another outstanding video. I got the crash bar bags you had before the rigg gear (amourain or something) and they are the best deal on anything motorcycle related I have ever got. I pack them with soft goods like socks etc and no extra weight and they add a LOT of protection. I have dumped the bike pretty hard and those bags kept the plastic from getting a single scratch. The bags took way more abuse than I thought they would. Another comment on something you mentioned is F1 is a great source (and really THE source) for Tuareg parts in case anyone does not know that.
I’m a Tuareg 660 owner and thanks for these strategies for keeping costs down. For what it’s worth, when I had a valve check done on my VStrom 650 around 5 years ago the costs were similar. I’m putting miles on my T660 at a much, much lower rate than you are and won’t be doing this anytime soon.
Thanks for the info Matt. Just a few thoughts from my experiences. It is very wise to check the valves, especially riding off pavement. Dust getting around or through the intake filter is a major reason for valve seat wear resulting in a below spec clearance. Check the air filter box regularly for any dust inside. While they are a pain, I personally prefer oiled foam filters for this reason but there are good paper filters too.
First of all, thank you for the transparency. I really appreciate it since many RUclipsrs and owners of various bikes never seem to highlight the valve check cost, which is often very high with shop rates. With that said, I can't help but think the cost would have been issue in the past, such as when you made the BMW1200GS ownership cost video (stating how high it was). You must be doing much better financially now, or you just really do love this bike that much more where it makes it worth it to you. But that is an extra $200 per month just for the valve check. Either way, good for you for being either rich, or happy!!!
@@twowheeladventures63 I see where you are coming from in contrast to the R1200GS. The entry costs to Tuareg and other modifications like a full suspension are much less expensive than R1200GS. Tires are a bit cheaper too. Unfortunately the valve clearance check is expensive. Based on my riding experience on this bike, so far, I have found the ownership costs to be worth it. Shop rates everywhere have gone up so I expect a valve clearance check on a GS might be close to the same cost. Entry costs to GS have certainly gone up.
Thanks for the rundown. $.10 per mile seems quite expensive for maintenance. Imagine a car needing a $1000 service every 10,000 miles, I don’t think most people would find that acceptable. How does this compare to the Tenere 700 service? Imagine skipping the service and running the bike to 100,000 miles then replacing the whole engine for $10k. Cost would be approximately the same and less hassle.
@@houseofroos The cost of service on the Tenere is the same but the interval is twice as long. Motorcycle engines are not built like car engines. The valves are different requiring more frequent service. The shim and bucket style valves need to be maintained properly for the engine to operate properly. After the first valve service most bikes can go much longer between service, but it's not recommended and can potentially void the warranty. I don't think a motorcycle engine will go 100k miles without valve service, it will run awful and likely cause other damage.
@ Thank you for your thoughts. Not trying to take down the Tuareg, sounds like an awesome bike that you’re really enjoying, just thinking out loud. Motorcycling with premium bikes can be quite the expensive hobby can’t it? No wonder you see cheap small displacement machines in less developed countries!
@houseofroos yep, motorcycles, especially premium ones constantly hit the wallet. It's the cost of riding. It's worth it to me, and is my primary hobby that keeps me sane. Cheers and Happy New Year.
Hey Matt, thanks for the heads up. My bike's two-year warranty is almost up, so I'm thinking of doing the valve clearance check myself. I've done a few small repairs before, so I should be able to handle it. Plus, I'm not too keen on taking it to a shop, and it'll save me some money.
It is great to hear some feedback on service costs so folks have an idea of what to expect (and how often). I do hope to see the intervals stretched out a bit in later generations of the Tuareg so they are on par with other modern motors (i.e. many of which are closer to the 20K mark).
@@williamb.6918 Yeah, I agree, longer intervals would be better. I am sure the bike can do it. Piaggio just has to be comfortable with it. It does cut dealerships getting labor income which might be a factor in the recommendation.
