Hi. Me again.

The new sled is getting very close to the 1k mark on the odometer. Of course, the dealer really wants it in their shop for the initial (and subsequent) service, but is there any real advantage to letting them do it at the extravagant price? I've never paid someone to work on a bike, car, washing machine, etc., but this is my first brand new bike, and first Harley.

 

As a former HD employee and an avid rider/owner of new bikes...it's important to have them checked out at the first 1000 miles. Not necessarily by an EXPENSIVE dealer, but call around and check with a couple other dealers. Plan a ride to one a few hundred miles away and make weekend out of it.

It's important for a couple reasons:

They are2 wheel machines and when parts fly off , they are a little more unsafe than a car.

You have a Warranty and want to catch something in the early stages, things that get looked at that you, your neighbor or buddy who's a wrench may overlook.

It shouldn't be more than an hour of shop time. A $100 bill is cheap insurance

 

Dealer did mine but it was all part of the deal, FREE!

 

While I realize the importance of having the dealer do the "once over" just check over the work yourself (drain plugs!!!) After my own experiences and reading about some issues regarding dealer service on the forums drain plugs being loose seem to be a common problem as well as the service mechanic not cleaning up oil that came out of the filter.
And its a trust issue...I came to not trust my local dealer as he is having personnel issues.
I agree to shop around if you can...it cost me 290 dollars for my dealer who is 6 miles away.
Good luck and enjoy your ride...

 

Get the service manual, save yourself anywhere between $300-$500,,,by doing it yourself....there is a checklist they use....I did my 1st service here in Germany at a dealer, but they go above and beyond what any US dealership does...Only reason was by the time I paid shipping for all the fluids, filters etc it was only going to cost me about $100 more and I simply did not have time. If I were stateside and could easily hit up an Auto Prts store I would have done it myself....if you need an EXCEL spreadsheet with all the required maitenance search this forum...it is a HANDY document......

 

I personally like to have the dealer do the first 1,000 mile check up. But I also have confidence in my local dealer, and they are a lot cheaper then other dealers I had called just to compare prices. The key is to find a dealer that you trust, and for a reasonable price. You spend $25,000 plus on a bike what is a few hundred dollars for a piece of mind, not to mention a possible safety issue or saving you more money in the long run for something that may not be noticed by you or friends helping. JMO

 

I did my own 1000 mile service. Bought the sevice manual and followed the instructions. Spent the money I saved from having the dealer do it on a couple of decent torque wrenches. I am happy I did my own as I got to know the bike a better. I am not a mechanic and had no problems doing it. If you do it yourself keep a record of what you did and all receipts for materials.

 

Do it yourself. You'd be VERY surprised as to what they REALLY do.

They don't let you into the shop for a reason and it AINT insurance purposes.

Don't be fooled.

 

I knew this thread would be fairly polarizing. I can argue for and against taking it to the dealer. I've been handling tools since I started walking, so confidence is not an issue. This is my first Harley and there are many things new to me on this bike. Not the least of which is 3 holes for oil. To date, an oil change on any bike I've owned consists of one drain, one fill. I haven't asked how much they will charge, but reading through the forum suggests anywhere between $300-$500. The cost is really less of an issue than not being able to watch what someone else is doing to my machine. Piece of mind for me is knowing I torqued the fastener and not the hope someone else wasn't distracted or in a hurry. On the other hand, I want to get off on the right foot with my dealer should I need them in a pinch.

 

For me! Not a chance. I don't trust my dealer and end up checking and fixing what they did wrong (like 1/8 inch play on the belt and the rear axle torqued to 140 foot pounds). So why not do it right the first time myself?

Of course, if you have a great dealer/mechanic and don't want to or cant do it yourself then maybe, just maybe let them do it.