Service Query

[embattle 332]

So my NC750D is due for a yearly service in a couple of weeks, it'll have about 3500 miles on it by the time the service comes round. Now when is my next service after this one, is it 8000 miles/another year or should it be once my bike hits 8000 miles which would only be 4500 miles after its yearly service?

[Tex 36,817]

It’s every 12 months or every 8,000 miles - whichever comes first. If you have your service done (say) September 2020 at 3.5k miles it’s next due at September 2021 or at 11.5k miles, whichever rolls around first. 

[embattle 332]

Thanks Tex, kind of confirms what my thoughts were but as it was never a issue before as I always got it done every year on my previous bike since I never reached the service mileage it is good to have it confirmed.

[trisaki 2,029]

I've sent you a PM 

[MatBin 5,081]

5 hours ago, Tex said:

It’s every 12 months or every 8,000 miles - whichever comes first. If you have your service done (say) September 2020 at 3.5k miles it’s next due at September 2021 or at 11.5k miles, whichever rolls around first. 

Would that then be an 8k or 16k service though?

[Gringo 5,079]

Talking of servicing, is there anyone out there that does a service kit for the NC750X DCT? When I had my BMW you could buy a kit that had all the service items in it (except fluids) that would include spark plugs, oil / air filters, crush washers / 'o' rings etc. 

[Tex 36,817]

9 hours ago, MatBin said:

Would that then be an 8k or 16k service though?

That would be the 8k service. 
 

2 hours ago, Gringo said:

Talking of servicing, is there anyone out there that does a service kit for the NC750X DCT? When I had my BMW you could buy a kit that had all the service items in it (except fluids) that would include spark plugs, oil / air filters, crush washers / 'o' rings etc. 

 

Not that I know of. The service kits are a great idea and save money on buying all the parts individually. The only thing I disliked was they always included Bosche plugs and I much prefer NGK. 

[RC166 694]

Think Blackpool Honda do them but not sure if it’s any cheaper. With Places like  Wemoto you just enter details of your bike then select items you need, pretty straightforward and gives you more options.

Steve

 

[embattle 332]

I used this site https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/ to get all my bits when I did the odd change on my old Burgman.

[Grumpy old man 4,673]

6 hours ago, Tex said:

That would be the 8k service

Mmmm! I'd have thought that as it's a second year service it would have been the 16000.🤔

[Tex 36,817]

36 minutes ago, Grumpy old man said:

Mmmm! I'd have thought that as it's a second year service it would have been the 16000.🤔

In the example given (3.5 k miles in a year) the mileage would still be well short of the first valve check (16k). Some aspects of the services (e.g. oil and filter) are annual while others (valves) are mileage based. I see no point in doing a valve check until it’s due.  

[Andy m 23,508]

Age related is basically fluids: Oil, Brake fluid, Coolant, Fork oil. These all absorb or take in water or loose anti-corrosive properties. 

 

Use related is bits of "metal" - Valves, plugs, air filter, pads, tyres etc. (Unless your newly purchased classic turns out to have the original air filter and tyres from the previous time Vera Lynn was at #1) 

 

Andy

[Tex 36,817]

40 minutes ago, Andy m said:

Age related is basically fluids: Oil, Brake fluid, Coolant, Fork oil. These all absorb or take in water or loose anti-corrosive properties. 

 

Use related is bits of "metal" - Valves, plugs, air filter, pads, tyres etc. (Unless your newly purchased classic turns out to have the original air filter and tyres from the previous time Vera Lynn was at #1) 

 

Andy

Which is why I (and, I suspect, many others on here) tailor my servicing to suit my use rather than rigidly following the Triumph service schedule. The Bonnie got new brake fluid last service and will get fresh coolant in the next. I will also have the forks out to change the oil and will clean and re-grease the head bearings while they’re out. 
 

Just following the service plan is incredibly wasteful if you’re not doing the mileage. Things like “change the spark plugs at the 2nd service” is fine if you’ve done 20k miles, stupid if you’ve done 7k.  

