You don't get what you pay for

So, the master cylinder was replaced and all seemed right in the world. But much like Britney Spears, it's not right. Last weekend I was planning on taking the long way to Roseville for a friends birthday and hit up the twisty bits north around Lake Berryessa. Unfortunately, the bike had other plans. I made it to SF from Mountain View (~40 miles) before the same problem popped up. I call SJ BMW who last had it and they agree it's not right and that I should bring it in. Needless to say, I'm less than thrilled about being 60 miles north of it with a clutch that doesn't work right.

So, I ride down and hand the bike over. I take the owner aside and tell him I'd like to discuss how SJ BMW plans on buying the bike back. He pauses for a long time and says, "We're not in the business of buying bikes back". I start to respond with something nasty and bite my tongue. I comment that I'd like all the paperwork for any service done to the bike. He agrees and I wait 90 minutes for the service department to figure out the problem and fix it.

While I'm waiting, I chat up the sales guy who shows me 3 brand new bikes on the floor that are missing parts from the factory. Seems that BMWs quality has taken a dive. My already low opinion of the bike and the dealership slips even further. I wander around and touch everything in the place and try to not have a "HULK SMASH!" moment.

Finally, the bike is done and the owner comes back out. "We replaced the master cylinder last time and we *assumed* that fixed it. The slave cylinder is the problem and it's working fine now." "Assumed"??? Nice...

I quickly toss my paperwork in the top case and hit the road. I'm now 5 hours behind and still need to make it to Roseville! The bike makes it there and back with no noticable problems. This is good. So far.

I get home and start going through my paperwork only to realize that they didn't give me anything for the warranty work they just did. It'll have to wait until Tuesday when the dealership opens up again. I call on Tuesday and ask for the paperwork to be faxed over. I get the same paperwork from the first service. I call back and don't get any return call for the requested paperwork. Classy.

So, call Mountain View BMW and talk to the service manager to get the paperwork from the warranty work done there. I'm told that they can't log any of the work as warranty work because I didn't complete my last warranty work there. That's odd because dealers don't get paid for labor hours on warranty work unless they log it. So, I have no proof that it was in their shop for any warranty work.

I've since submitted my paperwork to a local law firm that deals with Lemon Law cases to see if there's a case. At this point, I have very little faith in the bike or the dealers ability to fix it. And the last thing I need is to have it break down a few thousand miles from home.

In the end, you don't get what you pay for. You do get a good lesson on how NOT to run a small business and to not believe the hype surrounding any product. I won't be making this mistake again with BMW motorcycles...

I know what you're thinking -- are you still gonna go on the trip?!? Hell yeah! I only get one long vacation a year and this is it. The bike will do it or it won't - either way, I'm not working and hanging out with a good friend. There are MANY worse ways to spend time ;-)

Does vodka and the Lemon Law and make a refreshing cocktail?

So, my bike almost left me stranded on Saturday (again) but luckily I was just a couple miles from SJ BMW. I popped in and they now have my bike and will be replacing the Master Cylinder for the clutch. I hope to get it back on Wednesday and my problems will be behind me.

If not, I'm heading down the Lemon Law path and will push to get the bike bought back ASAP so I can get another bike in time for this trip. Even if I keep the bike, I have some serious concerns about it's long term reliability and damage done to other components (gear box, clutch, etc). So much so, that I can't recommend this bike to anyone. Sure, the 1200GS has a stellar reputation out in the wild but my bike has spent more time at the dealers than in my possession. My buyers remorse couldn't be higher!

For now, I hurry up and wait...

Grr - still not working

Got a few of the new parts on and road the bike in today....only to find the same clutch problem. It's as expected but really pisses me off. I'm looking into lemon law lawyers to see what my options are and how the process works. This is NOT how I expected this purchase to go... Sure, you read about some problems here and there but you never expect it to happen to you -- until it does.

I'm taking it in to SJ BMW on Saturday morning and back to Mountain View BMW on Tuesday. Hopefully ONE of them will get it right.

What's the definition of insanity?

Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Well, if that's the true definition, Mountain View BMW is indeed insane. They bled my clutch the first time expecting it to fix it. It didn't work. So, rather than try a different approach, they did it again and consider it fixed again despite it not working the first time. So, they're either insane or don't have a lot of confidence in their work. Yippee.

I calmly explained that I expect a brand new $20k motorcycle to run perfectly and if it breaks down during a long trip, angry won't begin to describe how I'll feel. He then offered to look into it and get back to me. Customer service at it's finest...

On Wednesday, when I finally picked up my parts (after 5 attempts!) from SJ BMW, I talked with the master mechanic who was 99% sure that the slave cylinder would fix it and asked me to bring the bike by on Saturday am to replace it. Well, Mountain View BMW felt it was the master cylinder instead and will have the part on Tuesday. So, in the end, I'll get what I asked for a few services ago...

Unfortunately, I need to work this weekend so I won't have much of a chance to ride the bike and test it. I also have a few parts I need to install. I guess I'll just sleep when I'm dead!

Pre-Pre-Ride

The Pre-Pre-Ride on Saturday was a blast! I learned a lot about the bike....and what I don't like about it. It's great on the freseway if the windscreen created less wind noise and buffeting. It's great on twisty, beat up roads but I need firmer springs for the suspension to handle my ever growing weight. It's pretty quick but it gets crappy mileage when I flog it (~32mpg). I have a few new parts en route from the FedEx angels to help address the suspension and windscreen issues. It's only money, right?? I spend it like I have it...

