"Maybe if you get two worthy bikes and one bad one, you're that much more likely to come back for a fourth and fifth. "

Hi Mark,

Don't get me wrong. I have had 3 of these bikes now. I have had trouble with all of them but thats what you get when you ride these bikes hard across the world through different climates and terrains putting tens of thousands of KM up on them in a short time. I still like the bikes and when they are working they are great but when the break and there is nothing you can do about it other than take them to a BMW garage then they suck. I had a mechanic completely check the bike over before he towed me the 200km back to Lima. He tried everything he could to get it going on the side of the road but had to give up because EWS shuts the bike down. That is the only reason I went to BMW. Trust me when I'm at home I never go near them.

I never expect everything when travelling to be hunky dory and go to plan. Breaking down is always an adventure within the adventure. I know now that I was foolish to expect BMW to provide me with the service they claim to provide. I just want to let people know about it so they'll know what they can expect.



To answer your question Dave I really had no expectations of Peru before riding in there. I travel to see the world, to meet the people and then I form opinions on a place I guess. I never expect anything. I have ridden through parts of the world that people said I was crazy to go to and found out the people in these countries to be the most hospitable on earth, namely Iran and Pakistan.

I guess I felt pressured to get this part myself because the garage wasn't too helpful about getting it. They said it was necessary but maybe it was an expensive part for them to have to outlay for. They told me to get it if I could saying it would be much faster for you. I was encouraged to get it myself. I was not able to hang around Lima and wait for 6 weeks. If that had been the case I would have had to call off the trip and ship the bike home. I guess I had a westernised opinion of the BMW garage when I saw it for sure. It is just like any garage you would come across in Europe/USA, coffee machines an all. So yes I did expect them to act professionally. just goes to show you shouldn't take anything at face value I guess.

Thanks for ye're input guys. I do appreciate it and I have let the issue go. I'm riding from Nordkapp to Cape Town this year and I'm a little paranoid about taking this bike. If it leaves me broken down in the middle of Africa I'm going to douse it in petrol.

__________________
Ride on
Kev