Hi guys,

Just wondering what you guys pay over there for a big maintenance for your zx14. Mine has like.. 10k miles on the counter, and i had to pay around... 500 bucks (950 eur)

Does this sound normal? Gonna get the bike back today, and ill give u the list of things he did

Thanks!

labor in my area ranges between $75-$90 an hour + parts

Matsuke, €950 is pretty close to $1250 dollars. That's quite a chunk of change for a service visit.

I believe the shops in the Atlanta area also charge between $80-$100 per hour.

I think things are pricey in the Netherlands.

Depends on what they did? if you do good regular maintenance you shouldn't need that kind of service. If you keep up with your own service you should only have to worry about valve checks unless you can do those yourself also.

Whoops you're right Scotty, I calculated the wrong way. lol

ill give the list of things he did tonight

They do everything in the maintenance schedule published in your owner's manual.

You think you got it bad? The Connie is more expensive. But then, I can't complain, at least its not a BMW.

I always buy maintenance contract. It always pays for itself. When I have my 15,000 mile service done in late summer, the valve adjustment (including variable intake cam valve mechanism) is close to $800 all by itself, and takes most of a whole day.

The contract cost me $1,100 so by the time I get to 15,000 miles it will have paid for itself, and the next 2 years are icing on the cake.

Unlike the GTPP (warranty extension) the maintenance contract is worth every penny and makes you money over the course of the term if you put enough miles on your bike.

I'll do 20,000 miles this summer, possibly.

one important aspect we are overlooking, maintenance isn't worth SH!T unless the shop actually takes the bike apart and does it. If you don't really trust the shop don't even bother.

here's what I did 0-10K miles:

adjust drive chain tension several times
chain lube regularly
changed oil/filter regularly
checked for loose bolts
checked throttle play and spring
checked radiator hoses
throttle play adjustment
touched up paint from tip over at garage door (DOH!)
replaced cracked wellnuts in airbox
adjusted front suspension
replaced bottom fairing fasteners that fell out.
winterized
checked air filter
tightened vehicle down sensor
checked cooling system
checked fuel lines
removed flies
finished repairing touch ups to paint and left mirror from tip over.
checked wheel bearings and brake pads + had new tires installed
throttle body sync

all pretty basic stuff

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/19/2012 @ 4:53 PM *

I haven't had a bike in a shop for 40 years, so there's no reason to change now. this is my first bike with shim-under-bucket valve clearance adjustment and EFI, but you're never too old to learn something new.

Here is the deal:

1. Every factory has a flat rate book for guess what? Warranty!
2. If it takes this much time to do this and this, it would probably blow you out the door they flat rated every move on the bike.
3. Because things layer over each other, meaning, if you needed a tire changed, they can charge you again, just for the tire change. Adjusting the chain is extra. There again, both of you have to come to some flat rate term for each job is a combined job if a full service comes into play.
4. All those 10th of time, you clock an hour, it takes the same person that wrote the book to complete the job.
5. It is like having Stoner complete a lap. Now, you get on the bike and match laps or match flat rate. Get it?
6. If 10 guys can pick up a box, who would you choose for the most efficient one that did it the fastest? That is who you hire to beat the clock.
7. Your average mechanic is not that fast. Well, yes, you could be, if you did it over and over with a stopwatch, break for lunch, beat the morning time. It's your only job.
8. Slow, if you paid the slow mechanic his sweet ass time, or say he tries to beat the flat rate but bumbles even more time. Will you pay for that time? Nope.
9. So, if there is a flat rate, a shop rate, who loses? The dealer does. The mechanic does. And if they take pride in workmanship, do not have comebacks because they fumbled the ball with one of the steps, you win!
10. No one can beat flat rate. Do they give a real time for real (clean up the engine time) for reassembly? No.

Bottom line. Find a good mechanic and pay the dealer his rate to stay in business. Yes, you are paying for overhead and all that. But you have a bike and a shop full of parts (if ordered). Are you going to pay for that part you many never need? Dealer has to keep that on the shelf for that day that never comes? Forget it!

* Last updated by: Hub on 3/19/2012 @ 5:16 PM *

SO! Here's the list.

*Dunlop Q2 tires Front/back
*Oil Filter
*Motorex oil
*BMC Airfilter
*Chains cleanup
*5 work hours
*Injection synchronized
*Cleaned Bougies
*Cleaned Brakes
*Whole bike checkup

There's some more little things, but these are the main things.

wow tires must be expensive over there lol

^^Not really. a set of tires + installation is usually is around 350 here. All that other work for 4150 would be a bargain.

Matsuke, what is a bougie?

Hm, Sparking Plug i think is the right translation

Adjusting valves on a Concours 14 outside the factory trained pros in my dealership is a 2 or 3-day long process.

I'm not spending two days adjusting valves, much less three.

Your ZX14 might be easier, I dunno. I think they are.

So I paid 1,100 dollars for 3 year maintenance contract, and since the first 2 major services cost 800-1,000 and the other 4 minor services in the first 2 years bring the cost saved to way more than cost of contract.

I'd rather ride it than work on it.

Do all that you can on your own!

+1 but it is true that these things can tie the bike up for lots of time.

It sure helps to have a second bike on standby.

Professional work is too expensive IMO (I save more money doing the routine stuff like oil filter change than I make in the same amount of time at my job) I guess if you have the money, it is well spent if it keeps you rolling. Riding is a valuable thing. Wrenching can and often does approach the sublime, too.

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/26/2012 @ 9:16 PM *