self service voids warranty?

[bobby1950]

Can I change oil, check fluid levels, nuts/bolts, hoses, cable play, brake pads etc. without voiding warranty. or do I have to pay the dealer to do (or not do) all the items on the maintenance check list

[PaulVS]

I believe if you keep your receipts to prove maintenance, it's not a problem.

The thing is though, the 1 year warranty on a new motorcycle is virually worthless anyway....  unless there is some obvious factory defect.

By the way... it's helpful if you state what kind of bike you have and how long you've owned it in this type of post.

[ippo]

"By the way... it's helpful if you state what kind of bike you have and how long you've owned it in this type of post."

We have signatures like this in Finland.


http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm165/wrt-photos/ban.png?t=1237273161

[aussiebandit]

In Oz, unless an authorised (read qualified) mechanic does the work and stamps the book, your warranty is void.  It doesn't have to be done by the shop you bought the bike from, just a suitably qualified mechanic.

[PaulVS]

In Oz, unless an authorised (read qualified) mechanic does the work and stamps the book, your warranty is void.  It doesn't have to be done by the shop you bought the bike from, just a suitably qualified mechanic.

If I'm not mistaken, that policy was 'outlawed' here in the U.S.  (Not sure if it's federal or state-by-state though)

[bobby1950]

oops! sorry, I have a 07 1250s with 4000m. Question? it makes a lot of gear whine in 1st is that normal, sounds like a 50 chevy truck in reverse. Rear tire is used up. Which tire for "spirited" twistys and lots of freeway is best. Will fuel inj. compensate for a K&N filter. I plan to do K&N, throttle body sync, and one tooth smaller countershaft. OTHERWISE ALL STOCK. appreciate any input 

[aussiebandit]

In Oz, unless an authorised (read qualified) mechanic does the work and stamps the book, your warranty is void.  It doesn't have to be done by the shop you bought the bike from, just a suitably qualified mechanic.

If I'm not mistaken, that policy was 'outlawed' here in the U.S.  (Not sure if it's federal or state-by-state though)

In Oz the policy used to be that you had to get your vehicle serviced by the dealer you bought it from, or at least another dealer of the same make. 

[dhcolesj]

If I'm not mistaken, that policy was 'outlawed' here in the U.S.  (Not sure if it's federal or state-by-state though)

Yes it was.  Auto Dealers tried to force buyers to only use "their" parts, oil, filters, etc for up to 10 years after vehicle purchase.  However that was taken to court and declared a violation of anti-trust rules.  (sort of like AT&T of old and "Their" phones).  Now they have to produce the guidelines for the user serviceable products in the owners manual.

[Red01]

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 is a US federal law (15 U.S.C. § 2301).  It applies to all consumer products, not just cars & bikes.  In a nutshell, an OEM can only require you to visit them for service to keep your warranty valid if they provide the service free. If they don't provide it free, all you have to do is perform the required scheduled maintenance yourself (or have it done by someone else) and be able to back up what you say was done.  A simple logbook and reciepts is good enough.

I'm guessing since Bobby mentions miles and a 50 Chevy truck, Bobby is an American.
 
As for your tire Q, there's a host of great tires out there, but one that's highly rated in "spirited" riding is not likely to be one that'll last long on the freeway, so you have to decide where you want to comprimise.  Personally, I'm not scraping knee pucks and my tires exhibit 1/8-1/4" of chicken strips, so I find a sport-touring tire gives me plenty of confidence in the twisties, has good tread life and wet weather performance.  I've been through two fronts and three rears of the old Michelin Pilot Roads and was pretty happy with them.  At the end of last summer, I went with the new Pilot Road 2's and I'm loving them!  They do everything better than the earlier versions so far.  Time will tell if they get the same (or better) mileage.

[bobby1950]

Thank you for your response. Suzuki has been very good to me so far, I also have a M50 and at 7500 miles it developed a minor stumble when the tank was low I figured it was something simple. When I took it in for 7500mi checkup they said there were some bare wires under the tank that were shorting out. that they could splice in some new wires and good to go. Suzuki said no the dealer was going to install a new wiring harness front to back no charge, and they did at a loss in labor time. I stopped in everyday to see the progress, took them a week. now it even runs better, thanks U.S. Suzuki