sawbridgeworth bmw

[MikeO]

the riders making the best progress are nailing it to the corners, standing it on it's nose before the corners and then winding the power on through the bends

If you really believe that (and aren't being ironic), you've been with the wrong instructors.....

Mike

 

[Keith Chapman]

Mike, I agree about making progress. maybe I should have said
"those that use ABS as a performance enhancer and go into corners way to quick then stand on the anchors"

I will use Adamski49 as a good example

 

[adamski49]

Originally poste by Mike O
If you really believe that (and aren't being ironic), you've been with the wrong instructors.....

Nothing wrong with the instructors except they couldn't keep up because they 'hardly' used their brakes

There are definitely corners out there that are more fun to arrive at quick, brake and drive through as opposed to using acceleration sense alone... old habits die hard but I agree most of the time you can get by without.

As for ABS, I've had two bikes with it on and only got it to kick in three times (apart from trying it out) and only one of those was in the wet, the other two occasions were me over cooking it and I'm sure normal brakes would have seen me through. Anyone who uses it as a performance enhancer needs their head testing.

Adam

PS This appears to have turned into a major thread hijack.

 

[thesanguine]

Adam, you may be right on certain corners or on a track but for general riding on real roads with a series of bends, I'll have to go with mike on this one.

I took a friend to Hungary one year on the back and he was amazed at how quickly I got over mountain passes without changing speed much along the straights or round the bends

 

[Nigel]

I have been following the messages regarding robeekay67's issue with our servicing, (I am the owner of Sawbridgeworth)
I have investigated his comments and can confirm that his brakes were checked at the service, as were the tyres, both were thought not to need changing for some time. The tyre subsequently punctured which was the reason for replacement.

We always service where possible to the next service, however we will not fit parts uneccessarily, as we are conscious of the cost to the customer, it's a fine line sometimes, especially as with brake pads which seem to have ever decreasing life spans!

It is perfectly possible to have say, half worn pads which may go on to the next service, but, which may under heavy use including riding the rear brake (which many riders do) not last for long at all.

As with the bike in question and all bikes which are serviced here, a second senior technician always checks what has been done, and in this case actually road tested the bike himself, so I can confirm that two very experienced Tech's had confirmed that all was as it should be.

It was also mentioned that my service manager wrote back defending the 'brake miss', this was not the case, it was confirmed that the Tech decided there was sufficient life left in the pads.

It is important that if people are going to express opinions about a company's service then they should do so accurately, as incorrect impressions can be harmful.

If anyone has a problem then they should talk to me, certainly before they 'go into print'! as a courtesy at least.

 

[pint6x]

how about this.......

read mr. darkin's post with interest (hello nigel )

How about when a bike is serviced, they comment about the wear left in the tyres / brakes, like the local garage does when they service my wife's ancient saab - they always say on the service sheet something like:

Front pads half worn, rear pads will need changing in next couple of thousand miles.

That at least gives the vehicle owner some idea of how much is left, as well as indicating (conclusively to the owner) that the dealer has checked the parts that wear.

A good compromise perhaps ?

 

[thesanguine]

I wish this was all I had to complain about when my bike went in to have a repair done!....

Incidently, when I got my bike back (from another dealer) in a terrible state of disrepair, I asked a number of other dealers to assess the work required to repair my bike properly and correct the poor workmanship the dealer had carried out, one quoted £2400, another £1800, Sawbridgeworth were one of the many who declined to become involved...........

 

[Fanum]

It is important that if people are going to express opinions about a company's service then they should do so accurately, as incorrect impressions can be harmful.

I've no doubt this was just a comment and not a thinly veiled threat Nigel?

Welcome by the way.

 

[shugie]

I Sawbridgeworth were one of the many who declined to become involved...........

I can't imagine why!

Shug

 

[robeekay67]

well, i said i wouldnt add any more comments but i'm delighted sawbridgeworth elected to add to this discussion. my only additional comments are this:

i have not stated any inaccuracies in my comments. the brakes were not changed or their condition reported to me; whilst incorrect impressions can be harmful so can no brakes on a motorway when you need them.

as for addressing nigel directly, i am not responsible for ensuring he saw the 2 letters i wrote in.

i welcome him requesting customers contact him directly with problems. i also feel that the debate we have witnessed here goes towards improving safety standards and servicing expectations for the future.

