20,000 mile service

[Angus]

Bike is coming up for 20,000 miles. 10,000 of them done by me over the last three years. I have never had the bike serviced since I got it as I do oil changes and brake pad changes myself. Also have changed new Tyres and chain and sprockets. Because of this I don't have any stamps in the service book for the last three years although the previous owner got five stamps seems like he went to the garage every time he needed an oil change. I have no plans to sell the bike but would it be prudent to take it to the garage for a 20,000 mile service? Mainly just for the stamp I guess because as I say I do all the routine maintenance myself. I think the 20,000 mile service also includes clean air filter and spark plugs which I believe are rather tricky jobs? Mainly due to access difficulties I guess.

[Joe Rocket]

Personally I wouldn't pay 'just for the stamp'. It doesn't make up for the gap in the printed service record book. It seems you're quite competent and will have done more than the minimum to keep the bike in good order and functioning correctly. (Bravo! as they say over here)

I am the same as you, I bought the bike from new and had services done at the concessionaire while under guarantee. Since then I've followed the schedule and noted in the book myself date, mileage and operations done, even the valve clearance check last time round.

If I can suggest you fill out what you know on your servicing with dates if you can remember. You might keep bills from the purchases of oil, filters, spark plugs, chain and sprockets for example. Failing that put a general note about the last three years saying you've changed this, that and the other at the required intervals. but do the 20k service yourself and detail it in the book now along with all future services. I put in simply 'carried out by owner'.

Although 'official' stamps in the book show an 'attendance' record they don't guarantee the services were fully and correctly carried out. (Unless you've been going to kwackboy that is.....  )

[kwackboy]

Sounds like you're competent with working on your own bike, do the plugs and air filter yourself, there's plenty of info out there that'll help you, YouTube is the best manual.. 

As said , make a note of all the work done you carry out, sometimes this is better than a stamped service book, it's what I do all time as I do all my own work myself, Even my car... 

[nigel s]

Sorry being for being dumb as I don't have a 2013, but you've had it since 10k ,now at 20k. Has it had a valve check?If not it needs one, even if just to confirm clearances are OK.

[Joe Rocket]

I don't think that's dumb at all nigel s, good suggestion.

As said the OP appears to have good bike maintenance skills but if, like me, he's confident to do the check himself then yes......do it. Don't to forget to note it in your service book though. Otherwise ask the garage to do just that and do the rest yourself. Don't forget to ask them to fill the book in!

I had a recall on my L5 for a stator replacement. I had to ask the Suzuki dealer to record it in my book.....!

[nigel s]

As to future price,if you trade it in with a box full of receipts for oil etc the offer from dealer won't be affected he probably won't even look at them.
If you are selling privately 5 mins spent talking to owner tells you all you need to know so stamps etc are irrelevant.
I would be happy buying a bike with no stamps of kwackboy, for example, over a fully stamped bike from a clueless owner.
Keep the paper receipts and all is golden.

[NeilM]

I'm the second owner of my 650, I bought it at 24,000 and the original owner had the bike serviced and the book stamped for a while (warranty?), then started servicing the bike himself or having work done locally and entered all the details into a spreadsheet.

I am a reasonable home mechanic and so have continued to do all the work on the bike myself, including the coolant change that is necessitated in order to do a valve clearance check, plugs etc. I put all the dates, mileages and details of the work into my own spreadsheet (along with all the previous work) and keep that as much as a reminder when the next service is due and what work will need to be carried out as anything else.

I am unlikely to sell the bike, I enjoy it far too much, but if I did I am sure a written record of service work carried out would carry just as much weight with a possible buyer as a bunch of stamps in the service book.

I've just done a bit of a 39,000 mile service, I should have checked and cleaned the air filter.... but somebody forgot he was about to service the bike and on seeing petrol at £1.42 a litre filled up his 22 litre petrol tank. 

[Gert]

My go-to guides for the valve check and / or adjustments are, https://circlenz.co.nz/Suzuki-v-strom-DL650-valve-check-and-adjustment/ and https://blacklabadventures.com/2012/02/18/2007-dl-650-valve-check-and-adjustment
The write-ups in these two links can be applied to both the 1st and 2nd gen Wee.

