Rear wheel lateral movement/play... need help.

[Bob_Roller]

I have never heard a disparaging remark about the service department of Iron Horse motorcycles .

I have heard of riders taking their bikes to them from the Phoenix area (120 mile drive one way), and coming back later in the week to pick them up, rather than have a local dealer work on the bike .

[azcycle]

Yes, they all were great guys, and the mechanic that worked on mine said he has a r65 himself so he's very familiar with them.  They treated me very professionally and I will definitely be bringing the bike back to them for any major work.  Though the saleman in the showroom did try to sell me on a new F800GS.  Gorgeous bike.

They did a  search on the VIN and my father in law had brought it in for service a few times in the past... the last time being 2003.

[proctorls]

Give it some thought. These bikes are like a simple farm tractor; easily maintained. There are some good web-based, self-help BMW articles available to assist in building your confidence. Plus...

Monte is absolutely right.  One of the chief joys of an airhead is being able to fix it yourself.  I've serviced my entire rear drive, including seals, bearings, and brakes.  I might draw the line at replacing the gear set, but the rest of it is within the reach of any reasonably competent handyperson.

I don't think it was sabatoge.  It seems unlikely that anyone would carry around just the right size wrench to undo an axle bolt. Two wrenches, actually, if you count the pinch bolt.  Perhaps a little periodic maintenance would have caught the loose bolts before they became hazardous.

Steve