Novice requires advice

[Moscow_Wolf]

2003 F650 GS Dakar located in Bulgaria that has done 24,000 KILOMETRES and is overdue the 20k annual inspection and service: -

The bike was owned by another British Expat here in Bulgaria who unfortunately died in June 09 and had been ill for the 3 preceding months so I am unable to get much information about the bike's history except that his 'two' BMW bikes were his toys and well looked after. The service book has been dealer stamped since it was bought here in Bulgaria.

The only authorised BMW service centre is located in Sofia some 4 hours ride from where I am and I wonder if it is worth it or necessary to ride all the way there or, have the service carried out by a bike mechanic located in my nearest town? Does the BMW computer diagnostics really make a difference?

As I am not planning to sell the bike for some time to come, I am not too worried about the BMW official stamp, but just need to know if there are things they can do that a local cannot?

I have just ordered the Haynes manual and wil do some servicing myself in the future, but have not got the time now as I am in the process of moving house however, these are the first mechanical problems I have noticed on the bike: -

The chain is dry, dirty and too slack; I will have it adjusted, but how much tension do you put on the chain when the bike is unladen? What do I clean the chain with and what oil do I use on it, can I use WD40 to clean it?

I would have thought that BMW would have put self-oiling chain systems, but I read about Scottoilers and so forth, do I need one in a dusty hot environment which is Bulgaria in summer?

I understand that I have 5 forward gears, 1 down and 4 up. but the Bulgarian that gave me the bike when I bought it said it was 4 gears and I can only locate 4, 1 down and 3 up. Might this be something to do with adjustment somewhere or, do I only have 4 forward gears on this model?

My clutch handle is a bit wobbly and also the clutch release needs adjustment and I have trouble locating neutral. I don't seem to be able to get the blue neutral light on the dashboard after starting the bike for the first time although, it is difficult to see in the bright sunlight.

My front brake pads look a little thin to me, what is the average lifespan for pads?

That lot should keep me occupied for a while. I am hoping to be able to tour Northern Greece later this month, but don't want to go any great distance until I know the bike is properly serviced and roadworthy. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

[komatias]

All your needs will be covered in:

http://faq.f650.com

Just some points:
25000kms is nothing. I have one with 50000kms and another with 90000
Service you own bike if you can get parts
Scottoiler good
Never use WD-40 to clean chain, it screws the o-rings up
Pads have wear indicators to tell you if they need replacing
If you are in neutral you go down, 1, then up 2, 3, 4, 5. You need the rear wheel to turn to click into gear. If you cant get all the gears, you have a gearbox problem. That said, there are only 4 "gaps" between 5 gears.

there is a lot of info on the web, dont be shy to search for it.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

A friend of mine swears on using kerosene for cleaning his chain. I've ridden around 100,000km's on mine too without any major issues so yours is still plenty new.

Regards,

Sgt.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

p.s. It does have 5 gears. 1 down, 4 up. Your missing 5th may be related to the chain but if that were the case I would have expected more problems engaging 1st than fifth.

Brake Pad wear is very dependent upon the weight you are carrying and how you ride it.

Sgt

 

[Spout]

..... but how much tension do you put on the chain when the bike is unladen? ...

Over tight is worse than too loose and easy to do on the Dakar. It wears gearbox output bearing, rear sprocket carrier bearings, wont allow full suspension movement etc...and of course fecks the chain.

When you have adjusted the chain align the gearbox sprocket centre with the swingarm pivot centre and rear wheel centre (you will have to push down on the bike to achieve this - second person?), this is the tightest point the chain will ever be. If there's still some slack then tighten more, if it seems tight (or you can't achieve this position) it needs to be loosened.

Once you've done this a few times you'll know how slack the chain should be "unladen".

 

[ChrisH Kerry]

When you have adjusted the chain align the gearbox sprocket centre with the swingarm pivot centre and rear wheel centre (you will have to push down on the bike to achieve this - second person?), this is the tightest point the chain will ever be. If there's still some slack then tighten more, if it seems tight (or you can't achieve this position) it needs to be loosened.

Ah, someone else who uses this method
Probably the best thing to do is treat your 'new' bike to a new chain and sprockets then you're off to a good start. New set of brake pads if necessary, oil change + filter, check fork seals and steering head bearings and generally give the bike a good looking at and you should be fine.
I have a Scottoiler on my Transalp - it's OK but at the moment using chain wax on the F650. May get another Scottoiler in time.
Good luck with your new bike!