| Author | Message | ||
     Xb12mel |
Well.... I was all sooo happy that I reached that magical 10,000 miles on my Scg! Saturday morning we rallied for our weekly ride at one of the two Buell dealerships in our area. (both owned by the same person) While waiting, I decided to check the price for the 10K service and possibly get my bike on the schedule. So while I'm waiting on the service manager, I look at the board: 10K XL service $399 10K Big Twin service $469 So I ask for the price noting that my bike isn't either of those and OMG he tells me with fluids it's going to be a little over $600.00!!!!!!! WTF? Does not include changing my front break pads , does not include changing my air filter (these are extra charges) I could potentially be looking at $800.00 to get the things I know need to be changed along with whatever it is that they are supposed to be doing that I don't know about! I'm getting that freshly ripped new A$$hole feeling. Since this isn't a posted price.... Is this what you guys are seeing at your dealer? | ||
| Prof_stack |
I was the last one to get away with the $333 10k servicing at my dealer. The price was changed on the readerboard above the counter to $650 or so after I brought my bike in and before I picked it up. The service manager was very kind to honor the previously posted price for me. The big cost are the front forks. Have to be removed, drained, serviced, assembled. Sad to say but unless you can do the forks yourself, you have to pay to play. | ||
| Typeone |
yup, ive seen pretty similar prices in my area too. i'm at 15K but my approach is going to be... take the suspension off, have a reputable shop (GMD Computrack) take care of both shock and forks, do the simple stuff myself, then have the HD shop do the rest. not sure if they'll let me 'Chinese Menu' it like that but if not, I'll do it all myself other than the suspension. do the front pads, air filter and fluids yourself. they're super easy jobs. but before that, spend some cash on the Factory Services Manual, these bikes are pretty basic to work on if you take your time and the manual is well written. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
The biggest part is servicing the forks. | ||
| Birdy |
After my $200.00 oil change (and screwing, everything else they did was done like crap. the primary chain lock nut was left loose so the chain was beating on the case before I even made it home.) at the 1000 mile check I got the manual and did the 5000 one myself. Most of that stuff is simple to do and you really should be able to handle it yourself with no problem. Now the fork oil I may have done as I lack the tools and I don't think I can save enough to make up the cost in the few times I'll have the forks off. | ||
| Jaimec |
I told my dealer to do the forks at 20K intervals. Doesn't seem to hurt anything, and that was the interval I've done every other bike I've ever owned. For the longest time my dealership didn't even touch the forks unless you asked them anyway. | ||
| Jos51700 |
They upped the HD fork oil (Non-inverted forks, though) from 10 to 20K, and I think again after that. I do mine at 5K and then 50K. | ||
| Sloppy |
You can't play unless you're willing to pay! You can always check with competitors... Cheers to Capitalism! | ||
| Djkaplan |
My bike hasn't seen the inside of a dealers service department since the year I bought it... 8 years ago. It's not so much the money, I just don't want some dolt touching my bike. Get a service manual and heal thyself. The whole process is outlined pretty good, pictures and everything. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Now the fork oil I may have done as I lack the tools and I don't think I can save enough to make up the cost in the few times I'll have the forks off." Phfffft... you don't need any special tools. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/153628.html?1178891937 Great post, Saintly... one that needs to be passed around more often. | ||
| S1eric |
You can't play unless you're willing to pay! I always hated that saying. I wouldn`t pay $600 for a routine service. You have a few options. These bikes are really simple to work on. All the info you need is readily available. Get your self a manual. Read it. It will help you understand more about the bike. If your not sure about your wrenching skills just look around for another shop. I would ask the folks that you ride with. They should be able to help out with local shop info. I do all of my own work. But there are some great dealerships in my area. Someone on here should be able to help in your neck of the woods. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Heh... except for paint... I've haven't paid anyone to work on anything I've owned since 1980, when I got raked over the coals for a brake job on a car when I was 18. The eventual collection of tools I've amassed has paid for itself many times over. The money I've saved in that time probably paid for my last few bikes entirely. I ain't nothin' special, neither. If I can do it, certainly anyone could. | ||
| Jbird11 |
I guess I will chime in here. I recently had the 10,000 mile service done at Manchester N.H. Harley and I couldn't be happier. It was like 350.00 and I had recently done the oil myself so they took off the price of the oil. No problem. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Why do you have to remove the forks to replace the fluid? On my sportster all I had to do was take off the caps, open the drain plugs and pump the forks a couple times to get the fluid out. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Same with the conventional fork on my M2. Apparently things are very diffent on the Showa USD fork. Check the link I posted above... | ||
| Xl1200r |
I did and I still can't understand it. Is there no drain plug on the USD forks? | ||
