[minzanurag]

Originally Posted by hgps

I had a 2016 650F till last month. Rode for 30,500 KMs.
I never felt the need to change accelerator cable. I had changed my clutch cable once as preventive maintenance once. But old clutch cable was in excellent shape. I think as long as cables aren't getting sticky or stands of cable aren't breaking. You're good to go with the old one.

I had changed my chain sprocket set around 27k KMs mark. They were in good condition but chain was stretched to the last indicator on swing arm. Could have gone for another 3-5k KMs till chain slack increased to necessitate further adjustment. But I changed it as preventive maintenance.

Look at sprocket teeth condition and how much chain is stretched (indicator on left side of swing arm, near wheel axle).

All signs on the bike indicate clutch and accelerator cable are good for now and with regular maintenance should be good for sometime as well.

Sprocket is also in good shape, however, as you mentioned the adjustment indicator shows it’s almost on the limit. I think I will have to get the chain replaced in the next few weeks.

Thanks for all the inputs. Much appreciated. I remember reading your posts on the 650F and how you had to work on the bike yourself as Lucknow does not have a Honda Topline.

[dvv]

My '22 Tiger 900 GT had crossed 293xx kms and was due for a service as I had hit the 12 month service interval. My trips on the bike had reduced in the past few months due to increased car drives as well as my tyres almost at end of life, making me more cautious to avoid long trips until I can replace the set of tyres. What this meant was I was just short of the 30K kms service interval limit.

Khivraj Triumph has opened up a new service centre in ECR Chennai, along with the existing service centre at Mount road near Gemini Flyover. This meant a re-shuffle of some known folks amongst the service centres, so I wasnt sure whom to reach out for a service booking. Managed to get the numbers from the Khivraj sales folks and got an appointment.

My list of items for the 30K service was as below:
1. Oil, oil filter, air filter - Pretty standard given its a once year thing
2. Rear brake pads - as it was at the limit and bite was minimal, so had to be changed
3. Coolant replacement - as per service booklet, its at 3 years irrespective of mileage. In my case I was short of the 3 year mark by 6 months, but since the coolant was also no longer the bright pink/orange shade it once was, I decided to get it changed
4. Replace front fork oils if needed, lubricate headstock / headstock bearing if needed.
5. Standard chain tightening, front sprocket cleaning, chain clean & lube
6. Remove sump guard (I've the SW Motech sump guard which is huge) and clean the under belly during bike wash.

Dropped the bike off on the 24th Oct and got it back at the end of 25th evening.

Observations from the service billing:
1. Khivraj has started adding numerous misc charges on the bills - I have not seen any of them in my previous 3 major services (1K, 10K, 20K services).
2. For example, water wash is now 500 rupees (never charged before, wash is still average at best), a random consumables charge of 200 rupees was added (not something done before, I guess this is for the random bits & bobs they use).
3. For coolant replacement, I was charged for 3L of coolant, although the bike needs only 2.25L. On asking for the remaining coolant back, was shown about ~100ml in the bottle and was told the extra was used with the radiator flush (I did not buy this story at all).
4. I was charged 550+tax for a radiator flush as well - Amazon lists similar Wurth product at 400 odd. Just an observation.
5. I was charged Rs. 200+tax for a 5.5g packet of Wurth brake paste - basically for the sliding parts of the pads. This same product lists at roughly ~100 rupees online. This is an expensive premium being charged and I'm honestly not sure if they have used the product on the brake pads too (will give them the benefit of the doubt)
6. I was charged ~Rs.1000+tax (roughly 2.2 units of labour, ~30 mins of time), for what is 4-6 bolts to be removed and put back again. Seemed priced atrociously and it sounds even worse given the coolant replacement was charged at only 1 unit of labour (15 mins of time). Pretty sure a coolant flush & replacement will take more time than the sump guard fitment.
7. Fork oil replacement and head stock greasing was not done, stating it is not needed. Could be deferred for a later date.
8. Front sprocket cleaning was missed until I pointed it out & then was done satisfactorily. Bike also threw a check engine warning after it was pulled out of the dealership. It was again taken back inside, scanned and given back to me. Probable cause: The water wash made the sensors go wonky.

