I do most of my own work for the following reasons:

1) I know how to and I like to wrench
2) I get to save money
3) The satisfaction of learning new things
4) Nobody is going to care about my bike as much as I am

Phil

 

I do my own work whenever possible on all things in my life, but I also know my limits. I do my research then jump in...if I mess up its on me. I get a lot of satisfaction in solving problems be it at work or home. What I cant solve or break trying to solve makes good fodder for my wife which is fair game!

 

its also a learning curve, every time you do one thing and learn one skill it builds just like everything else, seems scarry then piece of cake. like mentioned the reasons are like anything else aswell.
You may on the other hand have more $ then time or just flat out lack the ineptatude,desire. Thats great too, nothin wrong with supporting the network for the rest of use or keeping some compatition with other brands in the market.

 

Totally agree with all this......


But for whatever the reason (time constraints or MoCo mandated overhead), I have been the victim of some pretty shoddy dealer work and insane prices and bill padding...

I've had bad experiences ranging from getting a service done, only to find the trans plug with small leak due to a trashed o-ring... To getting a service done, being charged for something I specifically told them NOT to do (even though they put my direction "in writing" on the service order), and then I had to file a BBB complaint before they would refund the charge...!!!

I feel much better doing the work myself....

 

Turned out ok, got some tips from a couple gents on this forum.

 

I bought my bike used in 2011 and it has never been back to the dealer.

 

if i here "buy a manual" one more time im gonna scream..thats not advice sorry......Lets assume the person has a manual. You tube helps a lot. Tackle small things first like oils changes and progress little by little. You will gain more confidence with time. Unless its something big like a transmission problem or top end issue. stay away from the dealer. Thats my advice.

 

I bought a 2016 Road Glide from a dealer near los Angeles. It still had a little of the factory waranty left on it.

When it was delivered to me the shocks had no air in them. That may be why one of them started leaking. The drive belt was loose enough that it was slapping the cover.

Pretty much this with emphasis on numbers 1 and 4.

 

I've DIY'ed my motorcycles for the last decade or so. I aim to continue doing so with the new Harley. I enjoy wrenching on bikes a lot. But I'm not going to lie, cost is a major driver. Most of the time I'd much rather spend my money on tools than to pay someone else to fix my stuff. Motorcycles are a toy for me. A toy I can afford to be without. I'm confident I'm not going to hurt myself or anyone else with my wrenching. So now the only downside is not being able to ride because I failed to get a bike fixed. Acceptable.
Over the years I've built up the tools and have a growing confidence. Getting a set of tires mounted up or a set of forks rebuilt is amazingly rewarding.
I wouldn't mind having a turn-key bike that I paid someone else to maintain. I'm basically there with my truck now; for the most part all I do is fill it with gas and drive it. Although even with that I started doing the oil & filters.. it's just too damned easy. In the case of cars & light trucks there is a commodity thing just doesn't apply to motorcycles. Lube, oil and filter jobs are often loss leaders for automotive shops. Not so for motorcycles.
So. Yeah. Here I am with a tire changing setup in the basement, a chest full of tools and a lift table in the garage. I'm down to "only" 5 patients for that lift table nowadays, including the new-to-me FLHP. I just invested in the HD workshop manuals and have started a wish-list of specialized tools I'd like for this thing. (Man! That's a lot of SAE hardware!)
Truth told, most of this stuff isn't that hard once you learn the basics.

Someone recently told me that they bought an HD for the dealer coverage, especially when touring. That's something I honestly hadn't even considered when shopping. But I can definitely understand why it's valuable.

 

I started out as an auto mechanic, worked in service stations and auto dealerships. So this stuff comes somewhat natural to me. I have a crap load of tools, not many specialized, but those will come. I just can't see paying someone to do something I can do. I'm not afraid to take it in for things I can't do, so.... lucky me, I have done all my own.