason I can keep an R100, an R60/2 and, for a while, a Ducati 916 in the garage: I could maintain them on my own.

I can't tell you what to do, but that's how I'd be making my evaluation.

 

[stevenrankin]

I was unkind

Okay, I was unkind in my remark about if you don't know how to use these tools don't work on your bike. I didn't mention learning to use them.

I give a lot of credit to people who learn how to use tools to do a proper job. Learning is a good thing. I know I can never learn too much.

I am envious of those of you who learned at your father's/grandfathers side, I did not have that experience.

But, I still mean what I wrote, if you don't know how to use the tool don't work on your bike.

Learn how to use the tools first. It is frustrating to answer forum questions regarding wiring problems when the person has pulled things apart without first learning how to read a wiring schematic or use a test tool. If it's frustrating for me, I can only imagine how frustrating it is for the guy who is now knee deep in the jumping snakes inside the headlight shell of a /7 and has no clue what wire goes where or what wire does what.

I am lucky in my neck of the woods I have a airhead shop. It is listed in the link provided and under the independent shops in the Airhead Club. LOL, I don't mention the shop name because frankly he has the amount of business he wants strictly from word of mouth or luck. It is a retirement thing and he does not want to go to "work" again. How long he stays in business may just coincide with how long I can continue to ride, so far that is a good thing. St.

 

[Visian]

Buy a (probably more ?) reliable Honda instead since there's a dealership about two miles from my house?

You answered your own question. Judging by your member number, you’re old… I’d buy something like a CRF300 or a CB500X. Groms are cool, too.

Ian