[Angus]

I have spoken to two mechanics recently about valve clearance. Opposing viewpoints . First one said that that kind of bike doesn't really need valve clearance check at 20,000 miles. He said it was only high performance bikes that needed that and if it started OK and sounded OK no need to do it. The other mechanic said that it would be worth doing as it can damage the head if there is gas escaping from the valves? He also didn't recommend an amateur doing that job as there is a real potential to wreck the engine.

[Rixington43]

Somewhere in between those 2 answers is probably the truth

Between my group of friends we've had a DL1000 (mine), 4 SV650s and an SFV650 Gladys.
All had valve clearances done at beyond the interval (20k(ish) for the 650s and most likely 32k for my DL1000, although I don't know for certain they were skipped at 15k, I just suspect it very strongly.
All were within tolerance so didn't 'need' adjusting, I only changed mine as they were close to or on the limit and the tear down is more work than the adjustment on the 1000cc.

Overly tight valves (they tighten with wear rather than loosen) will stay open past when they should be closed and this can cause them to let by. The exhaust (the one that suffers most) will pit and burn away at the valve seat which is the head damage mentioned, adjusting the valves too late will mean they won't then seal correctly on the damaged seat. The intake staying open will lose compression and therefore power but the seat is less likely to be phyiscally burned away.

Regards DIY, checking them yourself is not that risky as you aren't changing anything, it's only once you have to remove the timing chains to adjust the gaps that the risk comes in, re-assembling with the timing fractionally out will cause the engine to run super rough, out a long way and that's potentially engine over. It's entirely dependant on your personal level of spannering ability but I did mine having never tried valves before and it was fine as long as I was very methodical and followed each step to the letter whilst taking plenty of notes. I have rebuilt simpler engines (stationary singles etc) in my time though so wasn't going in completely blind.

* My friend had her Gladys done this month and the cost was really not that big. For peace of mind and service record on a bike you think is a keeper, it's your call.

[Barbel Mick]

If you can't do it yourself then paying a few hundred pounds plus for the check is well worth it, in my opinion. If they're out & the shims need changing then it will be a couple of hundred more but if that's the case then it's worth that too, far cheaper than an engine rebuild.
I've just paid £500 for mine to be done, 8 shims, I asked to get them all as close to the middle of the tolerances, including OEM air filter, plugs, (I provided them but price included in the £500), new OEM rubber gaskets (£70) & coolant. He also cleaned & lubricated the throttle bodies & put more dielectric grease on the connections under the tank and greased the lower suspension bracket. (total 8 hours labour).
I'm on the 3rd check at 52K and although none were out all the exhaust clearances were right on the limit.
   

[purplebikeunicorn]

Just to reflect comments from others on here. I had to choose between a 650 that had done < 30k miles, and one that had done 40k+, with a little bit of price difference. The first one had absolutely no service history at all with it. The second also had no printed/documented service history, however, it had been owned by someone that would absolutely have serviced it properly, and it shows. Guess which one I went for? :P

I keep fairly detailed service info on my own vehicles in a spreadsheet, so simple to just print off when changing hands. For the car I tend to keep invoices for parts/consumables (like oil/brake fluid/etc) in with the service book, but otherwise just record what I have done and when for the bikes.

At your bikes age, I don't think a main dealer stamp is going to make a lot of difference price wise if you were to px it or sell privately, but that's my opinion and my opinion only

[nigel s]

Angus,time permitting ,schmoozing your local dealers is time well spent.You don't have to spend any money,get a test ride even if your not thinking of buying.Wander around, ask how long to book your bike in for service,get on the mailing list,maybe buy some oil.Chat outside dealer a about dealer b.Try to get a look in the workshop.A picture will emerge over time about where to go for what.For instance a local dealer in my area had a good rep for service/repairs.This was because the head engineer was brilliant.He retired and it all went to shit, good to know before booking in for work! If you are a known face selling/trading in will be easier.
I, like barbelmick, do all the work bar valves myself so finding a dealer/engineer you trust to do that is a good thing.