TMO, I feel you did the right thing by doing the work yourself. Changing the oil yourself will not void your warrenty or whatever it is that you guys think it will void. As for the chain adjustment, forget about that too. You bike can do easy 6k miles without any maintenance. I seen a kid with a gsxr; he had it 2 years. He put on about 11k miles and did not touch anything(maintenance wise). He ran it hard, he dropped it hard, and the bike just kept running (ran very well).
I change my oil every 3k+ miles and when i do it seems to have no difference. In my opinion generally, unless anyone plans to race their bike on the track for money/income than i dont see why there is a need to pamper the bike with maintenance and fine tunning.
Go out there and rip up some road hassle free

 

Relax alekinci, this was what i was referring to:

BS. if i install a full exhaust and the speedometer stops working, it's certainly not because of the exhaust. Unless they can find evidence that the modification directly caused the failure, it's still covered under warranty. besides, who said anything about the bike being raced? nobody.

 

No, its not a direct void of the warranty. But say you do all the oil yourself, and do all the maintanence yourself, and something happens with your tranny. Honda do NOT have to honor the warranty because they can say you didnt know what you were doing and that you have no proof it was done when you say it was.

 

you don't have to have proof of anything. If a maintenance item was neglected, it'll show up like a neon sign at midnight.

 

$400 for first service???? WTF?

My first service was $80.00. Chain adjustment, chain clean and lube, oil change, filter change, fuel/air ratio check, brakes checked, cables and lines checked, throttle checked, all screws or bolts checked and torqued to spec, tires checked, wiring harnesses checked, exhaust leak check, suspension adjustments check, electrics checked, seals and gaskets checked, fluids checked and/or topped off, and they filled up my gas tank. - I was blown away with the amount of detail they put into their first service (at my dealer anyway). I actually watched as the tech checked and torqued every since screw and bolt on that bike to spec. Did one, looked at the computer, did another, and so on. I was amazed at the attention to detail.

They even found out that my starter was going bad during the first service (I had no idea it was even going out either). They ordered the part, had it shipped overnight, and called me up the next morning to see if they could get my bike it for service. Took it down, couple hours later, new starter was installed. - Gave me the keys (and topped off my fuel again), and I was on my way.

Nothing like certified Honda Tech's and great customer service to change my view of it being "just a dealer" to being "my dealer".

$400 is a LOT of money for a first service. Shouldn't be more than $120 (in higher priced dealerships).

 

That's kid with the GSXR story isn't something to be talking about in a "good" sence. That person was retarded for not keeping his bike properly maintained. Just because he "got away" with it, doesn't mean it didn't cause internal damage that won't show up for another few thousand miles.

And just what are you looking for when you change your oil?.....a performance boost? Of course you won't notice a "difference" when you change it, it's oil. All it is, is lubrication, not performance juice.

My advise to everyone is DO NOT neglect maintenence, DO NOT ride your bike with a loose or over-tightened chain, and regularly change your oil. That's all that's needed to keep these bikes (and cars alike) running for a good long time with no problems.

 

ok so just outta curiousity i called another dealer up and asked wat their rate was for a first service...and they told me 200..lol thats alot better than 400 but thats still expencve...so does neone possibly kno ne places in the chicagoland area that might service my bike for cheaper...like i would love to do it myself but im not too trustworthy in my abilities with my bike..besides like changing the oil...thanks!

 

You might have to end up driving an hour or so outside of town to a smaller city. My dealer is about an hour outside of town, and they are honest. The local dealer is ripoff central. I would check around the surrounding areas to see if their prices differ.

 

It's not hard to change the oil.

Remove the right side fairing and belly fairing, remove the coolant overflow tank (one bolt), remove filter SLOWLY letting it drain before you remove it from the bike, replace the filter with alike making sure to lubricate the oring. make sure it's tightened to specification, replace the coolant overflow tank. Remove oil drain plug and drain until it drips. replace plug and washer (regardless of what you may have been told, that washer is reusable, however if it bothers you they are dirt cheap from your honda dealer) and install 3 US Quarts into the crank case via the oil fill near the lower clutch cable adjuster. make sure everything is tight to specifications and start the bike. When the light goes out, inspect the oil filter and drain plug for any leaks. if none, replace fairings, clean up any mess you made (including the beer cans you slob) and carry on with life. be sure to keep any receipts for parts purchased for personal records.

 

Guess im lucky. My friend is a mechanic at a honda dealer in chicago. (chicago cycle center). He works outta his garage when he's not at work.No warrenty needed here =)