Labour makes up the biggest proportion of a servicing bill as long as no extra parts are needed. A Ducati service that includes a belt change accounts for 8-10 hours labour in total if my memory serves me correctly. A Jap IL4 generally takes half the labour time to service. Some time ago I bought a parallel and had it serviced by the dealer that supplied it. I did wonder what they had actually done when I got the bill, it was a lot less than the big bills that I had heard about. It didn't break down or suffer from some terrible mechanical disaster so looking back there wasn't a problem. I have used franchised dealers more recently, yep they do cost more but some many other factors come into the equation, eg distance to travel, is the bike covered by warranty, previous experience etc, etc. You makes yer choice and pays yer money. Ray |