I have exactly 535 miles on my brand new gs500f that I purchased from a dealer a few weeks ago. I was wondering if it would be better to take the bike to the dealer at the 600 mile interval or try to do the work myself that the initial maintenance asks for? I have never done any motorcycle work myself and eventually I would like to do all the work myself. Is now a good time to start or should I have someone with experience to do the initial maintenance. Also if you recommend that I should try it what exactly does the valve clearance mean and should I have special tools and a manual for all of this?
IMO, I'd let the dealer do it. I wouldn't want to mess up the warranty by doing something stupid.
If you do have a warranty issue down the road, you can show them that all scheduled maintenance was performed by a Suzuki dealer.
Dealer did my 600 and 4,000 mile services. My bike is in the shop right now getting a bad fork seal replaced.
You'll find plenty of people to disagree with me. :thumb:
Yeah I called the dealer about it because I thought it was part of the deal of buying the bike that they would do the first initial maintenance free of charge but I was wrong. I called them up and they said they could do it for $150 but right now I just don't have the money to do it and I want to ride but I don't want to surpass that 600 mile initial service interval too much because it is under loan. Is this about the price that your maintenance guy charged you for your first service to the bike?
Get yourself a manual and do it yourself. It isn't that hard and it won't void your waranty. It's illegal for a bike shop to require you to have the bike serviced there to maintain waranty, but they want you to think that.
If you start a maintnance log, and keep the receipts of the parts you bought for it, you have proof that everything has been done and it would increase the value when you sell the bike.
To check valve clearances all you need is a set of feeler gauges. A manual will show you how to do it and it's easy. If you need to adjust the clearances you need a special tool but it's only $20. What the clearance means is the distance between the valve shims and the camshaft, too little distance and the valves won't seal properly, and too much distance and the bike won't make as much power.
Other than the valves, you need to change the oil (if you can't figure that out maybee you should take it to the dealer), and re torque the head and other bits, so you'll need a torque wrench if you can't borrow one.
There may be a few other things you need to do, but your manual will outline everything and you should get one anyways.
Have fun :cheers:
P.S. here is a link to a site that sells the valve tool, it's the $18.90 one
http://www.pitposse.com/vaadto.html
or.... you can go with the "RangerBrown" method, or the "TragicImage" method... and not do any of the scheduled maintenance until 10k miles.
I didn't do the 600,or the 4k... and my bike is doing fine....
I do plan on checking my valves and what not here pretty soon.... or maybe in November when I go to NM, I'll have the dealership do it.... but probably not.