Brand New Bike - 1st Oil Change

[Hamilton Tracer]

Hey guys,

Just wondering what you guys think about the first oil change on a brand new bike.

Should I bring it to the dealer in case there is any issues/adjustments that I might miss?

It's pretty cold up here, but I managed to get in 300 Km's.  This bike is saweeeeet.

Can't wait for some warm weather.

Also, I am going to change at the first 1000 km.

Thanks.

[betoney]

On any brand new bike, I have always done the first oil change within the first 100 miles and then again at 1000 miles - personal preference, your's may vary.

For simple routine maintenance, I ALWAYS recommend doing it yourself unless there is something specified in a warranty or service contract prohibiting that.  1. you get familiar with your bike, removing body panels and how to access under the seat and tank for battery and air filter access. And 2. you KNOW that you checked everything thoroughly.  Besides the oil change the dealer check is usually just verifying bolt and fasteners are tight, air pressure, chain tension etc. something that YOU should know how to do on any vehicle you own.

In addition to the first maintenance check, getting familiar with your bike will include setting all of the ergonomics up for your riding style and comfort.  The shifter, brake pedal, seat height, rearsets, handlebar risers are all adjustable just like setting up the driving ergonomics in your car.

[2and3cylinders]

As usual Brian said at all

[Hamilton Tracer]

Great, thanks for the reply.  Yea I'm looking forward to getting familiar with bike. Thanks again.

[whisperquiet]

No one cares about your new bike like you do……complete your service by yourself and know it was done correctly.

[KrustyKush]

From your description, it seems your weather is terrible for riding. You may have a long winter. Unfortunately, this means getting the bike to 1000k will take longer than wanted. 
 

The main thing to avoid, IMO, is short trips. Never hit the start button without following it by a 20 miler. At least. Longer the better. Short trips are terrible for a motor. Better you should not even start it without the 20 miler.

 

BTW congrats on the new Tracer. I love my 21 GT. 22k miles zero issues. 

Edited December 23, 2023 by KrustyKush

[Ivan C]

Having gone through this procedure recently, I would note that oil filters installed at the factory are often tightened WAY beyond spec and can be difficult to remove, even with the proper tools. Be prepared to put some extra muscle into it.

[ZigMerid]

10 hours ago, Hamilton Tracer said:

Just wondering what you guys think about the first oil change on a brand new bike

Well, it's not a first oil change, it's a first service which happens to include an oil change.

I'm going to disagree with the prevailing opinions here because they haven't bothered to ask three questions: First, what is your level of maintenance competence, second how valuable is your time and third how much do you know and trust your service mob?

I've invested a ton of hours in motorcycle maintenance - particularly when I was starving-student-poor - including top-end rebuilds but I'm still just an amateur compared to a good pro. And fortunately my service crew are pros. They see things I routinely miss because they work motorcycles 24/7 and I work motorcycles once every six months.

These days I'm not starving-student-poor and my time is valuable so you know what? I get a trusted pro to service my Tracer. And they do a great job and often observe things that I never think of.

I also see little point in learning details about your bike such as removing panels and chasing wiring and replacing air filters. A good manual or a bit of intuition and I can get it done, so I don't need to practice. More importantly, why is that skill important?  If my bike breaks down out in the boonies, it's likely to be far more serious than something that can be fixed from knowledge gain by doing an oil change. For example an ECU failure or a cracked radiator or a fuel pump failure.

So sure, tinker around if that's what you like to do and tinker around if you want to save a coupla bucks servicing $20,000 worth of complex machinery and also tinker around if you don't trust your service crew but when it comes down to it, a good pro is going to see a lot more on their worst day than you will ever see on your best day.

Of course the one caveat is finding a trusted service pro. But even if you are a highly competent home-servicer I would still hunt down a pro to take a look every year or two.

[johnmark101]

17 hours ago, betoney said:

On any brand new bike, I have always done the first oil change within the first 100 miles and then again at 1000 miles - personal preference, your's may vary.