You can see the bill below and a photo of the coolant bottle I given back (I left the bottle at the service centre as it was not useful). I was however returned an engine oil bottle with about ~800 ml remaining.





Overall, I'd say my recent service experiences makes me feel that Triumph service costs are just going up with no equivalent increase in perceived value or service quality. This has certainly gotten worse with the Bajaj partnership for sure.

Hope this info helps others!

[Wheeloholic]

Any idea where can I source Kawasaki spares? I need to service my Z900 and I looking for consumables like:

1. Oil filter
2. Air filter
3. Spark plugs
4. Chain kit

Thanks

[akshayhonda]

Originally Posted by Wheeloholic

Any idea where can I source Kawasaki spares? I need to service my Z900 and I looking for consumables like:

1. Oil filter
2. Air filter
3. Spark plugs
4. Chain kit

Thanks

Check https://shop.motousher.com/

[skviknaraj]

Hello folks,

I have not been able to sit and pen down an ownership thread for my Transalp XL750.

At least to get something on towards that, I thought I will post the service costs hoping it will serve as reference point for others.

Vehicle: Honda XL750
Kms Covered till date: 7000 kms
Ownership time period : 6 months.

First service was done within a month. It costed about Rs. 10,998/- in total. in that about 6k was for labour charge to fix aux lights. This took a almost a day as the crash guards had to be removed to access the side fairing screws.
Unfortunately, I am unable to locate the bill hard copy. Will add it later when I get my hands on it.

The following is a snap shot for fixing the Quick shifter on the vehicle.



Official Honda service interval is 12,000 kms but the guys ask you to come for a periodic inspection at 6,000 kms. No parts are usually changed. Labour and other charges usually come upto around Rs. 1500/-. Due to the weekend spent in Vattavada with TSOD and Crazy Driver ( read the photolog here (Photolog - The School of Dirt Full Experience Program | Vattavada, Munnar, Kerala | Dec 2024)), I had to change the rear brake pedal. This has added another Rs. 5,283/- to the bill


Any Will try to update as when the vehicle is serviced. Cheers!

[Captain Slow]

Got my Kawasaki Z900 First service done - Total bill came to 0 -
Why 0? I have taken the K-care Package. (Package cost - Rs70,000 Inc GST)
This package comes with 8 Oil services and 1 year extended warranty. This includes labor, Washing, Chain clean and lube. Brake fluid is also flushed in the second year.

[MileCruncher]

My 2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XRx turned 9 yrs old in February and its annual service was due around 15 March. And this time it was a major service.

Odo Reading: 33090

Dropped the bike on Saturday evening at Shaman Triumph, Jogeshwari and I was given a quote of Rs 50,000 ( Yes sir, Rs 50K!) for the service.
Breakup was - 33k - Parts + 16.5K - Labour. I was really stumped.



This is the job card


The bike was delivered today and the final bill was Rs 34K. (Labour - Rs 19K and roughly parts at Rs 15K)


Yes, it is a major service which includes some serious work like

1. Cam adjustment after opening up the cam cover
2. Handle bar cone set greasing and adjustment
3. Brakes bleeding and setting
4. radiator flushing and refill

If you see the bill, parts charges are ok, However I disagree wholeheartedly with the labour charged for the line items.

In comparison, my Passat got its 1.2L Km service done which amongst other things included fan belt changing and DSG oil change. The total bill was 40K with 9K as labour.

I think Superbike servicing costs are obscene. My assessment says, the cost should have higher half at best!

But alas, they keep charging and we keep paying!

[that_sedate_guy]

Reading all these posts are triggering two thoughts in my mind every time
1. If I'm ever able to afford a higher capacity motorcycle, it WILL be something with easy availability of parts (read: popular models)
2. Again, if I ever get to owning one, I will not hesitate even for one second to spend two whole days performing DIY maintenance even if it's just a single darned oil change. The labour costs are simple daytime loot.

Anyway, daydreaming aside, let me get back to gawking at reviews and travelogues you guys post

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

My 2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XRx turned 9 yrs old in February and its annual service was due around 15 March. And this time it was a major service.

