Service Time

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Lee at Triumph-tech in Halfpenny Green (Wolverhampton Airport) will sort you out

 

I would personally go for a trusted independent dealer, Triumph UK advises that if a service is completed as per schedule by any independent garage then any warranty work that may be needed will be honoured, often though when a machine is taken to a Triumph dealer for warranty work, they can put off doing it for a few weeks, however when this has happened contact with Triumph directly soon resolves this. Also your local independent garage often do a far better customer service at a lower cost. Remember to get the service book stamped and keep the receipt. Triumph dealers are now charging well in excess of £130 an hour, a 12,000 mile service on say a 765rs now costs a staggering £1,000.

 

Gasp!! For a bike costing under £12k that is feckin outrageous. A few years ago, the big service (valve check/adjust) on my ZZR was around £350 and I thought that was expensive. I'd no intention of having it dealer serviced but just priced it up out of curiosity. I've had good and bad experiences with dealer servicing in the past which is the main reason I like to do my own, even on bikes still in warranty. The first dealer service (600m) on my new Scrambler was a pleasant surprise though so a thumbs up for Pidcock Triumph in Long Eaton.

 

Hi Pegscraper, yes I agree it is outrageous the prices Triumph dealers charge, the big Desmo service on a Ducati Panigale 1299s is that price, and the amount of work involved in that is huge compared to the Triumph. A local (to me) independent garage charges around £200 plus VAT for a valve clearance check and adjustments if they need it, if not then it is £140 plus VAT. Like you I do my own as in a previous life so to speak I was a qualified old school mechanic. When I completed the 12,000 mile service on my STRS I did it over a number of days, afternoon here and a morning there so to speak, and photographed it as I went along, and completing the Triumph service sheet, at least there is evidence of the work being done should I sell it at anytime. Like you I don't think dealer servicing actually do all that they are supposed to. My local Ducati dealer is putting on evening workshops to show customers the basics of what they can do at home, eg brake fluid changes, coolant renewal, oil and filter (a lot don't know how to remove the oil filters on a Panigale) for example and end up causing damage to the cover, and basics like that, can't imagine Triumph dealers ever doing that, it is closed doors on the workshop and customers not allowed in, personally I think all workshops should have a viewing area, like they do at MOT Testing Stations, that in itself would give customers reassurance their pride and joy was being serviced correctly.

 

I did the same with my ZZR service over a few days. Despite being a big bike it's one of the hardest I've worked on for access due to fat fingers, the size of the frame and how the engine sits in it, coolant drain, remove throttle bodies, cams out for under bucket shims plus having to order a few sizes I didn't have was the biggest delay. The Triumph twin is a joy by comparison.
The dealer said they could do it in a day if I dropped the bike off when they opened at 9am which is strange when you consider the valves have to be checked stone cold and the bike takes a long time to cool down. Hmmmmm?

 

The "problem" will be that, as tech moves on, the DIY'ers among won't be able to work on vehicles, thanks to locked down electronics and software, especially on the oversized Scalextrics we're all being told we must buy to save the planet.
I think I'll stick with my 26yr old diesel SUV, no fancy electronics, no CAT, no DPF, no Adblue.
I LOVE the smell of particulates in the morning!

 

You are right vehicles are getting more and more difficult to access the electronics, I understand insurance companies require the insured person to have the EV serviced at an authorised dealership, failure to do so may invalidate the policy, "may do" my rear, it will be a get out clause from paying out. At least with the bikes and cars with ICE we can service and repair them ourselves, and thankfully the software tools are readily available, such as Dealertool and Tune ECU, I know there are many others out there as well.

 

The newer model Triumphs 2024> now come with a 6 pin diagnostic connector and modified software which, unfortunately, is no longer supported by Dealertool.

 

Woolich Racing developed software early on this year for the new 2024 model Street Triples including the RS, many companies are now running this software on their dynos, Dealertool are developing the same for their tool as well, hopefully more will come on stream soon. Rapid Bike Evo have both a plug and play unit or one that can be set up via a dyno, the latter is pretty trick, it is primarily aimed at racing or serious track day enthusiasts. A dyno shop a few miles away from me re maps the latest ST 765s. The Rapid Bike Evo is the way to go for fuelling issues that transform throttle response, the difficulty for home servicing will be for things like service light re sets, brake fluid changes, throttle body balance etc etc. I will speak to Dealertool to see how far away they are from implementing the new software.

 

I've spoken to Dealertool twice, via email, regarding the updated software for my new Scrambler 1200, the first time back in March just after I bought it and the second time a couple of months ago when they said it was proving a bit more difficult than they anticipated. I'm on their mailing list for notification when it's released. I'll also require a new 6pin diagnostic lead as the one a used on the Street Scrambler is the old 16 pin.

 

I think it's little more than an oil & filter change, a general check over of brakes, ancillaries, the various fasteners etc and a diagnostic check/service light reset.

Unless you're very friendly with your dealer I don't believe a DIY service will maintain your warranty.
As far back as I can remember I've always had the first service at the dealer (used to be FREE!!) then done my own from then on. My thinking (which may be flawed) is that anything that is going to go wrong will do so before the first major service so you've effectively got several thousand miles or a year warrantied riding.
Another reason is that I've always had this urge to "stick my fingers in and see what they smell like" when it comes to things mechanical or electrical.

 

No wonder people go elsewhere. Franchise businesses, like Triumph Dealers have costly overheads, which they unfortunately pass on to the customer

 

The first service is an oil and filter change with a machine check over, and a diagnostic check nothing else, if you do it yourself the warranty will be void, and Triumph confirmed this to me by e mail.

 

The main dealership locally for Renault and Dacia cars do the big major service for £480 including VAT, and this is a very large showroom, workshop and stores, there are 14 staff members, the overheads are huge, but look at the comparisons, it is fact Triumph dealerships charge well above a reasonable profit. It is a lot cheaper getting the equivalent service done at a Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki or Ducati dealership.

 

So is it greed, or dealship competition within triumph? Dealership of the year.

 

I guess supplying all the engines for Moto 2 in grand prix racing takes a big budget, also machines for Supersport for the WSB Etc, that said the servicing and repairs at dealerships is down to the individual dealers for the big profit margins. It's really a case of dealer £1,000 for the STRS 12,000 service V Independent at half that cost, would people pay say £1.80 a litre for petrol or an alternative garage selling it for £1.40 a litre, it's the same analogy, people are paying more than they should.