Had Gunther in for his final check-up this past week at BMW Toronto. Nothing major; just some fresh oil all around and a check of the front end for a squeak I had reported. Yeah, a squeak–like a one of those dog chew toys or like those noise makers you blow into at the stoke of midnight on New Years. Seems to happen when the front end dives when in traffic — a bit embarrassing, actually. There I am, dressed for aggressive adventure astride this woolly mammoth; then I hit the brakes when the traffic stops; and it’s, “tweeet”. When it happens, I do a Mr. Bean, and look around at other drivers with an expression of earnest disgust. Damned if they could figure it out, though–they said the front end looks fine. Guess I’ll just have to monitor it for more symptoms.
I would be remiss if I didn’t send a shout out to Andrew, the Motorrad Service Manager at BMW Toronto. We got our wires crossed as to when I was supposed to pick up Gunther; and Andrew left before I arrived. Normally, I would have just picked up the keys from one of the other service managers; and be on my way. However, there were a few items from my last service visit we agreed we would review when I picked up the bike. As luck would have it, they were able to reach Andrew on his way home. Realizing what we needed to discuss could not be relayed over a telephone conversation, he–get this–turned around and came back to meet with me at BMW shop; and then spent 30 minutes meeting with me and going over some of the features of my bike. Now that’s service! Good on ya, mate.
Looking ahead, this weekend will Test Run #2. This time it’s Balsam Lake Provincial Park, in the Kawarthas (not to far from where I almost ran out of gas on my last trip, actually). The weatherman is calling for rain, so this may be a good test of my foul weather gear (and tolerance for camping in foul weather). Once again, I will have the Spot Tracker turned on; and, for those wishing to follow my route on line, simply click on the cowboy on the Route page.