RantMachine

I was told three weeks, after six weeks I got pissed off and started pestering them. Took just over eight weeks by the time it arrived! I changed address part way through and told them I damn well wasn't paying for a second one

Not a pair over size 14! The sods

I was about to say "cool, might try to get myself a pair at Motorcycle Live", but then I looked at the prices... My Richas may have started letting water in, but that doesn't matter - I'm sure the three pairs that I could get for the price of a pair of Alpinestars would last long enough

Well that guy doesn't have nearly enough of a death wish

Hah! That is AWESOME!

Sounds fantastic to me, Bob! More than enough time to get the other bits done afterwards, assuming I don't discover that the bolt at the top of the shock is welded in place too You can tell I'm getting used to this bike, though... I bought spares of literally every part that I would be encountering along the way When I placed my last order with Motorworks, I said to them "I've nearly bought a whole new bike from you now" - worryingly close to the truth

Haha, Mine is the bar that will pierce the heavens! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/nmaster/Emoticons/kamina.gif Sounds great to me Bob, what sort of time did you have in mind? I've got a prior arrangement in Chesterton at 4pm so anything prior to 3:30 is great, if that works for you. Already working on the assumption that the shock itself may have to wait until Monday afternoon.

Nice one Stu! Dunno why I didn't think to check their website. The other option looks good too. Steve - tried my Halfords professional socket and a 12" bar on it, not moving for love nor money. Haven't got a socket of that size with a 1/2" drive otherwise I would've given the 22" bar a shot just for the giggles

Really appreciate everyone trying to help out Will attempt to respond to everyone properly: Raesewell & Joeman: Accessing the bolt head ain't gonna help much, it's shaped to fit the curve of the clamp and is completely set into the thing, the only way of getting access to it is by removing the nut. I know this for absolute certain because I've got the other one that isn't attached to the bike and so can be used to investigate my options. Stu: Surprisingly the wheel isn't in the way much - I can even fit my head between it and the tail of the bike to get a look at the sodding clamp from the other side It's the pillion peg and the sodding under-seat fuel tank that are causing nightmares. And guess what both have in common? That's right, you can't move them without removing the silencer first Bob: Still determined to do the shock myself but I think that yeah, I might just have to beg you for help with getting this thing out of the way first! Are you planning on being over Cambridge way any time soon, or should I reassemble the bike and head over your way? And of course, when would be convenient? If I'm no closer to a solution by tomorrow evening I'll just order a Dremmel on Amazon... Will keep trying with the hacksaw in the meanwhile. But not right now, because the sodding LED work light doesn't sodding work!

Not enough room to manuever

Nah, the head of the bolt is a ruddy great thing that's shaped to fit the curve of the clamp. And it's welded together, as mentioned above. Don't blame BMW, blame the previous owner for bodging the damn thing wherever he possibly could...

On clearing some of the rust, I was able to confirm thst as (JamBerryKing suggested on facebook) the twat of a previous owner has welded it together, so clearing the remaining rust is now a moot point. I'll cry whenever I want, as long as I leave my visor open so I don't drown

90 minutes later I'm roughly 2/5 of the way through the thing and rapidly running out of space to move the saw. Also the head of the bolt it in the way (it's pretty huge) and is apparently tougher than the teeth on the saw. Joy.

Too late! If this lot doesn't do the trick it's back to B&Q tomorrow

It's part of the rear subframe, helpfully! Right, off to B&Q - I'll check this thread quickly when I get there in case there are any other suggestions. Certainly going to try the hacksaw option if I can get one that'll fit into the limited space I have to work in. Little bit skeptical about trusting myself with a hammer and chisel, but can't hurt to keep my options open. And it really is about time that I got a new hammer anyway.

To try and give a better idea of where it is: Pic is from Google, bike shown has had the exhaust mucked about with but gives an idea of the position. Conveniently tucked away just behind the pillion peg mount, with the clamp pointing inwards (bolt pointing diagonally downwards and towards the rear of the bike). Will go have a look and see how much space I have to work with, in terms of a hacksaw. Sadly it's not just the bolt I'd have to go through, but also a big metal collar that fits around it.

Hi again, all! I decided to be a big boy and change my rear shock without any outside assistance, but I've encountered a problem. Can't change the shock without disconnecting the rear subframe, can't disconnect the subframe without removing the silencers, can't remove the silencers when the silencer clamp is so bloody rusty that it's fused into a single lump! http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/spastic_potato/20141018_121243_zpsafa942c1.jpg Now the extra dumb thing is... I knew this was in such a sorry state. I even bought a replacement one, on the assumption that there was no way in hell this would be fit for continued use. I just didn't plan how I'd remove the old one So, recommendations? Working on the assumption the answer is "hack it off" but I don't know what the most practical tool would be. My selection of tools is pitiful as ever, but my bank account is a tiny bit more willing than usual so I'm bristling to make a trip to the industrial estate for a new weapon of choice

My absolute dream bike these days is basically the new version of what I've already got with a ton of extra crap thrown in or stuck to it... I started making the shopping list at work today seeing as there's talk of a pay rise, I think it's already double the value of the bike itself

Y'all done got told!

Bicycle is looking a little sorry these days, all those countryside miles have roughed it up a tad To prove that I can find a silver lining in anything these days; it's forcing me to learn my way around the bike rather quickly I'm fairly certain that my garage is a motorbike hospice these days; the BMW's days are numbered, I'm just prolonging its life as much as I can while keeping it as comfortable as possible. Although there are plenty of other bikes that tickle my fancy, I know I'll be sorely tempted to go right out and get a brand spanking new Sertao when it finally dies! Be a shame to get a load of repair experience then get a completely different bike. At this rate I'll know everything about the bike that I could possibly need to know when I try to take the next one around the world

Absolutely f**k it to hell and back, I'm nearing my wits end with my bike. Finally ready to work on it this weekend, all the parts I needed have finally arrived... f**king relief relay dies when I set off for work this morning leaving me with no headlight, indicators or horn. Naturally, Motorworks don't seem to have any in stock. So I'm back on getting lifts to and from work until I can get one, which is REALLY f**king CONVENIENT when I'm so busy and really need to be able to stay late. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

I now work on the logic that the letters BMW stand for their approach to designing anything; Better Make it Weird. Nothing is straightforward! Nothing! Of course it's absolutely beautiful when it's working properly, and the sheer purity of design overexcites me an unhealthy amount, but really... Mine doesn't even have fairings and you still have to dismantle the whole front of the bike to change the ruddy bulb Although I'm told it can be done with minimal effort if you have hands small enough to excite Rolf Harris. I can't even reach the bloody headlight adjuster my hands are so big

All done, didn't go too badly apart from being pitch black But hurrah! I can now actually see my coolant level.

Hold that thought, it's pissing it down again. Better add a battery powered light to the shopping list so I can do this in the garage...

The haynes does advocate the hose pipe method as well as the flushing agent, one after the other. Given the hideous neglect that many parts of my bike seem to have faced, I'm somewhat inclined to do things by the books on this occasion (seeing as it may never have been done properly before) and then slum it in the future... guess I'll pop to Halfrauds for the distilled water and if they also have the flushing stuff I'll grab that too, and whatever I manage to get hold of will just have to make do