BMW Motorcycles of Seattle

Very pleased with the service department: Expert skills, knowledge, and insight; very hard working; honest and trustworthy, and they don’t upsell you.

Outstanding from Sales, Parts to Service.
RE: BMW 1600 GTL Exclusive
It’s a Time Machine… I’m Back to Riding after more than a twenty five year absence. After reading the reviews and researched which bike was the safest and the best and most fun to ride… Only then did I allow myself to entertain the thought of getting back on what I’ve missed for years…
I am a pilot. I fly all sorts of aircraft from Fixed Wings to Rotorcraft. This specific bike is the closest thing there is to flying a helicopter — on the ground. It freeing. The bike is fun and exciting all while being smooth, agile, quick and forgiving… The BMW 1600 GTL actually becomes part of you. In the beginning you think your way through the turns and all of the options the bike offers you to play with. Then, it happens… Is it a Touring or Sport bike? The answer is clear, it’s both. The question then becomes are you riding the bike or is the bike becoming part of you. In hellicopters, if you sneeze the helicopter sneezes with you. While you are riding the BMW 1600 GTL it’s almost as if the bike enjoys the ride as much as you do.
The BMW 1600 GTL clearly sets the standards for all other motorcycles to follow.
I’m am glad it’s in my garage…
Robert

I didn’t buy my bike here but I brought my bike in for servicing. Based on my experience here I can’t say enough good things about their staff. My general experience with dealerships is they are not to be trusted and especially their service area. Well Ride West breaks that stereotype because they have great customer service. They might be a little more expensive than other shops you can bring your bike to but I also don’t have to worry about dropping of my vehicle off with them. Being able to trust your mechanic is a tough thing when you actually care about what you ride and Ride West is a place I’ll be coming back to.

Bought my k1200lt new in 2009. Service was OK until I met the general manager, a complete ass. Berated me for not being expert on motorcycles. Never returned and never will.

I have had my K1200RS serviced here for many years. Kevin and Chris on my most recent visit did an effective job of an up front quote, set reasonable expectations, kept me informed, and delivered when they said they would. Sales department has a great staff and great selection of accessories.

Great service and nice show room. I had a frame swap done on my R1200GS and the turn around was quick and efficient These guys always provide 5 star service!

Amazing service. They exemplify how every company should treat their customers. I have an older airhead R100GS. Not only do they carry most of the parts, but they have fast access to Germany for some obscure parts. I was quite surprised how well they know the bike.
I started to order all my stuff through them instead of the online stores (ride west doesn’t have an online store). It’s better to talk through a certain part with someone on the phone. These guys are friendly, fast, helpful and knowledgeable and will bend over backwards to fix issues. I had a vibration issue with a new set of tires they put on. It was subtle, but it bothered me. They swapped out the pair with a new set and had me out the door in an hour. Zero cost on service. Another time, I needed some emergency work ahead of an Alaska trip in 2 days and they had me drop off the bike and gave me a free bmw loner while they worked on mine in between jobs. It was done in a day. Awesome.

Ride West BMW suffers a lack of competition. There are only 3 BMW motorcycle dealerships in Washington State, and two of them, Ride West and South Sound in Tacoma, are owned by the same folks. The third is Mac’s, 300 miles away in Clarkston, WA. Ride West does a good job with regular consignment sale weekends, new and used bikes, and gear. Service is quite expensive, but this is a luxury brand in a costly city. They never have the full range of current models on the floor, and they typically price their used bikes too high. I like the old R80s hanging from the ceiling with African dirt still stuck in the fenders.

