[Haroon]

While I do agree with the principle that by servicing your bike & buying parts from the dealer, its a 2-way support where he remains in business and that way your superbike's service/repairs are assured and you dont have to run from pillar to post to get parts/ service etc, plus if they do a good job there is always a mental satisfaction that you have done the prudent thing and the bike is in good hands. But if anything were to go wrong, we accept its a machine and any machine can have problems.

HOWEVER, when the dealers turn 'stealers', having incompetent mechanics, ridiculous service schedules and wallet busting bills, its time you took your business elsewhere. Ideally, during the warranty period, ensure you adhere to all their requirements and service the bike at their place. If the service experience is good and you are happy with the charges, its your call to continue there. Alternatively, if things are not so pleasant, there are enough sbk mechanics in most big cities & towns and thanks to the net, some complicated repairs etc can all be found online, same with spare parts as well. While the DIY route is good & welcome, for a lot of us staying in apartment complexes with no independent garage/safe work area, it may not be practical inspite of your best passion to do such work yourself.

As for all japanese sbks, if you decide to do the service yourself or thru a good private sbk mechanic, as per my Kawasaki mechanic friend who works at the dealership (he is trained in Japan and also works on jap, european, american bikes) after the first 1000km service, at every 5000 kms you change the oil and clean your air-filer. Every 10000kms change the oil/filter (there is a school of thought that says its better to always change them together, which is also fine). At every 15000km change air-filter and every 20000kms change spark-plugs. At every 1000km an inspection of chain, brake-pads/disc etc is strongly recommended. All this is using OE parts, whereas some of these intervals may vary with performance enhancing consumables/parts for which a good mechanic's advise is better.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by Haroon

..

As for all japanese sbks, if you decide to do the service yourself or thru a good private sbk mechanic, as per my Kawasaki mechanic friend who works at the dealership (he is trained in Japan and also works on jap, european, american bikes) after the first 1000km service, at every 5000 kms you change the oil and clean your air-filer. Every 10000kms change the oil/filter (there is a school of thought that says its better to always change them together, which is also fine). At every 15000km change air-filter and every 20000kms change spark-plugs. At every 1000km an inspection of chain, brake-pads/disc etc is strongly recommended. All this is using OE parts, whereas some of these intervals may vary with performance enhancing consumables/parts for which a good mechanic's advise is better.

That is good bit of information there coming from a Kawa service personnel. That is exactly what they are doing at the servicings as well. Just instead of 5 and 10K kms, its 6 and 12K kms intervals instead in the warranty books.
Chain lubrication/adjust should be done every 500 kms in my opinion though, especially our wonderful road conditions. When I see my jacket after a 30 min ride through the city, I wonder what the filters might be dealing with.

[hifisharu]

One thing majorly missed out in the above discussion is the presence of a third party service centre. What I mean by this is an independent, competent service place, which is similar to the A.S.S, but offers lower labour costs and an option of parts from various OEM brands. One such place is Xtorque, in Bangalore. They have a wide selection of OEM accessories and spare parts and their labour rates based on per hour rates, depending on the job being done. A lot of Harleys and SBK customers have their regular services done and is a good option for a vehicle that is out of warranty period. I'm aware that they have branches outside of Bengaluru and also organise camps in other cities as well. It's a growing business and I'm sure lot of other players will enter the market soon.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Sojogator

Check this response I received from kawasaki Bangalore after I asked them a few questions through their 'contact us' link in their website.

The key word here is *recommended*.

To be absolutely sure, get a confirmation straight from the horse's mouth (i.e. Kawasaki India, the manufacturer). At one time, Honda car dealers developed a notorious reputation for calling owners every 3 months for a *recommended* service. However, the owner's manual stated 6 months and I stuck with that for my 1st-gen City Vtec. I'd confirmed this with the company directly. Most hapless owners thought the 3-month service is a *requirement*. Honda stepped in only after their street reputation took a beating.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by GTO

The key word here is *recommended*.

To be absolutely sure, get a confirmation straight from the horse's mouth (i.e. Kawasaki India, the manufacturer). At one time, Honda car dealers developed a notorious reputation for calling owners every 3 months for a *recommended* service. However, the owner's manual stated 6 months and I stuck with that for my 1st-gen City Vtec. I'd confirmed this with the company directly. Most hapless owners thought the 3-month service is a *requirement*. Honda stepped in only after their street reputation took a beating.

