Self Service!

[thedonal]

Well- I did my first service on the bike on Saturday- plugs, oil + air filters, coolant and oil, plus replaced the clutch cable (the last one sent to me was clearly too long and for the unfaired mode).

It all went....characterbuildingly! A 1. hour job taking 5. The wing mirror bolts on the fairing had their allen sockets rounded, so just had to leave the fairing on and pull it away to get at stuff- that was no real bother. Even the washer on the coolant drain plug was OK (was expecting it to be broken as I'd had a bit of spitting from the area on occasion) and almost everything else came apart fine.

The old oil filter was absolutely stuck fast- took a lot of muscle to get the thing off. Lovely. Popped the new filter on and filled the engine. Started her- lovely. My brother (helping and giving moral support!) revved the bike- and a huge jet of oil shot out from around the filter. On inspection, a bit of rubber was sticking out of the side- bugg€r, I thought- as in the filter is
bugg€red! But no- the rubber seal from the old filter (lookied like a cheaper, non suzuki one) was stick sticking to the filter socket. A relief, I can say.

So- popped it back together and started to fill up with oil again- at which point I hadn't re-fitted the sump plug after draining the oil again. Big D'Oh!

So- at this point, people are turning up with fairy liquid to help wash the local birds and wildlife, while my bro shoots off to get more oil.

Finally- all filled up, and she's running sweeeeet now.

I got to 155 miles before filling up the tank- the light started flashing at 147 miles (normally anything from 110 to 125 before it lights up. So- she starts more happily, with less choke, the clutch works proply and smoovly now and the engine seems to run much sweeter. Very happy D!

One thing I did spot was that the airbox had some brown fluid in it- I assume from all the rain and muck and stuff knocking about- I assume it's coming through the snorkel in the air filter and was the main cause of running woes in the baddest wet weather- any suggestions on how to avoid this? I gues regular checks will help.

The back plug was fine and the front FILTHY- but the electrodes were fairly clean. I've covered the ceramic part of the plug in silicone seal and given each cylinder head a good squirt after plugging the leads back in- hopefully this should also avoid running woes.

Is it common to notice such an increase in mpg after a service? Admittedly, most of the miles yesterday were A roads, rather than up and down the gears in traffic and I wasn't absolutely hooning around, but it does seem to be a vast improvement regardless... Not that I'm complaining of course. And it's so nice not to have to blip the throttle when starting up and run at full choke for a while... And I saved at least £40 on labour whilst learning loads!!

Perhaps now I can start saving for that Fuel exhaust- but I'm sure something else will turn up...!

[Biker_Billy]

Well- I did my first service on the bike on Saturday- plugs, oil + air filters, coolant and oil, plus replaced the clutch cable (the last one sent to me was clearly too long and for the unfaired mode).

It all went....characterbuildingly! A 1. hour job taking 5. The wing mirror bolts on the fairing had their allen sockets rounded, so just had to leave the fairing on and pull it away to get at stuff- that was no real bother. Even the washer on the coolant drain plug was OK (was expecting it to be broken as I'd had a bit of spitting from the area on occasion) and almost everything else came apart fine.

The old oil filter was absolutely stuck fast- took a lot of muscle to get the thing off. Lovely. Popped the new filter on and filled the engine. Started her- lovely. My brother (helping and giving moral support!) revved the bike- and a huge jet of oil shot out from around the filter. On inspection, a bit of rubber was sticking out of the side- bugg€r, I thought- as in the filter is
bugg€red! But no- the rubber seal from the old filter (lookied like a cheaper, non suzuki one) was stick sticking to the filter socket. A relief, I can say.

So- popped it back together and started to fill up with oil again- at which point I hadn't re-fitted the sump plug after draining the oil again. Big D'Oh!

So- at this point, people are turning up with fairy liquid to help wash the local birds and wildlife, while my bro shoots off to get more oil.

Finally- all filled up, and she's running sweeeeet now.

I got to 155 miles before filling up the tank- the light started flashing at 147 miles (normally anything from 110 to 125 before it lights up. So- she starts more happily, with less choke, the clutch works proply and smoovly now and the engine seems to run much sweeter. Very happy D!

One thing I did spot was that the airbox had some brown fluid in it- I assume from all the rain and muck and stuff knocking about- I assume it's coming through the snorkel in the air filter and was the main cause of running woes in the baddest wet weather- any suggestions on how to avoid this? I gues regular checks will help.

The back plug was fine and the front FILTHY- but the electrodes were fairly clean. I've covered the ceramic part of the plug in silicone seal and given each cylinder head a good squirt after plugging the leads back in- hopefully this should also avoid running woes.

