Wow, have I been living under a rock? Cost of servicing...

[Harris_I]

Just asked BMW to quote my 18,000 mile service on an S1000XR. Over a grand!! Granted, I live in the southeast where dealer rates are high, and this is the big one which includes valve clearance check, fork oil change and plugs, but still...

I then tried a local indy... over £1500!!

Honestly, I must have gone to sleep for 20 years. Just can't get my head around the cost of servicing (and I wouldn't dare attempt valve clearance or fork oil on my own).

[_Rodders_]

You'd only have to miss a few services and you could buy a new bike with the savings if it does breakdown.

[bogie]

Wow thats crazy high ....even at the BMW main dealer here in NE Mids, its about £850 for a K1600. Indy is about £150 less due to cheaper labour. Last time I was in the main dealer they had a special offer on 3 year service package including the big valve service, £1050.

Its nearly worth going on a touring holiday and stopping off for a day in Lincs/Notts for a service

[Harris_I]

_Rodders_ said:

You'd only have to miss a few services and you could buy a new bike with the savings if it does breakdown.

Ha, yes, the thought had crossed my mind.

To be fair, the bike does so little annual mileage that modern oils allow one to get away with a change once every two years, but the fork oil, for example, is more about safety for me. I can't stomach the idea of riding around on something that out accelerates a Lambo, has only 2 contact patches with the ground, zero crash protection other than what I'm wearing, and I let a few preventative maintenance items slide in the hope that I'll be OK. Would rather get it done (even if the cost seems silly).

[Harris_I]

bogie said:

Wow thats crazy high ....even at the BMW main dealer here in NE Mids, its about £850 for a K1600. Indy is about £150 less due to cheaper labour. Last time I was in the main dealer they had a special offer on 3 year service package including the big valve service, £1050.

Its nearly worth going on a touring holiday and stopping off for a day in Lincs/Notts for a service

That's great value for 3 years - the package cost alone covers the big one, so the other 2 are effectively free.

[carinaman]

My SV650 incentive was three free services. I've just paid £300 and a bit for the three year one. The dealer changed the brake fluid during the last free service.

[trickywoo]

I wonder how much would be added if the clearance was out of spec?

Depending how many you might be lucky getting much change from £2k.

[Stevemr]

“ I can't stomach the idea of riding around on something that out accelerates a Lambo, has only 2 contact patches with the ground, zero crash protection other than what I'm wearing, and I let a few preventative maintenance items slide in the hope that I'll be OK. Would rather get it done (even if the cost seems silly).”

That’s all exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not maintain it myself. There is no way I would trust anyone else to work on it.

[Steve Bass]

The work itself is pretty simple, the real cost is having the tools and equipment for a home mechanic to do it.
Fork oil change? easy as pie but without something to hold the bike up with the front wheel out, it's a non starter. Then you need a fork oil syringe tool to set the oil height, a vice clamp to hold the fork stanchion, specialist tools to remove the fork cap... it goes on and on..
So it's a case of gear up and get the necessary tools, equipment and sundries or look big and cough up with the dealer or indy...
The real challenge comes when you need factory specific specialist tools for certain jobs, often related to head/cam/valve work....and certain work processes to ensure you don't cause more harm than good. .....
It can be very rewarding to spanner a bike yourself but it's a commitment to time, space and outlay for questionable returns.

[Condi]

Stevemr said:

That s all exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not maintain it myself. There is no way I would trust anyone else to work on it.

This is exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not pay for someone else to maintain it for me. There is no way I would trust myself to work on it.


Beyond the basics, (oil change, faffing around etc) that sums up my attitude!

[s p a c e m a n]

What happens if you give the main dealer a grand for 3 years servicing and they go under before it's done?

[carinaman]

Condi said:

Stevemr said:

That s all exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not maintain it myself. There is no way I would trust anyone else to work on it.

This is exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not pay for someone else to maintain it for me. There is no way I would trust myself to work on it.

Beyond the basics, (oil change, faffing around etc) that sums up my attitude!

I'm having to get involved with a bit of a clear out. I came across a local newspaper piece from 2015 about a tribute after the death of a pillion. A vehicle examiner reckoned the bike lost power and then surged due to a fault with the fuel vent pipe. It was on an NSL dual carriageway sweeping bend.

It made me feel better about walking away from a £200 deposit on a Trident 660 given the stuff I'd seen online after I left the deposit about them cutting out in Oct. 2022.

Edited by carinaman on Sunday 30th August 18:42

[iansp]

s p a c e m a n said:

What happens if you give the main dealer a grand for 3 years servicing and they go under before it's done?