I got SO lucky! Ben Semer & the whole service team saved my hide! I was 2 days in to a 3 week Western US/​Canada/​Alaska ride on my (still young & well serviced) LT when the rear wheel bearing started going out, rupturing the rear seal with final drive oil leaking. I called from 10 miles away, they warned me their bookings were 3 weeks out, but they’d see what they could do. I arrived about 2pm on a Saturday. Ben instantly diagnosed the issue (experience) and knew 99.99% that they had necessary parts (they did). They started a tear down to assess the problem and confirmed what he suspected. They understood & sympathized with my dilemma and agreed to go ahead with repairs. They did it, by 5:05pm closing. They worked a miracle! The day before was Friday July 4^th (holiday) and next 2 days were typical closed days, so again my luck to even find them open. Parts & labor were totally reasonable. They serviced what was needed for a thorough service of this issue.
It saved my trip with 3 other riders. I just made it home, July 22^nd and 4,000+ flawless miles later, the proof of great service is obvious. Cudos & thanks to Ben, Chris, Wes, Jason & George!
I don’t think that I bumped anyones work-​in-​progress. I suspect that you’d understand and likewise appreciate an emergency bail-​out like I got.

I may just have had the most pleasant vehicle purchasing experience that I can remember and under trying circumstances too.
I spotted a used BMW online that spoke to all my wishes for an upgraded bike and requested a quote. I then had an emergency and spent the next 10 days in the hospital. I did NOT want to let go of this bike.
I had my son test drive it. He drives a Tuono and was impressed. I then worked with Josh to hold it for me until I could at least sit on it. That’s all well and good but here is what really made the experience for me.
I was quoted a fair and decent price both for the bike and for my trade in. Negotiations consisted of — can you do a bit better — and — sure! There were some repairs needed on my trade in and they split the difference.
I needed my GPS mount moved to the new bike. It did not seem to be a standard solution but the Service guys figured out how to make it work and again provided a discount on the parts.
I am now the proud owner of the new significantly upgraded bike acquired through a difficult time for me in an open and fair manner with Ride West doing all they can to accommodate my issues.
They have earned my loyalty!

I went here to look at a F800GS I wasn’t totally sold on the bike so I talked to Roman fro awhile about it. Then they let me take their loaner for a few days to see if I liked it. The bike was great and it was a plus they allowed you to borrow it for days as most dealers don’t even allow test rides anymore. The pricing was fair and Roman was easy enough to deal with. The parts department guys are nice but the rest of the stuff in the store is pretty pricey. I would definitely buy another bike from them in the future.

Great dealership.

I usually do all my own work but I had recently bought a 1987 K100RS and knew I did not have the time go through it prior to taking it on vacation. So I called and made an appointment here 3 weeks prior to the ride and I am told the earliest the work can scheduled is the day before my vacation. One of the service items is new tires. Cannot ride without them. However when I arrive to drop off the bike I am told my tires have not arrived or any off the other service items I had discussed were not even input until 2 days prior to my arrival. They did scramble and send out a driver to pickup some tires that would work though not the ones I wanted so at least I could have a bike to vacation on.
But I would not be warning you off had it been a this one mistake. My warning is that I had a low and pulsating rear brake pedal which was also high on my pre-​ride checklist to be looked at. I was told nothing could be done about this because «its just how these old bikes are». Once on my vacation I have time to look into the rear brake and find the master cylinder plunger was way out of adjustment is all which I fixed. So instead of getting the safety inspection they said they did I am sure I got one of those «cover stories». In short the service department here is chaos. Stay away to save yourself a headache.

Tracy’s awesome. I attended ADV camp at Puget Sound Safety, and Tracy was there representing Ridewest. Ridewest shows up, brings a couple of demo bikes kitted out for off-​roading, and directly supports the adventure riding community. Tracy was super friendly and helpful. Definitely going out of my way to deal with Ride West BMW in the future.

Great shop.
Fair dealer pricing and honest service.
Loaner bikes if available and free coffee!
RW-​BMW! FTW!

