Cruiser Maintenance Schedule

[Constant Mesh]

In the 2006 V-Star 1300 Owner's Manual the maintenance guidelines recommend that valve clearance checks and adjustments be conducted after the first 600 miles and every 4,000 miles thereafter.

It's also recommended that the drive belt tension be checked/adjusted every 2,500 miles.

This bike has no centerstand. How do you easily hold it upright to check the liquid levels and remove the wheels for a tire change?

Maybe the typical cruiser owner only rides a 3-4,000 miles a year. The valve clearance tab at the dealer could be significant.

 

[todd493]

In the 2006 V-Star 1300 Owner's Manual the maintenance guidelines recommend that valve clearance checks and adjustments be conducted after the first 600 miles and every 4,000 miles thereafter.
It's also recommended that the drive belt tension be checked/adjusted every 2,500 miles.

This bike has no centerstand. How do you easily hold it upright to check the liquid levels and remove the wheels for a tire change?

Maybe the typical cruiser owner only rides a 3-4,000 miles a year. The valve clearance tab at the dealer could be significant.

Put a 2x4 under the sidestand it'll be pretty close to level. I woudldn't sweat the belt too much, valves will be a bitch with the F. I. tank though. I'll bet once year regardless of mileage is plenty on the valves.

 

[boogahboogah]

You forgot to mention the chrome maintenance and the mandatory wash/wax schedule...

 

[dbvolfan]

My Shadow has 8k mile interval checks on the valves but it's a 10 minute procedure to check...dealer does it for ~$50. 4k seems excessive...I heard the bill for the FJR check runs ~$240 or so, thank goodness it's only every 26k miles!

My Shadow has no centerstand either but I found it easy to use a Craftsman jack and a small 2x4 on one side to level the bike, as the frame has rails so I dont need to worry about it resting on the pipes like the FJR (and holes cut out for the kickstand)

 

[Constant Mesh]

I don't have a cruiser. I downloaded the V-Star manual from the Yamaha site to get a look at the maintenance schedule.

Messing with the valves and the belt appear to be the biggest maintenance issues with these bikes.

The brakes on these bikes don't appear to be as strong as those on the FJR. The dual discs up front on the V-Star use calipers which have pistons on one side of the disc, not on both sides like the FJR. So I'd expect these brakes to be a bit weaker.

I'm thinking about getting a new bike. I like my '04 FJR but I've rarely ever used the sidecases. I have a small topcase which I often use.

Just thinking a cruiser might be a better match for my riding habits.