Checking to see if I'm paying the right price

So I got a great deal on my bike because of some of its issues. It needs a regular maintenance and has a front fork seal leak. Has any one done a major service (My bike is at 30k miles) and mind telling me what they paid? Or how about for getting my fork seals redone? thanks in advance for any info.

 

Post up some more specifics of your bike.

Concerning the valve adjustment, most people seem to report the valves were in spec at the first "major service" interval. I know those who have had them done, it gets expensive.

As for non-valve related service, personally, I love great deals on bikes that need a little TLC. Most of the wear items are pretty easy, cheap and straight forward to do at home. If you don't have experience, the first time is a pain, will take forever and leave you in doubt. But it's well worth it. If you can get someone with experience, you can feel more secure and save your self some time. But after the first time or two, assuming you have some mechanical know how, you'll wonder why you ever paid anyone to do the work for you.

The money you drop on the dealer doing the work for you would, in my opinion, be better spent on a front steerer tube stand, a repair manual and a rear stand if you don't have the center stand on your bike. But all that is initial investment and no further cost on equipment thereafter.

Fork seals are pretty easy, quick and cheap to do at home. Of course, this will lead you into the fun of adjusting fork oil levels which can lead to more learning.

At 30,000 miles, I would also look at bleeding the clutch and brakes, look at the pads. Definitely check/replace the air filter and plugs. I tend to flush the radiator and do an oil/filter change. Check chain stretch/tension. All easily done at home on the cheap.

Having said all that, I can only answer that most major maintanence I do at home at the cost of parts and time. I haven't paid anyone to do repairs on my bikes since the first time I paid for my 87 EX500 valve adjustment and felt kinda ripped off.

 

per the service manual, at 32k miles: replace air filter, inspect valves, change oil and filter, replace antifreeze, replace brake fluid, inspect brake pads, replace clutch fluid, inspect steering head bearings.

you can download the factory service manual from here or vfrd. if you can't find it i can make it available to you.

forks are a scary thing to tackle your first time but if you have basic mechanical skills, there is no reason that you cannot do it yourself.

i've not done it myself yet but I've been told that bleeding the brakes on our bikes can be a pain as there are (i think) 9 different points to bleed the system.

3 years ago when I got my VFR, the guy i bought it from had just had the 16k mile service done. this included a oil/filter change, valve check, radiator flush, new plugs, and new k&n filter. total on it was about $750. i think $450 of it was the valve check.

to this day that is the only service that i am skeptical of doing myself. i know that i CAN do it, but it is something that is meticulous and takes a lot of time since you have to pull and replace the cams at least twice.

 

It's neither too daunting nor too expensive to CHECK the valve clearances yourself; then if something DOES need adjustment you can take it to the dealer knowing that the work actually needed to be done.

I don't trust dealerships or mechanics and know that unless you visit their workshop and see your bike with the valve covers removed, they might not have done the work but charged alot !