Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Question about 12,000 mile service

Just got my bike back from the dealer today after taking it in for it's 12,000 mile service, and I'm doin a slow burn. I told them not to change the oil or air filter because I do that myself. And after shelling out $425 I realize they didn't change the spark plugs or re-pack the steering head bearings as I was led to believe they would do. What they did do was check the valve clearance( no adjustment necessary ) adjust and balance the carbs and make sure they will pass emissions. Check the charging system, all lights, air the tires, lube the chain and cables. So my question is did I just get screwed? What did any of you pay for what kind of work? And oh yeah, greasy handprints all over the bike and greasy overspray anywhere that they spayed lubricant.

A lot of money for something you could have easily done yourself. Given current hourly rates and the few parts they probably used (valve cover gasket for example) it sounds a bit high but not by much. No excuse for the over spray or greasy hand prints, that is just unprofessional. Cables don't need to be lubed on our bikes. I still have the same plugs in my bike from the factory at about 25,000 miles and haven't done anything with the steering head bearings yet. That being said those are supposed to be part of the 12,000 mile service in my manual. Not sure how common it is but at 12,000 my valve clearances needed to be adjusted.

You know before I made the appt I had a conversation with the dealership owner and I asked him if the steering head bearings really need to be re packed and he was telling me that maybe I could get away with not doing it but down the road the steering might get notchy and that was one of the reasons to bring it to them, he emphasised how labor intensive it was and I agreed. Then when I picked up my bike and I questioned whether they did the steering head bearings the counter guy told me that they just check the front end for free play and the bearings are sealed and don't need to be re packed! I'm not stupid, I know the bearings are tapered and they do require packing. What pisses me off is I'm thinking that the labor hours are a flat rate that are meant to include doing the bearings and they just blew it off because it's a lot of work!

I do all my own servicing. At 12,000 miles my valves didn't need adjustment. The valve cover gasket was easily reusable. As for the steering head bearings, it's my experience that they should be attended to but your guys did nothing so the question is... how does one justify the $425 they charged you?

And if I may, I'd like to acknowledge that by way of the generous expertise found here... it's a distinct option to do all your own servicing. And you get to know your bike better than anyone else... so it's a total win/win. Kudos to all and everyone at ba.com who are there whenever the need arises.

I simply included the valve cover gasket since as a dealer they probably replaced that and the seals around the bolts then charged for it. I reused mine too.

sounds to me like maybe you should make your feelings known to the service manager and demand satisfaction, or find a new dealer

Typical dealership.

Sometimes they do you right, and your really pleased. Most times, it's less than desirable. And there's NOT one on every corner.

Here in O-ville, the ONLY Triumph dealer is REALLY a Ducati dealership, that carries the Triumph line. In my opinion, that makes their mechanics Ducati mechanics, that also work on Triumph. (less than desirable).

Due to necessity, With a factory manual, and mostly the help and advice from members of THIS site, I have managed to learn to do ALL of my service myself. Some trial and error. (less than desirable), but when it's wrong, I know it, and I redo it. When it's RIGHT, well, lets just say some would say if the feeling lasts more than four hours, consult with a doctor .
But since I KNOW it's the extreme satisfaction of doing it right, myself, that is causing the feeling, I don't need to consult with the doctor, even when the feeling lasts for days! (or WEEKS).

One thing's for sure, I DON'T pay for service I don't get! (from myself).

The joys of owning a novelty item.

Yeah, that's why they call them stealerships. Still, that price wasn't way over the top. I've heard worse. The valve adustment alone is fairly labor intensive and ya gotta have the shim kit and some know how. Although I do almost all my own work on my older machines, I've resigned myself to just letting my local, honest and fair dealer do most stuff on my America. Yeah, I still change tires, oil and filters, but the engine innards I leave to them. Luckily, my America has been absolutely trouble free, with 40 K having just arrived.