The BMW 3 Year / 18,000 Mile Service Plan on my R1250GS cost £910 in 2025. The plan is not specific to the BMW dealer selling the plan as the bike can be serviced at any BMW Motorrad Service Authorised Workshop under the plan T&Cs. I also paid for the plan on a credit card.

Plan prices @ 30-Aug-26 https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/service/service-...

Edited by iansp on Sunday 30th August 19:00

[PorkInsider]

My 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2S is due its second service in a few weeks. I'm fully expecting it to work out to at least £1 per mile ridden.

First service was an oil change at 580 miles and I'm pretty sure it was ~£400.

Next one will be at least the same I guess(?) and I've done 400 miles since the previous one.

[iansp]

PorkInsider said:

My 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2S is due its second service in a few weeks. I'm fully expecting it to work out to at least £1 per mile ridden.

First service was an oil change at 580 miles and I'm pretty sure it was ~£400.

Next one will be at least the same I guess(?) and I've done 400 miles since the previous one.

You may be pleasantly surprised as I have a 2025 Ducati Multistrada V2S, so same engine, and the second service from my local Ducati Dealer cost £57.50.

Edited by iansp on Sunday 30th August 19:13

[Griffith4ever]

PorkInsider said:

My 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2S is due its second service in a few weeks. I'm fully expecting it to work out to at least £1 per mile ridden.

First service was an oil change at 580 miles and I'm pretty sure it was ~£400.

Next one will be at least the same I guess(?) and I've done 400 miles since the previous one.

£400 for an oil change!... Bugger me. I'm on here as I ride as well as drive.

My R8 annual service (oil and filters, 4 drain plugs apparently and a lot of underfloor panels to remove) is usually around £600

I service my Husky TE300i myself - oil change is whatever the oil costs (£20 ish) and filters - £15 ish. And is the easiest job in the world.

Forks - done them on 2 bikes (KTM and this one) - seals £25, oil £20-£30. Oil depth kit (for open cartidges) £15 ebay.

But, I do know most of my London friends would never remove a single fairing screw from their bikes themselves :-)

BMW - I'm not surprised at £1k + services - you buy into the whole thing.

I'm just as shocked as the OP.

[OPUT]

iansp said:

s p a c e m a n said:

What happens if you give the main dealer a grand for 3 years servicing and they go under before it's done?

The BMW 3 Year / 18,000 Mile Service Plan on my R1250GS cost £910 in 2025. The plan is not specific to the BMW dealer selling the plan as the bike can be serviced at any BMW Motorrad Service Authorised Workshop under the plan T&Cs. I also paid for the plan on a credit card.

Plan prices @ 30-Aug-26 https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/service/service-...

Edited by iansp on Sunday 30th August 19:00

I followed the link and I can't see any mention of valve clearances - which are usually one of the more expensive items (certainly well over £1k for a 1600).
Do they charge that on top? Seems a bit dubious sales practice. I can't see any BMWs doing 5 years / 50,000 km / 30,000 miles without checking valve clearances, or has something changed since my bike was made?

No mention of final drive oil change either - at least that's a cheap one.

[iansp]

OPUT said:

I followed the link and I can't see any mention of valve clearances - which are usually one of the more expensive items (certainly well over £1k for a 1600).
Do they charge that on top? Seems a bit dubious sales practice. I can't see any BMWs doing 5 years / 50,000 km / 30,000 miles without checking valve clearances, or has something changed since my bike was made?

No mention of final drive oil change either - at least that's a cheap one.

The final drive oil was replaced in my first service under the plan and the valve clearances were checked in my second service under the plan at no additional cost to me. The service costs were billed direct to BMW under the service plan but I think the first service under the plan was approx. £450 and the second service under the plan was approx. £650.

Edited by iansp on Sunday 30th August 20:09

[bogie]

Harris_I said:

That's great value for 3 years - the package cost alone covers the big one, so the other 2 are effectively free.

yeah I should have taken them up on that offer when it was on, just seen the latest package price on the BMW site, is £1420 ...which is probably a 15% saving on current individual service prices....

[Harris_I]

Stevemr said:

I can't stomach the idea of riding around on something that out accelerates a Lambo, has only 2 contact patches with the ground, zero crash protection other than what I'm wearing, and I let a few preventative maintenance items slide in the hope that I'll be OK. Would rather get it done (even if the cost seems silly).

That s all exactly why I would not own and ride a bike if I could not maintain it myself. There is no way I would trust anyone else to work on it.

This is a fair point. One thing I find frustrating about car dealer servicing is sometimes the car comes back with a new fault that never existed before the service. With a bike, the outcome of a failure to (say) correctly refit a safety critical item is potentially more catastrophic.