1000 Mile Maintenance

My 1K service was free, are you sure yours is not? I am in Florida, and most dealers offer the first service free.

Obtuse said:

My 1K service was free, are you sure yours is not? I am in Florida, and most dealers offer the first service free.

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I will check with my dealer but for me working on the bike is part of the entire experience. I got the shop manual out to study, ordered the belt gauge, and purchased the supplies. Should take me several enjoyable hours. As long as I am getting dirty I will change the oil and sharpen the blade on my lawnmower.

Is it worth it!

PatLav said:

I am about to do the 1000 Mile Maintenance tomorrow. There are a lot of items on the list. Belt Tension Gauge just arrived, I have a filter, o-ring for drain plug, and Harley oil. I bought a shop manual and will step through the list.

Anyone have any advice other than to have Harley do it? When I owned bikes from 1967 to 1982, I always did maintenance and repairs myself.

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PatLav, when I was at the dealer the other day I overheard a customer ask the same question. They told him to keep all sales proof of goods used and make proof (I don’t know if that’s documented and/or photos, too) of the work he does on his bike so bike stays under warranty. I guess H-D wants documentation that the work was done and they will only trust their service-trained mechanics.

In most states (Like Illinoins) a manufacture cannot dictate where you have your maintenance done as long as that maintenance is not coved under their warranty. In other words, H-D cannot mandate that they do your 1000-mile checkup if you have to pay for it! Then again they may say if something goes wrong with your bike that because it was not done by them that they are not responsible and may try and void your warranty and you will have to seek litigation.:nerd:

Street500owner2 said:

PatLav, when I was at the dealer the other day I overheard a customer ask the same question. They told him to keep all sales proof of goods used and make proof (I don’t know if that’s documented and/or photos, too) of the work he does on his bike so bike stays under warranty. I guess H-D wants documentation that the work was done and they will only trust their service-trained mechanics.

In most states (Like Illinoins) a manufacture cannot dictate where you have your maintenance done as long as that maintenance is not coved under their warranty. In other words, H-D cannot mandate that they do your 1000-mile checkup if you have to pay for it! Then again they may say if something goes wrong with your bike that because it was not done by them that they are not responsible and may try and void your warranty and you will have to seek litigation.:nerd:

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I checked the warranty and I do not see any issue with me doing the 1000 mile maintenance. I am using Harley parts and following the procedures in the shop manual.

I got through the list with one issue, the belt tension is not correct. I do not have a socket big enough for axle nut. I will either buy or borough one tomorrow to finish up. Everything else looked good. The run in oil was really black, I see why they want you to change it out at 1000 miles.

PatLav said:

I checked the warranty and I do not see any issue with me doing the 1000 mile maintenance. I am using Harley parts and following the procedures in the shop manual.

I got through the list with one issue, the belt tension is not correct. I do not have a socket big enough for axle nut. I will either buy or borough one tomorrow to finish up. Everything else looked good. The run in oil was really black, I see why they want you to change it out at 1000 miles.

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Good for you, they want about $284 just to do the 1000 mile service by me.I mean, come on, it's just a Harley Davison not a Mercedes-Benz that cost $150,000 and uses 9 quarts of Synthetic oil with a $25 oil filter.

Street500owner2 said:

Good for you, they want about $284 just to do the 1000 mile service by me.I mean, come on, it's just a Harley Davison not a Mercedes-Benz that cost $150,000 and uses 9 quarts of Synthetic oil with a $25 oil filter.

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I see a reason why they want that much it took me about 3 hours to do everything. The next time I will be faster. I plan to bring it in for some of the checks. Most likely the 5000 and 20000 mile check.

PatLav said:

I am about to do the 1000 Mile Maintenance tomorrow. There are a lot of items on the list. Belt Tension Gauge just arrived, I have a filter, o-ring for drain plug, and Harley oil. I bought a shop manual and will step through the list.

Anyone have any advice other than to have Harley do it? When I owned bikes from 1967 to 1982, I always did maintenance and repairs myself.

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Yes, literally document everything you do plus keep receipts for the oil and parts. This includes date and mileage of the service. All of this can be required if you ever need warranty repairs on the motorcycle as well as documentation you should have if you ever sell the motorcycle.