New to area, Bobs BMW and Tires

[cymirk]

Just moved to Annapolis this week from the Boston area. My closest dealer is Bobs, so until I get to know the locals nearby for help with my own maintenance work looks like they will be my main goto dealer.

Quick question on their tire policies:
1) Does one have to buy tires from Bobs to get them installed by Bobs?
2) Is there a local person nearby the metro area whom people trust to change tires for them at a more wallet friendly price (off bike even, and I bring my own tires)?
3) I see what appears to be a strong affiliation with Mortons on this board. Does this mean most of you live down that way, or anything against Bobs I am unaware of?

Thanks and I expect to become a regular fixture in the bmwbmw group. Just need a couple more weeks to get settled into town.
Dave
2011 BMW K1300S

[BMWGirl]

Yay a new member and he's on a K BIKE!! Woohoo!!!

As for a local guy - I would check out George at Beemers Uber alles - 9248 Mike Garcia Dr Manassas, VA 20109
(571) 318-2472


As for the dealers - I'd visit them all and you picked the perfect time as April is Open house month!! Come on by the open houses and chat with us and the dealers. We will have a booth at all 3 dealers open houses. It's a great way to meet the dealer and fellow BMW riders!

ENJOY THAT K BIKE!!

[Chiba]

George @ Beemers Uber Alles will definitely change your tires for you if you bring in the wheels. While I don't have any experience in that arena with Bob's, I can't imagine why they wouldn't do it for you as well. Some dealers are touchy about installing tires they didn't sell, so your best bet is to call them first. Since you live close to Bob's, it may turn out that whatever money you'd save taking your wheels to George, you might lose in time & gas. Manassas is a long way from Jessup!!

Different people live closer to different dealers, that's about the extent of any "affiliation" as far as the club goes. BMWBMW supports all 3 local dealers & they support BMWBMW as well. Having said that, everybody has their own favorite dealer & opinions vary depending on this or that.

Welcome to the area, welcome to the club & like Tina said, check out the open house events coming up this month!

[Sonar]

A lot closer to Annapolis. You can bring in your wheels and tires...at least this was true last summer.

http://www.hondaofcrofton.com/

Oh! and welcome to town. You'll Love Annapolis..

[ERC Scott]

Cymirk - welcome to the area and club. IMO we are extremely lucky to have three very qualified dealerships in the area - I have done business with all three and will continue to do so. We also have a couple of independent service shops who offer tremendous BMW-centric service as well. In contrast, my brother living in northern Missouri has one dealership about 2 hours distant with the next closest considerably farther. In case you don't know, one of our MD dealerships (Battley Cycles) is hosting a tech day this Sunday immediately after our monthly club mtg. It'd be great to have you stop in and see how a tech day might be of benefit. Also, Battley's and Mortons are having their Spring Open Houses this Saturday. Bob's open house is in 2 weeks. Scott

[Wild Pig]

I buy tires online and take them to Honda of Crofton. Off the bike, mount and balance runs about $30. They have a pretty good service department. Cheree (shelion) used to be the service manager there.

[Maria V]

Some great points made here! Check out open houses this weekend (4/13 at Mortons and Battleys) and on 4/27 (Bob's). Our meeting and Tech day is this Sunday 4/14 at Battley's.
Many folks choose to order tires online and mount them at a tech day, or find a local member willing to help, or go to an independent willing to mount the tires. Some go to the dealers - the decision will come down to time, money, and your comfort level.

We'll also have our July meeting at BUA in Manassas, that will give you a chance to meet one of the independents as well.

WELCOME!

[Maria V]

P.S. - In response to question #1, at least as of a year or so ago...Bob's does not mount tires that are not purchased at Bob's.
Their service department is helpful, you're likely to talk with either Darryl or Eric. I am sure they can answer any other questions you have.

