Any Motörbike riders here?

Motorhate

I fell in love with a couple of Triumphs recently. The Triumph Thunderbird Nightstorm really grabbed my attention, until I saw the price. 11grand. Ouch!!



A mate of mine has a Triumph Rocket III which I really like the look of. If I didn't have a Vulcan (and could afford it) I'd get one no questions. 2300ccc of British muscle

boogieman

Just remembered my bike MOT is about to expire tomorrow. I checked the last certificate and I've done 58 miles since the last one.  
I've had a busy 2016 one way or another but I need to decide this year: get out on the bike more or sell it. 

octatonic

boogieman said:

Just remembered my bike MOT is about to expire tomorrow. I checked the last certificate and I've done 58 miles since the last one.  
I've had a busy 2016 one way or another but I need to decide this year: get out on the bike more or sell it. 

Where are you based?
I'm going to do another forum ride-out this year if you'd like to come along.

boogieman

octatonic said:

boogieman said:

Just remembered my bike MOT is about to expire tomorrow. I checked the last certificate and I've done 58 miles since the last one.  
I've had a busy 2016 one way or another but I need to decide this year: get out on the bike more or sell it. 

Where are you based?
I'm going to do another forum ride-out this year if you'd like to come along.

Near Epsom. Give me a shout if you do organise something. (Although I should warn you I'm an old geezer and I ride like a nun these days . )

p90fool

Don't worry,if I make it this time I'll probably bring this;

http://i68.tinypic.com/29nhv5w.jpg

boogieman

p90fool said:

Don't worry,if I make it this time I'll probably bring this;

http://i68.tinypic.com/29nhv5w.jpg

Wow! That an old Beezer? 

octatonic

p90fool said:

Don't worry,if I make it this time I'll probably bring this;

http://i68.tinypic.com/29nhv5w.jpg

Love it!
I'm thinking of getting an Evo Fatboy at the moment.

octatonic

BMW are a frustrating company at times.
I bought their branded panniers and top box when I bought the bike.
They don't clear coat them though, so by the time I got home form picking up the bike they look like this:



This was with me washing the bike and drying it when I got it home- including the panniers.
They are extremely susceptible to corrosion.

So I'm currently talking to BMW in order to get it sorted out- basically they are not fit for purpose.
I know bikes are meant for riding- and I'm not obsessive about keeping the bikes clean but this amount of corrosion from a 40 mile ride is just ridiculous.

Hopefully I'll be able to exchange them for new ones which I can bung on eBay and let someone else worry about them.

I've already bought a new top box- Bumot do great work.
Much more solid than the BMW kit, more room, better locks, uses the same mounts and has a friction hinge so you can have the lid open where you want.

boogieman

Wow that IS crap. Surprised BMW haven't sorted a decent finishing process, they must have had loads of complaints. Being Beemer parts I can't imagine they're cheap either. 

boogieman

boogieman said:

Just remembered my bike MOT is about to expire tomorrow. I checked the last certificate and I've done 58 miles since the last one.  
I've had a busy 2016 one way or another but I need to decide this year: get out on the bike more or sell it. 

Took my bike for its MOT today and it's passed. Got a couple of advisories though for a corroded/pitted rear disc and the rear pads being near the limit. The dealer wants £250+ to do the work... the rear rotor alone is £140!! I don't know how Honda justify their spares prices, I only paid £30 for a rotor for my old Ford Focus and there's twice as much metal involved. 

Anyhoo, just ordered a used but good condition rotor from eBay: £35 delivered. New set of pads was £13 from a mail order place (rather than the £45 that Honda want for exactly the same product). Couple of hours work should sort it I reckon. 

octatonic

boogieman said:

Wow that IS crap. Surprised BMW haven't sorted a decent finishing process, they must have had loads of complaints. Being Beemer parts I can't imagine they're cheap either. 

BMW Panniers + topbox are about £1000- around £300 each piece.
The Bumot system is about the same but they are a much better engineered solution and they don't corrode like the BMW ones.
Nor do anyone else's- not Givi, Jesse, SW Motech, Metal Mule or Globescout.

BMW are the only company to stupidly put raw aluminium boxes on the market.
They are infuriating.

boogieman

octatonic said:

boogieman said:

Wow that IS crap. Surprised BMW haven't sorted a decent finishing process, they must have had loads of complaints. Being Beemer parts I can't imagine they're cheap either. 

BMW Panniers + topbox are about £1000- around £300 each piece.
The Bumot system is about the same but they are a much better engineered solution and they don't corrode like the BMW ones.
Nor do anyone else's- not Givi, Jesse, SW Motech, Metal Mule or Globescout.

BMW are the only company to stupidly put raw aluminium boxes on the market.
They are infuriating.

Yeah I've got a Givi top box on my Honda and it still looks basically new, (although it's plastic admittedly). Do BeeEm justify why they don't put some sort of coating on them? Or do they just not care? Either way it just nuts.... they're purposely sold and marketed to be fitted to all weather adventure bikes after all. Definitely not fit for purpose. Powder coat or anodising would be good but like you say even a simple sealing coat would do the job. 

octatonic

I'm fuming.
BMW have been singularly shite in acknowledging it is a problem and the dealer are siding with them.
I'm going to have to polish them up as best I can and sell them and pay out of my own pocket for something that is less shite.

I'm pretty much finished with BMW as a brand now- the dealer, Bahnstormer in Maidenhead, won't be getting any more business from me either.

octatonic

Here is an update.

I was called by Dean at Bahnstormer in order to discuss the problem.
I'm not going to relate the specifics of the conversation but in essence Dean offered to replace the panniers and top box at his cost.
I appreciate the offer, although it is a pity I had to escalate to such a degree in order to get this response- but as far as I am concerned that relationship is pretty much mended.

This has actually become a point of principle for me and not really about the money- I'm entirely sick of BMW's attitude towards their customers for the reasons outlined above.

So I've refused to accept a dealer replacement. I would accept a replacement from BMW themselves and in fact nothing else will suffice.
I'm hoping this happens, although, based on their attitude thus far, I don't necessarily expect that it will.

Motorhate

Are they GS panniers? Although great for touring on open roads I always thought them really impractical round town for filtering. Many a time I've been stuck behind a GS rider in London with them huge panniers who blocks up filtering routes because they're too wide to get through.

octatonic

Motorhate said:

Are they GS panniers? Although great for touring on open roads I always thought them really impractical round town for filtering. Many a time I've been stuck behind a GS rider in London with them huge panniers who blocks up filtering routes because they're too wide to get through.

They are the BMW branded touratech aluminium boxes.

That is more about the rider than the panniers- plenty of people commute on big BMW's.

Police riders are on RT's with 3 boxes and they don't hang about, can filter really well.

Motorhate

I know. My mate has a BMW 1100 RT. I call it a dad bike because it's so boring

TheBigDipper

Motorhate said:

Are they GS panniers? Although great for touring on open roads I always thought them really impractical round town for filtering. Many a time I've been stuck behind a GS rider in London with them huge panniers who blocks up filtering routes because they're too wide to get through.

If the handlebars and engine can get through, the cases will be able to follow (unless they're in expanded mode). 

octatonic

TheBigDipper said:

Motorhate said:

Are they GS panniers? Although great for touring on open roads I always thought them really impractical round town for filtering. Many a time I've been stuck behind a GS rider in London with them huge panniers who blocks up filtering routes because they're too wide to get through.

If the handlebars and engine can get through, the cases will be able to follow (unless they're in expanded mode). 

Not the metal ones- they are an inch wider than the bars on either side.

octatonic

I can report that the problem has been resolved by BMW UK and Bahnstormer to my satisfaction.