Here is where I’ll keep a record of any work done on the bike, routine or unexpected.
6097 miles – 6K miles service at BMW dealer in Chicago, IL
12173 miles – 12k miles service at BMW dealer in Munich, Germany
12173 miles – Stock tires (Michelin Anakee) were about done…swapped them out for Heidenau K60s
14449 miles – Sprockets and chain replaced at FMMoto in Bratislava, Slovakia. Was done a few thousand miles earlier than probably necessary, but I didn’t want to risk being in the middle of nowhere and needing a new chain
15272 miles – Low beam bulb burned out. Upon changing it, I found that one of the clips holding the bulb in place was loose, allowing the bulb the rattle a little bit, possibly damaging the filament? Here are before and after pictures showing what was wrong…
unclipped vs. properly clipped
18070 miles – 18k miles service at BMW dealer in Istanbul, Turkey
21607 miles – New rear tire (Metzeler Tourance). My Heidenau K60 was absolutely shot. I loved the K60, but as it got severely worn, it got REALLY squirrely in turns, especially if there was even the tiniest bit of sand or dirt on the road. If anyone is going to run these tires on an long trip, I’d recommend being conservative when deciding when to change them, as getting stuck with them when they’re on their last leg is a little uncomfortable. The front was still good, so I kept it in on in order to save a little money. I also got a new air filter, new rear brakes, changed brake fluid. All work done at BKK Motorcycle in Bangkok, Thailand
25070 miles – changed oil
25319 miles – adjusted clutch
25762 miles – new front tire (Pirelli Scorpion Trail) and repairs to my front rim at Red Baron Bangkok
28382 miles – changed low beam bulb
28689 miles – Service at Chear Motorrad in Kuantan, Malaysia
29292 miles – Right hand combination switch failed. Starter button and heated grips button no longer worked, and kill switch was locked in the “off” position. Had to rig up a bypass for the switch in order to get it running
29556 miles – changed front brake pads
31167 miles – New rear tire (Avon Distanzia). The Metzler Tourance that I had on could take no more miles…at all. I’m surprised it made it this far. Towards the end of Sumatra, the steel belts started to show through, and it only (obviously) got worse over the next couple days, but there wasn’t much of an option other than to press on (slowly) towards Java, where I could get a new tire. The wear on the tire was incredibly uneven…I’d say there was a 1000+km difference of wear between the worse part (say, zero degrees) where the steel started to get exposed and the opposite side (180 degrees), where the wear was not nearly as excessive. Due to this uneven wear, I’m a little skeptical of these tires… The Avon looks nice, and feels nice so far. Visually, they seem a little bit more offroad oriented than a Tourance or Anakee (though not nearly as offroad as a Heidenau).
32223 miles – changed oil
31611 miles – Left hand combination switch is starting to go…High beam, hazard light, and info buttons no longer work, but ABS/traction control, suspension adjustment, turn signals, and horn are still working
33040 miles – cleaned (read: doused) left hand combination switch with contact cleaner, and all switches are now functional
35218 miles – New front tire (Michelin Anakee 3). The Pirelli Scorpion Trail was on it’s last leg, but I felt it was a good tire while it lasted. I really like the Anakee 2s, so I’m excited to see how the 3s work out (I’ll be changing out the rear soon as well.
35218 miles – New front sprocket and chain. The front sprocket was in pretty bad shape, and the rear was not far off, but the chain was holding up fairly well, but I planned to just change them all out anyway. Unfortunately, the aftermarket rear sprocket that I bought in Darwin didn’t fit…the bolt holes were too small, and I don’t have my drill press packed in my panniers. So only the front sprocket and chain got changed, and I’ll have to wait until I’m in Perth to get another new rear sprocket.
37797 miles – New rear sprocket. At this point, the old rear sprocket was getting pretty worn, so I was happy to get this new one on. I got a BMW sprocket this time, rather than the aftermarket one…it’s a more expensive option, but at least I was confident that it’d fit.
37797 miles – New rear tire (Michelin Anakee 3). I’m not too please with the Avon Distanzia. It performed fine, but it just didn’t hold up for shit…about 6500 miles and there was absolutely nothing left of it. But I’m happy now to have a pair of the Anakee 3s to really see how these things do.
37797 miles – 36k mile service at Auto Classic in Perth
37797 miles – New water pump gasket. Wasn’t expecting this one…we’ll see if BMW Motorrad USA will cover it under warranty
37797 miles – New steering head bearings. Wouldn’t expect this on a bike dedicated to smooth roads, but after some of the rough stuff in India and SE Asia, it isn’t a huge surprise…also waiting on this one to see if BMW Motorrad USA will cover it under warranty.
40732 miles – changed rear brake pads
42822 miles – changed front brake pads
43238 miles – changed oil and filter
44419 miles – replaced cush drive rubber
47468 miles – changed oil and filter
47468 miles – New rear tire (another Michelin Anakee 3). The previous Anakee 3 was really great…definitely very street-biased, and it did great at that. Fir heavy use on asphalt, this is probably my favorite tire yet. If you’re looking for something for more dirt roads, look elsewhere
50420 miles – New front tire. The Michelin Anakee 3 was finally on it’s last leg. I really loved these tires for heavy street use. I had a Michelin Sirac fitted. I wanted to go with something a little more offroady, and the shop in Dunedin had these at a great price. I haven’t heard much about them, and probably would’ve gone with something else if it weren’t for the fact that they cost about half as much as any other options. We’ll see how they perform.
50420 miles – New air filter. My old air filter was covered in bees when I took it out, which wasn’t really surprising, as I’ve been stung about 5 times now in New Zealand.
51675 miles – changed oil and filter
51675 miles – checked valve clearance, and made one adjustment
52779 miles – changed chain and front and rear sprocket
56385 miles – changed oil and filter
56835 miles – changed rear wheel bearings
57317 miles – changed oil and filter