i agree w/ grump. change your own oil and let them do the torque wrench once over and clutch cable and chain adjustment. it's good insurance that they look the bike over, i think.
if i need parts i go to my dealer. they have to make a living, too. my dealer is a small family run shop and they seem to do good work and are very nice. my dealer even sells amzoil on the side.
tbanga, how's the bike running now? was it the coils?
btw, w/ the new oil, the bike will run even smoother, shift smoother.
a few things to invest in for the future wd. be a sears-type jack (on sale for about $90) for oil changes and chain lube/adjustment, a torque wrench (i think i paid $60), and an oil filter wrench ($5)and a set of allen sockets ($15-20). these bikes are easy to work on. i just put some new rear brake pads and it took about 20 minutes.
torque settings are posted on the main page somewhere.
there are different theories on oil changes: cold/warm; drain overnight. for me, i warm mine up, (not hot ouch) then jack it up and drain the oil (someone mentioned it shoots forward and it does) and then take off the filter and let it all drip out while i clean and lube the chain. don't forget to put the oil plug back in. i also fill the filter before i put it back on. my oil filter will leak if i don't tighten it up pretty snug, which is about a good strong turn w/ an oil filter wrench after it's hand tightened. there are k & n oil filters w/ a nut welded on the bottom to make this easier, but i'm not sure if local dealer have them i know brent does at new speedy.com. i can't recall what the oil filter torque value is, and if you use a filter wrench, snug is a good acurate term. make sure you rub some oil around the filter's rubber gasket before you reinstall it.
i also think it's a good idea to put a new oil plug crush washer in each time. i was able to match mine up at napa where i also get their napa gold filter. i can't recall for sure the filter number, but i think it's 1538...??? but they can look it up. i have a magnetic oil plug that i bought that will go in w/ my next oil change. i like the amzoil 20/50 for my bike. i've heard good things about other syntheitcs including mobil v twin 20/50.
you want the bike level and it does take 4 quarts. there's a oil site glass on the right side and when full the level will be between the low and high marks, not up to the full mark. the oil filler plug is on the right-- the big chrome screw right below the right carb. it will scratch easy, so be carefull.
my first service was just over 100 dollars, including the oil change. but it's the downtime that you are concerned w/; i'm the same way, even though i'm lucky and my dealer is 6 blocks away.
cat