Is it common to notice such an increase in mpg after a service? Admittedly, most of the miles yesterday were A roads, rather than up and down the gears in traffic and I wasn't absolutely hooning around, but it does seem to be a vast improvement regardless... Not that I'm complaining of course. And it's so nice not to have to blip the throttle when starting up and run at full choke for a while... And I saved at least £40 on labour whilst learning loads!!

Perhaps now I can start saving for that Fuel exhaust- but I'm sure something else will turn up...!

good on you for doing it yourself...its amazing how much you learn, and also how much you can save yourself!

I did the coolant, but with judicious use of a fish tank syphon managed to do it without removing the fairing, although halfway through I wish I had.

I think the brown stuff in the airbox maybe from the crankcase breather...sometimes the engine may puff an oil mist up to the airbox, although I am sure someone more knowledgable will set you right!

wrt mpg - sounds like your bike was ready for a service...looks like you got an added bonus too!

Congrats

[philbut]

Well done mate. I think everyone should service their own bikes, you get to know em a lot better then, and it's a good time to spot other problems before they escalate into expensive ones! :)

I grew up with Motocross bikes - engine rebuild every 8 hours of use if you wanted to keep it running sweet - think yourself lucky! (having said that I wasn't exactly a pro so the 8 hours was more like 20 for me).

wrt the mpg you are getting, seems about right. I have an '02 curvy with fairing and i get 150 to the light riding normally on A roads, dropping to about 130 if I nail it everywhere or with more town riding.

Every bike i have had always has a bit of brown gunk in the airbox - nothing to worry about so long as it's just a trace.

[northwind]

I've caused ecological disasters when doing oil changes too, it's a gift. Halfords sell a great oil-eater powder ;)

[thedonal]

Cheers folks. Just goes to show how overdue the service was, I spose (was at nearly 33K miles- should really have been at 30K, but other things were costing cash back then!!).

I'll keep an eye out Northy for the next service- though I won't be doing it on the path in the front garden- the landlord wasn't too happy... I used one of those Halfords oil collectors- next time I'll put a big pan of some sort under the tank first then drain this.

Fairy liquid, a scrubbing brush and lots of hot water did a good job- not a slippery spot on the path and just a few stains on the grass and the occasional castrol red woodpigeon in the area give it away!

[muzikill]

Well done! , aint that hard is it? cost me around 35 quid including the new oil! imagine how much it would have cost in a garage - next thing im doing is upgraded the brake hoses too goodridge and replace the pads and balance the carbs.

One thing i have learned is no-one else touches my bike unless its serious!

[thedonal]

Cheer! I'm not sure I'm game for balancing carbs yet- and judging by my oily exploits, I may leave brake fluid to someone with more (ie some) experience.

But the more I can do, the more personal the whole experience gets!

[RhythmJunkie]

Good man...nice to see someone realising they don't "need" a mechanic and servicing is much more simple than people think.
You'll be moving up to bulb & chain replacement next then dude? ;)
Then tyres? Ever thought of being a bike mechanic? :)

[thedonal]

Chain- I've thought about that- but I'm not sure it's something I'm ready to mess with yet- plus, In the short term, I reckon it'd be just as much to pay a mechanic to do it, as to buy the stands/bobbins and tools- thinking that this is only something that'll need doing about once a year.

Bulbs- can't see them being too tricky. Though I'll have to get the thing to my mech to drill out the bolts for the wing mirrors and replace them - something I'm bound to klutz up big stylee!!

Incidentally- with the plugs, is it proper to replace both at the same time- or if the back plug looks fine and the front is well messy (as is the SV norm, I spose), can I just do the front with no risk of major ill effects?

[kwak zzr]

you just saved yourself a hundred gold pieces and learned abit more about your bike:)

[AlanB]

As you have decided to do the service and you have both plugs I'd change them both. You've got to the point where you have the old one out so why not put the new one in rather than have to strip down to get to it again.

Both plugs have done the same revs and there will be some internal breakdown of the thing which may or may not be visible, but as per my first comment why get a few miles down the road and have the sodding thing fail.

Well done for attempting the servce and getting it done whilst retaining a sense of humour. I've always serviced my own bikes and cars until recently when there are bits that you just can't do for yourself. As previously said it gives you more feeling for the bike / car and saves a bob or two as well.

Be wary of looking at chains, most are endless these days and need rivitting together. You can buy the tool to do this but its easy to get it wrong and the results can be catastrophic, brakes are pretty much the same thing.

Well done though.

[RhythmJunkie]

Be wary of looking at chains, most are endless these days and need rivitting together

If you paid £200 for a pair of new tyres on a sports bike and after half a mile realised your rear wheel nut hadn't been tightened you would be reluctant to put so much trust in mechanics Alan dude! .... you're a mechanic aren't you?? :(
If the chain is replaced in a proper manner then why should it fail? Its just a chain not a crank replacement!

