I have a 2005 Honda Foreman and I need to have my first service done.My buddy has one and he said he did'nt have his done and that all I should do is change the oil and be done with it.I thougt they readjusted the valves and such also.If they do nothing more than change the oil than i'd rather do it myself.Should I take it in?
Thanks,
JE

 

the main part of it is the oil change and valve clearance adjustment. the rest is just checking things over, it's all listed in your owner's manual.

The valve clearance is a little tricky, you can really mess the engine up if you dont know how to do it right. I'm a auto technician, so it was relatively easy for me to do my own Rancher, but if you aren't mechanically inclined, it's best to leave for a dealership to do. The valve clearance is important for proper engine balance, too much clearance will cause noise and possible valve train damage, too little clearance could burn the valves or the cylinder head.

 

Its worth evvery penny to have the first service done at the dealer. It maintains your warranty, plus they can check over everything to make sure all adjustments are in spec. They adjust all the cables, (throttle and rear brake) because new cables stretch plus look over all possible loose nuts and bolts.

Plus, if something does happen that should have been picked up in the initial preperation and / or the first service, you can go back to them and hold them responsable to fix the problem they over looked. If you dont get the service done, likely your out of luck.

After that, you can do your own service, pick up a repair manual and have at it.