Ya the final amount doesn't sound surprising - Tiger service towards my later years of ownership wasn't exactly cheap, although never as eye watering as the Ducati Desmo service of course.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by that_sedate_guy

1. If I'm ever able to afford a higher capacity motorcycle, it WILL be something with easy availability of parts (read: popular models)

Even for Triumph the servicing cost for 400CC are drastically different. Customers of 800 cc and upwards are taken as domains of consumer surplus, where you can charge whatever you want. Plus the spare parts prices are not exactly cheap.

It is for this reason alone, I'm getting inclined to pick up an Indian manufactured bike as the 2nd one in garage. Not sure I can afford the servicing costs of a BMW GS 1200/1250.

Originally Posted by Axe77

Ya the final amount doesn't sound surprising - Tiger service towards my later years of ownership wasn't exactly cheap as such.

I getting very inclined to try Kyffs Customs in Goregaon who seem to be well versed with Tigers. Their full service which costs Rs7800 labour + consumables includes the following:

1. Regular oil and filter changes
2. Front fork overhaul
3. Cone set greasing
4. Brake bleeding and overhaul
5. rear swing arm greasing.

The only flipside to this, getting the right spare parts in an independent garage gets tricky. Also ASCs like Shaman have a knowledge base for older vehicles which cannot be replicated outside. In my last year of ownership, I have seen the service team diagnose problems much faster and come up with innovative solutions to fix a problem.

Hence I'm in 2 minds whether to switch from ASC or not.

[Rudraksh]

From reading about all the bigger motorcycle service experiences, I can conclude that if someone wants to own one now or in the future, it's better to own a Honda or a Suzuki.
I have seen people getting SBKs 1st/2nd/3rd hand but selling off early coz maintainance issues or parts availability issues.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Rudraksh

I have seen people getting SBKs 1st/2nd/3rd hand but selling off early coz maintenance issues or parts availability issues.

Well, that is where your passion comes into play. For most European bikes, parts are available at plenty, you need to plan and source right. It is the same story with top end European cars.

I also feel a lot of owners buy these bikes without understanding the maintenance costs. True cost of ownership is not just the procurement price but also includes the cost of maintenance and reasonable replacement of parts. It is in maintenance where people try to skimp, which then leads to a domino effect.

Taking the case of my Tiger. I bought the bike from 28 yr old IIT-ian data scientist. He had kept the bike for a year. When the alternator coil conked off, rather than spending the money for replacement (48K for the coil), he tried to get it rewired in 5K. That rewired coil lasted for exactly 3k Kms and 15 months. And it took the rectifier and starter as a collateral damage.

One has to understand that the jugaad that you do for your splendor or Bullet, is not going to work for your Triumphs, Harleys or GS. Yes Japanese bikes are more reliable than Europeans, no doubt. But the ride experience of a GS or a Tiger Rally Pro cannot be expected from a Versys, Transalp or even the Storm 800.

After I got the bike, I cleaned out all the non OEM parts within mechanical and electrical systems. Time and patience is the price I paid when I bought a preowned 8 yr old bike at 1/3rd the on-road price of a new bike. People forget that the bike costing 5 Lakh in the used market used to originally cost 20Lakh and the maintenance is going to be akin to 20Lakhs.

Also understanding the sourcing of spare parts is very important in the long term flawless running of your superbike. For my Tiger, I have the spare parts strategy sorted. The India prices at ASC even with duties and freight is cheaper than RRP in UK. Plus spareparts from ASC come with 2 year warranty. But UK also has a large repository of resellers et al. So I use my wife's trip to UK effectively (she works for an UK org) along with using my UK friend's help.

That is why I can trust my bike and can take it on a moment's notice on 1000 Km trip.

Reliability not only from tight tolerance manufacturing but also from good preventive maintenance schedule.

[Flyingdutchman]

More reasons to visit a reliable third party garages who are acquainted with superbikes. Fortunately there are many in Mumbai and Pune. Even Honda is straightaway looting consumers in the name of Labour charges. I heard from one friend that Ducati owners prefer to sell the motorcycle when Desmo Service is due. No wonder you will find many 5-7 year old Ducati Monsters in the pre-owned market.

