Re: Dealers in the Toronto (ON) area

[Steve Makohin <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 12/29/03 3:51 PM, JAT abbot@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>Has anyone had any experience with McBrides? Any comments on the other 
>dealers in the GTA? I've used (late lamented) Bavian Motosport in the 
>past and had been more than happy with them.
>
>As this is a topic of interest to few on this list please contact me 
>directly with any comments.
>Thanks,

I have only bought accessories and supplies at McBrides, and I am very 
happy with them. I can't remember the lady's name I dealt with, but she 
was very helpful in recommending a good rain suit (works perfectly, and I 
love it), security devices (you know, you can only slow down the serious 
thieves unless you go to extreme measures), cleaners, etc.

A fiend of mine who gets his Asian bike serviced at McBrides says he 
tolerates them, but he's not pleased with the experience. I have no 
details about the specifics.

For three and a half years I have had my R1100S serviced at Budds BMW 
(QEW & Bronte) in Oakville, and I am very happy with them. John Parker, 
their bike wrench, is the owner of Parker Racing, a professional bike 
performance team. He's the only guy who has worked on my bike, and I have 
always been satisfied with the end results. He's the sort of guy who will 
talk with you on the phone for 15 minutes to explain how to winterize 
your bike, and prep it in spring (because you want to do it yourself), 
then tell you that Budds offers the service for $X in case you'd like to 
have it done.

John is also really finicky about bikes. For example, Budds had a one-off 
heavily race-prepped R1100S for sale in the show room, and John was very 
uncomfortable about the salesmen selling it to the "wrong" customer. As 
John explained it to me, the bike had a fair amount more power (new cams, 
pistons, con-rods, valves, etc), a ton of cosmetic goodies, but it lost 
its docile nature. It became an edgy track bike, and it would not be 
enjoyed by a "typical" BMW rider who wants a low maintenance, very 
reliable, very durable, and easy to enjoy bike. For spring preparation, 
John told me what he _wants_ to do on the bike and how much it will cost 
(includes replacing all fluids except battery), and why he does it. 
Arguably, you don't need to change your rear end fluid annually, but 
clean oil is cheaper than replacing worn or failed parts. He lets it be 
your call if you want to do it all, or just parts of his regimen.

Budds also cured my R1100S of surging the first year, through precise 
tuning, and John never once said "they don't surge." I like the fact that 
he was always honest, always open, and a pleasure to work with. The 
down-side with Budds is that they are pricey. Pricey, but good. You can 
find Budds on the web at www.buddsbmw.com

- -Steve

 Oakville, Ontario, Canada
 2000 R1100S/ABS, Mandarin

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