Monday 28 September 2009: Since my "dealer" told me in no uncertain terms to piss off I had only one option left and that was to contacted BMW customer service via fax and email with a description of the issues.
Thursday 01 October 2009: I received a reply from Scott Norman, where he recommended I arrange for an inspection with another authorized BMW Motorrad Dealer of my choice.
Friday 16 October 2009: I took the bike to Fraser Motorcycles for a 2nd inspection. They reported no issues or misalignment. I asked them if they could align the steering, if I paid them; their reply was that it was not possible to realign the steering as it was fixed in a predetermined position, like cogs in a watch.
On the ride home the misalignment was clearly noticeable.
Determined to fix the issue, I purchased the necessary tools to disassemble the steering and continued to loosen the steering bolts (see red arrows in the image) where I noted significant steering play (20 degrees approximately).
The only way to have the steering straight was to push the handlebars all the way to the left. But then the scissor type steering link was slightly off center which could impact on suspension compression.
Woohoo! after 2 months I finally had straight handlebars :)
Woohoo! after 2 months I finally had straight handlebars :)
Monday 19 October 2009: I informed Scott Norman of BMW that I had resolved the steering alignment issue.
Monday 19 October 2009: Scott Norman replied informing me that the bolts I loosened were micro-encapsulated (thread locked) and need to be replaced.
