Scheduled Maintenance

My 2008 Rocket has only had the original 800 kilometre maintenance done courtesy of the original owner. It is now almost 3 years old but only has approx. 9,500 kilometres to show for it. The next scheduled maintenance is set for 16,000 km or 1 year - whichever comes sooner.

I want to get the Rocket serviced to make sure all is well under the covers since I'm new to the bike. According to the Rocket Maintenance Check Sheet - I have not reached the next service date in terms of mileage but have missed 2 services (year 1 & year 2) in terms of age of the bike.

Should I just look at doing a combination of the year 2 and year 3 services which seem to include replacing the following:

1) engine oil
2) oil filter
3) air cleaner
4) fuel filter
5) spark plugs
6) coolant
7) final drive oil
8) brake fluid

Do many of you replace the above yourselves or do you just take it to a dealer? Are any of the above tricky to deal with on your own? I have a basic hydraulic motorcycle jack.

Year 3 also calls for checking/adjusting valve clearances and lubricating head stock bearings. I would think that this is best left to the dealer. Should I be concerned about this with only 9,500 k's?

As always, thanks for sharing your experiences and wisdom.

Changing the oil is important to do at least once a year so that the acids that build up from combustion gasses don't damage the nickel on bearings, aluminum etc..
Changing the oil on an R3 isn't as easy as a regular wet sump bike, but it's not hard either. The tricky part is not over torquing the drain plugs when reinstalling. Follow the directions for the multiple drain plugs and anyone with any experience can do it.

I had the dealer do my valve adjustment and they screwed up more than they actually did. All the valves were in adjustment and didn't need any shims changed, they didn't replace the valve cover gasket and it split a year later. So pick a good dealer for service.

Dry parts like air filters, spark plugs, etc can all be done at mileage requirements. I don't do brake fluid as often as I do on my MINI since I race the MINI and not the bike. Gear lube I change at the mileage interval, some do it more often. Alot of things are personal preference and conditions along with riding styles, I don't see a set cut and dry service interval for anything but oil ... and that is just so that it doesn't sit over the winter with acids in the oil and so it's ready to go in the spring.

3ngin33r1 was kind enough to offer everyone a copy of the service manual.
http://www.croman.us/stuff/Rocket_Manuals/Service_Manual_R3S_C_T.pdf

You should down load it to a flash drive and keep it with the bike.

When you change your final drive oil remember and torque the drain bolt to the correct specs not one pound under or one pound over.
Check previous threads on the rear diff oil change before you do it, it is easy to do but the little drain bolt is a buger.

Alright, I've downloaded the service manual and printed off the sections that I'll need. Thanks Nolton and Hellfire.

Oil change and filter, air cleaner, coolant change, final drive oil, spark plugs, brake fluid and brakes all seem within my limited capabilities to handle.

Scot in Exile - I'll definitely take a look at the thread for rear diff oil change before doing it.

Replacing the fuel filter, lubricating the headstock bearings and replacing the fork oil all seems a lot more involved so I would leave that to the shop. Tomcat - I'll get them to do the driveshaft spline when they change the tires also. Balancing throttle bodies and checking valve clearances also for the shop I would think.

Let me know if I'm over my head in doing any of the above or if doing any of the items I'm leaving to the shop is within the realm of possibility.

This is a great way to learn about and bond with the bike. As always, great advice and thanks again.

This link above for the manual is no longer functional.