Smile of the day - What is yours?

[Bibio]

whats recommended and what people are willing to pay for a service are two different things so its often just a basic service that gets done. but yes i agree that service records mean shizz. its down to the owner to look after their bike.

[Calix Lee]

I have been productive at work today. I look forward to my vacation leave this week. This is the first that I will be using my leave credits this year.

[svenrico]

Originally Posted by Bibio

whats recommended and what people are willing to pay for a service are two different things so its often just a basic service that gets done. but yes i agree that service records mean shizz. its down to the owner to look after their bike.

You would expect what has been shown on the service record (list of items ticked on a sheet )which you can get as well as a stamp in the service book ,to have been carried out by the dealer if they say they have been done .
The thing is when you buy a used bike how do you know how competent the previous owner was if they have serviced the bike themselves ?!
Of course the owner should keep carrying out basic checks at least.

[Bibio]

any vehicle is only as good as its owner. in this day of PCP (which has pushed up prices) owners dont care about their vehicles.

[svenrico]

Originally Posted by Bibio

any vehicle is only as good as its owner. in this day of PCP (which has pushed up prices) owners dont care about their vehicles.

don't quite understand that.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by svenrico

don't quite understand that.

what dont you understand about my comment?

[admin]

Originally Posted by svenrico

don't quite understand that.

pcp contracts are only for 3 years. You're leasing the bike and then hand it back. There's no long term commitment to a vehicle that you've spent a lot of money on.



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[Craig380]

I agree that PCP deals have encouraged a "s0d it, I'll be getting another one soon" mentality, but far too many bikers and car drivers are completely ignorant about anything mechanical.

Looking at the bike-related subs on Reddit is jaw-dropping, they are full of posts like:

"so hey guys my bike started making a weird noise and lost power so I gave it more throttle but it bogged and stalled now it wont even crank. My buddy said check the oil and I cant see any in the sight glass. What could be wrong, am i screwed?"

And many of these are about modern, expensive bikes too.

[redtrummy]

I change oil/filter every two years on both the bikes. Done the antifreeze on Suzy this year - use 5 year stuff and its the third time since new. May do the brake/clutch fluid next year. In my defence very low mileage on the both bikes. May be considered under maintained?. Bike number one is 53 years old bought new., the other (SV) 21 years old. The car has similar treatment 17 years and 146k on the clock (oil/filter every 9000 - 12000 miles)

My very good car mechanic (for any big jobs) was sceptical that its antifreeze really needed doing. I said only took 20 minutes - his reply 'thats 20 minutes you cannot get back'!

[SV650rules]

Originally Posted by svenrico

You would expect what has been shown on the service record (list of items ticked on a sheet )which you can get as well as a stamp in the service book ,to have been carried out by the dealer if they say they have been done .
The thing is when you buy a used bike how do you know how competent the previous owner was if they have serviced the bike themselves ?!
Of course the owner should keep carrying out basic checks at least.

The fluids are not the expensive bit ( especially when trade people like garages get probably 50% off price Joe public pays ), it is the labour that soon racks up the bills. I know exactly what has been done to my bikes and cars and when, and what oils and fluids were used - I doubt many people who let dealers and garages do the work can say that.

Lesson number 1 is that just because something on a service sheet is ticked does not mean it has been done... I have bought 3 year old cars from reputable dealers with FSH and it is obvious to me that engine and cabin air filters never been changed and I have even had oil filters with significant rust on them - never been changed. The brake fluid is one of those things that absorbs water whether or not the bike or car is used ( except if you are like Seeker who keeps his bike super dry ).

A lot of people have no idea how cars and bikes work and do treat cars and bikes as disposable items these days, and as Bibio says PCP has made that worse. Add to that that vast majority of people these days have never grown up having to fix anything - they just chuck stuff away and get a new one. There is a lot of good advice on Youtube, but there is also a lot of terrible advice posted by people who obviously overestimate their knowledge by many orders of magnitude