When someone contacts kawasaki from their website, the response comes from this lady who I think is a person from Khivraj Kawasaki. 6 months or 6K kms is also mentioned in the Indian warranty books. I had raised this question since in other countries, the interval is 12K kms/1year which is just the double for the same machines. Triumph too has it as 1 year/10K kms throughout the world including India though I feel its too long a time for the filters to not be cleaned.

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by hifisharu

One thing majorly missed out in the above discussion is the presence of a third party service centre.

Yes, very valid point and indeed X-Torque is a favored place for many sbk owners post warranty and for customization etc.

BTW, from my own research and personal interactions and experiences/references from other sbk owners in Bangalore, some of the places for good sbk mechanics are:


For the Indiranagar, KR Puram, Whitefield, Marathhalli areas you have X-Torque and Indimotard

For Jayanagar, JPnagar, Banshankari etc and those parts there is Shriharsha (who btw is an engineer & has taken motorcycle repair training abroad as a passion). He also owns the regular Honda dealership, but can work on anything from Goldwings, Fireblades to BMWs)

For the CBD, Coles Park, Fraser Town, Jayamahal and other Central city areas there is Joe near Cantonment and Irfan in Shivajinagar

Sorry, dont have details for Koramangala, Electronic city bikers. If anybody has, pls do chip in.

As for the "Diagnostic Tool" or Computer which most authorized service centers are supposed to carry, except to reset the service reminder, clear the fault codes and some tuning/mapping applications (more so on European bikes, for which aftermarket diagnostic units costing from US$ 400-800 are available for BMW, Ducati, MotoGuzzi, Triumph etc), majority of good mechanics (esp for Japanese bikes) dont need them most of the time unless its to program some FOB key or OE Theft alarm or Fuel remapping etc. Yes, it may take a little longer to diagnose the fault manually, but it is not some rocket science.

[djay99]

Originally Posted by GTO

The key word here is *recommended*.

To be absolutely sure, get a confirmation straight from the horse's mouth (i.e. Kawasaki India, the manufacturer). At one time, Honda car dealers developed a notorious reputation for calling owners every 3 months for a *recommended* service. However, the owner's manual stated 6 months and I stuck with that for my 1st-gen City Vtec. I'd confirmed this with the company directly. Most hapless owners thought the 3-month service is a *requirement*. Honda stepped in only after their street reputation took a beating.

I had emailed Kawasaki India Official (Dy MD) asking question on fuel usage. Later i got a call from Khivraj service manager/engineer saying 'sir why did you write mail to them, contact us directly na'.
Even service interval was quoted as once an year from Khivraj sales executive. Got to know that its 6 months upon receiving warranty card. Upon raising a question, khivraj team replied to my email expressing regret for miscommunication (lie). I have no issues getting my bike serviced every 6 months but why not state this during purchase?

Originally Posted by Sojogator

When someone contacts kawasaki from their website, the response comes from this lady who I think is a person from Khivraj Kawasaki. 6 months or 6K kms is also mentioned in the Indian warranty books. I had raised this question since in other countries, the interval is 12K kms/1year which is just the double for the same machines. Triumph too has it as 1 year/10K kms throughout the world including India though I feel its too long a time for the filters to not be cleaned.

Now i am glad that they are responding to queries raised on their website. I had asked similar questions during my purchase but never got a response.

I could not understand what is the job of a sales executive if a customer has to write an email or contact Kawasaki to get correct answers.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by djay99

...

Now i am glad that they are responding to queries raised on their website. I had asked similar questions during my purchase but never got a response.

I could not understand what is the job of a sales executive if a customer has to write an email or contact Kawasaki to get correct answers.

I am pretty sure your mail to the MD was the reason behind these responses from the website these days

Sales reps in kawa bangalore are only there for sales. Must, remember many people buy these things without any kind of homework as the money is there already. Sale a bike somehow and then it is not their headache ! I had asked the person who responds to the emails to educate the sales reps properly. Went to the showroom after a couple of weeks and they had all the information and that too accurate !

[alpha1]

Service interval is nothing but an adjustable tool to tweak the service tail revenue (and therefore profit margins).

Since you are locked in with the brand/make for warranty period, it makes sense to get fleeced by them as per their written contractual terms and conditions. But once you are free of their shackles, use your common sense and do once a year service.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Service interval is nothing but an adjustable tool to tweak the service tail revenue (and therefore profit margins).

