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When buying used do you put emphasis on full dealer service history ?
If the bike has been mainly owner serviced, would that put you off at all ?

If I viewed a bike at the owners garage area and I could see that he/she had the tools and environment to fettle a bike it would be fine by me. Usually these types have a documented history of bills, prices etc, quite comforting for me.

Agree with Cornishflat. I have rarely purchased a bike with full service history and never because of it. After all a bike properly serviced by its owner with evidence of parts purchases etc is probably looked after with more care than a dealer serviced bike which is just a jon number on a timesheet..
I know that's the case with my bikes that hubby looks after because he is such a perfectionist.

eyore wrote:Agree with Cornishflat. I have rarely purchased a bike with full service history and never because of it. After all a bike properly serviced by its owner with evidence of parts purchases etc is probably looked after with more care than a dealer serviced bike which is just a jon number on a timesheet..
I know that's the case with my bikes that hubby looks after because he is such a perfectionist.

I'm glad to hear that, and I agree.
I know too much about the trade and all it's goings on to believe that a dealer service history is necessarily a good thing.
Like you say, an owner will take much more care of their prized procession than a dealers mechanic who has a quota of bikes to complete in a day.
The thing is so many people attach so much importance to those dealer stamps in the book and I never understand why.
My bike came with an approved BMW one year warranty, the condition of which is an up to date service record, so I just had to have it done.
I watched through the glass and from what I could see they just changed the oil and filter, and plugged in the diagnostic computer.
They didn't check the valve clearances, and I paid £150 for that.
Next one due is a big service and I dread to think how much they'll charge for that.
£500-600?
The only jobs I would not undertake are balancing the intakes, and changing the brake fluid (knowing what a nightmare abs units are to bleed).
My bike has every stamp in the book by the same dealer, at exactly the specified intervals.
part of me thinks it's a shame to break it, but I simply cannot pay someone to do jobs that I can do with ease.

bikesnbones wrote:When buying used do you put emphasis on full dealer service history ?
If the bike has been mainly owner serviced, would that put you off at all ?

No. And no.

In that order.

To be honest bikesnbones balancing the throttle bodies is not difficult at all. When I had a 1150r the dealer mechanic made it out to be some sort of black art, which it isn,t.

cornishflat wrote:To be honest bikesnbones balancing the throttle bodies is not difficult at all. When I had a 1150r the dealer mechanic made it out to be some sort of black art, which it isn,t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jULam5h ... g&index=12

slparry wrote:

cornishflat wrote:To be honest bikesnbones balancing the throttle bodies is not difficult at all. When I had a 1150r the dealer mechanic made it out to be some sort of black art, which it isn,t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jULam5h ... g&index=12

That's the one to follow, just substitute your own tuner (Morgan-Carb Tune for me).Dead easy

cornishflat wrote:To be honest bikesnbones balancing the throttle bodies is not difficult at all. When I had a 1150r the dealer mechanic made it out to be some sort of black art, which it isn,t.

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Having just bought one I can certainly add my own opinion.

I would have gone for a good owner-maintained bike at a good price, a local dealer bike or a national dealer bike with BMW warranty.

We don't have the luxury of choice with the R1200S

I bought the 6th bike I looked at which just happened to be the furthest away but the best history and warranty.

I tend to buy cheap bikes, where condition and the state of consumables is the key.

2 weeks ago I bought an 86 K100RT that hasn't been dealer serviced for nearly 20 years. What it does have is a record of what has been done and when including what was used and receipts.

That's was much more reassuring to me compared to stamps in the book. I know it's an old bike and so wouldn't expect to be dealer serviced now but I know everything that has been done and when. Not what should have been done but probably hasn't.

Got mine done just before I went to Germany by a local independent BM guy who used to be senior techy at the local dealer. Bike was much quieter, smoother with less vibes and will be going back there for the next service. The bikes 9 yr old and as I don't intend selling it, I would rather go for the independent guy than the dealer