My sad Day

fiery · 12:43 AM

A sad story.

I took my pride and joy BCR the the dealer 250 k's from where I live for the first inspection at 1200 k's ....

All completed to my and the tech's satisfaction, riding home heading for the highway without a care when BANG ..

I smell the sulphurous odour ...

I see the white plume behind me in the rear view mirrors...

I feel the hot green slime on my jeans - then everywhere ...

I say "what the #@$%" in my head and try not to panic .. stay calm ...

I carefully downshift, pull over and turn off the ignition. I see the rainbow trail all down the road from the oil dump as the rain really starts to pour.

Boy.

Am I suddenly having a bad day. There's oil spurting from the oil cooler under the instrument panel! It's dripping everywhere - I mean everywhere !! Pooling in the BCR's spoiler, turning to gunge on the headers, all over the front guard and wheels.

After the transporter pickes me and my pride and joy up (thank heavens for BMW roadside assist and cell phones!) I return it ignominiously to the dealer, and they point out that a rock the size of a large marble has gone almost all the way through my oil cooler.

I couldn't believe it! The rock was still there! It didn't even hit the fairing going through !!

No warranty claim for me.

It get's worse. There are no oil cooler's to be had in Australia - it has to be flown out from Germany ! Aaaagh!

So I will be waiting for weeks, and I'm now riding my old ZZ-R 250, which I (fortunately) hadn't yet sold.

My humbling is complete. I don't even want to think about the bill when it arrives ...

Has anyone put a stone guard in front of the cooler on your S?

I think the oil is everywhere in the bike. I hope the dealer tries to get most of it off.

My wife says she can tell I miss the bike, that I look wistful and pensive. She sniffily says I don't act the same way when she is unwell!

Oh well. I can't help it. At least I didn't drop it - doing 110 kph at the time of the stone's impact, it could have been ugly.

Hi to all - I hope none of you ever have this happen.

Regards

fiery

CarlosT · 03-05-2003, 12:37 AM

At least the engine didn't get fragged from oil starvation...coulda been worse.

In the US this kinda thing might qualify for a comprehensive insurance claim...hope this works for you the same way in Oz.

MarkC · 03-05-2003, 12:52 AM

The good news is that you didn’t crash, and the bike didn’t loose enough oil to have damage the engine (or so it sounds). Since your dealer told you it doesn’t qualify as a warranty claim, can you claim it on your ‘comprehensive’ insurance coverage (if you carry full coverage)? The oil radiator should be a cinch to replace, and maybe one from a wrecked RS/RT/GS (?) might be the same part, and save you money and time. There is a stone guard by Wunderlich, forum member webby has one installed. You could also make one yourself if you’re creative.

MarkC
Opps...Loook like CarlosT beat me to it...

Micky Motor · 03-05-2003, 01:45 AM

Fiery mate,
What a blow. I feel for you, I know how much you love your BCR.
At least you personally came out of it OK. I can't believe there are'nt any oil coolers in OZ, I suppose this is an indication of how rare your situation is, so maybe you can take heart in that. Hang in there, all will be back to normal soon!

M Motor

BTW you should have come to Walwa!!

mermoto · 03-05-2003, 02:35 AM

Fiery dont worry,

Your OK as they say it could have been a lot worse, what if the stone had gone through your visor ? doesnt need thinking about. The job sounds easy enough to sort out. At least all that oil on the bike should stop any corrosion worries ; ) Im sure it will all clean up nice with some TLC.

Mervyn

webby · 03-05-2003, 08:17 AM

Hi,
Sorry to read about your mishap.

I do indeed have the Wünderlich bits as follows:

The "black-hole":

The parts:

After:

The parts are carbon frames with a very light aluminium mesh and simply glue (I used bathroom sealer so I can remove them easier) into the recess from the front. There is another brand on the market which requires one to install it from behind.

HTH

shannonnunley · 03-05-2003, 08:42 AM

webby, those are *****in!!! Where can I get a pair?

webby · 03-05-2003, 10:09 AM

shannonnunley
I got them from Wünderlich in Germany.
Best.-Nr.: 8160114
99,80 € - the pair.

You could try Anderwerks in Canada.

HTH

EZ-RIDER · 03-05-2003, 10:11 AM

Hello Shannonnunley;

Check with A&S cycles or anybody that handles Wonderlich parts out of Germany. Also check with cascade bmw out of washington they carry

their Stuff, runs around $150.00 a set. Had a rock do the same thing lucky it just put a dent in the oil cooler.

EZ-RIDER

fiery · 12:47 PM

Wow.

You guys are the best. I was feeling so down after my "one in a million" event, especially when it happened while taking my bike on it's first "big" ride in atrocious whether. Your encouragement has really helped me.

I am making a claim on my insurance. Apparently the underwriter will pass it. I am sure I will get slugged on my rating at renewal time though, but, "c'est la vie", I guess.

Like you say, the damage is easily fixed, and I'm OK. I guess that's what really matters.

I am so glad that a screen is available. I am going to save and get one (no matter what the cost) and install it before going on any long trips again. I just knew someone had to make one. Wunderlich stuff is exxy, but it also seems good quality -you only want to buy once.

Hey, Aussie BMW riders, does anyone stock their gear here in Australia? If not, luckily, my brother lives in the US, so I can get him to get the screens for me if I have to.

