Rear Tyre Question

Hi - I have a question . Someone on a whatsapp group took a demo R18 on a long ride . He had a puncture of the rear tyre. Apparently he reports that he could not get a local tyre shop in the area to sort him out because the Rear tyre cannot be removed without a special bmw tool - which he was not carrying at the time . He had to wait several hours for RSA to show up and gave the R18 a scathing review for this . I wanted to ask if anyone has had a flat tyre on the road and possible solutions for that . He was also complaining that the R18 does not come with a Center stand ….. but no cruiser does … so I am not sure that point is a valid “criticism” of rhe bike
 
He was on a test ride and took the R18 to a local shop for repairs rather than contact the dealership from whence his ride arose? Seems an odd choice.

i'm not aware of any special tool for rear wheel removal but haven't personally performed that particular task.
 
The only thing close to a special tools needed to change the rear tire are, 12mm Allen wrench and external torx socket for the rear brake caliper.
What half way decent repair shop does not have those?
Unless you still have those nasty dead fish, just take saws-all to them.

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He was on a test ride and took the R18 to a local shop for repairs rather than contact the dealership from whence his ride arose? Seems an odd choice.

i'm not aware of any special tool for rear wheel removal but haven't personally performed that particular task.
Apparently he was too far and impatient from what I understand . Dealer dispatched RSA but it would take some time and rhe gent was irritable with the delay. So he tried to get a fix from a tyre stall near by to him rather than wait . Long and short of it the mention of “special tool” had me a bit worried . However MatMat and BlackDog have posted some replies that help understand what is needed . Fundamentally the bike is simply gorgeous - the engine is unlike any other ever seen, it wins on the eternal charm every time and it’s really a masterpiece …. My main areas of concern were the rear suspension which beat me up pretty badly on the demo ride (granted I had only fiddled with rhe dampening settings up to 5 and since there are 21 settings I still have many to try) . Second was rhe utterly uncomfortable plank of steel they call the stock seat and the unfathomable lack of a fuel gauge … I find that omission beyond absurd
 
The only thing close to a special tools needed to change the rear tire are, 12mm Allen wrench and external torx socket for the rear brake caliper.
What half way decent repair shop does not have those?
Unless you still have those nasty dead fish, just take saws-all to them.

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Thanks Black Dog … as explained to MatMat the shops on the side of the highways are tiny tyre stalls just aimed at fixing punctures on standard vehicles . Although when you mention rhe tools needed I would assume they may have been available at a bigger repair shop. Here in India these tiny tyre stalls are literally patch and go stops along the highway where there is little more than an air compressor and some basic tools with puncture repair kits . Maybe the tyre fellow was nervous touching rhe bike and since tyre could not be fixed while still on the bike he got nervous . Although this does raise a question - if you are out there and have a rear flat … no centre stand …. What does one do indeed ?
 
Thanks Black Dog … as explained to MatMat the shops on the side of the highways are tiny tyre stalls just aimed at fixing punctures on standard vehicles . Although when you mention rhe tools needed I would assume they may have been available at a bigger repair shop. Here in India these tiny tyre stalls are literally patch and go stops along the highway where there is little more than an air compressor and some basic tools with puncture repair kits . Maybe the tyre fellow was nervous touching rhe bike and since tyre could not be fixed while still on the bike he got nervous . Although this does raise a question - if you are out there and have a rear flat … no centre stand …. What does one do indeed ?
Similar to the many tiny Borracharias that dot sides of the roads in Basil, a tiny shack beside the road with an air compressor and minimal tools.
They can do a quick puncture repair on a Fiat Doblo tire by hand beside the curb but, an R18 rear tire would be beyound their skill set.
 
Similar to the many tiny Borracharias that dot sides of the roads in Basil, a tiny shack beside the road with an air compressor and minimal tools.
They can do a quick puncture repair on a Fiat Doblo tire by hand beside the curb but, an R18 rear tire would be beyound their skill set.
😃absolutely spot on they are called “tyrewalla” here literally translating to “the tyre chap” 😃😃
 
If there's a concern, you could certainly carry the necessary metric tools/sockets. Other remarks (need to adjust suspension, crap saddle, indignation over lack of fuel gauge) are spot-on. You can fix 2 out three of those.
 
If there's a concern, you could certainly carry the necessary metric tools/sockets. Other remarks (need to adjust suspension, crap saddle, indignation over lack of fuel gauge) are spot-on. You can fix 2 out three of those.
That gives me hope 😊 fuel gauge I have also thought of a possible solution … just keep topping up the tank at every x or y km run… or basically every time one checks the tyres for Air - so at least weekly one would top up the tank . On a long ride - just keep pulling in to decent looking pumps at intervals and see that the tank is topped up I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
That gives me hope 😊 fuel gauge I have also thought of a possible solution … just keep topping up the tank at every x or y km run… or basically every time one checks the tyres for Air - so at least weekly one would top up the tank . On a long ride - just keep pulling in to decent looking pumps at intervals and see that the tank is topped up I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️
So far I haven’t been over reserve gas distance from a fill up station.
 
It’s pretty easy to keep track. Reserve is 1.1 gallons. Total tank is 4.2. If you assume conservative of 40MPG, you’d hit reserve at about 124 miles and be empty at 168 miles. Essentially once your reserve comes on, you need fuel within ~40 miles.

There are limited parts of the US where you’d be more than 40 miles from a station. There are even fewer where you would have more than 160 miles between stations.

My basic rule of thumb on any bike is stop every 2 hours or every 100 miles. Good for a stretch but also eliminates any worry of running out of fuel.
 
Limited petrol range is never a problem until you try to wean her 😂

Seriously, I accept the small tank and will work with it as I have with similar range on other bikes, but there are many places you end up having to make an extra stop to add that small amount just to be sure you can make the next station. Whether this is an “annoyance” or not really depends where one lives and rides.

Cheers
 
It’s pretty easy to keep track. Reserve is 1.1 gallons. Total tank is 4.2. If you assume conservative of 40MPG, you’d hit reserve at about 124 miles and be empty at 168 miles. Essentially once your reserve comes on, you need fuel within ~40 miles.

There are limited parts of the US where you’d be more than 40 miles from a station. There are even fewer where you would have more than 160 miles between stations.

My basic rule of thumb on any bike is stop every 2 hours or every 100 miles. Good for a stretch but also eliminates any worry of running out of fuel.
Agreed .
 
Limited petrol range is never a problem until you try to wean her 😂

Seriously, I accept the small tank and will work with it as I have with similar range on other bikes, but there are many places you end up having to make an extra stop to add that small amount just to be sure you can make the next station. Whether this is an “annoyance” or not really depends where one lives and rides.

Cheers
My question is …. 🤷🏻‍♂️ HOW could they have missed that ? It’s beyond absurd . Did no one realise that there is not even a digital option on the meter to indicate fuel bars ??? It seems like an insane design oversight . The other thing I find was strange is that one cannot easily use the reverse after a bit of riding … because that darn lever gets so hot 🥵 I live in the tropics and I almost singed my hand when I casually bent down to flip the lever and reverse (love the feature though 😊)
 
My question is …. 🤷🏻‍♂️ HOW could they have missed that ? It’s beyond absurd . Did no one realise that there is not even a digital option on the meter to indicate fuel bars ??? It seems like an insane design oversight . The other thing I find was strange is that one cannot easily use the reverse after a bit of riding … because that darn lever gets so hot 🥵 I live in the tropics and I almost singed my hand when I casually bent down to flip the lever and reverse (love the feature though 😊)
Have you located the radiator cap and where in the riders manual does it say what antifreeze/coolant to use?
 
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