Who told you that? The dealer?

Consumers have the right to service their own products without voiding any warranty. This is written law.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...#Magnuson-Moss

http://autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_LemonMM2.html

 

The only warranty requirement for servicing your own vehicle is to provide maintenance documentation of your work.

 

i paid 150 for my first service

 

Really?

Yeah, the dealer told me that. They told me it is required to bring the bike to them. I just believed since I am a car person. This is my first time looking into a bike and even considering buying one. So if I were to buy a bike via private sales, is there anything I should check other than maintenance?

They told me it needs to come back around 600 miles and it costs 300 to get the service done. I guess they're just trying to make money, I thought the comment was a little BS since I always do my own maintenance on my car.

 

At best, it's just an ill informed salesman telling you they must service your bike to stay within warranty.

Technically- changing the oil yourself in your brand new car is servicing the engine, but do car dealers tell you this will void the warranty? Not an honest one. (Some manufacturers may require a specific oil filter & oil type.) You need to know what service requirements the manufacturer requires to keep the warranty valid.

Adjusting the valves on your bike falls under the same category of service. It is required maintenance work, and you have the right to choose who does it. Yourself included. Now, if you screwed up, or missed something while adjusting the valves, and it was an obvious mistake on your part in the eyes of the warranty inspector, the manufacturer reserves the right void your warranty. So word to the wise; if you're not mechanically competent, don't attempt your own service work. Your mess-ups are your responsibilities, not Kawasaki's.