Got to love our great roads up here in Queensland .... nice to see our petrol taxes being used for better roads (not)

Thanks again to all who have responded.

fiery

Trevor Rossack · 03-05-2003, 01:23 PM

I believe Moto Hansa in Sydney are the Aussie agents for Wunderlich, so you might want to give them a buzz. Do not know how much stock they carry - I asked about the cat. replacement pipe and all they had was a Staintune system. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

Those stone guards look OK. I've noticed there are a few dings in mine and some protection there would not be a bad idea.

Another option is Munich Motorcycles in Perth.

Cheers
TREVOR

ps :- you should have come on the Walwa ride!!!!

Flatbutt1 · 03-05-2003, 01:24 PM

Glad to see you're OK Fiery. That had to be more than a bit dodgey. All you other guys. I've checked with Cascade and A&S BMW and didn't come across the oil cooler. Sure would like to git it tho'. Please post if you find it somewhere.

Tom

shannonnunley · 03-05-2003, 01:36 PM

I couldn't find it listed here, but the rep who answered my call says they stock it and sell it for $150 - mine's on order so that I don't someday share the same misfortune.

http://www.sierrabmw.bigstep.com/

Johnny in Oz · 03-05-2003, 02:05 PM

Fiery,

I can recommend Motahansa here in Sydney (02 9759 5274) for Wunderlich gear. Ask them to mail you the catalogue first. They charged my $10 and took this off the price of the first purchase. Good deal. Great reading . . .er. . browsing, unless you speak German!

Good luck.

John

Don in Oz · 03-05-2003, 02:25 PM

Fiery,

Sorry to hear about the mishap. It is one of those things that you would ever dream of could happen to you.

As for Motohansa, I can also recommend them. They do all the service & modifications on my bike & I wouldn't let anybody else touch it.

I see that you are located up in Hervey Bay. Marion & I have just bought a house in Tin Can Bay, which is just down the road from you. Unfortunately, I'll need to wait a while before I can move up to that beautiful part of the world.

Cheers

Rattus · Rattus's Garage

Fiery you are just experiencing a memorable moment of motorcyling. After all, you need something to talk about at the biker cafes and pie shops!

PS - I went from a ZZR-250 to a S also! Nice little bike eh?

Johnny in Oz · 03-05-2003, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Don in Oz
Fiery,

As for Motohansa, I can also recommend them. They do all the service & modifications on my bike & I wouldn't let anybody else touch it.

Out of interest Don is there anyone in particular at Motohansa that works on your bike? I recently called them to speak to Bob Mariner (tall guy- has a GS and Fireblade, ride day marshall too) who has done all the work on my bike over the last couple of years and was told that he has been poached by Procycles.

I really like Rob Dunstan at Motohansa, but he does'nt actually do the work.

I'd appreciate your thoughts. PM me if you would prefer.

Thanks

John

Don in Oz · 03-05-2003, 03:03 PM

John,

It was actually Bob who has always worked on my bike as well. I just liked his style & his attention to detail. Whilst he is an unassuming bloke, he is very knowledgable about his trade. He was the guy that set up my Bitubo shocks as he is roughly the same size & weight.

Yep, Rob is the front man & dosn't get his hands too durty at the shop. Given Rob's views on life I would imaging that he would be seeking a fairly competent replacement for Bob, however I can't imagine that there would be too many BMW specialists out there. I suppose it's a case of I'll just need to "suck it & see".

Cheers

lennie · 03-05-2003, 09:51 PM

Guys,

Peter Clarke is the head mechanic and is ex Tom Byrnes. He has won top BMW mechanice in Australia for 2 of 3 years prior to his departure. He worked at Southbank in Melbourne and then took up residence at Mothansa.

I cannot say enough about these guys regardless of the fact they are my dealer in Sydney.

fiery · 07:09 PM

Hi all

Trevor, Don & John (a lawyer too I see!), I ordered the Wunderlich stone guards from Motohansa (thanks for the "heads up" on that one!), they were very helpful and knew exactly what I was asking for! They are sending me a CD of their gear as well - I wish I could understand german, but as they say, a picture tells a thousand words

.

I spoke to the dealer who sold me the bike. Still waiting for the cooler - looks like it wll be some weeks yet

.

Glad I had comprehensive insurance - in a addition to a new cooler the dealer insists it needs two new tyres, and new pads all round. Ouch!

My first thought - Is the dealer going overboard? Thinking about it, I doubt it. The oil truly was everywhere. I guess they have a duty to make sure the bike is 100% safe when hand it back to me. Oil soaked skins just wouldn't allow that. A shame, at the low milage I regarded those Metzeler M1's as just being nicely scrubbed in!

The workshop guys said they would detail the bike for me and make it like new again. Can't fault their service so far.

An obvious cautionary note to all who ride our beautiful machines on "interesting" roads at speed. I can say this - do not assume (as I did) that because your oil cooler is high and well set back it is virtually immune from stone strike. A "home made" stone guard from expanded ali mesh would be an interesting and worthwhile week-end project. I'm just a little hamfisted working with metal, so I took the easy/expensive way out and went with the Wunderlich option.

Cheers and thanks again. Keep the rubber side down all!

Regards

fiery

PS Rattus - I love my little ZZR 250, but it just doesn't compare to the "blue and white beast" - I've been spoiled by the "S" experience!