Service from authorized dealers on older bikes

[Noles]

Hi I am in the market for a new bike and i had a Honda dealership here in Ohio tell me that he is the only Dealership that will work on a model year 15 years or newer and that the other ones only go back ten years.  I am looking at a 2014 VFR800 but am concerned about not being able to get it serviced.  The 16k valve adjustments would need to be done in 2k if i were to get the bike.  The dealer i spoke to is an hour away from my house.  Where do you all get your service done at on your VFR's? What bikes are you migrating to since the VFR's are no longer produced?  

[Bren]

That sounds like a lot of crap. They'll only service bikes less than 15 years old, others only less than 10 years old?

That's bull. Ring around and find an independent shop.

[toreckman]

45 minutes ago, Bren said:

Ring around and find an independent shop.

Good advice, sounds odd what that dealership told you.

[interceptor69]

The biggest Honda dealership here in Nashville informed me they could no longer remove or mount my wheels due to the bike's age ('98).  So I bought Pitbull stands and do it myself.  They will mount the tires and balance them but that's it.  They do work on my '98 though.  I've had them do maintenance on it in the past 2-3 years but not sure if there are certain maintenance issues they won't tackle.

[WDIV]

2 hours ago, Noles said:

Hi I am in the market for a new bike and i had a Honda dealership here in Ohio tell me that he is the only Dealership that will work on a model year 15 years or newer and that the other ones only go back ten years.  I am looking at a 2014 VFR800 but am concerned about not being able to get it serviced.  The 16k valve adjustments would need to be done in 2k if i were to get the bike.  The dealer i spoke to is an hour away from my house.  Where do you all get your service done at on your VFR's? What bikes are you migrating to since the VFR's are no longer produced?  

I just got this bike (05 VFR) and just like the last bike I had (07 SV650)... it's a great way to learn how to service vehicles on your own. Assuming the bike isn't your primary daily, it's a great vehicle to learn the ins and outs of maintenance with. All of those skills will transfer over to your car too which is nice. Flex that confidence muscle.

[vfrgiving]

1 hour ago, interceptor69 said:

The biggest Honda dealership here in Nashville informed me they could no longer remove or mount my wheels due to the bike's age ('98).  So I bought Pitbull stands and do it myself.  They will mount the tires and balance them but that's it.

 

That sounds odd, but in the long run it will be cheaper to take only the wheel in for a tire replacement.  I install my own tires these days, but I've never had a dealership remove or install the wheel.  Always just took in the wheel already removed for drop-off.

[bmart]

Most of our local dealers are the same, they won't touch anything old. 

[VeeEffArah]

Most dealerships hold that 10 year rule.

As others suggested, find an independant shop and in reality, will probably get better service, rates and proper attention for the bike.

 

 

[Bren]

I stand corrected. I've never heard this before but then a dealer hasn't worked on my bike since 2005.

[Duc2V4]

As my moniker hints at, I also own a Ducati, a 1995 900SS/SP and although I typically do all my own service, I did seek outside resources for it a few months ago. As dealing with carb rebuilds and syncing them isn’t always quick and easy and didn’t feel like dealing with it since I recently stated a new job and it’s been keeping me real busy! But I digress, all of the Ducati dealers near me said something similar but their cut off was 20 years. I asked around amongst my friends and other fellow riders and found a place that came highly recommended, although a bit further away than I was looking for, none the less, they were able to accommodate my service request and were a pleasure to deal with.

 

I’m sure Southern California is probably a bit different than other parts of the country when dealing with motorcycles, as our weather allows for more year round riding than other states, so service shops seem quite abundant out here. It’s always a good idea to ask around the locals and see if there are any shops that might be able to handle your service needs. Since the VFR engine hasn’t really changed much, finding certain parts for later year models ‘02+, might not be so difficult at the moment, if at all but eventually even Honda may stop production on some parts, but as long as parts are available, independent shops can service your bike without too many issues.

 

BTW, the shop I took my Ducati to is called Iconic Motorbikes, let’s just say their moniker lives up to the name. When I picked up my bike, I saw no less than 4 Honda NR 750’s and even 2 RC213V’s, one still in the crate! Check them out https://iconicmotorbikeauctions.com/service/

[Noles]

On 5/13/2023 at 9:17 AM, Bren said:

That sounds like a lot of crap. They'll only service bikes less than 15 years old, others only less than 10 years old?

