BMW R1200RT not what it is cracked up to be in some ways !

I am terribly upset. NEW ORLEAN'S voodoo jinxed me again. While riding from NASHVILLE, TN, it begain raining, hard, a torrential downpour with skies so black I feared I was about to experience one of the infamous Kansas City tornadoes or hail storms.

   Coming out of a pelting shower, I was encouraged by the break in the rain when suddenly, I felt the bike lurch a bit as if I had just run over some object on the interstate. I am a careful rider always scanning the road before me for road kill, discarded objects, anything which can alter the travel of my bike. In this case, I had seen nothing, none of the things which would nudge the bike so noticeably. I glanced in my right side mirror to see what I had "run over," but instead of seeing something on the road behind me, I saw objects flying away from the side of the bike as if they were being ejected from an exploding plane window. I realized, my side case had indeed exploded open and the contents were being blown out on to the highway. Worse yet, the actual case cover had popped open and downward, and rubbing along the highway, was acting as a rudder, pulling the bike to one side.
   The "boss," my sharp riding partner began thumbing me on the shoulder indicating that I should pullover and stop. I did so, gradually, slowly, as I had no idea what had really happened. I fought the bike to a standstill. Dismounting, my wife and I began to assess the damage, the losses. the mishap.

    The hard case actually had flipped open, downward and dragged along the highway. Worse, all the contents had been blown out on to the roadway where one driver, who had stopped, was grabbing our things off the highway and tossing them to the sides of the roadway to save them. Thank you Daniel !
   The story behind the case crash is interesting. A few years back, while touring the Canadian west, my top case had a failure and  could not be closed, clamped, or locked. A Victoria BMW dealer, when asked if repairs could be done, said, "Nope, these cases are too complicated to repair, too many springs, and screws. You will just have to buy another case." Sure, like a $1000 is chicken feed which I can spend in the blink of an eye. I road my bike home, case tied down by a strong cord. My dealer at home, BMW DURHAM, has some good mechanics, professional, conscientious and very aware of BMW costs. Jason, one of these mechanics said, "Richard, I can repair it in likely less than half an hour," and he did. $925 saved.
  But this time, I had a two case failure, my top case AGAIN, and my side case, blown open unexpectedly. But the worst part was how the case had dragged on the ground while we were riding at highway speed, about 70 mph. We were very lucky not to have been tossed from the bike, nor veering into any traffic. I was was thankful that the "boss" was safe and sound. My own steadfast grasp and vice grip in holding the bike straight saved us from worse fate.

   Now, I contacted my home dealer, in Ajax, BMW DURHAM and presented my case specifically explaining that I now had to ride with straps tying down all my cases...a near $30K bike using $4 nylon straps for case security...just incredible. I also informed the dealer that the "boss" would not be riding home from Kansas City, but would finish her trip by plane. My confidence in the security of my cases was shot all to hell and I love my wife!
   My dealer pleaded a case of distance and international boundaries for not offering any real concrete assistance. They suggested my coming to the dealership on my return for a visual inspection and assessment by the home dealer.
  I am terribly disappointed by the underwhelming response of my dealer and even though I am trying to appreciate their position, it is our safety that I feel should be considered of the highest priority. And it is not.

  The dealer in Kansas City, ENGLE MOTORS, what an incredible bunch of people. They made no promises, but they used salvaged used parts, and repaired everything like new. Cosmetically, my bags are beat up, but mechanically, they are like new. I spoke with the mechanics, Shane McCulloch, Andy Cohen and Mike, along with the shop manager, John Hays. What a good group of people. They fully understood my situation and also that money was important. They used parts salvaged from damaged bikes and were able to reconstruct my bags so they operate like new...at very reasonable cost and in very good time...less than two days for 60,000 km major servicing, oil change, brake, clutch adjustments and CASE repairs.
   This chapter of the story is closed. The next chapter, the ride home to Toronto from Kansas City, opens on Monday. Then, the final chapter, revisiting my home dealer will open some time in the next week or so.
   Visit back again!