New 2004 and cold blooded and first service...

[MStarmer]

Just picked up a new 04 GS500F for my wife and found this forum.  Paid $5000 out the door with setup/tax/license etc..  Seemed fair enough.

Dealer told me I need to bring it back for it's first service at 500 miles for $250?  I've always bought used and done most of my own maint, what the heck do they do for $250?

Anyway the real issue is cold starting, man this sucker runs bad.  Not sure if it's from gas sitting in it all year gumming up the carbs or something is wrong with the choke?   Do these have any inherent cold start issues?  Seems even after 5-10 minutes it's still sputtering a bit trying to catch up...   I've added some fuel conditioner and filled the tank with premium to start.  I don't want to flog it too bad during break in (only 75miles on it so far) but maybe a good run on the freeway?

Please tell me this will get better, my bike is ready to go in less than a minute and barely needs the choke (ZRX1200R) and I don't want to plan on waiting for her for 20minutes while the thing tries to run!

Be gentle, it's my first post....

[blue05twin]

I had the same issue when I got mine new.  Make sure you follow the instructions on how to set the idle.  From the dealer mine was idleing at 800 rpm.  Set it to 1200ish and have not had another issue with it starting up or warming up.

[scratch]

Welcome!

Try using regular (87) instead of premium; I think it's having a hard time igniting the higher octane.

These bikes are cold-bloodedly lean, though.

[My Name Is Dave]

$250 isn't all that bad, compared to what I was quoted. However, that may not include the valves, in which cases all you're paying for is an oil change and tightening of some bolts.

I did it myself on my 2005. Took a little over an hour and under $50 in parts. There's a great link to the service schedule on the home page http://www.gstwin.com/

It's well within the realm of any weekend wrencher to perform the service themself, and spend the extra cash on mods or new gear   !


By the way, I got the picture in my avatar from my buddy as I passed him going over the mountain pass on the way home from the coast this weekend. Nice, eh?  :mrgreen:

Dave  

[Roadstergal]

The first service has to be done at a dealership, they say, or you lose the warranty.  I sucked it up.  They did plugs, oil, lube, valve check, general bolt check, for mine.

Your bike doesn't need premium, but it shouldn't run worse on it.  Premium isn't any "harder to ignite" than regular.  These bikes are a little cold-blooded, but we're talking a minute or two of warmup, not 5 or 10.  Since this bike is still under warranty, take it in and have them fix it.  Your first service might as well be paying for _something_.  

[My Name Is Dave]

The first service has to be done at a dealership, they say, or you lose the warranty.  

Not true. I spoke directly to a lady at Suzuki USA and she said that you can have it done anywhere, including at home. But to keep the warranty, you must keep all receipts for parts, keep a written/typed log of what was done on what date and what mileage and by whom, and even take pictures or video to prove you did it if you can. If you keep good documentation, it is valid.

There is a statement in the warranty (which I have online at http://photobucket.com/albums/v604/all_out_of_gum/Suzuki%20Warranty/
and while I'm at it, there are some funny pictures I just posted at http://photobucket.com/albums/v604/all_out_of_gum/Rockaway%20August%202005/) that says that the warranty may NOT be made invalid by having the work not done at a Suzuki dealer.

Dave  

[Roadstergal]

Danke!  Wish I had known that...

[My Name Is Dave]

Danke!  Wish I had known that...

Track days money for Roadstergal, spent instead on something she could have done herself. That's some  

Dave  

[Roadstergal]

I was too lazy to look that up myself.  

[My Name Is Dave]

Man, when I heard what the dealer wanted for the service ($200 NOT INCLUDING valves...hell no), I decided that I would research it. Kerry gave me great info on it and gave me the confidence to know that I could do it. The bike uses no oil, runs smooth, and is more than I could have ever expected after 2K miles, and she's still all stock! I really mean it that anyone can do it themselves. I am no pro with a wrench, but with this forum, some patience, and a pack of smokes, you can do it too! Smokes optional  

Dave  

[synchro]

$200!!!  WOW!  I took mine in a 800ish km and the dealer only charged me $20...said everything was fine and they just changed the oil.