That's bull. Ring around and find an independent shop.

I called all of the local dealers and they all are saying the same thing.  I asked "well where will i be able to get my bike serviced" and he said the two i would recommend one owner died and the other went out of business.  I cannot do valve adjustments so it is forcing me into a more recent model yr.

[Grum]

1 hour ago, Noles said:

I called all of the local dealers and they all are saying the same thing.  I asked "well where will i be able to get my bike serviced" and he said the two i would recommend one owner died and the other went out of business.  I cannot do valve adjustments so it is forcing me into a more recent model yr.

I wouldn't be put off by valve clearance checks! Valve checks are no longer 16,000miles on an 8gen they have upgraded the interval to 24,000mile. Below is a reply from Honda UK to one of the forum members, and latest 8gen owners manual maintenance page attached.

 

"Thank you for contacting Honda UK.
We would like to let you know that we have had a look and can confirm that when it comes to the 2014 VFR800 what we were able to locate on our system is that the valve inspection service has to be done at 24,000 miles"

 

Some years back I spoke to a very experienced Honda motorcycle technician. I asked him how many VFR's has he serviced that required valve adjustments? His answer "very very few, if you don't plan to race the bike and regularly change the oil then perhaps one valve check while you own it is all you need".

 

I've done 94,000k's on my 8gen. It runs as good as the day I bought it, I do my own servicing, just don't ask me if I've done a valve check!!

 

Its always debatable as to which is the best VFR. But without doubt the 8gen is the most reliable VFR. IMHO!

 

[vfrgiving]

6 hours ago, Grum said:

 

Some years back I spoke to a very experienced Honda motorcycle technician. I asked him how many VFR's has he serviced that required valve adjustments? His answer "very very few, if you don't plan to race the bike and regularly change the oil then perhaps one valve check while you own it is all you need".

 

I've done 94,000k's on my 8gen. It runs as good as the day I bought it, I do my own servicing, just don't ask me if I've done a valve check!!

 

 

I have a fifth gen with 179,000 miles (288,000km) that I use as a daily.  My reply to those who ask about valves is that it came with a lifetime valve clearance set at the factory.

[VFR78]

I’ve had 3 valve clearance checks in 92,000 kms. Never required adjustment. They cost a bomb and now that the bike is worth very little, I will not get it done again.

[bmart]

After much reading over the years, I never plan to check them on either VFR. 

[VeeEffArah]

THIS ^^^^^   From my '93 decades ago to my '04 a few years back, neither ever needed any valve adjustments. 

So with the project 2000 I have, and to quote a former President.... "not gonna do it".

 

[Dutchy]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:40 AM, Bren said:

I stand corrected. I've never heard this before but then a dealer hasn't worked on my bike since 2005.

1997 here.

And that was the delivery inspection 🤣

[airwalk]

My’95 has about 350,000 km, maybe 1 (mis) adj of valve gaps before I got it years ago(2000?) with 30-ish K on odo. Corrected that & haven’t touched since..

[Noles]

15 hours ago, Grum said:

I wouldn't be put off by valve clearance checks! Valve checks are no longer 16,000miles on an 8gen they have upgraded the interval to 24,000mile. Below is a reply from Honda UK to one of the forum members, and latest 8gen owners manual maintenance page attached.

 

"Thank you for contacting Honda UK.
We would like to let you know that we have had a look and can confirm that when it comes to the 2014 VFR800 what we were able to locate on our system is that the valve inspection service has to be done at 24,000 miles"

 

Some years back I spoke to a very experienced Honda motorcycle technician. I asked him how many VFR's has he serviced that required valve adjustments? His answer "very very few, if you don't plan to race the bike and regularly change the oil then perhaps one valve check while you own it is all you need".

 

I've done 94,000k's on my 8gen. It runs as good as the day I bought it, I do my own servicing, just don't ask me if I've done a valve check!!

 

Its always debatable as to which is the best VFR. But without doubt the 8gen is the most reliable VFR. IMHO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks this is great news.   

[Skids]

My old 5th Gen, a 98 which ended up with 130,000 miles on the clock used to regularly (like every 16k 😉) need 3 new valve shims.

 

Having said that, my last Crossrunner, a 2015 didn't need any changing in 2 x 16k services and I have not had my 2018 Crossrunner checked at 24k.

 

Just sayin'