(01-15-2022, 09:04 AM)Duckbubbles Wrote: I just read in the latest issue of BMWON (Jan. 2022) page 32, Wes Fleming article states that BMW is no longer releasing service manuals on newer motorcycles. They want you to take it to the dealer for everything.Yep - finally had time to sit down with coffee and the ON at my backyard table - in what passes in St. Louis for a winter wonderland - and turned right to Wes' article.
Frank
From Corporate - as cited in the ON article:
“Due to the increasing technical complexity of our new vehicles, we have decided, in order to maintain a flawless technical condition and to ensure compliance with legal requirements, that in the future we as a manufacturer will only support repairs by trained staff in specialist motorcycle workshops (for example, at authorized BMW Motorrad dealers and in BMW Motorrad service workshops). Operating instructions and installation instructions for our original BMW Motorrad accessories for the individualization of our vehicles will of course remain available on our homepage for download by end customers.”
My initial thought was this was the result of some legal action from some folks who'd messed up a big job and took out their frustration on the folks who provided them with the DVD..., but then, the less specific Haynes Manual has probably led more folks down the rabbit hole than the BMW manual. Not clear what legal argument took them to pull consumer access to what must be a big pile of old DVDs for all bikes.
Hard to believe BMW would want to pass up the profits from sales of all those over-priced DVDs and related specialty tools.
And then there's the R18 - isn't part of the American Cruiser culture to spend more time on maintenance and cleaning than riding? Not sure how well the lack of a service manual will go over.
Of course, this has been a trend with car makers for years. GM and Toyota come to mind. And just for fun, I checked to see if I could order a service manual for a BMW 530e.... I can get tire valve caps, and I can download an owner's manual, but there's no service manual.
Sounds like more (well, less) to come.
"A good man always knows his limitations...."