worth paying for garage to service/stamp bike?

gotomuzzi · Derestricted Danger Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Karma :

Bought a new bike on saturday, which is a 2011 street triple with 5000ish miles. The previous owner got it serviced and stamped at 600miles, and then a year later at 1300 miles. But there are no other stamps or receipts for the following years, I think he just did it himself.

The next service due is at 6000 miles and I was quoted £320 at my local triumph garage, which is a bit steep. I'm wondering if its worth paying just to get the stamp at 6000 miles, so in terms of mileage done it will have full service history? But the book says it should be done every year.. so if i go by that then the service history is already lacking and there is maybe no point in shelling out for a garage when I could do it myself and just keep the reciepts. What would you do?

blueglue · Trackday Trickster Joined: 10 Jun 2014 Karma :

They would be the two stamps to probably cover the warranty period.

Just get it serviced by whoever you want. Bike servicing doesnt get jizzed over as much as cagers do.

The Shaggy D.A. · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Karma :

Keep the receipts. If OCD enough, have a spreadsheet too.
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Pigeon · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Sep 2012 Karma :

£320 for a 6k service is steep imho.

4l Motul 7100 10w40 = £39
or
4l Motul 5100 10w40 = £33

K&N KN204 = £11
or
HiFlo 204 = £7

So £40 - £50.

(Edit: My Haynes book of lies says the following for a 6k service, on top of engine oil+filter):
Check cable(s) slack
Check brake pads
Check suspension
Check tyres
Check steering bearings for notchyness / stiffness
Check wheel bearings for smooth operation
Check chain
Check spark plugs condition
Sync throttle bodies

Checking the plugs requires the removal of the airbox so you should budget an hour for that check.

Syncing the throttle bodies. That requires some software (and the removal of the airbox). The cheapest being TuneECU for Android is £8 and the OBD2 Bluetooth unit is £9 but be warned, finding one that's compatible is hard. This one was the only of 4 I tried that actually worked. No guarantee that is still the case.

So yeah, the 6k service, 30mins to 3 hours of your time and £40 - £80 depending on what you choose to do.

Is it worth much to residuals. Depends on the punter. I'd like to see empty bottles of quality products, good records kept and a knowledgeable owner rather than a stamp in a book. But for many people, the stamp is the b-all.

If each service is £250 more than you can do it for. How long before you recoup any "losses" in value. Depends on your mileage.

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

ZX-7R · Banned Joined: 24 Jan 2016 Karma :

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

Unless the bike is in warranty I wouldn't give a shit, I'd be more interested in the owner.

Anyone coming to buy a bike off me can come in my garage and see a table lift, racks of tools, bottles of oils etc. etc. I don't keep them there for aesthetics, the wife would have commandeered the place yeas ago.

If they can't see I care for my bikes they can take a flying fuck.
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Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Well, sure, as well as being "stamped", I keep all the receipts and labels. But if folk are daft enough to give credence to a bit of ink, who am I to kick against the pricks?
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Matt B · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 May 2012 Karma :

rubyhorse2 · Traffic Copper Joined: 03 Mar 2015 Karma :

i think polarbear has the right idea, when you go to buy a second hand bike your also looking at the person who's selling it.

i remember buying my speed triple and it was from a mansion in the country, massive double garage with snap on tool chests, bike lift and several bikes in it. i knew straight away the bike had been cared for and lots of money spent on her.

Says more than a stamp in a book to me.

mudcow007 · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

My bike didn't even have a service book when i got it

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Enduro Numpty · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 31 Oct 2012 Karma :

I don't get my bikes dealer serviced, I do it myself and keep a record of what work I do and when. I tend to keep my bikes for a long time and by the time I'm ready to sell the thousands I've saved from paying dealers to do a bad job helps towards the next one. In addition I know that my bikes are maintained to a high degree.

recman · World Chat Champion Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Karma :

I don't have the big mansion in the country or indeed a large garage with lifts and rows of tools on the walls and tool chests etc but I do change/maintain the things that need it in terms of servicing.
I might get some Guy Martin stickers for the shed door, that'll reassure a potential buyer.

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

iooi · Super Spammer Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Karma :

bamt · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Karma :

Whilst seeing the previous owner is useful (and, indeed, when I sold Mrs Bamt's 125 the new owner's biker-boyfriend was clearly scoping my knowledge and capabilities to guage how well it had been looked after), a stack of receipts of some form is useful for the next owners down the line.

They needn't be main dealer ones, as others have said a stack of receipts for filters, pads, etc, with mileages/dates written on them is useful in future.