I'm keeping a log of all the service that I'm having done or doing to this motorcycle, and I figured I could keep it online just as easily. I have no idea if this will be helpful to anyone other than myself.
| Date | Mileage | Service | Mechanic/Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | ||||
| Nov 13, 99 | ~39,400 | Pre-purchase inspection - check to make sure nothing was wrong before buying the bike | Cascade BMW | Didn't find anything drastically wrong, but compression in the left cylinder (I think) was just below the "good" threshold, at ~120 PSI |
| Dec 11, 99 | 39,615 | Diagnose and repair electrical fault - Generator light glows very faintly all the time. Replace alternator rotor. | Cascade BMW | Discovered that the alternator rotor was starting to separate, and was grounding itself out. |
| Dec 11, 99 | 39,618 | Again with the Gen light, but this time it glows strongly all the time. Replace regulator. | Cascade BMW | The voltage regulator went out while riding away from the dealership, probably due to the rejuvenated alternator. |
| 2000 | ||||
| Feb 11, 00 | 40,245 | Install new Koni rear shocks | Ian Johnston | Ride height went up at least an inch, and shock dampening appears to be greatly improved. Further impressions as I get more miles on them. Now it's very obvious that I need to do something about the front springs and dampening... ;) |
| Feb 20, 00 | 40,340 | Adjust valves | Ian Johnston | Valves were really tight (as in, I couldn't get the feeler gauge in to check) -- this will hopefully have a positive effect on my gas mileage, which has been rather low, at around 34-35 MPG. This may also have been the reason for the low cylinder compression in the prepurchase inspection. Bike starts better, and feels a little bit smoother. Acceleration has not perceptibly changed, but low-end torque feels a bit better. The right valve cover still makes a distinct ticking noise when cold. |
| Mar 29, 00 | ~40,670 | Replace clutch (includes replacing seals and o-rings, and lubing splines). | Cascade BMW | The clutch had been getting less grippy over the last week or two, including slipping for a second under harder acceleration -- given the mileage, this was the time to do it. The mechanic found that both engine seals had started to leak oil, and the clutch was starting to get soaked -- it was also nearly worn out. The neutral switch was also replaced, as it was apparently starting to leak as well. |
| Apr 8, 00 | 40,860 | Engine oil and filter change | Ian Johnston | None |
| Apr 25, 00 | 41,030 | Replace brake fluid - front brakes | Ian Johnston | Learned the hard way that fluid will seep past the threads when using a regular tube (and that the particular one-way-valve tube I picked up a Schucks wasn't worth the plastic it was stamped out of). Using a vacuum pump was much more effective. The fluid had obviously not been replaced for a year or two, since it was dark brown and had swirling particulate matter in the bottom of the reservoir. |
| May 9, 00 | 41,255 | Replace spark plugs | Ian Johnston | Replaced Bosch W6DC's (wrong plug; according to service manuals W5D is correct) with NGK plugs as spec'd in the NGK guides -- couldn't find Bosch plugs where I was. The plugs looked to be in decent shape, but sooty; this combined with the engine dying upon moderate braking suggests a too-rich mixture, and possibly a bit of water in the float bowls. A carb rebuild is probably called for, and a re-sync is definitely called for. |
I also got some service information from the dealer, detailing things they had done before I bought the bike.
| Date | Mileage | Service | Mechanic/Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 97 | 37,948 | Rebuild rear drive, install new rear tire, rebuild master cylinder | Buckingham BMW (now Ride West BMW) | Mounted Dunlop Elite 491 120/90 rear tire. |
| Unknown | 38,215 | Prepurchase inspection | Cascade BMW | Apparently this inspection found a number of leaks, and that the choke cable needed to be replaced. The cable was replaced, and apparently the leaks were fixed, as I have not seen one drop of oil come out of this bike. |
| Unknown | ~38,250 | Level 2 service | Cascade BMW | I'm not sure what's included in a Level 2 service, but it's apparently a well-known designation. |
| Unknown | ~38,250 | Replace front tire and choke cable | Cascade BMW | None |
| Unknown | ~38,250 | Replace battery | Previous owner (Steve Woodward) | None |
Created by Ian Johnston. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at obairlann dot net.
