Costa Rica Maintenance Suggestions

[Riverside]

My wife and I are moving to Costa Rica soon. I am taking Mad Maxine, my 2004 R1150R with me. She has 25000 miles, 20K of which I put on in the last 3 1/2 years. I replaced all fluids when I got it in 2014 and tires went on at 18k. Oil changes at 6k intervals and valve/rocker arm thrust adjustment with oil changes. What else does the group recommend I be doing in the way of service before I ship her south? I am expecting parts to be more expensive and dealerships far and few between. She may be our only transportation for a while, till be break down and buy a car.

[towerworker]

I would make sure your brake pads/rotors are all in good shape with plenty of pad left. TB sync, possibly you did that with your last valve adjust. Buy a good shop manual and have some decent metric tools. My book is a Clymer and it has served me well. My '04(w/77K) has been dead slam reliable and I don't abuse it. I know nothing about Costa Rica so I'm a bit blind here but I'd want to know about fuel quality. Octane rating and so on. Maybe carry some cans of SeaFoam, seems to be the fuel additive of choice on the board. I've been using it for about 125K between two R's with never a fuel system failure. Couple ounces in the tank every 1000 miles or so. Hopefully some others will add to this post. Good question!

[Riverside]

Thanks Towerworker... all good suggestions. Hadn't thought to ask about the octane. I will do that.

[dandeldesierto]

Just for fun I googled "Costa Rica BMW motorcycle service". There's some BMW rentals and a dealership in San Jose, CR. There were some other listings which I didn't really examine, but it might be worth calling the dealer there and seeing how they act.

[Riverside]

We have been here is Costa Rica for just over a month and I haven't yet taken delivery of my Maxine. The delay was mine and not customs etc. It is coming next week. Just an update to all the suggestions: Gas is 92 octane, better than CA. The San Jose dealer is nice, but, word is they don't carry a lot of spares. My landlord has a 2007 R1200R GS and is down for a starter relay. Trying help by finding a cross reference list. Not many large bikes in this country. Mostly the 100 -300cc thumpers running the roads and lane splitting both sides. I'm now living in the country near a volcano. Nuevo Arenal is the nearest town so I'm on my own for maintence I think. I have a feeling I will be reaching out to the forum more often than I have in the past.

[towerworker]

Well in the event of an eruption......you should be able to outrun the 300cc machines from the lava flow...............

[Bogdan]

For sure...Change the brake fluid before you go. The 2004 has that pesky servo and you probably have ABS. I'm told if you're not diligent with these changes you're open to very expensive problems. . Unfortunately, it's a three hour job that demands special tools; Many independent techs don't want to deal with it. BMW asks that you do this change every year but I hear many owners think every 2 years is sufficient. Hope you have access to a competent wrench. Oh yeah while you're at it....change the clutch fluid as well.