600 mile service, and a bit of a rant.....

[brickdogg]

So today I went to my shop where I got the bike to get something gear related taken care of. I went to talk to the shop manager while I was there to price out my 600 mile service as I am getting close and also to ask about the brake noise that I posted about previously. He quoted me $250 after tax. Does that sound about right to you folks? Is there anything I could/should/shouldn't do myself to bring the cost down? Then I asked about doing the front sprocket at the same time. $100!! Many people on here were saying they were just paying for the part when they had it in and this guy wants to charge me part and labor. I have not seen a how to on changing the sprocket on the 696 so if anyone can I would like to take a look. Thanks!

Now for my rant.... (Yeah that was just warm up)..... so I asked about the brakes. The guy says, very matter-of-factly, yeah, some of them do that..... then advised me I can take the pads off and try sanding them down ::shrug:: I am not very mechanical and this is a BRAND NEW BIKE! I shouldn't have to do anything to make it work properly! It just should, and to me, loudly schreeching brakes means something is not right....

To make matters worse, I had to run out for wife last night and as I am getting on/off the bike (so mad I can't remember which) and I barely hit the rear blinker with my foot and it breaks off!! What cheap crap are they using on these bikes? There is no way due to the position of the exhaust to get a solid hit on the blinker so it is clear it had to be a glancing blow.... waiting on response from dealer to see what they can do for me.... So angry right now....

[ducatiz]

1.. yes, some of them do that.  has a lot to do with the break-in and could even be manufacture.  you can either

a.  sand them with a hand orbital sander.  about 5 seconds with 800 grit is what i do or
b.  spend the 40-50$ and get a new set.

either way, it's not that big of a deal to get angry about it.  it might even be your fault, depending on how you drive..

the blinkers are designed to shear off, as is your bikini fairing if you have one.  can't have you gored to death if you fall under the bike.  all bikes have soft-mount blinkers since around mid 1980s

[crankmonster]

So today I went to my shop where I got the bike to get something gear related taken care of. I went to talk to the shop manager while I was there to price out my 600 mile service as I am getting close and also to ask about the brake noise that I posted about previously. He quoted me $250 after tax. Does that sound about right to you folks? Is there anything I could/should/shouldn't do myself to bring the cost down? Then I asked about doing the front sprocket at the same time. $100!! Many people on here were saying they were just paying for the part when they had it in and this guy wants to charge me part and labor. I have not seen a how to on changing the sprocket on the 696 so if anyone can I would like to take a look. Thanks!

Now for my rant.... (Yeah that was just warm up)..... so I asked about the brakes. The guy says, very matter-of-factly, yeah, some of them do that..... then advised me I can take the pads off and try sanding them down ::shrug:: I am not very mechanical and this is a BRAND NEW BIKE! I shouldn't have to do anything to make it work properly! It just should, and to me, loudly schreeching brakes means something is not right....

To make matters worse, I had to run out for wife last night and as I am getting on/off the bike (so mad I can't remember which) and I barely hit the rear blinker with my foot and it breaks off!! What cheap crap are they using on these bikes? There is no way due to the position of the exhaust to get a solid hit on the blinker so it is clear it had to be a glancing blow.... waiting on response from dealer to see what they can do for me.... So angry right now....

I am not very mechanical and this is a BRAND NEW BIKE!

Bring the bike back and enjoy your car. Motorcycles are not for the mechanically deficient.

[ducpainter]

Bring the bike back and enjoy your car. Motorcycles are not for the mechanically deficient.

Your posting is becoming annoying.

Try a different tune...

or maybe a different forum.

[LA]

Yea, maybe take a Valium.   

Square breathing.

LA

[Sleeper_I]

$250 after tax is a bit high unless parts and labor for the front sprocket is included. If you do a search in this forum for the 696 600 mile service you'll get a picture for a decent average bill which is ~$170ish. It also depends on your dealer's hourly labor charge and the tax for the region where your dealer is located as well. I got mine done for ~$150 after tax. If you have multiple duc dealers around where you live I would suggest you do a little comparison.

As far as the rear brake noise, noise doesn't always translate to issues in brakes. Keep in mind these brake pads lean more to the performance side, which do make some noise if ridin soft. Yes, there are quieter pads you can get. The pads that came with the 696 are noisier than some but still very effective IMO. Disclaimer: Don't slam on your rear brake just to get rid of the noise; you'll lock your rear wheel.

Also, don't ride when you're angry. It's dangerous for you, the people around you, and your ride. Ride safe!

[brickdogg]

$250 after tax is a bit high unless parts and labor for the front sprocket is included. If you do a search in this forum for the 696 600 mile service you'll get a picture for a decent average bill which is ~$170ish. It also depends on your dealer's hourly labor charge and the tax for the region where your dealer is located as well. I got mine done for ~$150 after tax. If you have multiple duc dealers around where you live I would suggest you do a little comparison.

As far as the rear brake noise, noise doesn't always translate to issues in brakes. Keep in mind these brake pads lean more to the performance side, which do make some noise if ridin soft. Yes, there are quieter pads you can get. The pads that came with the 696 are noisier than some but still very effective IMO. Disclaimer: Don't slam on your rear brake just to get rid of the noise; you'll lock your rear wheel.

Also, don't ride when you're angry. It's dangerous for you, the people around you, and your ride. Ride safe!