I’ve been riding for 35 years, gone though number of bikes, I was really itching for a additional bike to ride, something a bit more tone down, less flashy then my currently Bigdog K9, I’ve done the Honda, Kaw, Yam, Harley, this time I’m open to something different, so I thought I would give BMW a shot, I was a very disappointed with this sales guy, I’m pretty sure he was the one that posted this «very clean low miles bike» on Craigslist, when I got there, as soon as he find out I just got off my chopper, all he kept saying this is very different bike, I keep telling him, I think I’ve gone through many bike to know the difference, because I have never own a BMW, he seem annoyed with my all the questions about the bike, then he try to use reverse psychology crap on me by saying maybe this bike is not for you and you really shouldn’t buy this bike, why the hell you think I would standing looking at for 20mins, dipshit!
I finally took the (like new) advertised bike for a test drive, before I made it the second block, the front end start making some kind of knocking noise, the sales guy once again, saying hey this is a different style of bike, I was about to lose it, and told him again, dude, this is my 14^th bike I’m buying stop insulting me, his reply was, «oh sorry, yeah, I gone through lots of bike myself bla bla bla», finally both him and a mechanic test drove it, and said, yeah, we have to look in to this and get back to you, that guy never even call me back regarding the issue as I requested. What the hell?
I happy to say, I just bought another new Harley just a few weeks ago!

I went here on a day when they had a used bike sales event going on in the parking lot. I can’t really comment on that, since I’m not sure if those bikes were being privately sold, or if they were going through Ride West BMW. It seemed like private owners, maybe on consignment? But since I’m not sure, I don’t want to get it wrong by commenting on the used bike event. There were some pretty darn good deals though!
HOWEVER, inside of the dealership, they had a GREAT selection of gear. It took A LOT of self-​restraint for me not to buy all new gear in there — since I didn’t need more gear at this point in time. However, they’re prices are actually quite good! They are just as competitive in pricing as other stores! On top of all of that, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable too! Yup — I am a fan.

I called MotoQuest in Seattle (Duvall) regarding their rentals. I had a nice chat with the lady over there then she recommended I test ride the BMW R1200GS at RWB.
Inside, I’m taken care of with friendly staff and directed to the gear closest, which seems to have everything available for you to use during the ride (jacket, pants, helmet, etc = full gear). The closet space is a little tight and haphazard, but not too bad as long as you keep your wits about ya.
Roman (sp?) helps me with the paperwork and goes over the bike with me. A few minutes later, I’m off down the road on Lake City Way.
…vvrrooomm…
Awhile later, I return and park up front. Roman comes out and «follows up» with me. There was no «final hassle» or anything of that nature, but my story and chat regarding MotoQuest may have covered it up, who knows (in my experience of «test riding/​driving», unless you have some cool, legit story, you become boring and they hassle you easier, LOL… how much truth to that, I’m not sure…=P).
Irregardless, he was a friendly and cool gentleman.
They also reminded me that TourUSA uses their bikes to rent (banner on wall). I’ll check them out later, I thought to myself.
The bike: Very nice & smooth! It’s a bit large for my engine, but good cruising in low revs and fun.

Some of the better customer service I’ve found in the moto industry.
I went in here looking for a jacket that they use to carry. They pointed out the leftover stock they had and recommended another shop to check out. Instead of just giving me a name, they called the other shop, and sketched out a map to their location. Top notch service IMO.

I realised today how Ride West BMW is consistently my benchmark for comparing other shops.
Example 1: Today, I brought my other bike to another shop for routine a check-​up. They didn’t have loaner bikes. The did an oil change but didn’t replace the crush washer. Thought: RideWest has loaners. RideWest replaces crush washers. Why don’t you?!
Example 2: Was buying a bike from another shop. They were uncertain of the price. Took forever to get a test ride. Bike was missing the owner’s manual to which they said it didn’t come with one. Lies! They messed up my name on the title which costed me $ 20 to fix and frustration with disgruntled spasmodic DOL people. Thought: When I bought my F800GS last year from Ride West, I just went in and handed over my monies and they handed over the bike. Simple, efficient, no grief.
Example 3: Spilt my first bike and took to some dealer for a quote for insurance purposes. The service personnel gave me the stinkiest stink eyes. Thought now: Ride West’s service department is always courteous. No qualms when I needed my bike transported to the shop. No visual riddicule when I knocked my handle bar against their building’s wall while coming to a stop, nor when I almost dropped my bike wheeling my bike into their garage.
I’ve had my best experiences buying a bike, looking and asking parts people about stuffs upstairs in the shop, and getting my bike serviced here. Their club rides are awesome! :)