 

[Wreford Miles]

Nigel…. I see you didn’t want to defend my remarks about Brian’s sales techniques

All tounge in cheak of course...

I believe you also find that this forum is capable of differentiating between the odd disagreement and the overall quality and consistency of your service.

What was that GS club discount you where thinking off?

 

[waterhouse]

Everybody can have a bad day. Equally no-one is obliged to forgive that experience.

I came to BMW after RIDE's dealer of 2003 destroyed the engine of my Varadero and took four months to repair it. Prior to that they had been excellent, but was I going to buy another Honda?

My wife's new Nissan, delivered with some faults, just went into the dealer to have them fixed to find that they hadn't even ordered the parts. As for Ford...

The best dealers screw-up sometimes, the worst don't care. My bike's in warranty so I shall let Sawbridgeworth service it and see what I think. There's a lot to be said for smaller outfits for whom reputation does matter, however.

 

[dogfm]

I am at the point of purchasing a GS1150 having riden a K1 for the last 16 months (my first bike) and 18,000 miles.

I have used Sawbridgeworth and Cannons for servicing and repairs- I don't think they like one another too much, both have done things to my bike that I'm not too happy with.

Sawbridgeworth have broken one of the fairing fixings, it must have been obvious to whoever reattached the fairing when it was last there but they didn't tell me and obviously hoped that I'd not notice- fairings for a K1 are very expensive!

At an earlier service, Cannons lost one of the fairing fasteners- I think both instances show a little carelessness or maybe rushing the service.

I would expect that BMW dealers would tell me if they think something needs doing or will need doing in the near future particularly given the premium labour rates that are charged (50% more than Honda dealers).

I was going to replace the K1 with a nice K1200Rs with 1,000 miles on it but couldn't afford the price asked by Brian for the bike plus luggage so it looks like I'm going down the GSer route ... either that or a Honda VFR.

doggy

 

[BBB61]

I was going to replace the K1 with a nice K1200Rs with 1,000 miles on it but couldn't afford the price asked by Brian for the bike plus luggage

Don't you mean you couldn't afford the price after Brian gave you his trade in price for your K1??

Bob

 

[dogfm]

What trade in price was that then? A little above twice the cost of the luggage

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Sawbridgeworth

I worked at Sawbridgeworth briefly about 15 years ago and Nigel Darken, owner, used to run a tight ship in them days. There was two types of service schedule. One BMW's basic recommended and the more expensive (and well worth it) Sawbridgeworth variant. At the time the mechanics were very conscientious and the Workshop manager (then Chris) first rate at highlighting concerns not naturally covered by the service schedule and rectifying them ideally before post-service collection. Staff have changed over the years and Nigel has been juggling Black Bear HD, which he also owns as well as Sawbridgeworth. It's possible that standards have slipped. If they have then my view is to tell Nigel directly. I once bought an R1100S from them and received great service, however when it came to buying an R1150GS and a K1200GT from them they were literally thousands out on the part-ex value. All you can do is tell them when they're thinking with their wallets rather than in terms of retained custom and hope they listen. The last attempt I tried saw David in sales get the right hump with me. What happened? I went to South London Motorcycles (SLM) instead (part of the excellent Dockgate 20, 2004 MCN dealer of the year, group which also includes Thames Valley HD and Oxford HD). They run their shop like all the other excellent shops in their group and couldn't do enough for me. Wollaston got my GS business on price, but SLM got my GT business on price, customer service and servicing standard. If in doubt what's travelling a few extra miles bi-annually (or less) to visit a dealer you trust to service your machine concientiously and make you feel good about handing over your money to them? As for Fazer or whatever. Well as a personal view I've doen the CBR, VFR, R1 clinical and prodominently cheap bikes. Merits? They're cheap. Downers? They bore you rigid with their blandness. If I want boring efficient transport I'll stick with my Audi 2.0 TDI, it's got leather seats and climate. when I want more than 'transport', something that makes me smile just looking at it and importantly something that makes me 'want to ride it' even when I can't think of anywhere to ride - that's when you know you've bought the right bike. That's when you know you've bought a GS.