For simple routine maintenance, I ALWAYS recommend doing it yourself unless there is something specified in a warranty or service contract prohibiting that.  1. you get familiar with your bike, removing body panels and how to access under the seat and tank for battery and air filter access. And 2. you KNOW that you checked everything thoroughly.  Besides the oil change the dealer check is usually just verifying bolt and fasteners are tight, air pressure, chain tension etc. something that YOU should know how to do on any vehicle you own.

In addition to the first maintenance check, getting familiar with your bike will include setting all of the ergonomics up for your riding style and comfort.  The shifter, brake pedal, seat height, rearsets, handlebar risers are all adjustable just like setting up the driving ergonomics in your car.

Yes......what he said.  One more thing to consider is purchasing the factory service manual.  Very handy for doing your own maintenance.

[2and3cylinders]

I respectfully and vehemently disagree with Zig.

"A couple of bucks", really, at basic rates over $130 an hour?

Finding a "trusted" pro is harder than finding hen's teeth, always has been.

Based on this Yamaha's reliability, it's unlikely that a "serious" issue will occur in the boonies or anywhere else for that matter.  Taking a breath and thinking things through will most often lead to a simple resolution. And on the other hand, prior savings will go far to offset the rare catastrophic event; as will a YES if purchased cheaply.

And anyway, the point and benefits of fundamental DIY is not to address a catastrophic failure in the first place.  Besides the cost and time savings, one cannot put a price on the feeling of self confidence, accomplishment and pride gained with development of of the process of becoming "one" with your machine; including concurrently improving one's riding skill sets!

The above is just one older guys opinion...

[Ride365]

I am in the camp and experience of.......if you are gonna own/ride a motorcycle, you sure as hell better know a thing or 2 about your motorcycle. 

[Hamilton Tracer]

Hi, thanks for all the replies.

Just as a gauge.  I am a pretty experienced rider with basic maintenance abilities.

This is my first brand new bike and that is why I was wondering if having the dealer do the first service was a good/best option.

It probably wont hurt to pepper in a dealer(very reputable/reliable) service every 2 years or so ish.

Again, thanks for the replies.

Now can someone ask spring to hurry up. 

[Ziggy105]

I agree, hurry up Spring.

Keep the receipts for consumables purchased to service the bike (oil, filters, etc.) and log the service mileage and dates in your Owners Manual. This could be to your benefit if a warranty issue arises. 

[OldBikers]

17 hours ago, ZigMerid said:

Well, it's not a first oil change, it's a first service which happens to include an oil change.

 

I'm in the group that says to let the service pros go over the bike for the first service.  They are experienced to see things the average backyard mechanic misses.  I have worked on bikes for years but today they are so complicated electronically that I feel better to let the professionals do the work and I am still able to afford it.

 

I may add that I live in a high rise condo where working on any vehicle is not allowed by the HOA.  (Of course we do cheat and do things we're not allowed to do like putting on accessories and such.)

Edited December 24, 2023 by OldBikers

[betoney]

20 hours ago, ZigMerid said:

I'm going to disagree with the prevailing opinions here because they haven't bothered to ask three questions: First, what is your level of maintenance competence, second how valuable is your time and third how much do you know and trust your service mob?

 

12 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I respectfully and vehemently disagree with Zig.

"A couple of bucks", really, at basic rates over $130 an hour?

In addition to paying $120-$130 an hour for basic elementary level maintenance, a bigger factor is down time.  Between early spring and mid autumn my local dealer is booked out several weeks for appointments, add in the back and forth drive time and gas of dropping the bike off and picking it up a day or 2 later just doesn't make sense.  In the meantime I could wash the bike, change the oil and filter, service the air filter, check the chain and tire pressure, flush the brake fluid, and have it gassed up for the next trip before lunch time. 

3 hours in the service department would be close to $400 for labor, plus their 30% markup on fluids, parts and 'shop supplies'.