$390 for 10,000 mile service
#31
10-23-2008, 10:50 PM
Elite HDF Member
#32
10-23-2008, 10:57 PM
3rd Gear
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Herriman, UT
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My attitde is to take it to the dealer and pay the fees. There isn't much on the machine that I'm not capable of doing outside of crank work or the like, but I paid a lot for the bike and I have a warranty. Should the neck bearings seize up or any other problem occur that coulld cause me pain or money, I want to be able to blame the guys that did it. Not me. Have you any idea what lawyers do in court to guys that fix their own stuff and then have an accident? That's why nobody wants to rebuild brake parts; liability. I can't get a receipt that proves that I inspected the steering head bearings and adjusted them properly at the correct intervals. I can't prove that anything was done to the bike. Oil and filter receipts don't prove anything. I've worked too hard for what I've got to risk it all to save what seems at the time like a pretty good handful of bucks. When something bad happens you have nobody to blame but yourself. Be assured that you will be blamed, right or wrong, and the money you saved could be chump change. Sorry for the rant, I just hate to see somebody get into a warranty or lawsuit jam when the risk can be reduced.
Now let's add a new factor. I was down at a local dealer last week looking at an '09 Road King. The salesman told me that they have a "tires for life" deal. All that's required is that you have them perform all the required services. Unfortunately I didn't check how much they normally charge for the various services. That cost could be a big negative factor and one I'll check out before doing any deal.
I figure that the cost of tires will be,at least, $300 to $350 per year, based on running between 12K and 15K miles. That could offset a lot of the service cost.
#33
10-23-2008, 11:00 PM
Elite HDF Member
True 'nuff - thang is, if ya figger the average service is $400 vs. $100 to DIY, that means yer layin' out $800/year fer the services, so it MAY not be a bad deal. Somethin' like that WOULD git mah attention, 'specially given that ah average 7-8k miles per rear tire.....14-16 on the front.
#34
10-26-2008, 12:02 AM
#36
01-04-2011, 10:31 AM
Road Master
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Pittsburgh PA
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#37
01-04-2011, 03:13 PM
Elite HDF Member
When I purchased my 11 limited, I splurged for their pre paid maint plan, 600.00 for the 1, 5 and 10k service. From some of the prices I have read here, thats a deal to me. I also got the 5 year extended warranty, to me thats piece of mind. Once the 10k is done I will do all of my own except major services from then on. The manual is the best investment you can make for your bike. Why pay all of the $$$ we pay for our bikes to shell out more money to someone else every 5k miles? A man has to bond with his bike. Once you get to know it, the least little tick, metallic sound, vibration, wobble, thump or thud will be noticed and make you say hummm. I have been a wrench spinner in the army for over 20 years. If you can read a book, follow directions, have a basic understanding of troubleshooting, reading a schematic and know lefty lucy righty tighty, you can do your own maintenance on your bike. But for warranty issues or tire changes, she will go to the dealer. Stay safe everyone and keep the shiney side up.
#38
01-04-2011, 03:40 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
#39
01-04-2011, 03:50 PM
Y=95% of the routine maintence that you will encounter.
We all had to start somewhere, and many of us are self-taught. Don't be afraid to give it a shot because the fear of screwing up is exceeded by the satisfaction you get.
But your first step on this journey should be to get the HD repair manual. Not the off-brand manuals, the HD one. This is one of the few instances that there's a good reason for the HD version to be more expensive.
A number of years ago I was contemplating a base gasket change on an Evo. That required removing the tank, dropping the motor out of the front mount, pulling the rocker boxes, removing the cylinders, etc etc. I was telling a metric wrench friend of mine that I was a little skeered since I'd never done anything like that. He said, "so you're going to let a hunk of metal outsmart you, eh?" He had a point, so I took my time and did the job myself.. And the Evo and I both lived happily ever after.
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