Are you strictly by the (maintenance) book?

[zoridog]

It never occured to me that people would not follow the maintenance schedule for their bike. This afternoon I was talking to a guy about needing plugs, fork oil and radiator fluid changed in about a month. He asked if I was having problems and I said that it was routine maintenance.

He proceeded to tell me how the maintenance schedule is a profit center for motorcycle dealerships (which we all know). His recommendation to me was to replace sparkplugs when they foul and replace fork oil when it leaks. You are removing working plugs and clean oil ... why?

I have always followed the manufacturers maintenance schedule for cars, bikes, ATVs, etc. The schedules are conservative and the manufacturers have several reasons for this. I don't have the mechanical savvy to figure out what is needed and what can slide for another year so I'll continue to follow the book.

Do you guys follow the maintenance schedule closely?

[PHMarvin]

Hi, Zoridog,
I follow the maintenance schedule. How closely I follow it is debatable.

I change oil (and filter) yearly or at 10k mile intervals, whichever comes first. I use Mobil 1 15w50 synthetic oil, NOT conventional oil, and from what I've read from those who have had oil analyses done, I'm probably changing oil too soon.

I change gearbox oil and final drive oil on a yearly basis. I generally use a 75w90 synthetic gear oil, but sometimes use Castrol Hypoy 80w90 conventional gear oil.

I change plugs every couple of years. I've never had one go bad and I've never seen the gap be grossly large. Since lead disappeared from motor fuel, the plugs I remove don't seem to be worn out.

I clean and reinstall the air cleaner on a yearly basis. I may change it at around 50k miles (K75 bikes).

I change fork oil on a yearly basis, as well as brake fluid. I used to change coolant annually; now it's every couple or 3 years since it's all "long life" coolant. I still ONLY mix it with distilled water.

[zoridog]

PHMarvin,
That seems very close to the recommended intervals for someone doing about 6000 miles annually. The book says to change plugs, tranny and final drive fluids at 9000 miles (I think). It's easier for me to remember yearly changes on fluids.

Your schedule is very close to mine.

[58058D]

Interesting comment about the fork oil.....wonder if that applies to brake fluid, too? Only change it when the brakes 'leak'? I used to be more meticulous about my maintenance schedule when I had a garage. The past two years I have not had much of a place to perform mtce, so had to resort to a real tune up before track day last year. But all in all, I generally follow the recommended schedules for my '00 RS. I might run a little long on the oil if most of it is highway miles at reasonable speeds and not much stop and go, but I keep an eye on it. For my bike, changing plugs at the right time usually makes a noticable difference, even when they are not really too dirty. Not sure why. Brake fluid and gear oils are real important one sfor me, especially living on the coast now. But everything in moderation, except maybe twisty roads.....

[zoridog]

I figured he takes care of his brakes. He seemed to have all of his front teeth.:D

[35634]

I figured he takes care of his brakes. He seemed to have all of his front teeth.:D
Some of these new-fangled helmets have chin bars. :stick

[122832]

:banghead

In a word: NO.

Maintenance: In general, the object of maintenance is to keep your vehicle running. As for the "schedule", the anecdotal evidence for and against any specific schedule/operation is too large to review in total in any one post.

BRAKES: Brake fluid is hygroscopic (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hygroscopic) - it breaks down in the presence of moisture (i.e. humidity in the atmosphere). Have you ever opened the reservoir cap and found some brown/tan crystalline junk there? Brake fluid looking more like Maple Syrup than the nice clear fluid as it comes out of the new bottle? Yes, this is a hint. I change my brake fluid annually on my bike. I wouldn't let the fluid sit for more than two years. If you have/had an iABS-equipped bike, you're tempting a $2500+ repair bill if you don't change the wheel circuit fluid annually (I'd do both).

ENGINE OIL: Isn't half of the content of the internet about oil, oil filters, and the religious discussions related thereto? For me, the change interval I use is a "feel good" measure for my bike - 3-4K miles, oil and filter each time. I consider this cheap insurance for a long engine life. I use regular oil (either JASO-MA rated motorcycle oil or Castrol GTX) and OEM or Bosch Equivalent filters.

FORK OIL: I change mine every other year, or if I'm going to try a new weight to change the damping characteristics of the forks. Fork seals are not hermetic, dust, dirt, and moisture do enter into the insides of the forks and contaminate the oil. Besides, if you're changing the oil on your forks, you can also take the time to examine the fork seals and dust boots to see if you should consider replacing them if they're severely cracked or leaking oil.

FINAL DRIVE OIL: Every other oil change, or about every 6K miles. It gives me the chance to examine the magent on the drain plug and keep an eye out for early bearing failure signs . Even using regular GL-5/Hypoid 80W-90 oil (I use 75W-140 Synthetic), you should have very long crown bearing life.

TRANSMISSION OIL: Annually or 12K Miles. I drain my old oil into a clear measuring cup, let it sit for a few days, then look for any bad issue signs (like hard chrome flakes off of bearings).

ALL OIL CHANGES: You ARE using new crush washers (a.k.a. Sealing Rings) for the drain and fill plugs each and every time, right?

SPARK PLUGS: Every 12K Miles, ibid "Cheap Insurance" idea...

AIR & FUEL FILTER: On Condition, or every 12K Miles. You can let the fuel filter go to 24K miles if you never travel outside your home area, and you're fairly confident about the pump filter maintenance at your local gas stations.

COOLANT: Every other year / 24K Miles when running ethylene glycol coolants or anually / 12K Miles when running Water Wetter & Distilled Water.

CLUTCH SPLINES: On Condition or Annually. I use Dow Molykote G-4700.

FINAL DRIVE SPLINES: Every other rear tire change. I also use G-4700 for this.

VALVE CHECK: Every day -- look at the valve cover. Is it still there? Yes = the valves are fine, leave them alone. I've done about 60 or so K bikes (mostly four valve Ks), and of that total, I've only needed to adjust / change THREE total shims - two of them were on my K75S at 45K miles (likely the first real valve check ever done on the bike given the maintenance of the two previous owners - two exhaust valves were tight).

YMMV... :D

[zoridog]

Clymer says I should check the valve clearance and do a compression test every 8500 miles. :laugh

[122832]

Clymer says I should check the valve clearance and do a compression test every 8500 miles. :laugh

:nono That truly is a dealership/shop enrichment specification... :D