First maintenance -$540???

[johnha]

Do NOT use any oil marked Energy Conserving. On the little round badge, the bottom should be empty. Cage additives can make wet clutches slip.

There is no need to remove the gas tank, just tie it up to the ceiling rafter or something.

To those recommending not checking the valves at 600 miles, I hope you never have an engine warranty claim.

There is absolutely no reason to pay anyone to do an oil change on these bikes. None. Nil. Nada. The NT is the easiest oil change I've ever done.

 

[charlie b]

Ditto on the oil change. Easier than a car by a long shot. And I also got the K&N oil filters. That nut on top is a really nice touch.

FWIW, I also found a new tool to get stubborn oil filters off. Pipe wrench. Yep, my large pipe wrench fits and does the job nicely. Does not crush the housing so no leaks like using a screwdriver.

Second on the oil issues. Wet clutches do not like some oil additives. Really cheap dino oil will usually do the job if you change oil often. Once out of warranty mine get synthetic and I change less often.

 

[Vlad]

so are you implying that changing the oil will make my warranty invalid?

 

[ken]

my job is to inspect and evaluate vehicle failures to determine if it should be covered under warranty

If one is dealing with a company whose business model is to refuse to honor the warranty, I guess there is a danger of doing your own work. But a shop that is concearned with customer service would look for evidence of real abuse, dirty or low oil etc rather than an opportunity to soak the customer.

all that proves is that it was purchased - not when (or if) the job was ever done.

By the way, just because a dealer charged for an oil change, how does that "prove" the oil was changed?

 

[RedLdr1]

By the way, just because a dealer charged for an oil change, how does that "prove" the oil was changed?

It doesn't... But the receipt from the dealer showing you paid for a recommended service, or oil change, means that when a field rep is investigating a warranty claim you can "prove" you followed the book. That moves the claim off of you and up the food chain...

 

[slowtrot]

I am on my 5th motorcycle and do all the maint. myself. One of the very nice things about the NT700 are the adjustable valves. It takes a while to get to them because of the fairing but the checking and adjusting are easy, unlike a shim under bucket system which generally means taking off the cam shafts an lots of calculations and proper sequencing of the buckets and shims.

I dont skip the recommended valve check intervals on any engines . Some people do.

If you have never done this kind of work before on cars, or tanks, or tractors find a friend who has some experience to walk you through it along with maint. book. The NT 700 is a very low maint. machine compared to some other bikes. That is one reason I bought mine.

 

[hondaaddict]

My first bike, a Honda Nighthawk, had bad rings from the factory. After 4000 miles, I noticed it was burning 1 quart of oil every 200 miles. The dealer didn't ask me anything about valve clearance or oil change, eventhough I done those things myself but had no proof. Dealer fixed it for over $2000, and Honda ate the cost. That's why I bought a brand new Honda from them again. No BS service.

I agree with the tech that if you're not comfortable with your hands, let the pros do it. The filter on the NT is tough to get off, and it's in a bad location. My filter was super tight from the factory. I had to try multiple types and sizes of wrench to get it off. On the other hand, my Toyota's filter and oil change is super easy.

 

[maxweljames]

Aren't warranties great. You pay for a product with your hard earned money, then when it breaks they treat you like you're a criminal filing a fraudulent claim. Companies should either own up to the problem or just tell me I'm on my own when it comes to fixing it. I'll respect a company a lot more when they do that. It's why I never get extended warranties on any product.

