Bikes are harder on themselves than cars are. Smaller oil capacity, higher revs, an exposed drivetrain and no bodywork protecting anything from the weather. All of which means the service intervals are shorter and skipping one shows up faster.
The general rule
Most bikes want servicing every 4,000 to 6,000 miles, or annually, whichever comes first — though it varies more between manufacturers than it does with cars, so the handbook is worth reading.
The annual part matters more on a bike than on a car, because far more bikes than cars sit unused for months at a time.
Why mileage alone doesn’t cover it
Oil capacity is small. A bike engine holds a fraction of what a car does, works harder, and often shares that oil with the gearbox and clutch. It degrades faster and there’s less margin when it does.
The chain is exposed. Chain and sprockets take everything the road throws at them, and they need adjusting and lubricating far more often than a service interval. Left alone, a chain will wear its sprockets and turn a cheap job into an expensive one.
Brakes work harder. Less weight, but far less rubber on the road and much more depends on them. Pads, fluid and discs want checking regularly.
Tyres matter more. A car with a marginal tyre understeers. A bike with a marginal tyre is a different proposition entirely.
If your bike is laid up over winter
This is where most problems start, and they’re all avoidable.
Before it goes away: fresh oil, chain cleaned and lubricated, tyres up to pressure, fuel stabiliser or a full tank to stop condensation, and the battery on a trickle charger or off the bike entirely.
Before it comes back out: tyres — pressures and any flat spots or perishing — brakes for seized calipers and fluid condition, chain tension and lubrication, and a look for anything that’s corroded or perished while it sat.
A bike that’s had a proper winter check before the first ride of spring is a lot safer than one that’s been wheeled out and started. Sitting still is its own kind of wear, and it’s the kind that catches people out.
Service or MOT?
Both, and they’re different. The MOT is the legal test. A service is what stops you failing it. Bikes over three years old need an MOT annually.
What we do
We handle routine motorbike servicing, repairs and MOTs here in Bidford-on-Avon — oil and filters, chain and brakes, fluids, electrical and mechanical faults, and seasonal checks for getting a bike ready for spring or properly laid up for winter.
Same workshop, same standards as the cars.
Call 01789 773 611 or get in touch.