Its ok for the layman to set their own tyre pressures and check them for damage yet **** that up and it really could be catastrophic.

Servicing is supposed to be done by a professional yet the tyres, suspension and brakes are not normally serviceable items. You have to ask to get them checked over but they are the bits on the bike which will kill you if they fail! Barmy innit? :)

Even replacing brake pads is a bit messy and a bit fiddly but once you've done it a couple of times its a doddle!

[thedonal]

When I had my tyres done and my chain/sprockets done recently (2 different co's), I found the rear wheel nut was actually overtightened. I guess it's better than under, but it'll still do damage in the long run...

[RhythmJunkie]

Correct me if I'm wrong chaps but overtightening is just as bad if not worse because the nut can literally crack and split and drop off....or strip the threads and become useless. At least with a loose one you will probably notice a rattle or some loss of control as it gradually loosens and so be alerted to it!

[markmoto]

Correct me if I'm wrong chaps but overtightening is just as bad if not worse because the nut can literally crack and split and drop off....or strip the threads and become useless. At least with a loose one you will probably notice a rattle or some loss of control as it gradually loosens and so be alerted to it!

You would have to serioulsly over tighten a rear hub nut to cause any damage! I use a toque wrench on most things as it cuts out guess work!
My advice if your at all unsure either get someone who is to help or get someone to do it, leaving wheel nuts loose is just not on. I like to put a blob of white paint on nuts and bolts when i have torqued them then you can just eyeball them every now and again to see if any have loosened as you will spot them no problem.

On the issue of chains they can be abit tricky and its vital that you get it right, so caution is advised.

[RhythmJunkie]

I like to put a blob of white paint on nuts and bolts when i have torqued them then you can just eyeball them every now and again to see if any have loosened as you will spot them no problem.


What a good idea! :)

[RhythmJunkie]

I guess changing bulbs is less of a problem for SV's with LED rears and twins up front!
Its become a 'wait till you get home' thing!

[AlanB]

I'm a maintenance engineer by by trade but not a bike mechanic so Rythym's partly right.

I think that all owners should undertake whatever level of maintenance they are capable of but my concern is that confidence can get you into situations that your skills can't get you out of, this is true for riding as well. I've had loads of calls from friends who have got so far down the line of a job and then reality sets in swiftly followed by blind panic with a dose of 'oh sh*t' thrown in.

Its been said numerous times on these forums that if you ask, very often a more experienced person will offer guidance and that's the best option to get started.

I do worry about chains, you can buy the riveting kit over the counter and people then think they can do the job, don't!!, this is one that's best left to someone who knows what they're doing.

[SVeeedy Gonzales]

Just had mine MOTd for the first time with no probs and I've done 2 services on it and it's on 9500 miles. Never taken a bike or car in for an MOT when I got it serviced by a garage and had no problems. Probably helps that the MOT place just did MOTs and no servicing. If you do it yourself you can sort things as they wear instead of waiting until service time. Soon as I feel anything wrong with the bike I know where the problem is coming from and can tweak things to keep it sweet. Makes the whole biking experience even better, knowing you can fix the thing as well as ride it :)

[krazdndenver]

I must admit that I have never been a bike mechanic, but I have worked on cars and trucks for a long time ( I am the family mechanic) When I got this bike the first thing I did was download a service manual. I have never sent a vehicle of mine or my families to a shop for repair. If it is on paper with some kind of procedure I'll figure it out, that is how experiences are made. With that said there is also a tool issue, if you don't have it try to borrow it, but if you need it twice buy it. That is why I pay the MAC tool guy every week, you can never have enough tools. I am sure as you get more comfortable working on your ride your experiences will continue to grow thats how it works.

[RhythmJunkie]

You could pick up a nasty sliver of metal in a brand new tyre in Oldham and 30minutes later your tyre goes flat at 90mph on the M6 outside Preston, yet people fear mending their own punctures....you know....life is dangerous! So the tyre was fitted by a tyre specialist and you picked up the metal sliver on the road outside their workshop.

Sh*t happens! (usually from a horses bum on a blind bend in October)

If a person knows they are a bit useless at hands on mechanical stuff then they should take it to a mechanic thats just common sense....
....but then driving licenses are given to people who are just as useless at driving.....and life goes on! :(

Alan...yes mate....as a fitter do you not think vehicles would be safer if people did their own maintenance rather than not maintain them at all?? I'm just curious about that rather grey area! ;)

[yorkie_chris]

One thing I did spot was that the airbox had some brown fluid in it

Thats just a little oil from the crankcase breathers which lead into the airbox, don't worry about it.
Well done for getting stuck in, now try to avoid the temptation to buy mroe tools!

[thedonal]

Tools.

Tooooooools.

Mmmmmmm