100,00 km service and warranty work
A comedy of errors.

Southbank Motorcycles phoned up and told me they had the parts needed for the warranty work, so we arranged to start the work on the next Monday. Usual deal, I ride down Monday and leave them my bike, the loan my a bike to come back when the work is done. This will be on wednesday I'm assured. The loan bike is a new R1200CI , much the same as mine but having a yellow and black paint job and having 2,000 km on the clock.

Rode home and waited for the call. I'd heard nothing by 2:30 wednesday so I called them up. Scott informs me that the bike is not finished and would be a bit longer as they have to order parts. No mention of returning the loan bike.

As the weeks went by I began to wonder how the work was progressing, but decided to stay calm, after all I wasn't bikeless and of course they'd contact me with any information.

After four weeks I decided to go for a ride Melbourne way and stop in at Southbank and see how things were progressing. Angie tells me that the parts arrive on Tuesday and the bike will be ready Wednesday. That's great. I walk into the show room and the the manager, Chris rushes up to me and asks me for the keys. I hand them over and am wondering what's going on. How am I going to get home? I ask Chris if I can loan the bike until wednesday. "No!" Chris informs me, "We don't loan bikes for that long!" Hmmm, and I've had their loan bike for four weeks! I wander out on the street like a lost dog and head for the Railway Station and buy a ticket for home.

On the way home I'm going over this mornings events and the sheer comedic value of the exchange. It was like something from those TV shows that set you up. All became clear on Monday, when I turned my mobile phone on for the first time in a week and find a call from Scott last Thursday half pleading with me to bring the loan bike back. Aha! Chris was expecting me, I just wasn't expecting Chris.

Angie rings up on Wednesday to say Thursday won't be the day to pick up my bike but the Thursday after will.

Scott rings up on Thursday and informs me that the bike is ready to be picked up. "That's great" I say, "I'll be down Saturday morning to pick up the bike. How much will it cost?" "It won't cost you anything it's warranty" replies Scott. "But didn'y you perform a 100,00 km service on the bike like we agreed?" I ask. "Ah, Um, No - I'll get that oganised right away" says Scott.

Scott rings on Friday to inform the bike is yet again ready to pick up.

There was a six o'clock train but that was just too early, so I took the eight o'clock train instead.

Arrived at Southbank and paid for the service. I decided on the alternate route home - via Mount Hotham, nice day for it. The bike sounded great, better than ever. Waiting for the lights where the ring road meets the Hume I couldn't help but notice them smell of buring oil. "Nah, can't be me, must be someone else" I think.

Stopped at Bright for petrol and had a chat with the owner of the service station. He used to run the pizza shop down the road and has moved into the Shell station. I explain that I just got the bike back after six weeks and I'm going home the long way. He looks at the bike and says' That's a nasty scratch!" "Huh, what scratch?" I say. Sure enough close the the bike information plate is a nasty scratch that wasn't there when I I brought the bike down. And hey, the lower front of the engine in black with oil. Oh great, an oil leak. Hmm, the left front fog light still fogs up with moisture. Maybe that's why it's called a fog light? More warranty work.

Not so enthusiastic for the rest of the trip home.

Over the next couple of days I track down the source of the oil leak. It's coming from behind the big chrome cover on the front of the engine. You only have to travel a few kilometres for the oil to appear. I ring Scott and inform him. Scott tells me there's only one place the oil can come from and amazingly he has two seals in the store. I can't believe my good fortune. We agree that the work can be done next Saturday morning.

Ride down Saturday and after lunch I have the bike back to nearly normal.

And so ends my 100,000 km service and warranty work. I'm sure glad I bought that extra year of coverage.