Unfortunately, I still have the clutch problem. After talking with a few BMW mechanic friends it seems to be the slave cylinder so I'm fighting with BMW NA to fix it rather than re-bleed the hydraulics. Again. If the local dealer won't fix it, I have another dealer that will work with me to get it fixed... I just want it to work as it supposed to!!!

I hope to have the bike back by Saturday so I can take it out and put some more miles on it with my new farkles. Fingers crossed!

I thought I was a planner??

I got the bike back on Tuesday evening and the problem seems to be fixed. I was told it was air in the hydraulics and a high-velocity night ride confirmed that it's fixed.

I only have a few weeks to go and I still need to get all the parts for the trip and test them out. The testing is easy. Finding the right part isn't. But I've narrowed down my options and have begun "testing" :-) But I'm cutting it a bit too close. Far too close for a guy who makes a living planning things!

I'll be going for a ride this weekend to test the bike and the numerous parts I have (GPS, seat pad, luggage, etc). Unfortunately, BMW San Jose can't seem to manage their parts department. They haven't followed through on anything they said they'd do, everything was late, and, after receiving the parts they're missing one major component - a mounting bracket for my top case. Grrr. This just proves the old adage: "BMWs are expensive. And maybe they're overpriced garage jewelery". Or something like that. I haven't had any coffee yet so I can't be held responsible.

Here's the route we're taking this weekend - short, twisty, fun.
http://tinyurl.com/n7enax

Unlike last year, no overnight 800 mile trip to get ready. I have a pretty good idea what I'm in for this go around!

The new bike

New trip = new bike! My KTM almost left me stranded at the Gran Canyon last year and we'll be at much higher elevations this year. So, I sold my KTM and started my search for a suitable replacement. And continued to search. And searched. And got worried I didn't have a bike yet and *finally* broke down and bought the BMW (R1200GS) I've wanted for quite some time. It was insanely expensive (cost more than my truck!) but should do everything I need it to for this trip and AK next year (or whenever I finally get around to that trip).

Here's a pic of it without the windscreen. She's not the prettiest girl at the dance but she has some great moves ;-)


I picked it up last week and it's been great...until yesterday. I'm in the process of breaking it in and took it for a spin up the local canyons (Redwood Road). Was great fun -- I kept pace with the sportbikers and the look on their faces was priceless! Unfortunately, as the day progressed, my clutch engagement got progressively worse. And by worse I mean the lever did nothing and I couldn't disengage the clutch. I had to match revs and slip it in and out of gear to get home. I even had to push it the last 2 blocks home. $20k well spent, right?? Needless to say, I'm not pleased. Not pleased at all.

BMW NA will be picking it up tomorrow am and it better be fixed quickly. I still need to break it in and will be riding to the Sierras this weekend....at least I plan on it!

Second annual long ride - better than the first?

After my trip last year (click me to check it out!), I decided I need to take a long ride each year. I wasn't sure I was going to go this year but made sure I didn't flake on myself. I'm finally going on a long ride with a friend I've known for years (more than 15 at this point). The route is set, the first hotel is booked, and we're quickly pulling together the necessary gear for a ride to Canada and the Western US. I'm stoked and sorely need the time off...

Here's our planned route this year in early Sept. We'll get trained on. It'll be hot. It'll be fun! It's a completely different approach than last year. We're focusing on national parks and staying off the freeways as much as possible. We have some long days but no where near as bad as last year (700 mile days aren't a lot of fun).

Day 1 - 9/6/09 - 402 miles - Seattle WA to Kamloops CA through Vancouver and Ganbaldi Park
http://tinyurl.com/lhgvtr

Day 2 - 9/7/09 - 385 miles - Kamloops to Calgary through Banff Park
http://tinyurl.com/mklkk6

Day 3 - 9/8/09 - 477 miles - Calgary to Butte through Glacier Natl Park
http://tinyurl.com/m8sylt

Day 4 - 9/9/09 - 402 miles - Butte MT to Idaho Falls ID through Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
http://tinyurl.com/m3gvhk

Day 5 - 9/10/09 - 336 miles - Idaho Falls ID to Park City UT through Wasatch-Cache Natl Forrest
http://tinyurl.com/lnwtpb

Day 6 - 9/11/09 - 399 miles - Park City UT to Grand Junction CO through many UT Natl Parks
http://tinyurl.com/mgdagw

Day 7 - 9/12/09 - 299 miles - Grand Junction CO to Colorado Springs CO through Gunnison and Pike Natl Parks
http://tinyurl.com/nqlxx7

Day 8 - 9/13/09 - 349 miles - Colorado Springs CO to ABQ NM through Santa Fe
http://tinyurl.com/m28yby

Day 9 - 9/14/09 - 354 miles - ABQ NM to Tuba City AZ and Navajo Reservation
http://tinyurl.com/mw7bw5

Day 10 - 9/15/09 - 357 miles - Tuba City AZ to Las Vegas NV through Grand Canyon
http://tinyurl.com/lq6stv

Day 11 - 9/16/09 - 549 miles - Las Vegas NV to Mountain View CA through nothing worth noting
http://tinyurl.com/n7bee8