Suggestions on Where to Go for 600 Mile Service on 696

[Jasens Deli]

Hey fellas,

Sorry I wasn't able to make the MotoGP get together last month.  Hope to finally get to meet you all sometime soon!

I had a quick question about where to go to get my scheduled servicing done.  My 696 is just about to hit 600 miles, so I gave AMS a call to get a quote for the service.  They wanted to charge 2 hours labor + parts, which comes out to $300!    That seems a bit absurd for an oil change and look over (tightening some nuts and bolts and checking the timing belt), as most people say they paid anywhere from $150-170 for the 600 mile service.

I did a quick search on the DFWM board to see if ya'll had any other suggestions.  Seems like Ducati Plano is a big NO, but that Stuart Rust in Mansfield and Randy McCarter over at Motopia would do a good job without trying to take my arm and a leg while they're servicing my bike.

Any of your opinions and suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jasen

[calscrazy]

Do it yourself! Just a oil change and making sure all nut and bolts are tight. I did mine.

If you have to take it to anybody then i would go stuart or ams!!!

[Jester]

I'd personally take it to AMS for service intervals while its under warranty, but that's just my take on the issue.

[TXGrillGuy]

I'd personally take it to AMS for service intervals while its under warranty, but that's just my take on the issue.

+1 to Jester's comment. I tend to want to check maintenance records of any cars/bikes I might consider buying. However if you don't plan to sell it to someone like me, you could try doing it yourself or taking it any place of your choosing. I personally get all my maintenance done at AMS and speak very highly for their quality of work. They've always taken good care of me.
Good luck.

[RichD]

I'm all about learning how to work on your own bike!
It's nice to have a certain level of knowledge.  
It's nice to bond with the machine.
(and it's a good excuse to drink beer and grill out while you're at it)

Even I bring my bikes to the dealership for the very first oil change!

Why?

Because you're not familair with it yet, and if something is going to go wrong you want to catch it early.
Roll out of the dealership with a new bike ...and show up 29,000 miles later with a problem,
well, ...it's nice to have a mechanic who's seen it before.  At least ONCE.  

[Cher]

Yep.  Another vote for taking it to the dealer you bought it from at least during the initial period of ownership.  

Look at it this way; when you decide to sell your bike, there will be lots of other Monster choices out there for a potential buyer.  A one-owner motorcycle with at least some dealer service records will have the advantage over those that don't and could command a premium price.  

So it's not totally money down a rat hole  

[calscrazy]

My 695 went to the dealer three times. First was an oil leak and tank at 6k. Second time for some backfire issues. They didnt fix but i did later on. Third was a tank ,again, at 22k. That doesnt mean that stu, mark, marty, jordan, cory, jeff, toni and even tara knew which bike was mine. I prefer to do it myself but there are times when we all seek advice from the "pros".

Pretty sure duc dealers are not a connected network like ford. One where they pull your vin and it shows everytime you have been to the dealer and what was done.

Choice is yours though and you have to live with it!

[AeroGeek]

And there is no way to reset the "maintenance" light if you do the oil change yourself.   

[Ronr]

All good advice. I work on my stuff as much as I can, but I've done my services with AMS. It's good to get to know them and they've always been good to work with.

[muskrat]

also check with Eurosport in Fort Worth, they service Ducs.  I haven't heard anything bad about them.......yet.
welcome to Duc ownership, absurd is a regular occurrence when owning these little gems.

[LYD]

And there is no way to reset the "maintenance" light if you do the oil change yourself.   

The new ones have maintenance lights.  Guess my bikes are too old.  Stuart or ams.  I prefer stuart!

[calscrazy]

And there is no way to reset the "maintenance" light if you do the oil change yourself.  

i did not know that about the new ones. i could on my 695. surely someone has it figured out by now. check with someone on this board i believe they have the software to do it if its the same as the 1098.

[Duc L'Smart]

So it's not totally money down a rat hole  

Don't talk about AMS that way...

Another vote for AMS Take care of your investment, & have a paper trail of proper maintenance for any possible warranty issues.

[AeroGeek]

i did not know that about the new ones. i could on my 695. surely someone has it figured out by now. check with someone on this board i believe they have the software to do it if its the same as the 1098.

It is my understanding that software does not work with the new ECU in the 696. Here is a thread with more info.

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=48928.0

[calscrazy]

I figured common sense would prevail and ducati wouldnt have so many different manufacturers for their ecu's. Common sense what the heck was i thinking?!?!