I am naive (spelling???) and inexperienced when it comes to servicing my GSXR 1000 K6. Just had a 12 month service on a bike that has done less than 3000 miles yet the garage decided it was necessary to replace air filter (normally replaced every 36 months), spark plugs (normally replaced every 24 moths) and the oil filter ( normally replaced every 36 moths)! I am not an aggressive rider and neither do i ride on dusty back roads or dirt tracks so i am a little sceptical at the need to replace all these items ther by increasing by bill by £50- in parts alone (less VAT). They also charged £for 3 hours labour which i think could have been reduced as well. Before i consider shaming the garage concerned i would appreciate any pearly advice please. I know how much latent knowledge you guys have and will respect your opinion. Thanks.
In all fairness it depends on what the Service schedule states, in terms of service jobs and intervals. For example if the Service Schedule states these parts need replacing “every x000 miles or 12 months which ever is sooner” then fair enough serves you right for not riding enough. however if the garage has just replaced stuff that didn’t need doing name and shame away
Oil filter, yes. Plugs and air filter, no.
This is where it pays to be able to do the work yourself. You know it has been done and you know how much you are going to pay. The only issue is that this applies more to older bikes out of warranty periods, but even so, find a workshop that lets you watch the work happening. Much nicer to see how the mechanic works on the bike etc… You can then see how long the tea break is too!
- 1
What he said - any decent place should let you watch - find one local to you - also save yourself a load of dosh if you can do the simple things yourself - such as change brake pads, oil + filter, plugs etc.
Also makes you feel quite good too
Once the warranty is expired buy yourself a Workshop Manual and do it yourself.
a/ You get satisfaction
b/ You save £££££’s
c/ You know the job is done right
Didn’t know Suzuki made mini motos 
Thanks for the advice guys. 1 x letter in bound to Bowen Moto in Chatham to seek an explanation for work outside of the servicing schedule.
Drei i’ll email you the pic.
id reccommend barneys in chatham mate. never used them myself, simply cos i dont live out that way, but a few of my friends, who have been ridin since before i was born, use him if they cant fix their bike themselves. i have rung him for advice and parts and he is most helpful.
as for servicing during the warranty, i bought my bandit new, had the first free service at 600 miles then did the rest myself (with the help of friends at first) and now 47,000 and four years of commuting later touch wood, it runs fine.
i did need something done during the warranty and phoned suzuki up and they said that the warranty should still be valid even tho id done my own servicing. went to the local suzuki dealer to get the work done, but there was a 6 week waiting list for warranty work, as it pays less than joe bloggs coming in and paying for stuff him/herself, so i sorted the problem myself too.
people are right, after a while of servicing the bike yourself, you get to know it better, and know that work has been done when it should have been. also the smug feeling you get when its all finished is second to none.
Yeah I agree with the other guys - oil filter, yeap no doubt, always good to get your oil changed at any service, regardless of interval. But sparks and air filter, that’s taking the mickey - most service schedules say inspection every 8k and change at 12k or 3 years which-ever is soonest.
Could understand if they charged you labour to inspect the filter and plugs - but they’d have to have a pretty good reason to replace them.
m
also - i had my first set of spark plugs on for the first 2.5 years - about 30,000 miles. I am now on my second set, and have a spare set in the garage, but wont change tthem until they are fecked.!!
yeah there’s a fine balance on plugs - mine are supposed to be replaced at 16k, so did it - but they were okay - ish could have left them in for longer - but when you’re doing it yourself they’re so sodding cheap didn’t see the point in keeping them in.
m
sure are - i got mine from halfords, on their 3 for 2 on m/c products, as i had something to return i got 4 plus for 19 quid instead of 32!
At George White’s in Slough, we never changed the air filter on a 12 month service, it was just cleaned. But it does say to inspect the spark plugs, and replace them if need be.
Thanks for all the advice, i really appreciate it. sent an email to the garage owner and got this reply…
"Thank you for your recent e-mail, we value all feedback whether good or bad.
The Suzuki service schedule for your GSXR1000-K6 requires that the air filter & spark plugs are both “removed, inspected and replaced if necessary” at 4000 miles or after 12 months use. We found that the air filter contained sufficient dirt that, in our opinion, had it been left in for another 4000 miles or 12 months, would have been far too dirty to work at its full efficiency. This in turn could have caused poor running and possible plug fouling which could cause misfire or possible break down. We would not want this to happen and I’m sure that you could do without the inconvenience.
With regard to the spark plugs, these were inspected and found to be darker than we would have liked, possibly due to short or infrequent journeys and therefore not getting up to their full working temperature. Again, to prevent unreliability and the resulting inconvenience it was felt that whilst they were out, it would be best to replace them.
In over twenty years of working on motorcycles I have yet to find anyone that did not want a new oil filter fitted during an oil change."
Seemed to answer my queries as i do a few too many short journeys and could have had dark plugs after all. I’ll check out Barneys next time suits you, thanks for the heads up.