[dandnfr]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, wanted to say hello and that I really appreciate all the useful information here. I purchased my first 05' LT back in November with only 3k miles on it. I had my first real ride today in the north Georgia mountains and really enjoyed the bike.
I did run into few snags however.
1. When we stopped for lunch I locked the glove box where the CD player is and now I can't unlock it. This is the first time this has happened. Not sure how to get it open. It feels like there is no tension on the key when I turn it to unlock it.
2. What really bothered me was near the end of our ride, I heard a clunk when I applied the front brake. We pulled over and realized one bolt was missing from the right caliper and the other was coming loose. I was able to use a bolt from my foot peg plate to temporarily fix it. I haven't done any maintenance to the brakes but I will check the bolts from now on. I don't want to think about what could have happened if the other bolt came out.
3. while pulled over I also notice the right front strut has a small leak. I'll check the forum to see if this something I can fix or if I should take it in. I wonder if the fluid from the strut help the bolts come loose on the caliper?

All in all it was a great ride but it looks like I have some work to do before the next one.

 

[dandnfr]

You guys are great! Already fixed my glove box problem after searching the forum. "Light pressure on lock while pressing fob", go figure.

THANKS!

 

[tips727]

Wow Dan, that loose caliper thing is pretty spooky. I am glad that you were able to come up with a good roadside fix.

With only 3000 miles on the bike I can only imagine that your rotor has not been off the bike since it came off the showroom floor. So the original setup is suspect. I am not sure but I think that calipers are installed at the factory prior to crating for shipping rather than dealer installed. In either case they must not have been properly torqued.

If you get correct bolts and torque them I would expect that would solve the problem. You might want to be sure that the hole is not distorted by vibration due to looseness.

If by "strut" you are referring to the steering damper, I would think anything leaking from there is very unlikely to have caused the caliper bolts to loosen.

I'm sure others more mechanically adept than I will be on this one pretty quickly, so don't take my words as anything more than encouragement to not over think this.

I am glad you figured out the lock by researching other posts. You can be pretty sure that almost any problem you may have has been experienced by someone else and solutions have been reached in the pages of this site.

Enjoy the new ride.

Tips

 

[djthompson43]

Welcome Dan!

I bought my '09 last August. Thought I was buying "just" a touring bike that my wife would be comfortable riding on. Pleasantly surprised when I found out how much fun it can be in the twisties. And I was shocked to find out how curvy the North Georgia mountains can be. From Cartersville I have great access to them also. The run up to Chatsworth then over to Ellijay, then back to Cartersville has some pretty good curves and great scenery if I only have a couple of hours to spend. However, the really good stuff is north of Dahlonaga.

I'm taking a four and a half hour ride down to Statesboro tomorrow and unfortunately the weather is not cooperating. It will be interesting to find out how well the LT protects me from the elements. I expect the ride to be fairly boring, almost entirely four lane, but still better than being stuck in a car!

Ride safely and maybe we'll cross paths up in the mountains one day!

Dave

 

[dandnfr]

Dave, north of Dahlonaga around the Richard B Russell Hwy is where our group went. I'm in Kennesaw so I was pretty wore out by the time I got home. The seat turned out to be pretty comfortable though. I also choose this bike so my wife would have the comfort and I would have a bike that was closer to a touring bike. Turns out there was no compromise as I found out yesterday this more bike than I'll ever need. I didn't take the wife this time since I'm new to the bike and wanted to get more comfortable with the size of this beast. Enjoy your ride, I hope the weather holds for you.

Tips, good idea checking the holes, I'll make sure to do that when I get the new bolts. I think I'll also add torque stripes to the bolt heads as a visual reminder. The main reason I posted about the caliper was to bring it to the attention of others so no one makes the same mistake I did by not checking this.

 

[djthompson43]

Dan, couldn't help but check my calipers before leaving this morning after hearing your story. Nice and tight like they darn well ought to be, especially since I was the last one to remove and replace them!

Weather today was pretty much what I expected, cloudy until about half an hour outside of Statesboro, then the rain started. It was a good experience, the bike protects you very well from the elements. Not exactly a scenic drive, but this bike just gobbles up pavement. When I lost my radio signal, couldn't locate a new station so I just shut it off. Actually enjoyed just listening to the engine growl!

Dave

 

[blueknightga6]

Welcome Dan!

I bought my '09 last August. Thought I was buying "just" a touring bike that my wife would be comfortable riding on. Pleasantly surprised when I found out how much fun it can be in the twisties. And I was shocked to find out how curvy the North Georgia mountains can be. From Cartersville I have great access to them also. The run up to Chatsworth then over to Ellijay, then back to Cartersville has some pretty good curves and great scenery if I only have a couple of hours to spend. However, the really good stuff is north of Dahlonaga.

I'm taking a four and a half hour ride down to Statesboro tomorrow and unfortunately the weather is not cooperating. It will be interesting to find out how well the LT protects me from the elements. I expect the ride to be fairly boring, almost entirely four lane, but still better than being stuck in a car!

Ride safely and maybe we'll cross paths up in the mountains one day!