I see no point visiting authorised service centre for basic servicing once the warranty period is over. One peculiar thing I hate about A.S.S. is that they charge a significant amount as General Service and on top that, they charge again for every specific job they have done on the bike. What's remaining to service under general servicing if you are going to charge me seperately for every other thing such as OBD scan, chain lube and washing etc. There are hundreds of tutorials available on YouTube especially from Europe and Canada where they prefer to service the bike at home. If time and space is constraint, visit a third party reputed garage. I just can't fathom paying more labour charge on a motorcycle than a VW Jetta.

[bf1983]

I have so far been lucky with my Z650 in terms of cheaper 3rd party spare parts available when things go bad. For instance my starter relay died and the original starter relay from Kawasaki was an eye watering 12000 for just a small chip!

I had two options to get a cheaper alternative. One was the FZ16 (Yes the 150cc FZ starter relay works fine with the Kawasaki 650 series bikes) but it looked a little too cheap so I passed on that. The other option was a starter relay from Open Throttle Racers who makes cheaper spares for superbikes based out of Mumbai. That relay looked a lot better made and while not cheap at 2000 it was still a fraction of the cost of the original starter relay and it made zero difference to my bikes performance so I got that one instead and so far it's been over a year and no issues with starting my bike. BUT because it's not an original part I get a check engine light always. Which by itself isn't a problem but if I get some other error I won't know about it unless I keep checking the error codes whenever I start my bike.

The second major expense turned out to be my rear brake pump which failed after just 3 years of usage. As usual the original part turned out to be 15k and you don't get after market parts in India at least. However since the Ninja 650 (which shares most of it's parts with the Z650) is such a popular bike I got a used one for just 2k which was again a fraction of the cost of the original and it's been 2 years running now with no issues.

However my luck ran out last month and I found out my front fork was damaged after my oil seals got busted and dirt found it's way inside my forks and damaged it. So one of my forks had to be changed and just one fork was 9k !

Second my cone set was also damaged and while you do get cheaper alternatives this is a part that affects the handling of my bike so I went for the original which was around 6.5k. Even though I did the service at a 3rd party garage near my house the bill came to a staggering 25k which included around 18k for the parts and consumables and 7k for labor including throttle body cleaning which I felt was fair even though it was so expensive for me.

I was feeling really bad for spending so much but I took the bike to Daman to check if everything was working fine and she performed beautifully so that dulled the blow of the huge bill I had to pay to keep enjoying the bike.

[Entsurgeon]

I think it has to be a no brainer when it comes to maintainance expense of your superbike. When I as an owner have choice between DIY (spending my own precious time) vs a skilled mechanic working on my SBK, I'd rather pay for his skills. If I can get someone with same skill but cheaper, only then do I have choice. DIY should only be done if you enjoy it AND under supervision of a skilled mechanic friend. Or if you are sure the mechanic working on your bike knows nothing about bikes and would damage her.
Regarding cost comparison of maintaining a VW Passat, vs SBK svc costs, the bike svc costs are transparent but hour based and often as per brand guidelines. Just to cite an example, a puncture in a tubeless SBK warrants removal of a tire from fork/swingarm and then from alloy. On cars, most jobs are not as complex. Bikes pack much more in a small package hence the costs.
There are hardly any places that are equipped for alignment balancing of two wheelers. So yes, SBK services maybe costlier but not totally irrational.
One should not skimp on the maintenance. Its not optional. You can always source a part for cheap. But never source a cheap part ever, even if its for free.
Quality matters. Quality costs. A lot of cost goes into R&D plus testing. Substitution by low cost part means you skipped the testing part of costing. It turns out to be very expensive if you are lucky. If you are not, you might have to pay with your blood and bones.
If you think a RE 650 leg guard ( or one from same manufacturer) is good for a Bonneville, wait till the first monsoons when the rust spots start emerging. I say that after going that route and then realizing, my SBK is not a guinea pig.
Want to maintain a SBK for pulsar price, ride her like a pulsar.