Bike Service - Advice Please

Ye. He may well be working on a bike. Good time to get him is about 5.30-600.
you can get so much more info from a phone call.

 

I try to do all my own maintenance. Just about ready to do 48k service on my FJR1300, the major bit being the valve clearances. Checking clearances and changing shims is actually the straight forward bit. The real PITA is everything that has to be removed and subsequently replaced during the procedure. That said, it's so much hassle it's not that hard to see why it would be ignored by a dealer. A bike dealer told me that clearances never alter on the FJR so it's not worth checking. I ignored his wisdom and checked them at 24K (as per Yamaha schedule) and subsequently found some out of spec clearances. If you get a bit of instruction and a bit of practice it's nice to know that the job has been done correctly. I may or may not use Triumph dealer for first 2 years (depending on cost) of owning the new T120 but after that there's absolutely no chance.

 

+1 to that!
Several years back I had 955 Sprint that started to be difficult to start, turned out to be no clearance on inlet valves.
SUPPOSED to have had valves checked by Triumph dealer a few months earlier!
Nuff said.
Want a job doing properly, do it yourself.

 

Some 995 and 885 were notorious for having valves that would go negative in a very short period of time. once they went below 2.50 the clearances would almost disappear overnight.
I would not accuse the dealer for not doing the job but if experienced would know that below a certain size to either get a 2nd hand head or replace all the inlet valves. you should have been told.
I know many techs who scratch there initials inside the cam cover to stop being accused of not doing a job
Seen many were they are very concave to being almost gone.

I do however have a friend who went to work at a dealer. and told not to do the valves. He promptly picked up his tools and left.

On a different note ask if the techs are paid bonus. If yes I would walk away.
Like most things there are fantastic too downright shocking.
Also seen people work on there own bikes and fit a cam 180deg out then struggle to get it started and ended up taking to a dealer on a trailer to sort it as he thought it was an electrical problem. Took some time to find as he did not say he had been inside the engine.
btw im not a tech but have some friends who are and tell me stories.

 

There's a lot to be said for hydraulic valve lifters like car engines, no maintainance needed. Didn't Honda fit them to the CBX 750 in the eighties? Shame no one continued with the concept. Like I said previously with the vtec engine, it's such a complicated procedure that (rumour has it) even if you paid for a full service some dealers wouldn't actually do the clearances and when you've parted with the thick end of £600 you'd want everything doing perfectly. Just getting the bike prepped with the fairing off, rads and coolant drained takes up 2 to 3 hours labour

 

When picking the bike up after the supposed (24k) valve service, the bike was wheeled out with the drain hoses dragging on the ground, I suggested they might want to finish the job before I rode off? They also openly admitted they hadn't changed the fork oil even though it's on the service schedule. "We only do it if the owner asks for it"

The subsequent starting problem a few months later was fixed by a local guy I knew that used to work at Triumph Hinckley employed to train the dealer technicians, he correctly diagnosed the problem quickly and his opinion was that the head was untouched since leaving the factory.

A couple of years later I took my then 1050 Sprint to the same dealer for its 12k service, reminding them of their past poor performance. Picked the bike up, checked for dragging hoses - looked ok, by the time I rode home said hoses were hanging out the side! (personally I think the techie was taking the piss ). I demanded they come out and fix, they fetch bike in van only to return with damaged fairing paintwork, ....which they later replaced.

Limited options for dealers down here in Cornwall so couldn't easily take my custom elsewhere, the dealer in question is now no longer in existence (no surprise), so I now have to go a bit further (up to Plymouth, they seem ok, but only had a 5k service from them).

.....SO, in my experience (once the warranty is finished)....
If you find a dealer you can trust you are fortunate and stick with them,
Otherwise...If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself.

 

Lots are unable or lack confidence. For them these are wise words

 

Mine had full service history and the amount of work it needed was ...heeps I now have no faith in Check liquid, change pads, make sure the wheels are round.
Much happier to see a bunch of receipts and dates, of what, where, when ,why ,than who.

 

For what it's worth, my tips for getting the best out of your dealer if you take your bike in for a service....

• Know your bike, check fluid levels, brake condition, etc, and arrive with it clean if possible. That way it's easier to spot what they have/haven't done. If the bike arrives in pristine condition the technician is more likely to take care.
• When handing over the bike ask the service manager what's included in the service (do your homework and check the service schedule in the handbook before hand) - also tests his knowledge.
• Tell him if you have any issues with the bike you want looking at (he should ask anyway)
  
• Get to know his name and ask him for the name of the technician that is going to service your pride and joy.
  
• If it's a valve service ask for a full report beforehand (i.e. clearances found/shims replaced)
• When collecting the bike ask to speak to the technician (by name) and quiz him for what he did and if he found any problems, has any comments, etc. etc.
• If you're not happy with something ask nicely first (everyone makes a mistake sometime), if it happens more than once - speak to the MD / go elsewhere.
• If you're happy let them know. Building a good relationship with your dealer always pays dividends.

I've had a few good, but sadly too often indifferent/bad experiences with dealers, building a good relationship with the staff is key. Some SM's have come up through the ranks and know what they're talking about, others don't. If the service manager doesn't want you chatting to his technician about your bike it's probably a bad sign (IMO). I've found technicians often do the rounds changing employer from one dealer to the next, so getting to know the good ones (and bad) is worthwhile.

 

From personal experience, I spent 15 years+ working in car garages. When it comes to mechanics, I've seen really good and shockingly bad.
All new cars (and I guess new bike) have a 'pre delivery inspection' (pdi)
Some mechanics pdi, was going to the car checking it starts and putting a pdi sticker in the window.
For this they were given 20/30 minutes, do 10 of these in half hour then get time bonus.