Since you are locked in with the brand/make for warranty period, it makes sense to get fleeced by them as per their written contractual terms and conditions. But once you are free of their shackles, use your common sense and do once a year service.

You have reiterated my plans 5 in 2 years and then 5 in 5 unless I am hoggin too many miles !

[svsantosh]

I still see India in the Duke200 ---> Duke390/Ninja 300 days for many more years to come.

Owning a 12K (approx EMI) is very affordable to the larger reading public here. But nearly 50K in Service costs per year (Not including 95RON Fuel, insurance, tyres, gear, accessories ---> say approx 1Lac/year) translates to a net-net 20K approx per month cash outflow for leisure-lifestyle weekends.

I dont see this segment growing outside the 'niche' category (Defined by say max 1000 showroom sales per year? HD, Kawa, Yam, Honda, Zuki, triumph...?)

Thats why I say again, IMHO - the 200-400CC segment is here to stay for a loooong time.

PS - On that thought - cant wait for hot-pre-worshipped SBK beauties to hit the tier-2 sales circle then can say 'who gives a damn to service costs'

[dkaile]

Bike : Harley Davidson
Model : Superlow XL883L
Year : 2013
Service Interval as per manufacturer (kms/year) : Every 8000 kms

1st Service Cost : Rs. 6118/-
Odometer Reading : 793 (Recommended upto 1500 kms)
Breakup : Oil 4L - 2782; Oil Filter - 556; O-Ring - 43 and Gasket- 76, Service Charge 1800; Rest Taxes
Name / Address of the Service Center : Capital Harley, Okhla, New Delhi
Other comments / Expenses Incurred : Routine Service only

2nd Service Cost : Rs. 10535/-
Odometer Reading : 8106
Breakup : Oil 4L - 2995; Oil Filter - 540; O-Ring - 49 and Gasket (Clutch Cover)- 79, Rear Disk Brake Pads - 2779, Service Charge 2300; Consumables - 500, Rest Taxes
Name / Address of the Service Center : Capital Harley, Gurgaon
Other comments / Expenses Incurred : 6 Bikes were serviced at Meerut. Cab Fare per person of about 700/- were paid extra. Rear Brake Pads are not a routine service item, hence the service cost was extra this time around.

---------------------

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Bike : Harley Davidson
Model : Superlow XL883L
Year : 2013
Service Interval as per manufacturer (kms/year) : Every 8000 kms

1st Service Cost : Rs. 6118/-
Odometer Reading : 793 (Recommended upto 1500 kms)
Breakup : Oil 4L - 2782; Oil Filter - 556; O-Ring - 43 and Gasket- 76, Service Charge 1800; Rest Taxes
Name / Address of the Service Center : Capital Harley, Okhla, New Delhi
Other comments / Expenses Incurred : Routine Service only

2nd Service Cost : Rs. 10535/-
Odometer Reading : 8106
Breakup : Oil 4L - 2995; Oil Filter - 540; O-Ring - 49 and Gasket (Clutch Cover)- 79, Rear Disk Brake Pads - 2779, Service Charge 2300; Consumables - 500, Rest Taxes
Name / Address of the Service Center : Capital Harley, Gurgaon
Other comments / Expenses Incurred : 6 Bikes were serviced at Meerut. Cab Fare per person of about 700/- were paid extra. Rear Brake Pads are not a routine service item, hence the service cost was extra this time around.

---------------------

isn't 10.5K for the second service a bit steep? why were teh rear disk pads changed so soon? is this normal wear and tear or was there an issue with your bike?

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

isn't 10.5K for the second service a bit steep? why were teh rear disk pads changed so soon? is this normal wear and tear or was there an issue with your bike?

Normal servicing charges every 8k kms or 1 year are around 7k which I think is reasonable for these bikes costing between 7~15 Lacs. I have already discussed the rear brake pad issue here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post3642163

[sreejith1830]

I guess the best idea is to buy an used SBK and spend a bit on acquiring the skill set and tools for DIY. Japanese SBKs don't require much in the way of maintenance by the way.Bikes are not like cars, you don't require high funda equipment like hydraulic lifts or something for maintenance. Especially in India where most people use it as a weekend machines to drop down to the pub or do a screamer on MG road. Harleys are even more simple, most of the bikers here (UAE) do the basic stuff by themselves. Dealerships = stealerships even here (UAE). The only thing I guess is maybe technical know how maybe a bit better cause these machines have been around for quite some time here.


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