Burgman 650 Service Schedule

[bornagainbiker]

Having posted in other threads about my experiences with my first 600 mile service costs, last Friday I had the whole left hand switch assembly replaced under warranty as the wing mirror switch was sticking. This sticking switch is happening on nearly all 650 executives and has a cost of £186 plus removal fitting costs if you were out of warranty.
On picking up the bike I asked the dealer for a quote for my forthcoming 4000 mile service. Shock horror it's even more expensive at £303.60 with a 4.2 hour rate! My 1 year old Hyundai i10 only cost £88 for its first full service.

They gave me the full print off showing the miles - dealer hours to be charged. 600 - 4.0h, 4000 - 4.2h, 7500 - 4.9h, 11000 - 4.2h, 14500 - 7.1h
Additionally the full service specifications are included so handy for any DIY owners.
It shows the model as a K7/8 it is no different for all newer models to date.

[barryG]

I remember a mate at work having a service on a 650 way back in 2003/4, needed a new tyre and came in at £500!
Ridiculous, over three years and 30,000 miles my wifes Pug 107 cost £370 for servicing.

[Steve_D]

I cant see how that service warrants 4.2 hours labour - it's basically a glorified oil & filter change. Do it yourself and keep the reciept for the parts or supply the parts andthat service sheet to an independent m/c dealer.

[Data]

To be honest, it sounds about right in terms of hours if it's done properly. Anyone who doubts that should try removing the panels to do the service as it should be done. It is far from just doing the oils. Many Honda's cost similar amounts for the first service and second service. It is the main reason I didn't buy a 650 (other than the 400 was just so good and considerable fun to ride) because the cost of servicing (which I never do myself during warranty) is so mega. My 400 is peanuts on fuel and for the dealer to service at anytime by comparison and my performance isn't that much less. If you own the 650 you need deep pockets.

[poldark]

Complete rip-off, just call a selection of other Suzuki dealers and see what they quote, then call "normal" specialist bike mechanics and ask them. Euro law allows any VAT qualified mechanic using OEM parts to carry out the work.

P.S. You can change the engine oil on a 650 just removing the maintenance cover (1 screw) & the l.h. lower leg shield (removes in about 1.5 minutes!)

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id ... X0Jgeb8oX8

[Dave Weller]

The Burgman 650 is one of the easiest and cheapest big maxi's to keep on the road for the diy'er. It does not need a belt change and everything is simple to work on. Mines coming up to 11,000 miles on the original brake pads, which are still meaty and has only needed a couple of oil changes and air filter blow outs.
You rarely need to use the brakes, because of good engine braking.
I subscribe to the Fred Dibnah school of mechanicalling, oilly rag in one hand, Guiness in the other.
My mirror switch is sometimes a bit sticky to operate, it's no better or worse since it was new, I sometimes have to push it up, but what a great feature, makes filtering easy.

[Data]

Complete rip-off, just call a selection of other Suzuki dealers and see what they quote, then call "normal" specialist bike mechanics and ask them. Euro law allows any VAT qualified mechanic using OEM parts to carry out the work.

P.S. You can change the engine oil on a 650 just removing the maintenance cover (1 screw) & the l.h. lower leg shield (removes in about 1.5 minutes!)

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id ... X0Jgeb8oX8

Yes you can change the oil like you say. But the rest of the work has to be done too, and if you are a dealer it has to be done properly. You can't choose what you do properly and what you don't. As a dealer you are liable if someone has a problem after service and if someone is killed due to an improper job being done it's manslaughter for the technician and corporate manslaughter very likely for the dealership too. And it's little known but if you don't service your bike correctly yourself, you to can face serious charges in court if someone else is injured due to you not servicing your bike properly. Note the 'nut and bolt' check at the bottom of the schedule. That's probably the most safety orientated bit of the service and it has to be done. That's the bit that really matters and it has to have loads of panels removed, carefully so as not to scratch them and then the nut and bolting begins. That alone can take some time to do it properly. I understand if no one has done this that it may sound a lot of man hours, but to do it properly that is what it takes. That's what you pay for. A non franchised smaller dealer may charge less, but if not a franchised dealer they may not do the same work. It's up to everyone to make their choice, but if your pockets are not deep and you cannot do the work yourself then buy a bike that is cheaper to run. It may sound as though I'm in favour of or speaking up for dealers. But I'm just saying how it is. It's the same with cars. People buy exotic cars and often find they can't afford to run them due to massive service costs, same with bikes. You can't blame the dealers.

As Dave says, it is one of the easiest bikes to service but it's time consuming to do it how it should be done. It's the time that cost. If you don't want to pay the dealer you must do it properly yourself.

[poldark]

Data - Not suggesting cutting corners, but any competent dealer mechanic will likely manage the full service in 2-3 hrs easy. The quoted "book" rate is excessive and I'm sure that some dealers don't spend this time but do charge it - hence my "rip-off" comment and suggestion to ring around as not all dealers will take this approach.

[Data]

I understand where you are coming from Poldark, and you make some interesting points. You are right that a phone round can save some money. Not all dealers charge the same hourly rate. And as I mention somewhere in an earlier post on this subject, I have never serviced the Burgman 650. But I've been used to all sorts of Honda's and many other makes that came into us for service (try servicing a Hayabusa, all that plastic), many with huge amounts of plastic to take off. Due to manufacturer and insurance rules and indemnities we could never ever skimp a job. It just isn't worth it. We always had to cover our own bottoms! In doing so it protects the customer too. It always had to be done the book way with few exceptions. Generally, that's how in the trade it is done these days. Going to a back street guy can sometime be worthwhile as long as you know he is going to do a proper job. If he specialises in certain makes and models that's always good too.

[jamie]

its actually quite laughable so if i bought a 650 for 8,800 quid new at the mileage i do i would have to budget about 1,700 quid a year just for serviceing lol ... and they wonder why they dont sell many big maxis in the uk.