Pay the next service & brake bill of £800-ish or change the bike ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ChrisDolphin
  • Start date Start date
g.s.john said:
as for the rest its going to fit better in your @rse if you dont wish to invite opinions then dont post on here:pullface
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Ahh - god bless ya. I've enjoyed the opinions of all the other posts - they've all been quite constuctive. That's why my user name is my real name - more than happy to post in the real world ;)
 
Tim Cullis said:
brakes4u.co.uk
Rear disc £64.12
Rear pads £18.45
Front discs £180.30
Front pads £49.18
Total £312.05

The other thing you need to be aware of is that dealers assume the bike won't be looked at between services, so take the view, "will this component last another 6000 miles?" So the question to ask when they say your pads or your discs need replacement is "when?" The answer could be right now, or it could be in 5000 miles time, in which case doing it right now is a real waste of money.

Oh, and your bike is probably high 5s to the dealer, so you're looking at £6-7k to change.

Tim
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Tim - whats your experience been like with the parts from brakes4u? I'd guess they are pattern parts, so how do they last compared to the BMW originals?
 
An alternative view...
We bought a diesel car in 02 and its been a good reliable car, servicing has been done by a small local garage, so we have not paid main dealer rates, I view a car as a tool these days, I don't feel the need to have the latest model, Having bought diesel I figured it would do 100k without problems.
Seven years later it has done that mileage, but were starting to get a few bills, exhaust, power steering pump etc, so our thoughts have turned to replacing it, but here is the downside, the car is only worth about a grand with high mileage, :eek so we have got to find a lot of money to replace this older vehicle with a comparable car, :blast. On balance I wish it had been changed a few years ago.
 
Sounds to me like you really want the new bike, financial arguments just an excuse??? If you can afford it, go for it and enjoy, there are no pockets in a shroud!

Financially, buying a new one will never make sense over keeping what you've got regardless of who services it. If you really want a cheap commuter keep the GS for best and buy a new Suzuki V-strom - £6500 with luggage, a pound down and interest free for 30 months. Disconnect the speedo 3 weeks out of the month and sell it on when the finance ends for £3000++ - You do the sums...

Another thought, just as service intervals are shortened for low miles / intermittant use there is nothing wrong with stretching them quite considerably for a high miles user. Maybe as much as +50% if you use quality fluids and ride sensibly.
 
I commute 100 plus as well and do the follwowing:

1) Service it yourself.

2) Ignore the min spec on disks - I changed mine at 3.0mm and got another 20,000 miles out of them:D

Still got it - all fine and have 66,000 miles.
 
Here is one then as told to me by Honda, BMW, Yamaha, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi you do not need your bike serviced by a dealer to keep the warrenty I have had no probs when I have done the servicing on my own and then made a warrenty claim. As long as the service interval is kept and the correct work is carried out. If a special tool is required and you cannot prove you used it then that component probably will not be covered.
The only big problems making warrenty claims I have ever had is with my GS that has been BMW delear serviced.
 
Its all a bit of a moot point now..........

On the M4 going into London yesterday, where the bus lane merges with the normal carriageway, Lexus 4x4 decided the LHS lane was travelling quicker and jumped the solid white lines bordering the chevron area....at about 20mph......as I was filtering passing at 40mph or so.

Massive impact to the engine bars on RHS which (subsequently found out) has pushed the cylinder head into the bike, bent the frame, drive shaft etc

Bounced me into an unfortunate Peugeot 207 (which must have been quite frightening for them - 16stone and a GSA hitting them at speed), which ripped a hole along the bottom of their car (foot peg ?) and bounced me off again.

Unbelievably I stayed on - the chevroned area had grown by this time and so I careered around that for a bit and managed to stop.

Looking at the bike - I've damaged both wheels - actual pieces of metal embedded in them from the cars ?! The front forks are bent also....engine bars obviously, one of the driving lamps........the list goes on....

The repair estimate ? That'll be £7,216 please sir.........that would write off a new GSA, nevermind a 2yr old one with 44k on the clock......

At the garage yesterday they were quite amused at how it 'crabbed' around the car park....

So - completely written off and it didnt even go down on the ground!

Still alive though with just a poorly foot and arm so can't really complain....

However, word of warning, dont think the BMW Insurance means you get the BMW experience.......bloody nightmare speaking to multiple companies etc.

So.......next question......new one or ex demo ? What kind of deals are people experiencing on a fully loaded £12.5k list bike ?
Chris 'lucky' Dolphin.
 
OMG. U are so lucky not to have come off !!! A credit to your riding skills to have stayed on. Real bad news about being hit by a muppet. Quite in impact from a 4x4 I would have thought.

Glad you are OK.

For what it's worth, I believe that section of the M4 is riddled with CCTV, so there should be ample evidence for a case of dangerous driving from the 4x4 driver; at least driver should get points for crossing a white line.

I do that journey every day, reverse commute from W London to Uxbridge. Scary; and also filter down the middle at the bus lane... :augie

How come you are having to talk to multiple companies? How come BMW Insurance dont take ownership of the problem?
 
Wow Chris, so glad you are okay, been sideswiped myself by an Audi at low speed and the impact was huge, you are lucky to be alright and I hope your insurance coughs up for a new bike. Must have been frightening to say the least.

FWIW I have recently ridden a mates late 2008 model (facelifted) GSA and it is a revelation compared to my old 2004 bike. It's so much smoother to ride, the gearbox is silky smooth to shift and even the ESA and traction control seem useful.

I'd look for the best you can afford to replace your bike, if you can get an ex-demo bike fully loaded for good money, I'd say go for it.
 
+1

'09 GSA marked improvement over '06 GSA. Although '08 is same as '09 (LED indicators aside on the Comfort Pack).
 
Glad you were "OK"
Stick with the GSA. The sticky out bits - cylinders- saved your legs, both sides. Sorry about the bike, but that’s only money. Just think if you had been on a F800GS.
Take care
SMB
 
Feck me Chris:eek: One of the main reasons of me buying a GSA is the sheer bulk and potential protection in a prang. Can`t imagine what may have happened to you without the bars etc etc.

Buy the best you can afford and get back out there:D
 
Well, 6hours is a long time when you've got public transport to London to contemplate in the morning.........so..........bought a new one today. Bike that is - not public transport.

I was at the dealership removing all the bits of my 'old' bike, autocom, hugger, Touratech TomTom holder, Tom Tom power etc etc and was thinking about my commute into London.........so did a deal on a new Red one, its at the depot at the moment - coming into Dealership tomorrow and hopefully PDI'd and all my kit (above) stuck on it ready for collection Saturday.

I've gone for Magma Red with Dynamic and Premium pack - £12,500 list, for £11,700 inc first service (£220) and sticking all my bits back on inc autocom etc.

Think I've done ok ?

The aching in my arm and leg/foot have almost stopped at the thought of Saturday now. Best of all - only 2 days on public transport - hurrah !! (Working from Home today........well......the dealership).

Chris.
 
Knobber in the Lexus has coughed up to it - his insurance company have accepted full liability.

Lets hope they're generous with the value of my bike !
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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