July 2021
The empty space in my garage where Dora, my Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer once lived didn’t stay empty for long, within a few days there was another beast taking up residence, meet Gina my BMW R1200GS Rallye and I love it, Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit…
July 2021
The farkling has started, today I fitted a set of BMW engine bars, a black Givi Trekker Outback 58 litre top box complete with a set of top box divers from The Top Box Divider Man to help arrange the contents of the Givi box.
January 2022
Had a nice little run over to Wheel House Tyres in Coleshill and had a pair of the brand new Michelin Road 6 tyres fitted.
June 2022
Wow, June already, time truly does fly when you’re having fun!
Coming up to its 1 year anniversary, I thought it was about time I did an update on how I’m getting on with the BMW.
I’ve just had a Denali SoundBomb supplied and fitted by Steve and Tom over at www.abikething.com, this horn produces an ear-splitting 120 decibels of sound and really helps you get noticed on the road.
At the beginning of June 2022, I had a 24K mile service done by Mikeyboy over at Overland and Classic Motorcycles in Holwell near Melton Mowbray.
July 2023
After covering 7,024 miles I decided to replace my Michelin Road 6 tyres, there was still plenty of tread left but the tyres had stared to squared off, so I took a trip over to Wheel House Tyres in Coleshill and had another set of Michelin Road 6’s fitted.
August 2023
With a service due and the bike also requiring a ‘open technical enhancement check 0033130000’ on the driveshaft (cardan shaft) I got it booked in at Pidcock BMW near Long Eaton for both of these things to be sorted, so I dropped the bike off at Pidcock’s and they very helpfully gave me a BMW G 310 GS loan bike for the day while the service and warranty, opps, I mean technical enhancement check were performed.
The technical enhancement check includes them drilling a hole in the underside of the driveshaft and then fitting a rubber bung to allow any water that gets inside the driveshaft to escape, I was warned about being careful when washing the bike as this bung can easily get dislodged and when I picked the bike up, I looked underneath the driveshaft and there was indeed a little black bung under the driveshaft, but when I arrived home just 30 miles away I checked again and the bung had gone! it had obviously fell out on my journey home (what great design BMW!) I contacted Pidcock’s to inform them of this and maybe purchase a replacement but very helpfully I’ve heard nothing back from them, ohh don’t you just love dealers!
July 2025
Another quick update and another service milestone for Gina! She’s now clocked up 36,000 miles, so it was time for the big service. BMW have been offering a free cardan shaft replacement, so I booked her in with a local BMW Motorrad dealer to get it sorted.
Unfortunately, my usual go-to, Pidcock BMW, had gone into receivership (RIP, you’ll be missed), so I ended up trying Sytner Warwick BMW Motorrad instead. Spoiler alert: that turned out to be a massive mistake.
Here’s how it went:
- They somehow forgot to replace the cardan shaft — the whole reason for the visit — and only admitted it when I asked about it afterwards. That earned them a bonus visit two weeks later and cost me a day off work.
- One of the screws holding the left-hand injector cover was swapped out for a rusty, battered, non-BMW bolt that looked like it came from the bottom of someone’s toolbox.
- The anti-squeal shim on one of the front calipers was fitted upside down, which was only spotted when I took Gina to Wheel House Tyres for a fresh pair of Michelin Road 6s.
- They told me the rear brake pads needed replacing but didn’t have any in stock. I declined, ordered a set from SportsBikeShop, and when I checked the “worn out” pads myself… they’d barely had any wear.
Not exactly the level of service you’d expect from a main dealer — especially one with “BMW” over the door. Still, Gina’s running sweet as ever and ready for plenty more miles, despite the dealership drama!
| Accessories | |
|---|---|
| Givi Hand Guard Extenders | Givi Trekker Outback Top Box |
| Front Fender Extender | Side Stand Enlarger |
| Headlight Guard | BMW Engine Bars |
| Wunderlich Footpeg Rubbers | Frame Hole Covers |
| The Top Box Divider Man Dividers | DENALI SoundBomb |
| Evotech Bar End Weights | |
