'10 RT 12,000 Mile Service. Ouch!

[Polarbear]

Learning is good

Also, with time in the wrench world, you'll find a spark plug LASTS a ton longer than 24000m as suggested replacement by BMW! Twice this long in miles is much more normal and I've seen'em go even 3 times that mileage, no issues. Suggested parts changeout intervals are just that, suggested. That don't mean, end of the world. That said, its a guideline needed and gives good reference to many. My opinion is a plug that costs approaching 20$ should never wear out. Randy

 

[jkbales]

Also, with time in the wrench world, you'll find a spark plug LASTS a ton longer than 24000m as suggested replacement by BMW! Twice this long in miles is much more normal and I've seen'em go even 3 times that mileage, no issues. Suggested parts changeout intervals are just that, suggested. That don't mean, end of the world. That said, its a guideline needed and gives good reference to many. My opinion is a plug that costs approaching 20$ should never wear out. Randy

Some additional comments about my original post. I do a lot of my own maintenance, within the level of my competence. I did buy one of Marc Parnes' excellent spark plug coil removal tools, to make plug changes easier.

The plugs did look pretty ratty, much worse than I expected. The plug type changed in 2010, so they are more rare and expensive than 2005-2009. I suspect emissions are part of the reason for the 12,000 mile recommendation. Seriously, when cars get 100k to 150k on a set of plugs, I'm astounded that a BMW motorcycle can't get even 25k.

Oil and gear lube I can do, but filter and oil costs when buying them myself aren't much less than the dealer. It's borderline with me as to the savings of doing it yourself, balanced against the mess and trouble of oil disposal.

I've found dealers are usually good about only doing part of the service, while the customer does the rest. BMW Corporate, on the other hand, isn't so understanding. It's almost like they don't care about making you a customer for life - through design, engineering, dealer network and customer service.

So far, I've had 5 warranty failures on this bike. I'm waiting on a new start switch assembly now. Plus a couple really stupid things that were missed by the factory QA department and weren't caught by BMW techs. In the past, I've had go arounds with BMW over warranty issues, so I intend to minimize their opportunities to evade warranty service.

Head cover gaskets may or may not be needed. Mine had been off three times, once for cam replacement under warranty, twice for valve adjustment.

A&S sells a kit for $262, not including the gasket kit, but it has the alternator belt. That's not a whole lot less than dealer pricing.

 

[marchyman]

A&S sells a kit for $262, not including the gasket kit, but it has the alternator belt. That's not a whole lot less than dealer pricing.

But A&S is a dealer.

 

[jkbales]

But A&S is a dealer.

Local dealer. You're hair splitting. The point is, you just can't get some parts elsewhere. Tell me where you get NGK MAR8B-JDS plugs or an air filter. Can you beat dealer prices? Out the door price, considering tax vs. shipping.