Hi -
This question may be addressed in other threads so if it is kindly direct me to them.
I would like for those US owners who've also owned a number of other brands over the years to share their opinions about dealing w/BMW Motorrad as a company - compared to manufacturers of other makes (Japanese, for instance, with whom I have a fair amount of experience), are they responsive? Are repair parts hard to get and expensive? Experience with reliability? Those types of issues - not necessarily the quality of the dealer you work with (an interesting topic - but dealers, even within a brand, vary in quality). I'm more interested in the company itself.
I specify US owners because in multinational companies the "character" of the company is often defined by the in-country organization. The BMW corporate presence in the UK could be very different from the one in the USA.
Here's the reason. I just put a deposit down on an R 1250 RS. Bike looks great, good reviews, specs fit with what I want now. But I intend to own it for a number of years. This will be my 14th motorcycle - this bike is preceded by 4 Harleys, 3 Yamahas, 3 Suzukis, 2 Kawasakis and a Honda. By and large my experiences with the manufacturers (and dealers) were satisfactory. Service costs were reasonable and the motorcycles were reliable.
But I've also owned two BMW 335x-drives, and that was a different experience. Fun to drive but a heartbreak at the repair shop. Things broke a lot more frequently than either my US or Japanese cars - oil stand gasket leak at 80K miles - $1100. Oil Pan gasket at 110K miles - $1600. Intercooler connector at 115K miles - $800. RDU control board - first one failed at 50K miles and was covered under warrant - second at 90K miles and set me back $900. And on and on. Brake servicing was another irrititant. When the pads wore down I was told that the rotors had to be replaced as well, even though there had not been metal to metal contact. The explanation I got was that BMW designed the rotors to be very thin to save weight, so they had a tendency to warp. GRRRR!
And it's complicated by the fact that dealer density, in southeast Ohio, is much less than the Big 4 Japanese OEM's or the Motor Company.
So it would be very helpful if anyone would share their experiences in this regard. Thanks much!
This question may be addressed in other threads so if it is kindly direct me to them.
I would like for those US owners who've also owned a number of other brands over the years to share their opinions about dealing w/BMW Motorrad as a company - compared to manufacturers of other makes (Japanese, for instance, with whom I have a fair amount of experience), are they responsive? Are repair parts hard to get and expensive? Experience with reliability? Those types of issues - not necessarily the quality of the dealer you work with (an interesting topic - but dealers, even within a brand, vary in quality). I'm more interested in the company itself.
I specify US owners because in multinational companies the "character" of the company is often defined by the in-country organization. The BMW corporate presence in the UK could be very different from the one in the USA.
Here's the reason. I just put a deposit down on an R 1250 RS. Bike looks great, good reviews, specs fit with what I want now. But I intend to own it for a number of years. This will be my 14th motorcycle - this bike is preceded by 4 Harleys, 3 Yamahas, 3 Suzukis, 2 Kawasakis and a Honda. By and large my experiences with the manufacturers (and dealers) were satisfactory. Service costs were reasonable and the motorcycles were reliable.
But I've also owned two BMW 335x-drives, and that was a different experience. Fun to drive but a heartbreak at the repair shop. Things broke a lot more frequently than either my US or Japanese cars - oil stand gasket leak at 80K miles - $1100. Oil Pan gasket at 110K miles - $1600. Intercooler connector at 115K miles - $800. RDU control board - first one failed at 50K miles and was covered under warrant - second at 90K miles and set me back $900. And on and on. Brake servicing was another irrititant. When the pads wore down I was told that the rotors had to be replaced as well, even though there had not been metal to metal contact. The explanation I got was that BMW designed the rotors to be very thin to save weight, so they had a tendency to warp. GRRRR!
And it's complicated by the fact that dealer density, in southeast Ohio, is much less than the Big 4 Japanese OEM's or the Motor Company.
So it would be very helpful if anyone would share their experiences in this regard. Thanks much!