it IS an annual item as per page 3 of the maintenance schedule posted above

annual - wheel circuits
2 years - control circuits

Thanks.

I see that is annual, it says "annual or 12K miles". I have never owned a new bike before so forgive my ignorance but if I put around 4-5k miles a year can this get stretched out a little? Go more by mileage? Or is it a major safety thing? I do get that brakes are pretty important...
My service book says my next service to bring it in at 6K miles or 8/20/09...this seems a little soon if I do not run it up to 6K (bike now has a little over 4K). I know the correct thing is to do every service, etc. But the dealer is an hour+ a way and a real pain to schedule. I just want to be reasonable and safe but not take it to the shop every time I turn around.

Rick- Do you like the escort as much as a V-1?

Jim

I haven't had a V1 before, but my Escort has paid for itself many times. It got fried once in a torrential rainstorm on my bike in OH an Escort replaced it for $80.

You really need to get on ADVrider, get JimVonBaden's GS DIY DVD and forget using the stealer for anything other than repairs you can't handle yourself. My GS only went to the stealer for warranty stuff.

The brake fluid change intervals are based upon time, more than mileage. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs moisture from the air. It will do this whether you ride it or not. If you keep it in a dry, de-humidified garage, it will absorb moisture more slowly than if it is exposed to weather, or a lot of humidity. There are two reasons you don't want moisture in your brake fluid. The first is that it lowers the boiling point of the fluid. In extreme cases, if you had a fluid with a really depressed boiling point and you got the brakes really hot (say, in spirited riding down a twisty road, or on a mountain decent) you could actually boil the fluid, which results in total brake failure (for that circuit, at least.) This would be a bad thing. The other reason is that the presence of water in the calipers and master cylinders will tend to corrode their bores over time, which will lead to failure of the seals. Adding an ABS system to the mix just adds more complexity and potential problems.

I don't feel that a BMW ABS brake system can be adequately serviced by a do-it-yourselfer. It's your bike, so you decide what you want to do with it.

JR

Jim's DIY DVD has a whole section on how to properly flush the ABS system on a GS. It can be done at home for a fraction of what the stealer charges. Luckily, my GS was non-ABS and my S, while ABS, can still be flushed at the calipers only.

As usual...Thanks for all the good ideas/advice.

I do brake fluid by time strictly for the moisture reason, everything else by mileage, or as needed(tires).

After you pay for the 6k service, you're going to want to start DIY anyway, so might as well start learning now. There isn't anything horrifically difficult to do. Knowing someone local (clubs?) may help the process.