Dave

She'll protect you pretty well. My feet really don't even get wet. I get wetter from the rain coming off my helmet or from the windshield than I do from the rain. :bmw:

 

[djthompson43]

Hey Chris, it was also comforting to know I had a new Metzler on the front end. Purchased it fron Ken's Motorcycle Tires in Woodstock based on information gleaned from your blog. I bring that up for Dan's benefit also, since he lives just around the corner from Ken's. I enjoyed doing business with them, great service and a fair price!

Paid another quick visit to your blog this morning and read your post about riding boots, which is something else I need to acquire and have been putting off. I picked up some nice BMW riding apparel from Blue Moon BMW in Norcross, nicely discounted! But there were no "deals" to be found on footwear.

Folks like you (and there are many!) who are so eager to share information and experiences are the reason I visit this site daily!

Regards
Dave

 

[blueknightga6]

Hey Chris, it was also comforting to know I had a new Metzler on the front end. Purchased it fron Ken's Motorcycle Tires in Woodstock based on information gleaned from your blog. I bring that up for Dan's benefit also, since he lives just around the corner from Ken's. I enjoyed doing business with them, great service and a fair price!

Paid another quick visit to your blog this morning and read your post about riding boots, which is something else I need to acquire and have been putting off. I picked up some nice BMW riding apparel from Blue Moon BMW in Norcross, nicely discounted! But there were no "deals" to be found on footwear.

Folks like you (and there are many!) who are so eager to share information and experiences are the reason I visit this site daily!

Regards
Dave

Thanks for the kind words Dave! I'm an expert by no means but will share and it's a fun way for family & friends to keep up with our "Motorcycle Adventures" without using Facebook. :histerica

You're right about Ken's! They can pretty much meet any internet price, plus the cost savings on installation on tires bought from them more than makes up for it if they can't.

We were in Daytona BMW where I got my old Street Sneakers on clearance (in my size only) for $79 a few years ago! The HD logger style boots kept getting the heel caught on the footpegs of the K1200LT. I liked the flatter sole on the Street Sneakers but they finally wore out. Competition Accessories and Jafrum both have the Tourmaster Solution Boots for $107.99 with free shipping. I figured if I got even two years out of the Vegas they'd be worth the $60.00!

 

[dandnfr]

Hey Chris, it was also comforting to know I had a new Metzler on the front end. Purchased it fron Ken's Motorcycle Tires in Woodstock based on information gleaned from your blog. I bring that up for Dan's benefit also, since he lives just around the corner from Ken's. I enjoyed doing business with them, great service and a fair price!

Paid another quick visit to your blog this morning and read your post about riding boots, which is something else I need to acquire and have been putting off. I picked up some nice BMW riding apparel from Blue Moon BMW in Norcross, nicely discounted! But there were no "deals" to be found on footwear.

Folks like you (and there are many!) who are so eager to share information and experiences are the reason I visit this site daily!

Regards
Dave

Got my last two tires there for my previous bike (00' Kaw Voyager XII). Good to support the local small businesses, plus they do a very good job. Got my caliper bolts today along with a fork seal from the dealer in Marietta. The fork oil was $22 for a Liter, thought I should wait and check the forum for an alternate oil since I'm only doing the rt side. I'll save about $250 doing it myself.

 

[Dick]

Got my last two tires there for my previous bike (00' Kaw Voyager XII). Good to support the local small businesses, plus they do a very good job. Got my caliper bolts today along with a fork seal from the dealer in Marietta. The fork oil was $22 for a Liter, thought I should wait and check the forum for an alternate oil since I'm only doing the rt side. I'll save about $250 doing it myself.

I'm pretty sure I just used ATF fluid when I changed ole Toad's fork oil out last year. Somebody'll jump on here and confirm that, I hope. The fluid does nothing except provide slider tube lubrication.

 

[dandnfr]

I'm pretty sure I just used ATF fluid when I changed ole Toad's fork oil out last year. Somebody'll jump on here and confirm that, I hope. The fluid does nothing except provide slider tube lubrication.

I got it apart, wasn't much to it. Took less than an hour. I poured the oil in a clear measuring cup and had just under .5 Liter. Held a light to the container and it was pretty clean since the bike only has 4K on it, but I'll probably change it anyway. At minimum i will run it through a filter. Guy at the dealership said it was 10 weight fluid.
I'll have to finish her later as soccer game and prom took higher priority today.

 

[Dick]

I got it apart, wasn't much to it. Took less than an hour. I poured the oil in a clear measuring cup and had just under .5 Liter. Held a light to the container and it was pretty clean since the bike only has 4K on it, but I'll probably change it anyway. At minimum i will run it through a filter. Guy at the dealership said it was 10 weight fluid.
I'll have to finish her later as soccer game and prom took higher priority today.

Very good - easy peasy to reinstall too. Just do the dental floss trick to keep air from building up while you're pushing the lower tube back into position. IIRC, I think I twisted two or three strands together and pulled 'em out with some gentle tugs with a pair of needle nose pliers. Good luck.