| Author | Message | ||
     Terrycoxusa |
One nice thing about the XB12X, With the hydraulic lifters and air cooling, the only maintenance needed is an oil change. A friend of mine tells me the valve adjustment on a Suzuki Vstrom is $300. That would buy a new drive belt and a cooling fan for the XB. | ||
| Reepicheep |
That's what I was thinking as I was moaning to myself about a top end rebuild at 30k miles. First, it was probably due to ethanol gas being forced on us air cooled engine owners. Secondly, the cost and work for the full rebuild isn't really any different than the two to four valve adjustments any of my OHC motors would have needed anyway. The belt is just a pure win. 30k on my original belts, which I then pull intact, and put on a new belt keeping the original belt band saw rolled up in a side bag as a hot spare. A chain for a 100 HP bike costs a fortune, needs oiling and cleaning, and wears out every 10k miles or so. | ||
| Froggy |
This is one reason I prefer my 1125s to my XBs, they cost less to run. Less filters, longer time between service intervals, and in general easier to keep going. No stupid primary chain or clutch cable adjustments, no TPS resets either! Oh and getting the rear spark plug out is a breeze  | ||
| Buewulf |
I thought it would be great to have hydraulic lifters (and it is), but I've spent more time rotating the engine to troubleshoot, change plugs and fiddle with crap than I would have spent on three valve adjustments on a Suzuki V-twin. So I am not sure I have experienced a net gain with the "low maintenance" of the Uly. I really miss the ability to change gearing ratios easily like on my chain-driven bikes, and I liked knowing when to change it out before a failure is experienced. But I have fallen for the quiet, maintenance-free, slack-free connection to the rear wheel that the belt provides. I know that any replacement bike I get won't have one, and that kind of makes me sad. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Why would you pay somebody to do a valve adjustment that you can do yourself? The AX will have valve adjustments if it ever gets made. | ||
| Uly_man |
I did all the costing for Maintenance before buying my 06 bike. I worked it out, on UK prices, that changing the oil and filter every 2k miles is about the same money as other bikes that have wet sumps. The lifters need good clean oil so it is a good idea. The wrong grade of oil IS NOT. A 1000cc bike with a high quality chain set and oiling system is about 15k miles for me. A belt change is not much more money, less problems and you do not need to buy (not cheap) or fill the oiling system either. I get 50% more usable life out of the tires than other big bikes I have had as well. Plugs and primary oil are not costly either. For me the bike is easy and cheap enough to maintain but is, as always, relative to the amount of use. For this bike though your "eyes and ears" are a good tool for maintenance and costs nothing. |