[Grumpy old man 4,673]

3 hours ago, Tex said:

In the example given (3.5 k miles in a year) the mileage would still be well short of the first valve check (16k). Some aspects of the services (e.g. oil and filter) are annual while others (valves) are mileage based. I see no point in doing a valve check until it’s due.  

That makes sense  but if the 2nd service is done at 11500 miles without the valve check then the  owners circumstances change and starts to put more miles in and rides another 8000 miles interval they have now done nearly 20000 miles without a valve check. Or are you saying they then have to take it in for a service at 16000 just 4500 miles  after the 2nd service.🤔  Obviously if you are a DIY servicer then that's a different matter. 

Edited August 29, 2020 by Grumpy old man

[fj_stuart 4,749]

1 hour ago, Andy m said:

Age related is basically fluids: Oil, Brake fluid, Coolant, Fork oil. These all absorb or take in water or loose anti-corrosive properties. 

 

Yeah, because you wouldn't want water getting into the coolant. 

[Andy m 23,508]

Salty mineral water and aluminium make a mess. Five year old glycol type stuff is going to basically be sewage. 

 

Aney

[Andy m 23,508]

1 hour ago, Grumpy old man said:

Or are you saying they then have to take it in for a service at 16000 just 4500 miles  after the 2nd service.🤔  Obviously if you are a DIY servicer then that's a different matter. 

 

Tell the mechanic you want the valves doing. It may make sense to maybe change the plugs too, but either do the research and ask for that as well, or hope they suggest it. This is where independents excel, they are less likely to be just bio-robots obeying orders and work is work. 

 

Honda have three interests in the service schedule:

 

1. It must not put you off buying the bike. Triumph went from 4000 to 6000 the day Harley did. Then they went to 10000 and I do not believe anything that fundamental change in the design. 

2. Maximise profit. They'd like 50 mile oil changes, but see #1. This is why they inspect stuff and change oil without filters. 

3. Make best use of the tech's time. They want the oil draining on one to give time to do the air filter on another. If a big service is twice the work of a small one, great, the schedule allows them to sell the same hours labour twice . If there was a massive service that took days they'd arbitrarily kick part of it to an earlier interval to balance the work. 

 

This is to their advantage not ours. 

 

Andy

[Grumpy old man 4,673]

16 minutes ago, Andy m said:

 

Tell the mechanic you want the valves doing. It may make sense to maybe change the plugs too, but either do the research and ask for that as well, or hope they suggest it. This is where independents excel, they are less likely to be just bio-robots obeying orders and work is work. 

 

Honda have three interests in the service schedule:

 

1. It must not put you off buying the bike. Triumph went from 4000 to 6000 the day Harley did. Then they went to 10000 and I do not believe anything that fundamental change in the design. 

2. Maximise profit. They'd like 50 mile oil changes, but see #1. This is why they inspect stuff and change oil without filters. 

3. Make best use of the tech's time. They want the oil draining on one to give time to do the air filter on another. If a big service is twice the work of a small one, great, the schedule allows them to sell the same hours labour twice . If there was a massive service that took days they'd arbitrarily kick part of it to an earlier interval to balance the work. 

 

This is to their advantage not ours. 

 

Andy

Honda has a service schedule 8000 miles or 12 months that's how they work if you are at the mercy of Honda and it's warranty, like a big percentage of bikers, not sure about the OP, then you have to play their game + a lot of people use the Honda service plan.and don't know enough to  start telling the service manager what to do. Not saying it's right but if you take your Honda for a 2nd year service your going to be charged for valve check irrespective of miles. It's a ticky box.

[Tex 36,817]

I’m not sure all dealers work like that at all Lloyd. My dealer offers an ‘annual service’ for low mileage machines rather than a ‘small service’/‘big service’ routine. And I don’t imagine they’re alone in that. Despite Andy’s cynicism they’re not all rip  off merchants just out to bleed the customer dry. 
 

My dealer also, for example, has a set price for the 600 miles service (£50) for bikes bought from them. 

