Not only are the o-rings identical, so are the plugs. Exact same part number for all three of them. I bought 100 o-rings from Grainger- the exact same kind Harley uses. Lifetime supply and then some.

 

Interesting point. I had the Legend Axeo front suspension installed at 50,000 miles. Going to give the dealership the benefit of the doubt that they were OK until this servicing.

 

And that is exactly why I do my own service. If I could find a local dealer or Indy that I could absolutely trust to do the job right I would have no problem spending the $400 or $500 or whatever it costs to let them do it. Much easier for me to drop the bike off, know it's being done right and pick it up later. But I haven't found that one yet so I do it myself, working slow it takes me 4-6 hours but I KNOW it is done perfectly according to the manual, every nut and bolt torqued, everything, o-ring, filter changed and checked. Then when I go on a long ride I have the confidence in the job I did and that it was done right!

 

Is this your first Harley....? I don't know that I've ever gone to a dealer who follows the service recommendations in the owner's manual... and if you think Harley dealers are bad, try a high end car dealer like Mercedes, Porsche, BMW... they "suggest" many add-ons that are not on their service lists....

Back when I didn't have a place to work on my bikes, I was kind of at a dealers' mercy....

I would go in and ask, "what do you charge for a 10K service?"

Once they answered that, I would ask, "What do you do on your 10K service that is not on the Harley 10K service list?"

Most were honest and would say something like, "we also do x, y, & z." They then give me some BS reason why they thought it was good to do x,y,z at that interval...

My last question would be, "How much do you charge for a 10K service, that only involves the stuff on the Harley service list?" (in your case, minus the trans oil and spark plug change)

How they answered that last question determined if they got my business or not..

It's been that way since I bought my first new Harley in 1978. Be your own advocate... ask questions, get prices, call them on the issues you don't believe/understand, and if you think they are being dishonest... leave and go somewhere else...

Bottom line..... you hire them to do a job, they don't get to tell you what they do to your bike...

 

Ask around and find a good Indy shop, we charge only half what the HD Shops do and in my opinion do a better job. Not taking anything away from their techs, some are really good ... but most end up at Indy shops because they get tired of the BS and poor pay.

 

You should see the maintenance costs on other brands like Ducati, Triumph and the big four. yam, suz, hon, kaw. 400 dollars is a little more reasonable compared to the other makes. Imagine checking valve clearances and putting new shims for 16 valves. Or 24 valves on a 6 cylinder BMW

 

Had a ducati. There is almost no way to do your own service without plugging the bike in. There are some hacks out there to let you in but it's not back yard couple beer maintaince and they let you know when you take it in. Ouch!

 

Over the years i have found that there is normally at least one very good tech in any operation. I take my avalanche to the Chevy dealer, oil change (6 quarts), 10 grease fittings and a tire rotation 35 dollars with my 10% old man discount. He does a great job, does inspections if there is an issue he calls me back only twice in 14 years, and i get the bulb, whatever and fix it. At HD there is a guy who has done a few warranty issues, two speedometers and the 1K ( i do my own oil ), very careful, knowledgeable, takes pride in his work.

Now when you find that guy, you may have to adjust when you bring it in, because you also have to fit into his schedule, generally a day or two etc.

But check things, build a relationship and have that guy do the work, this has worked for me since my '71 XKE, that guy (Tech) became a good friend, fortunately for me

 

That would be an annoyance to have to remove a fuel tank to change plugs. #poordesign

 

You probably blow more than 400 dollars a year on miscellaneous crap. So a 400 dollar oil change that documents that you did the primary is probably a good deal. If they warranty the compensator, then you get off fairly cheap. I personally do the oil at 10k and the primary and tranny at 20k. I run AMSOIL. YMMV. I put a water pump in every 15k though... LOL!