Oil drainplugs shouldn't fall out right?

[Val]

That's the kind of service I'm looking for. There really is no major damage to compensate for - nothing that would break a thriving business, anyway!

Bike: There's a scratched handlebar end and tail light, and a bent foot peg. Money out is for oil from a neighbour at the drop scene which we changed up for appropriate oil (thanks to advice from this site) when we got home.

Gear: I need a new visor (face cruise along the crushed stone shoulder), and am a bit concerned about the helmet (there's a divet where it hit but no other apparent damage). One glove got a bit shredded along the knuckles. Armoured mesh jacket is OK, jeans OK, boots OK.

Personally: a few bruises and a small patch of road rash where my jeans crept up. It could have been much worse.

All I want to see is some business integrity. All I got was a line of bull. My husband called today and got the OTHER owner, who fell all over himself asking how they can fix this. So maybe it's just the one guy, who is the brother of the original (helpful) owner. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome.

[bonehead]

Good luck with getting the bike fixed. As for the helmet, I have always heard that if it is involved in a wreck and has ANY damage to it , it needs to be replaced. But on the other hand if it is only a superficial scratch, I'not too sure "that I" would worry about it. That is going to have to be your call.

[dhgeyer]

Glad to hear your weren't hurt, and that the damage to the bike wasn't too bad.

After I started doing my own maintenance, I found all sorts of sloppiness and poor workmanship that had been done to my bikes by professional shops. I do as much of it as I can now, just because I know I'm much more motivated to do the best possible job. On the GZ250, an oil and filter change is pretty easy to do, easier than on most bikes. The oil filter is right on the right side: you don't even have to get under the bike to get at it! Doing at least some of your own work adds a dimension to owning and riding the machine as well. It gets to be a pleasure - addictive even! You may think "Oh I have no mechanical skill and I could never do that.". I say, don't sell yourself short. I was buying a windshield and a couple of spark plugs for the GZ just today, and a lady was there getting supplies to do a complete tune up on a 4 cylinder 650 sport bike. And you could tell she knew her stuff, too! Better than the guy at the counter.

I think you could probably buy all the tools you really need to do an oil and filter change for what they would charge for labor for one, or at most two changes. A couple of wrenches (you'll want a socket with extender and drive to get at the drain plug), a drain pan, a funnel. You could splurge and get a torque wrench, and then you would know for certain that the drain plug was tightened just right.

The shop manual is available for download for free right on this website. If you can read and follow directions, it's not that hard. And, if you have any questions, there are lots of folks right here to help you!

Just a suggestion.

Dave Geyer

[alanmcorcoran]

dh,

The guys talked me into doing my own oil, and I did do one change on the GZ. I think, however, I managed to overfill it (that glass thing is sketchy, compared to, say, a dipstick, if you ask me.) I don't know if it is related, but about 50-100 miles after I changed the oil the thing started running real crappy when it wasn't warmed up. I took it into a dealer at the next service interval (which included an oil change), gave them the whole story, and it took three trips back before they got it back to running "like new." It's possible they didn't do anything the first two times, but, needless to say, I am not addicted to doing my own maintenance. Frankly, the time wasted having to buy the oil, then bring the used oil in for recycling pretty much kills it for me. I think if you have a lot of time and no money, it makes sense. If you have money and the dealer can turn your bike around quick (and isn't crooked!), I recommend the dealer.

Recently dropped the Strat off for the 4K service on Thursday at noon. They called to tell me it was done at 7am the next morning. I only wish my new dealer wasn't 30 plus miles away. (Still, it's a nice ride on a beautiful toll road.)

[dhgeyer]

Alan,

Sorry to hear about your misadventure. I've been doing oil changes on vehicles of one sort or another since I was in college. That was a long time and a lot of vehicles ago. The GZ takes a quart and a half, and most plastic bottles of oil are graduated these days. I have to admit that getting the Beemer right is a real pain. Too much oil and it starts shaking like a Sportster, and you have to do this dance with it to get an accurate reading. I guess it's an acquired taste. I don't want anyone touching my bike unless it's absolutely necessary. When I did my first valve adjustments on both the Beemer and the Concours, I was totally appalled at how far out of whack they were. There's no way they had gotten that far out in the distance they had been ridden since the dealers had last checked them. Dealers will check valves, and if they are anywhere within spec, they will leave them alone. They do not even try to get pairs of valves consistent.

The other thing is, once you get used to doing it, and tooled up, it's actually less bother, at least for me, to do it myself. I stock up on oil, filters, seals, and crush washers so that I don't have to go to the dealership every time. We have to go to the dump where I live anyway, and I can dispose of the waste oil there. I save used milk containers to put it in. So it's just the time, and I'd rather spend it doing something I enjoy, rather than in a waiting room.

Valve adjustments give me an even greater incentive to do them myself. They have to be done dead cold. If I have a dealer do it, I have to have my wife or daughter pick me up when I drop it off one afternoon, and drop me off when I pick it up the next day. By the time we get done with all that driving, I could have done it myself in a fraction of the time, and I'll do a better job.

Your situation may be entirely different, but for me, it's a no brainer.

[Water Warrior 2]

I change oil on both bikes but the truck goes to a local shop. With the bike oil that is drained out I put it in an old bleach bottle or washer fluid bottle and drop it off at a recycler. Most other bike related stuff goes to a local dealer or a Suzuki dealer if the maintenance is specifically Suzuki related and they have the most expertise and specific equipment.