[shelion]

1. Yep, you have to buy your tires from Bob's to get them installed there.
2. Honda of Crofton, as others have said.
3. Nothing against Bob's. We're lucky in that we have 3 dealers to choose from within a 2hr or so ride. Just about everyone in the club has their preference. It just happens that we have quite a few members in the NoVa (Northern Virginia) area so Morton's may be more convenient for them.

Welcome to the area and to the group! We have a membership meeting this Sunday, followed by a tech day. Both will be at Battley Cycles in Gaithersburg. Tires can certainly be done there. Meeting starts at 11. If you can't make this one, I hope we get to meet soon. I'm in Severna Park, a stone's throw from Annapolis.

[bdimon]

2) Is there a local person nearby the metro area whom people trust to change tires for them at a more wallet friendly price (off bike even, and I bring my own tires)?

The cheapest place to get your tires mounted is at a club tech day. Some of our tech day hosts have tire changing machines.

3) I see what appears to be a strong affiliation with Mortons on this board. Does this mean most of you live down that way, or anything against Bobs I am unaware of?

Nothing against Bob's; they are a fine establishment. There has been a lot of recent talk about events hosted by Morton's so that is probably why you thought that.

I guess I didn't really think about it before. We have three good, full-fledged dealers and several good independent mechanics in our area for BMWs. There might not be another metro area in the country that can claim that.

[Scratch]

Two other 'indy' shops in the area you can inquire to:

MRP Motorsports up Route 2 in Pasadena.

http://www.mrpmotorsports.com/

We've had a couple bikes wrenched on by MRP over the years and they do good work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glen Burnie Motorsports.

http://www.glenburniemotorsports.com/

Relatively new; haven't had any dealings with them as of yet.

[cymirk]

Thanks all, each one of those replies was awesome and helpful. I am going to try to make at least two of the dealer open houses to check them out and will probably hit up George or Crofton Honda when the tire time is due. It is good to know that a plethora of people are close enough in case an issue arises that I may need an extra hand on (I do most of my own maintenance, but every now and then an extra hand is helpful). My bike so far has been rock solid with not one little niggle bit to complain about (but of course it is still under factory warranty, lets see what happens that first week of expiration ).

I do allot of touring and SPORT-Touring trips on this bike, am an avid traveller, and am riding all three Motomarathon events this year (my type of ideal vacation) as well as the RoadRunner touring weekend. So if ya see a red K1300S with Mass plates (through May) on the road with ya, wave me over and say hi. I need to find some riding/touring partners in this area too.

Have a great week all and thanks for helping a new guy here out with your opinions. It is appreciated.
Dave

[henwin]

We have three good, full-fledged dealers and several good independent mechanics in our area for BMWs. There might not be another metro area in the country that can claim that.

And for sure there's no other metro area that can claim (or would even want) to have US as their customers!

[PhilAger]

Welcome to the DC region, Dave! Hope you'll consider actually joining BMWBMW (there are discounts involved).

I'm guessing that traffic sucks just as much here as it currently does in the Boston area... You'll learn where it's okay to go (and more importantly, WHEN)!

Don't know your availability, but you seriously need to consider Morton's Spring Fling Rally in May ( http://www.mortonsbmw.com/springfling_2013.html )
The roads around Natural Bridge are to be savored on any BMW!

You might also consider Speed's Cycle in Elkridge for tires (at least call them) ( http://speedscycle.com/Service/Default.asp?NC=2 ).
Speed's was a longtime supporter of our club when BMW's were simply R or K-bikes, and he's not too very far from Annapolis (up near BWI along Rt 1).

And please ponder our own Square Route Rally at Camp WestMar near Camp David in the Catoctin Mountains: 31May-2June! Someone up there will likely
lead you on some twisty roads in central MD and southern PA. Bring your rain gear, but you're sure to have a good time! Good beer after a strenuous outing!

Good luck with your transition to MD!

Sláinte! (Gaelic)
Phil & Karen (Mrs & Mr Membership)
2010 F800GS,
2009 F650GS,
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S,
2008 Honda CRF230L, and
1975 R90S.
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