| Tq_freak |
Thats just it, no drain plugs. You need to take the upper cap off and dump the fluid out / pump them several times. Its not hard at all, just a few pinch bolts really. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
The manual does help tremendously. I've done oil, primary and tweaking type changes. When I comes to extensive look overs I take it in. I will only take it to the dealer if I have to buy a dealer part. (The one and only Buell tech they have left.) The shop I take it to is owned/operated by ex harley techs...X-Techs. I bring them an oil filter and I bring my manual just in case. They let you in the shop to help on the bike so I learn a bit too. $200ish and a few cold beers. (Message edited by firebolt32 on July 07, 2008) | ||
| Djkaplan |
"On my sportster all I had to do was take off the caps, open the drain plugs and pump the forks a couple times to get the fluid out." "Same with the conventional fork on my M2." Actually, there aren't drains on an M2 fork, I missed that part in our post. You have to turn M2 forks upside down and drain them from the top. | ||
| M1combat |
Just do it all yourself. Get a service manual and pay attention. None of it is that difficult. Yes, that price is too high. | ||
| Swordsman |
Drill. Drain. Tap. Bolt. Viola! Fork drained!  (I'm kidding! Don't do that!) ~SM | ||
| Metalstorm |
Even if you have the forks done for you, just the lone act of removing them from the bike yourself will possibly save you several hundred dollars since that is the most labor intensive/time consuming part. I don't know about changing fork seals and bushings since I havn't done that yet but I have changed the fluid on my XB's forks. It wasn't nearly as hard as I had convinced myself it would be  Having (or borrowing) a fork compressor is a must (some here have used tie down straps to compress the fork) and something to hold the fork steady is a must. Next time I do it I will invest in the HD fork holder that you use with a vice. Last time I just drilled a hole in a 2x4, sliced it down the middle, put in on my Craftsman clamp/vice table and wrapped a piece of rubber around the fork tube. It worked just barely good enough to get the job done. | ||
| Jlnance |
A few years ago, when BRAG existed, one of their national events was in LaVale, MD. That's a small town tucked away in the mountains near the MD/WV border. Beautiful country. I noticed the shop rate of the sponsoring dealership was half what I pay here in Raleigh. I guess that makes sense, the cost of living out there has to be less. I lost a wheel bearing while I was on that trip. Pulled into the dealership at 4:45 on a Friday afternoon, left with a fixed bike about 7 that night. They treated me like gold. If a service is going to cost $600, and presumably cost half that if I go to some dealership nestled in the mountains, well that's starting to sound like a good excuse for a vacation. The place I'm specifically reffering to is: http://www.highlandhd.com/ but I'm sure similar places exist all across the rural US. | ||
| Bigredwood |
Few Quick Questions- Does the dealership change the bushings when they do your forks? Do they replace the wiper, Seal and Tension clip? Can you have them put in different oil, valves or springs? What is type E fork Oil? I have already swapped out some internals in my forks and I was just curious. The XB came with a real good base suspension, but top-outs, progressive springs and 15W were a must. In my experience, the ability to do fork rebuilds is not a lost art. (like I was told spoking rims was LOL) It is real simple especially after you have had a friend/mechanic show you how it is done. There are tons of tutorials on the web. Just look up 43mm Showa. (05-08 except the csg) By changing fill level, oil weight, valves or springs can make for a completely different ride. Just like everything else it is give and take. (ie. responsiveness vs. ride) Any questions you may have, let me know. When was the last time you checked your oil level? | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
The Professor and myself use the same dealer, I think last time I saw it the 10k went to $700 (I could be wrong). I haven't asked Cityxslicker what his dealer charges. I know everyone says do it yourself, but some of us can't... I have mentioned my garage situation before: any wrenching = find new home... It would be nice to find a local bueller looking for a weekend project. I would gladly pay for top notch service. | ||
| Xb12mel |
Ok... so I think that about covers the forks, what about the swing arm? The service manager said something about removing the swing arm too. Any idea's? Ok, I've got my service manual so I guess I have some reading to do now. | ||
| Darthane |
I can't think of any reason you'd need to remove the swingarm. I've never had mine off in 22K+ miles and don't intend to. If you've got the service manual, coupled with the owner's manual, you can literally see everything that the dealer should be doing for the 10K service, and then decide for yourself if you want to tackle it or hand it over to someone else. I wasn't too keen on doing my own automotive/motorcycle work until I bought my Blast and started working on it with Spidey. Nowadays I don't let someone else touch the bikes unless it's absolutely necessary. These bikes are amazingly easy to work on and the service manual is worth 10 times it's weight in gold. | ||
| Dbird29 |
Do it yourself. Very easy procedure just check out the knowledge vault. | ||
| M1combat |
15W in Buell forks? I don't recommend it . | ||
| Bigredwood |
15W in Buell forks? I don't recommend it . I put 15W Motul at the factory level to compensate for my STT's brake dive. Lot cheaper then gold valves. Type E is 10W fork oil w/ Harley's name on it.  |