I once contacted a mfg of lawn sprinklers. Years ago I bought a unit that had a label on it that said "LIFETIME WARRANTY" No details, just the statement. It wasn't the reason I bought the product but at the time I thought it was a nice bonus. So the thing cracks this summer. I send them an email, they respond with, "What model is it?" Of course the unit doesn't have any numbers on it at all, but after some searching on the internet I finally found the actual model number. The respond telling me that they need the original receipt AND the upc label from the original packaging. I know, it's crazy, but for some reason I just don't have a receipt from 10 years ago for something I paid cash for. In a second wave of idiocy, I just didn't think to save that UPC label from the packaging when I opened up my new sprinkler. Sooooooo, after telling the company this they inform me that they cannot process my request because there is no way to prove that it is, in fact, their unit that they promised to honor a warranty. I told them I will send the sprinkler to them so they can verify it's theirs and that it's broken, then they said I needed to prove it was legally purchased in the first place. As if I picked up a lawn sprinkler off of the black market or I stole it from the neighbors yard. Maybe somewhere on the "original packaging" there was some fine print telling me of the consumer responsibilities in order to actually claim warranty for the item. Keep your warranty, I'll just go spend the $20 and buy a new sprinkler. And if the same happens to a vehicle I can either fix it or buy a new one.

Aside from that story, Honda, both automotive and motorcycle sides of the company have been 100% "no questions asked" when I've brought vehicles in for warranty. In fact they have gone over and above in a couple cases when it came to my wife's CR-V. Things that anywhere else I would have been steeply charged for both labor and parts, Honda has taken care of us. Which is one of the reasons we stick with them.

 

[Piperouter]

It's time for my first maintenance so I was on the phone with my dealer and they told me $540! I was stunned! Is it normal to be in that range? Can I do it myself? I consider myself able to do stuff, e.g. I was changing the oil myself for years. But this is brand new bike... so I am not sure what is the right thing to do...

Sounds cheap to me considering the valve adjustment and all the disassembly required but my perspective on maintenance cost is probably clouded by my other toy....a Piper Archer.

 

[maxweljames]

Sounds cheap to me considering the valve adjustment and all the disassembly required but my perspective on maintenance cost is probably clouded by my other toy....a Piper Archer.

When I was running an FBO my shop labor rates were lower than the local car dealers. Parts on the other hand....................

 

[Vlad]

Sounds cheap to me considering the valve adjustment and all the disassembly required but my perspective on maintenance cost is probably clouded by my other toy....a Piper Archer.

Nice toy but you're right, your perspective is from the sky

 

[Vlad]

Some interesting stuff about the warranty: http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm#8

 

[Bear]

The only thing that I do while the bike is under warranty is an oil change every 3000 miles. I buy the oil and filter from the Honda Dealer (he special orders the K&N oil filter, and I keep the receipts on file

 

[Vlad]

Should we have honored the warranty in those cases?

You're right, but isn't this just the case when one side (or the other) are idiots? Anyway, we can now go and enjoy our bikes instead, love them and take care about them

 

[Bear]

Tattoo Paul,I respect you mechanics. With today's vehicles you have to be an electrical engineer, computer programmer, and last but not least a "Wrench" I looked at some of those diagnostic computers and they cost a fortune--not to mention that you have to learn to use them for the vehicles you work on and buy the programs at a huge price.

True in the "old days" you had carbs, points, you used a timing wheel, dwell meter and timing light---of course the vehicles needed attention every couple of thousand miles. Now we are looking at much greater service intervals but higher costs. I guess it all evens out at some point.

Even in my bicycle shop, I had to get about $2000 worth of special tools. There are four major systems for bicycles and most are not interchangeable. The good thing is that at least everything is metric. I still get some bikes in for a restoration that take Whitworth Tools---some of the real old Schwinns take SAE. Thank God that all modern bikes are metric. I wonder if H-D and Buell are metric or SAE?

 

[Vlad]

So - thanks to all - Finally I found the time to change the oil. I used mobil1 4t and k&n filter. No issues with removing the filter.
I used my brand new torque wrench to put back the filter and the bolt. The old oil was black and dirty.

Btw that's my first time that I do something with the service manual in hand and full set of proper tools. It is fantastic (quick and easy). Usually I just go free style with my previous bikes and cars. But since this one is brand new it required different kind of attention