Is it worth having a full Service History?

it all depends on the individual doing the work, if you take it to a main dealer and your bike gets worked on by some monkey that has no enthusiasm for engineering at it,s finest (well maybe not the suzuki sv but you know what I mean) then he will do a crap job and you are wasting your money, I honestly think you have more chance of a good job being done by someone like yorkie chris (no not on commision) because he has a great deal of pride in his work and enthusiasm for the bike, I would not allow a dealer to play with my bikes/cars unless forced to do so by warranty restrictions (which can be worked round as long as genuine parts are used), I have seen some of the muppets that work in some of the so called quality dealerships ! only advantage is someone may give you a little more at trade in for your bike/car.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Durbs

Perhaps the argument is not so applicable to the SV but would you do the same with a Duc, KTM or BMW, nah, you wouldnt touch one without FSH.

I think this is an important point. I know my way round an SV I know what I can fix and what a dealer would need to fix. No way would I buy a used Ducati without full dealer service history its a much more complicated piece of machinery.

[yorkie_chris]

And lets face it with a duc you're likely to need the dealer to honor the warranty a fair bit

Then again, they're too complicated and highly strung, so you'd better have a lot of money.

[TEC]

Originally Posted by mcireland

.... ive done about 8000kms on it now .... changed the rear pads ....So im wondering if i've missed anything mad.....

Err the front brake pads or are you using the rear in preference of the front

.... he said valve clearances at 30000mls (which is in about 2000kms from my current position) ...

Maybe my maths is a bit off but 8000k + 2000k = 10000k which is a long way off 30000mls

Does a full service mean everything on the maintenence schedule from the manual?

Things should be done at the service intervals as per the book, be it mls, kms or time (yearly etc)

[Lissa]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

And lets face it with a duc you're likely to need the dealer to honor the warranty a fair bit

Then again, they're too complicated and highly strung, so you'd better have a lot of money.

Well, they certainly need slightly more refined treatment than Plus-gas and a great big f***-off hammer

Originally Posted by TEC

Err the front brake pads or are you using the rear in preference of the front


Maybe my maths is a bit off but 8000k + 2000k = 10000k which is a long way off 30000mls


Things should be done at the service intervals as per the book, be it mls, kms or time (yearly etc)

ah when i bought it the rears had less on them and i tend to use the rear a lot when im on the mountain roads at the weekends

bike was at 36k when i got it, hopefully the maths work out roughly now


Grand, thanks ill keep my eye on the chart so

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Lissa

Well, they certainly need slightly more refined treatment than Plus-gas and a great big f***-off hammer

Hehe that's the only thing that actually works on my triallie, tried being all soft with it and it refused to start for a week...

Originally Posted by Lozzo

Has it got a full service history?

screw that, I just want the book of stamps!

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Tricky one this.For the first two years it keeps the warranty up,although techmically this servicing can be done by a non franchised dealer.Try enforcing that with Mr Suzuki without going to court.
A FSH makes a bike much easier to sell used,but you wont get a great deal more money for it,certainly nowhere near the dosh laid out on servicing.It also depends how many miles you do.First 600 mile service should be (almost)free,and then it may well be worth having the annual 4000 mile one done by the dealer if you only do average mileage,as that would keep your warranty up for the second year.After that doing it yourself and keeping reciepts for oil and filters is probably the most cost effective by quite a margin.

I bought my bike brand new, and the dealer almost had a fit when he realised I'd be doing 24k miles/year JUST commuting, but I'd be servicing it myself (I think he saw the $$$ signs!). He then said that if I come to them for the bits & pieces, he'd stamp the book for me. I get the stamps, he get's cash through his till. We're both happy (although, I don't always bother with that now).

Originally Posted by robchester

I service the bike myself. I keep parts which Ive removed, and take photos of the processes (date marked) so that people can see it in progress if they wish. Ive also started to compile a word doc with any work thats done on the bike.

I'm not quite that detailled, but I keep a spreadsheet of what I've done & when, with cost & reciept #. Although I tend to not keep receipts, but then, my bike is going to be a keeper anyway, so it doesn't really matter. The spreadsheet just helps me remember when I'm due to do stuff.

Originally Posted by Durbs

We'll have to agree to disagree then, keen amateur dabbling can be worse than no service history at all. No FSH = Walk away, 'Serviced it meself mate' = Sprint

I like people like you Durbs.

All servicing on my K6 (now at 34k miles) has been done by myself, other than the first couple, which were dealership jobs.

If I were to buy a bike, I'm confident I'd know what I was looking at. That knowledge has come from servicing the SV. If I buy a bike private, it'll be at the sellers home - where I can have a nosy around his/her garage. Decent quality tools means a rider that knows what he's doing. Poor tools means poor maintenance.

On that subject, my other half has just given me the go-ahead to rip down 2 sheds, and re-landscape the garden. All this so I can build a customised bike workshop, which in time, will be complete with hydraulic lift. I should have enough room in there to work on four bikes at the same time, when it's complete.

(for the tech bodgers, the hydraulic rams will be powered by an old CG125 engine - that engine will also deal with turning a turbine to run a small generator too.)

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by Baph

(for the tech bodgers, the hydraulic rams will be powered by an old CG125 engine - that engine will also deal with turning a turbine to run a small generator too.)

I am very confused with this statement young man. Are you trying to tell me that you in tend to use the exhaust gas from your CG125 to spin up a turbine that runs your genny?.

I think you may find it more efficient to connect your little engine directly to the genny, in line with some sort of fuller coupling. But I think you will still need a mechanism to regulate the engine revs etc. Probaby easier to go out and spend £150 on a cheap diesel gen if you are unable to get power to the workshop.