Bob's BMW - New Tires And A Museum!

[BobFV1]

Here in the DC area (I am actually in Vienna, Virginia, just West of the Washington beltway about 15 miles from downtown) I have my choice of three dealers - Morton's in Fredricksburg, VA, about 50 minutes by slab to the South; Battley in Gaithersburg, MD, by far the closest but it is a multiline dealer with a big HD focus and I have not heard good things about their BMW service department; and Bob's BMW, about 45 minutes North and West out along the road to Annapolis/Baltimore - probably the least convenient to get to.

I choose Bob's. It's a BMW-only dealership, they have a very friendly dealership with and a very liberal test-ride policy, they have a great mail-order business, a large service department, do track days - they are just a great dealership:



Service manager Josh gave me one of his last two sets of Anakees - said that Tourances and Anakees are almost impossible to get on the East coast right now. While they were being mounted, I wandered over to the Bob's BMW museum. Here is a 1923 R32:



Here is an old sidecar unit - I like the impudent nose on the sidecar - reminds me of an old Ford or Studebaker:



How about this custom paint job - Bob's does a lot of unique paint customizing:



Another custom paint job on a K1200R:



Last but not least, the dirty little pooper on their demo R1200S bike - man, is this ugly! It's ugly even when it isn't all dirty and shit-stained looking:



Well - that's about it. Took about an hour to mount the Anakees. Bike was very smooth on the way home.

Got to run - everyone ride safe this weekend!

[DJ Down Under]

Nice...what's different with that custom painted K1200R?

DJ

[BobFV1]

You know, Deej, I was trying to remember that - something about the paricular collor of the silver - or the black - can't quite remember.

[Sir Limpsalot]

Is that Dean trying to sneak off with the R32??
Si

[Promethean]

No No...that's far too young to be Dean-O. :)



Is that Dean trying to sneak off with the R32??
Si

[Deans BMW]

Is that Dean trying to sneak off with the R32??
Si

No, that was a life like replica of me as I was BMW's origional test rider..............:ymca:

[R4R&R]

Bob,
Bob's BMW is a first class dealer that has a great atmoshpere. I'm right in the middle of all three dealers and here's how I see them:

Battley: You're correct on them, they seem more focused on the HD brand with BMW being put off into a side room. Lots of accessories if leather and chrome are your thing. I'll often buy parts from them since my wife works very close to them (I make her run out and get what I need when there is a time crunch :028:).

Bob's: Great dealer, knowlegable staff, they want to keep you happy. Never personally experienced their service department but a couple of my riding buddies do and they haven't had any bad experiences. My problem with getting there is the Potomac river - only limited crossings and they all seem to have traffic. Since I work downtown they would be the closest that I would visit from work. Their museum is cool and the owner, Bob, is really into motorcycles.

Morton's: Since they moved into a larger facility things have gotten better there, but they still seem to be more money driven. Great service department and accessory selection/staff. They are VERY firm on their bike prices, but service is a steal (or at least it used to be when Charlie was running the shop). The only problem with getting there is I-95; I'm sure you know how unpredictable it is, usually jammed at a standstill. Oh sure, there are back roads to get there (I'll avoid I-95 at all costs) but it still takes a while. To sum Morton's up, they are trying to be like Bob's, and are getting there. Definitely worth a visit.

Luckily we have two (three?) great dealers in our area which keeps them all in check. I've needed a new helmet but have put it off since it's a big chunk of time (roundtrip) to get to any of these dealers.

There is a great service shop in Alexandria, VA that I've heard nothing but good things about, but you can't get warranty work done there. Here's the link (http://www.quality-motorcycles.com/)

Maybe we'll bump into each other sometime.