Seeing how much you guys are being charged, Im starting to think now that maybe it just sat there for an 1.5hrs and nothing was touched...hope not.

[EDub]

dont worry bout your bike it will start to run better after 1k miles.  My bike and many other peoples bikes have done the same thing.  Just a GSf thing i guess  :dunno:

[rritterson]

$200!!!  WOW!  I took mine in a 800ish km and the dealer only charged me $20...said everything was fine and they just changed the oil.

Seeing how much you guys are being charged, Im starting to think now that maybe it just sat there for an 1.5hrs and nothing was touched...hope not.

$20? Whoa. It takes more than $20 worth of labor just to get the valve cover off and back on again. If they did check clearances, you got a great deal.

Aside from oil, there are head and exhaust nuts to loosen and retighten, pivot points to relube, tappet clearances to check, fuel lines and carbs to inspect,  chain to lube,  brakes to inspect (pads plus fluids), tires to check, forks and shock to look at, steering bearings to inspect, and a whole bunch of chassis bolts to tighten to spec.

The above comes straight out of the OEM service manual. $200 isn't a whole lot of money to pay considering the amount of time it takes to do all of those things properly. And, if something is likely to break, it'll probably show abnormal wear in the first 600 miles unless it shows up later because you abuse the bike. (i, for example, had a defective cam. rare, but I had it. If they hadn't pulled the valve cover, they never would have noticed until the problem became severe)

[My Name Is Dave]

It's really not too hard to do. My bike looks, sounds and runs great. I had the typical knock from 600 to 1500 miles, but it seems to be gone now. But do what you want; it's not my call.

Dave  

[bargovic]

hmm... i just made an aptmnt to get my 600 mi service done.  I remember the sales guy told me it would cost around $100-$150 when i bought the bike.   Does this sound right to you guys at a $45hr labor rate?

Ill have to double check tomar when i drop the bike off, and ask them what they do.

[Badger]

hmm... i just made an aptmnt to get my 600 mi service done.  I remember the sales guy told me it would cost around $100-$150 when i bought the bike.   Does this sound right to you guys at a $45hr labor rate?

Ill have to double check tomar when i drop the bike off, and ask them what they do.

Mine cost about twice that, so I would personally consider it a good deal.  The labor rate was much, much [, much] higher.  I chalk this up to the fact that it's also a BMW dealership/service station, and that I live in an inflated cost of living area...but it's close to my house and they could get me in on a Saturday morning with no appointment.  

They had a fixed price for the initial service they were able to quote me, but I understand it took a little less than 3 hours.

[bargovic]

...and that I live in an inflated cost of living area...

Boston is a really expensive place. I just moved to PA from upstate(Saratoga Springs) NY, and everything is sooo much cheaper here. So I considerd $45hr real cheap!.. but letting me know it was avg a 3hr job helps give me a ball park figure for when they give me a quote. thanks.

[Badger]

So I considerd $45hr real cheap!.. but letting me know it was avg a 3hr job helps give me a ball park figure for when they give me a quote.

There was a sign...I tried to pretend it didn't exist in the hope that if I didn't acknowledge it, it might go away and turn out to be just a terrifying figment of my imagination.  My brain has blocked it out ever since.  I didn't look directly at it, for fear of scorching my retinas...but from what I could catch out of my peripheral vision while activly trying to ignore it, it -looked- like it said:

$80/hr.

Ouch.  I'm sure there are more reasonable places around here, just not 4 miles from my house.

I don't think it quite took 3 hours, I dropped it off before 9:00am and it was ready when I called after 1:00-ish.  When I asked in the morning how long it would be, they said it was about 3 hours of work...YMMV.

[bargovic]

HAHA.

Yeah auto mechanics in Saratoga were ~$75hr.  Few of my friends are mechanics, so I know they work hard for thier money... and the shop gets most of it.... but come on with Flat Rate, thers no need for 70 80 bucks/hr.

[bargovic]

Brought the bike in today for that 600 mi break in service.. its ~$80, included everything in the manual for 600 mi service.  But thats with the guy cutting me a lil deal cause i buy everything through him for my bike.