[MatBin 5,081]

My Triumph dealer did an annual service based on miles covered, except where fluids may have needed changing on the basis Andy mentioned, even then they called me to ask permission on things like brake fluid etc.

When I had my second Sprintvalmost rebuilt from the ground up they charged me a lower manhour rate than the official Triumph rate, they were a multi manufacturer franchise so charged me out at a different manufacturers rate.

Sadly they no longer exist, don't know why they went out of business but they also sold cars and that seems to have expanded, well up until March this year anyway.

[Rocker66 34,433]

2 hours ago, Grumpy old man said:

Honda has a service schedule 8000 miles or 12 months that's how they work if you are at the mercy of Honda and it's warranty, like a big percentage of bikers, not sure about the OP, then you have to play their game + a lot of people use the Honda service plan.and don't know enough to  start telling the service manager what to do. Not saying it's right but if you take your Honda for a 2nd year service your going to be charged for valve check irrespective of miles. It's a ticky box.

Well had my Monkey’s second year service done recently and due to the low mileage a valve check was deemed to not be needed

As Te sautés despite Andy’s cynicism there are honest dealers out there.

[Grumpy old man 4,673]

As it happens! Yesterday I went for a ride and parked up at Tesco, I had some shopping to do,

I parked next to a nice 650 V-Strom  ( I have a soft spot for the Suzuki) got chatting to the man, asked where he was going it turned out he was just burning petrol because the bike was going for it's 1st annual service and because they need to take the tank off to do ( not sure what do means) the air filter, the bike has only done 3500 miles and 12 months old ,does it need the air filter doing or is it a ticky box?

 

Ps- An independent garage in the Borders that have a license from Suzuki to service and still honours the warranty, apparently,.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Grumpy old man

[Andy m 23,508]

Cynicism? I go to the meetings where manufacturers set service intervals. Its spreadsheets where the accounts tell you how much can be made and everyone else has to argue their corner. The truck fleets are of course much better informed and will do oil analysis etc. to disprove stupidly low changes. 

 

Bike technology is no different to cars, yet we have lower intervals. Oil analysis shows you can usually double the intervals. Why do they get away with it? There is a group of owners with an emotional attachment no fleet manager would ever have. This causes a sort of hypercondria where they want to change the oil every 1500 miles. Any business selling oil would be crazy not to go along with it. 

 

Andy

[Tex 36,817]

2 hours ago, Grumpy old man said:

As it happens! Yesterday I went for a ride and parked up at Tesco, I had some shopping to do,

I parked next to a nice 650 V-Strom  ( I have a soft spot for the Suzuki) got chatting to the man, asked where he was going it turned out he was just burning petrol because the bike was going for it's 1st annual service and because they need to take the tank off to do ( not sure what do means) the air filter, the bike has only done 3500 miles and 12 months old ,does it need the air filter doing or is it a ticky box?

 

Ps- An independent garage in the Borders that have a license from Suzuki to service and still honours the warranty, apparently,.

it’s not a ticky box - it’s utter madness. And I have absolutely no idea why it’s being done. I don’t doubt changing an air filter after 12 months in somewhere really hot, dry and very, very dusty is a sound idea but that’s not how I remember your part of the world.  

But if the customer is happy (“Wow! My bike goes so much better with it’s new air filter!”) I suppose it’s up to him. 

[poldark 1,511]

Just to relay my experience regarding servicing and maintaining Honda  warranty.

 

I used supplying dealer (Dobles) for the 600 mile service, but I'd agreed a discount to their normal cost of £135 (for a DCT, in 2017).

 

After that I did a DIY oil service (took pics) after 18 months using Hiflo filter & Rock oil. I delayed 6 months as unfortunately the bike had sat unused for that period.

 

I subsequently made two warranty claims (exhaust can & centre stand) and at no point did anyone ask about service history.  Now maybe they'd have shown immediate interest if the claim had been engine related, but they certainly didn't look for a reason to refuse a claim.