08NOV06 Maria gets her 22k Mile and Annual Service today

I took Maria to the Foothills BMW dealer today for her 22,000 mile service along with her annual service. It was costly but now I know she's good to go for 6000 miles before her next major inspection service. I must look into learning to do the stuff they check for in these services so I can save some money in the future by doing it myself if possible. She is, after all, out of warranty. The one thing I will leave to the dealer though is valve checks probably and ABS servicing definitely!

I picked Foothills BMW even though it was 15 miles one way from work because they provided a loaner motorcycle whereas BMW of Denver did not have any loaners. That was the sole criteria, I'd heard good things about both from others in the discussion forums. BMW of Denver was much closer but again, the lack of loaner motorcycles was a deal-breaker. I hate being an imposition on the guys at work for rides to/from the mechanic. My wife is really happy that she did not have to ferry me to/from the dealer!!

The loaner I got was my choice from two motorcycles, the other motorcycle was a 1200S and I chose instead the smalled F650CS. Why? Well, partly I wanted the lighter motorcycle to lessen the risk of me dropping a loaner motorcycle; and partly because I wanted to experience a smaller beemer to see what it was like; lastly I was afraid that once I experienced the power of a 1200S that I'd want one! : )

Well, let me tell ya....it's quite a fun little motorcycle. Emphasis on the little part. She felt so small to me when I was riding her, in comparison to the bulk of the RT that is Maria. She rode great, a bit buzzier than Maria of course since its a thumper, weighs less than 400 lbs and absolutely zero protection from the wind! I felt several particles hit my pants legs on the way back to work, a new feeling for me since Maria protects me so well.

The "baby beemer" at work.

The guys at work all remarked on how small it was and the fact her gas tank is under the seat vice the traditional location. There's some kind of storage tray where the gas tank normallly sits on a motorcycle, unusual.  Still, she caught everyone's interest. Definitely could be a great commuter motorcycle for city driving, and apparently she gets 65mpg!

I got a call from the service manager at 1500hrs telling me the RT was ready. I hurried up I-25 Northbound and beat the rush up and down! As I was traveling back south on I-25 I saw the northbound lanes gridlocked. Good timing.

The road home on Maria reinforced how much smoother and bigger a motorcycle she is when compared to the F650CS. She ran great of course and I only had one false hiccup after I got her home.

I had her on the centerstand and went to check the oil level. Saw nothing but a pale toffee colored sightglass! I panic'ed thinking there was no oil. Called up the dealer and got them panic'ed as well, while they were checking with the mechanic, I thought to start her up and then look at the sightglass. There was the oil! It was around the halfway mark on the sightglass, I then shut the engine off and watch the level rise past the sightglass.

That light toffee color was the new oil itself! I'd gotten used to the oil being a dark brown color. Both the service guy and I had ourselves a laugh about this.

A very positive experience overall with Foothills BMW. Friendly service, good loaner with zero hassles about using it, fast service and they did not make me call them to check on the status of the motorcycle. Nice, expensive, but nice.