Big up for Jack and Steve at Wollaston

ianran

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Those of you who know me will be aware that I like to get good service from trade suppliers and am not short in coming forward when I don't.
So conversely it is a pleasure to report some excellent support from Wollaston BMW.
My wife has decided to use the "Rookie to Rider" scheme currently being promoted, to be honest it is superb, given what you get, I nearly tried to fake my own application to this :D
So, nothing different here so far, however, there is one teeny little fly in the ointment, my wife is a 50+ below knee Amputee !

The easiest option would have been to go for an automatic bike however that would have left her with very limited choices of steeds in the future so we contacted the National Association of Disabled Bikers for some advice.
They suggested we applied for a grant with them for a Kliktronic device, this effectively turns gear changes into a posh button operation rather than lever, so effectively still a manual :beerjug:
Application was made and approved, happy days! We contacted Ian of the BMW trainers to request permission to temporarily modify a bike, they checked with BMW who acquiesced. The only problem being we needed to install this in a way that the bike can be reverted back to normal operation without any damage. Hmm, as I hadn't fitted this before this might be a problem, so I spoke to Steve Nash at Wollaston who readily agreed to let me use one of their showroom bikes for a test fit, we agreed a date, 29/12/2016 and I rocked up with tools and toys to try this.

On my arrival I was fully expectant on being shown round a corner in their yard or given the keys and pop off home to try fitting the kit. Young Jack greeted me and suggested we move the bike up by his desk where it was nice and warm, as you can anticipate I didn't put up a struggle :D Rather than just leaving me to it Jack grabbed tools and helped all the way coming up with some useful suggestions on where to hide things. Unfortunately the control box is a little large so we eventually decided to utilise a pair of Sat Nav yoke bolt mounts to fit it, after a couple of hours gentle teasing and prodding of the hardware it was fitted, we both duly popped of for a test ride round the block.

The last stage was to remove the kit and ensure no damage was done, once again Jacks help was invaluable with this. The long and the short of this is I now have a cunning plan for installing and removing the hardware from the training bike with no damage. Without this excellent service I would have to have paid out significant quantities of cash to get someone else to fit and remove. These are diamond geezers who deserve a huge pat on the back. Thanks guys!

For those who have read this through these are the pictures of the device fitted, the only thing not shown is the push buttons for up and down change just below the handlebar. On my wife's bike the box will fit in the handbook slot beneath the seat, this will require some cutting of plastic hence why it wasn't done for this bike.
 

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Awesome service from a great dealership.... good luck with the training for your wife. I really hope she gets through it and you enjoy many days out on the road together..:beerjug::p

I have never experienced anything but brilliant service and Lind in Norwich, Ben, Tim and all are always helpful in taking my spondoolies... :blast

Only dealership I have have ever walked out of vowing never to return was Balderstons inPeterborough.. treated like a mug when I had the £'s to spend on a K16 burning o hole in my pocket.... big mistake....
 
Sounds like the kind of dealer Carlsberg would make.........

Nice story Ian, best of luck to your wife. Enjoy your biking together.

JimmyMac
 
Great dealership so not surprised.

However posting it on here may give the dealership a little business but you really, if not already done, should be singing their praises to the dealer principle and BMW UK. Little things like this go a long way in the retail hiarchy especially if their pay rises are decided individually.

Good luck with the new bike the scheme you mentioned looks fab for a new rider.
 
Jack is a great lad, very polite and always attentive when I pop in, must offer me a coffee every 5 minutes.
 


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