Thom, welcome to the forum ! You'll find these bikes quite user friendly when it comes to maintenance, get well acquainted with the on-line parts catalogs, as most BMW dealers don't want to be bothered with the old airhead bikes. Don't be hesitant about posting here, we have a lot of experience with these bikes, and if we don't know, we can direct you to a source that most likely can solve your problem. I'm somewhat familar with your area, helped my brother when he was racing SCCA Formula Ford cars at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in Rockton, Il. back in the late '70's and early '80's. I'm originally from the Chicago metro area.