| Author |
Message |
    
Froggy
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 12:54 pm: | 
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quote:So what has been, "maintenance intensive"?
Spending more on a 10k service than I do on insurance. Every 10k you change the oil, oil filter, change the primary fluid, adjust the primary chain, replace gaskets, change the spark plugs, change the fork oil, typically due for tires, change the air filter if its 20k, TPS reset if its an older model, and not to mention all the other inspections and adjustments required. Then you got to change the fluids and filters again along with inspections every 5k in between. Hell the older models were 2500 miles between services. 1125R - 620 miles then an oil change and filter, 6800 miles another oil change but no filter. 12.4k is the first "big" service, with oil+filter, valve check/adjustment, and spark plugs. 18.6K is oil change no filter, and fork oil. No primary chain adjustments, no clutch adjustments, none of that other stupid crap like TPS resets. |
Steve_mackay
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 01:24 pm: |
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Easy, do your own service.
10K for fork oil is overkill. I wait until 20K.
I adjust the primary, adjust the clutch, check, and retorque the steering head bearing and change the fluid every other oil change(6-7K).
To change the oil in both engine + primary, and do all of the above doesn't even take me 30 minutes, and doesn't cost me more than maybe $25 for everything, since I buy a Mystic synthetic from the local Farm & Fleet at 2 gallons at a crack for about $30 or $35. Same with the filters. I wait for sales and buy Purelator or WIX that usually cost me under $3 a piece. The only thing I buy from the dealer is the formula+ primary fluid. |
Greatnorthrider
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 02:16 pm: |
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I love the Multi and it has been I my short list for many years. It may stay on my short list for the very reason of cost of maintenance and way to much "high tech" stuff. How the hell are you going to fix this thing in the field? |
Greatnorthrider
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 02:20 pm: |
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Hmmmm....Just read a few of the posts above and I may have to rethink my earlier post. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 02:44 pm: |
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quote:Easy, do your own service.
I do, unfortunately I am not very competent or even trust my own work.
quote:10K for fork oil is overkill. I wait until 20K.
I waited till 40k, then I gathered all the tools and fluids, and set aside a weekend to do it. The Friday before I hit a car and ruined the forks 
quote:I adjust the primary, adjust the clutch, check, and retorque the steering head bearing and change the fluid every other oil change(6-7K).
I have spent hours trying to do those, and end up never getting it right and having to go back and do it again, or end up living with it for several thousand miles till I do it at the next service and hope for better luck.
But instead of spending a full weekend wrenching on an XB every other month, I am out riding 1125's and enjoying the easier oil changes (no body work to remove), and longer periods between service. So I will only get banged once every 12.4k miles at a dealer instead of 3 times in that same time period on the XB.
quote:How the hell are you going to fix this thing in the field?
What could break on the Duc in the field that wouldn't possibly happen on the XB? If anything, I would say the Duc is more likely to get you there as there is less of a chance of a chain drive failing. |
Steve_mackay
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 03:18 pm: |
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Too bad you don't live close Froggy. I'd be happy to take a half hour to help ya with the typical maintenance. Just ask Adam(Boney95), He came over and I did his 10K service.
But it does help to have the guidance of a couple of the best Buell techs around as a good friends.
If I have a question, I can just pick up the phone and call them, or stop by Hals and ask them a question. Along with a couple of ex-Buell engineers, I have my own personal support group 
But in reality, these air cooled bikes are really dirt simple to work on.
Hell, I haven't spent a whole weekend wrenching on a Buell... EVER.
Even when I pulled the transmission on my S3T, I pulled the tranny out, replaced the output shaft seal, polished & deburred the shift drum & dogs, & changed the rear wheel bearings in less than a day. |
Forerunner
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 04:28 pm: |
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Steve, I would say you are more the exception than the rule when it come wrenching on motorcycles.
While service is easy for you to perform and at your own intervals that doesn't change the Buell published intervals for service(forks, etc) which are more frequent on the XB than the 1125.
Nels |
Yjsrule
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 05:19 pm: |
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I can't imagine a bike being easier to work on with the exception of the frame being in the way of everything, but about everything is made that way anymore. Change oil-ride. |
Steve_mackay
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 05:28 pm: |
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I just use a more common sense approach to maintenance than what is listed in the book.
hell, I don't even own a garage to DO the maintenance in! |
Boney95
| | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 07:00 pm: |
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Yeah Steve, I can say that you've taught me a few things and gave me the confidence to do the work myself. Thanks for that!
Now once my knee gets a bit better and I get my parts back from the PC'er, I can finally put my bike back together |
Boltrider
| | Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 10:40 pm: |
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I'm sorry but the Duc Multistrada is too ugly for me. I bet it's fun though.
As for the Buells, I only have my Firebolt as a reference but it is cake to work on; very reliable too. It sat for the month of December with no battery tender and fired up on the first try.
I haven't done the fork oil yet but I'm using the 20K rule like Steve Mackay said. |
Luxor
| | Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 05:06 am: |
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Multi is incredible Italian engineering, I'll give it that, but look at the nose, the nose. Didn't some say the 1125 was ugly? Well the Multi fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, just MY opinion.
Now as for Buell XB maint. I find it rather zen like. All my worries of obligations go away when I turn the wrench on my bikes. Owning them IS working on them, pure and simple. Knowing that if I MYSELF make a simple mistake it can take my life gives it more meaning and purpose. I have built and re-built many, many bikes and find the XBs a joy to work on. You can see the engineering every time you turn a box end, allen or torx, the purposeful engineering. Sure they may have higher service intervals, but damn, they are EASY. I'll take a steering head bearing adjustment, primary adjustment and spark plugs on an XB over a liquid cooled valve job any day.
Just my thoughts. |
Dentguy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 12:29 am: |
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For the people concerned about maintenance frequency and costs on the new Multistrada. Here you go...
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults /First-rides--tests/2010/February/feb0310-multistr ada-1200-costs-slashed/ |
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