Well, it’s that time. Big service time. Took my RP in this morning and I have a loan bike. A trident. First impressions? It’s tiny, like a toy. To think back in the 70s this was a big bike. It is great fun though. I’m already missing my heated bars, heated seat, quick shifter, self cancelling indicators, screen, weather protection, roomier riding position, riding modes, cruise control, hand guards, extra lights etc . I think I’m getting old and soft.
@Glenn2926: I love your impressions about the Trident. I am always taking the possibility to test other bikes. But I would have refused the "Matchbox-Bike" you got.
Got mine back now. Just £821.00 lighter in my bank account. It’s done though and ready for the weather to improve and for a couple of trips I have booked. One to Ireland via Scotland in June and one to the Alps in August. Come on weather.
Jesus that's dear, is that the normal price these days? My car doesn't even cost half that, even with the MOT.
It seems to be about average for the 12000 mile service. This includes the valve check which is due again at 24000 miles so about every 2 years. The next model has the valve check every 18000 miles so probably every 2-3 years. It is bloody expensive mind. Owning a motorbike is not a cheap hobby!! It has taken me on some awesome trips in the last 2 years though. Scotland twice, the French Alps, Provence, Norway and many, many days out. With Ireland via Scotland and another Alps trip booked for this year so far. The smiles per mile cost is acceptable.
Next time ask for the TS660 Although it won't come with the heat, handguards, extra lights or QS as stock! I added all of those to mine and love it. The two ride modes are the only ones I need. Got mine with the free panniers too! I went in to look at the 900 GT Pro, but decided I didn't need something that big for my short commute and occasional weekend jaunts, which suits the 660 just fine.
All day. I dropped it off first thing and they had finished at 17.15ish. I didn’t get to pick it up until the next morning though. It’s a long old list of things they did. It is a lot of money but there’s not much choice really. I’ll just have to put bit in the bike fund each week. .
That's the going rate for a 12000 mile Triumph dealer service, good job it didn't need any valve adjustments otherwise that adds another £150 to the cost, the 12000 service only includes the valve check and no adjustments (if required), you have to factor around £1,000 for that service unfortunately. It takes a full working day to complete the 12000 mile service correctly, although if doing it at home you can do it in stages as time allows.
If you own a modern(ish) Triumph and are planning on holding onto it for a while you really ought to check out the service costs. Depending on which model you have the biggie comes at 10,000 or 12,000 miles on some of them and as has been said, it's expensive, especially if you do the sort of mileage that Glenn2926 does. Most of us don't. I've had my Bonneville (from new) for about 7 years and done less than 8000 miles. I have 3 other bikes and put about 800 miles on each per year. The annual service on my Triumph is under £200 (and significantly less if I go for Youles winter service offer) which I'm happy with. When the 10,000 major service comes along (currently £800+) I'll need to lie down in a dark room to get over the shock but that'll be another couple of years away. But I knew all this before I bought the bike.
This, along with some bad experiences of dealer servicing years ago, is why I've done my own servicing for years. I was quoted nearly £700 for a valve service on the ZZR several years ago, all done in one day. Valve adjustment should be done with a stone cold engine. I don't see how it can be done in a day when dropping the bike off in the morning, unless it's not ridden there of course. My 2022 Street Scrambler is almost at 10k but I did a service at 6k. I was quoted around £370 for a dealer service. I guess if you are not au fait with things mechanical and taking them to bits then you have to trust in dealer servicing and pay the price.
I read your thread with the enormous service costs now a few times. I am really shocked about the price you had to pay. I never reached this price here in Austria. I did some services on my Tiger 1200 during using it for 35.000 km and my Bonnie with 15.000 km. My wife did 33.000 km on her Tiger 900. We only reached this price when we added new tyres too.
I think the difficulty comes when one wants/tries to sell a bike without service history. I for one wouldn’t touch a bike that the owner claimed to have serviced themselves. I did work in the garage/ motor industry albeit as a panel beater and the amount of cars that came in after the owner had supposedly serviced themselves but needed putting right was surprising. The mechanics tried avoid those jobs as a vast number were by owners that only thought they knew what they were doing. Luckily it didn’t happen often with bodywork. The odd time but not often.
I would say that applies more to cars than bikes. When I part ex'd my 7 year old R1 for a Ducati 1198 ( BIG MISTAKE) the dealer wasn't concerned over the lack of dealer stamps in the book because it presented so well and ran/sounded as sweet as a nut, plus I had kept a log of self servicing along with receipts. In fact, it was the same with my previous GSXR1000 3yrs old and R1 before that, also 3 yrs old. Possibly more of a problem selling privately. Excluding dirt bikes I've only ever sold 3 bikes privately after owning them from new and again it wasn't an issue but I got fed up faffing about with tyre kickers and buyers not showing so decided from then on to go the dealer part exchange route.
Strange ....l think completely the other way, to me a dealer service history means nothing....l know a few "motorcycle technicians" and quite frankly I would prefer a bike well looked after by a competent and contentious owner. There's nothing magic about bike servicing...take your time and work methodically and it's all pretty easy.
Or, find a competent independent mechanic who relies on good service to get repeat business. Dealers get almost guaranteed throughput in their workshops so may not try too hard, but that's a generalisation of course. I used to do my own back when there were way less cables and computers involved...
Plus when you go to buy it, the surroundings, facilities and tool collection say a lot before the person even offers any detail. A few probing questions soon helps form a fairly accurate picture.
I have always done my own servicing and never had a problem selling my bikes privately. When a buyer sees the immaculate condition of the bike together with receipts for original parts and my garage full of tools (including any necessary special tools plus Dealertool diagnostics) he is usually convinced that it has been properly maintained. Each service is done by the book and fully documented including valve clearances.