Thanks for the constructive response. And no, with front sproket and labor it would be about $350.

Yeah, I only use the brakes as hard as I need to. I have tried to follow the book pretty closely with regards to break-in. Have I gone over 6000 rpms, probably, have I hit the brakes hard, yeah, if I need to stop quickly, otherwise I use engine breaking as often as possible and use progressive pressure on the brakes when I do need to come to a quick stop.

Good advice on riding angry. To be fair it was a very short ride with little to no traffic.

And to the guy that said motorcycles are not for the mechanically inclined, I am fairly intelligent so I can work my way through most problems, my point was that I shouldn't have to take the brakes off of a brand new bike and sand them down. If it is potentially an issue, it should be done from the factory.....

[rockaduc]

I thought the first service on the 696's weren't until 7000 miles?  Either way, Doing your own oil change before hand will lower the price.  The initial service is usually just an oil change, valve clearance check, and going over all of the fasteners to make sure they are still snug, which we should all do regularly anyway.

[DucHead]

First off, don't ride and don't work on your bike when you're angry.

You can do a few things to save money: learn more about your bike -- this board is an excellent resource.  Buy a shop manual for your bike and read it.   Changing brake pads (or sanding old ones), brake fluid, oil/filter changes, and many more "routine" maintenance items are all things you can do yourself in short order and have fun doing it.  For example, your 600 mile service includes an oil change.

Your brakes are probably squeeling because they have not been bedded in properly.  "Going easy" on the brakes is not the proper way to bed them in. 

Here's the bed in procedure I use: 
• Run the motorcycle up to 30 MPH and bring bike to a gradual stop using a moderate/ normal deceleration rate (not panic or lock up stop). Do this for the new brake or alternate between brakes if both brakes are new.  After stopping, hold brake pedal/ handle for 1 minute and allow pads to heat soak. Repeat stops 3 times allowing the brake to cool at least 30 seconds after each heat soak. Let brakes cool completely before going to the next step.

•  Run the motorcycle up to 40 MPH and slow the bike to 20 MPH using a moderate / normal deceleration rate. Repeat stops 5 times allowing the brake to cool at least 30 seconds after each slow down.

•  Run the motorcycle up to 60 MPH and slow the bike to 20 MPH using a moderate / normal deceleration rate. Repeat stops 5 times allowing the brake to cool at least 30 seconds after each slow down.

The Brakes are now bedded and ready for use, but performance will continue to improve after completing this procedure. When the system achieves elevated brake temperatures for the first time, a slight increase in pedal travel and pedal effort may occur. After this first "fade" and proper cooling, the system will maintain its optimum performance at all temperatures.

This completes the “break-in” of your pads to the rotor surface. Note any irregularities and report them to a 360 Brake technician for evaluation and problem solving. Full seating of your new brake pads normally occurs within 1000 miles.

[needtorque]

Bring the bike back and enjoy your car. Motorcycles are not for the mechanically deficient.

Got to love one track minds.   

[herm]

+1 to pompetta. i was also thinking of improperly bedded pads.

as for the procket.......its pretty easy to do yourself. here is a picture of the sprocket with numbers to help
1) loosen rear tire (after measuring chain tension) to get enough slack in chain
2) pull chain off sprocket
3) remove bolt number 14 (2 of these)
4) pull of number 13
5)remove sprocket (# 12) and put replacement on
6) reverse order and repeat

[Jobu]

You can also try heating the pads up nicely to clean off any debris by holding the brake and accelerating (giving throttle) for a short bit of time.   Hell, you can't make them any worse from the sounds of it.

I find this works best to quickly clean my pads and brakes after they get nice and rusty (cast iron rotors) and don't want to bit well and/or squeak. 

But bedding in as Pompetta mentioned is essential, especially if the pads are glazed over from improper bedding/excessive heat.  And if use race-type pads (I'm sure the stockers aren't race rated), the speeds need to be increased.

[ducatiz]

This completes the “break-in” of your pads to the rotor surface. Note any irregularities and report them to a 360 Brake technician for evaluation and problem solving. Full seating of your new brake pads normally occurs within 1000 miles.

what is a "360 Brake technician???"

[Howie]

Service prices differ from dealer to dealer for two reasons.  One is labor rates can varry from dealer to dealer quite a bit.  A dealer in Buttmake the beast with two backs, rural USA may only be $60 an hour, in a big city labor can be over $100 an hour.  Some dealers also do more extensive services than others, other dealers charge a low price for a basic service and charge extra for everything else.  Find out exactly what they claim to do.  I remember, back in 'o1 when my bike was in it's youth, over three hours were spent on my bike at the 600 mile service.  Cam timing was checked, brake fluid flushed, synch, CO, etc. Some dealers change the oil and push it out the door. Oh, a third reason.  Some are scoundrels.

As far as your brake noise goes.  I can certainly understand why you are annoyed  at your dealer's response.  A definite lack of bedside manor.  Anyway, you can follow ducatizzzz's advice (hand sanding is acceptable) and bed them in (either new or sanded).  New brakes do not like light application.  Follow Pompetta's advice if road conditions allow you to do this safely.  The high spots on the pad get hot and carbonize, causing squeal.

[Jobu]

what is a "360 Brake technician???"

That's the name of the place he copied his bedding in procedure from.

I'm turning you, professor.  You'll be hearing from the honor court soon.