I have a local guy (I'm in Pa) that I trust to do the more involved maintenance on my Tuareg. He has worked on my other bike in the past and I trust him. The timing for me was such that I was on the road with my bike for a couple of months and didn't get the valves checked until I had well over 19K miles on the bike. I saw no real change in performance as the miles piled up but when he did the valves they were out of spec, but not by a whole lot. For example he works in Imperial and gave me a spec of the exhaust valves of .0059"-.0078" and one cylinder was at .006", the other at .005" . So not too bad. (He did give me a printout of what the exact measurements before and after were). He has a bit of a relationship with the local dealer and when he called them to order the shims he needed (he was able to swap some of the shims around as appropriate so he only needed a couple) they told him they don't even use Aprilia shims-- they use the same ones they would use for KTM. He had those so that's what is in my bike and it runs fine. Were they jacking him around? I don't know. I do simple maintenance and such but leave this sort of thing to mechanics who know what they're doing. This guy is a machinist and builds race engines so I hope he qualifies as a good mechanic. I think so. But we discussed this quite a bit and he showed me the two styles side by side and other than the bevels on the Aprilia shims they were the same diameter so we'll see what happens. I have a thousand more miles on the new setup and so far, so good. So my bill for doing the valves, plugs, oil, coolant, and cleaning a few pounds of Alaska off the bike and ultrasonic cleaning the radiator came to under $1,000.00. I had to wait and work with his schedule and he gets a good amount of business from me so I can't complain about the cost.
You have a great mechanic. That is great price too. I am not surprised to hear about the shims. I am sure you bike will be fine. Good to hear even after 19k miles the valves were not that far out of spec. I expect they will hold the spec much longer now that you are way beyond the break in period.
Great series on the T660. Been enjoying! I am looking at purchasing one this spring. I want to wait for the 2025 model. Could you make a video on what your tool kit looks like for this bike. Do you need multiple tools or does it have redundant sizes. Does it come with a tool kit? Thx
@@LuckyFoot9389 yeah I could do a tool kit video. It will take a bit. I took the tool kit off my T7 so there is a mish mash of tools for both bikes. I need to clean it up. Thanks for the feedback. If you haven't taken a test ride on one of these yet, go do it. It will confirm your choice in bike.
Great video. I have used the same method with my 3 GS's (bring it in for valve check only.) Only the first run in service was done fully by dealer. BMW has not voided any of my warranties with self maintenance. I think having a good relationship with your dealer is important to the ownership experience. I'm curious if any of the valves (especially exhaust) were tight?
@@adventuremulemoto according to the dealership all of the valves required new shims. However, they did admit this was one of the first Tuaregs they had conducted a valve service on. It seemed like they changed all shims because they had to lift the cams. Just a guess. I doubt all of the valves were outside of specs. I fine if they opened all the gaps to the top end of specs.
I'm looking at 2024 Tuareg 660 - My local Aprilia dealer said they can offer a maintenance plan covering 6 services for $2,500. What are your thoughts? $2500 seems reasonable considering the cost you just described.
@@chameleon1001 if those services include three valve clearance checks then sign up. You will be money ahead. Make sure the service contract includes parts and is not just labor.
@@BlazinBlades the valve clearance costs on any of these bikes will cost about the same, but the required intervals are a bit longer on other bikes. That will save you money.
Matt did he feel or hear any different on the bike after doing the valves service? Was the motor (valves) noisy before service? Thanks for the update video.
I have had multible different japanese bikes valves done and they have all been $800 to$1200 so thats a decent price fyi the bikes engine has to be completely cold so dont expect to ride your bike in have the job done and ride it home it would be 2 days when I trailer the bike one day job.
@@duanneblouin7148 yeah, great point about the bike being cold. It took them a few days, which was fine, I didn't expect it to be back in one day. The price seemed reasonable for a Euro bike.
@@OneOldManRiding depends on if the technician get remove plastics and get to the head without removing a bunch of aftermarket parts. I think you will fine. The crash bars and skid plate on Tuareg use engine mounting bolts. When the crash bars are removed engine mounting bolts have to be reinstalled. Bit of a pain.
A major reason I don’t want buy a Toureg is the “Dealer light 💡 “ You don’t have choice. The light came on. You must take it to the dealer. It’s like it’s not even your bike. Hope they aren’t playing games. Tighten and loosen a few spare parts. 😂 I’d buy an aftermarket product to clear the “dealer light 💡 “. Dealer = Stealer
The service light is so small I don't even notice it. That was an issue with me when I first got the bike but since it is small and tucked in the corner of the display it's easy to ignore. It is frustrating owners can't reset it themselves.
@@azlong4596 the receipt did not specify how many shims were required but when I asked the sales manager he said they adjusted all of the valves. However, he said this was one of the first Tuaregs this dealership had conducted a valve service on so I am thinking it was used as training so all of the valve shims replaced. It's possible some were within spec but just barely and they ere adjusted to open them up a bit. I am speculating based on what I was told. The cost is the same whether it's one shim or eight.
You paid a lot of money for the valve adjustment. In my mind, it should include information about clearances before and after and what shims were installed on EACH VALVE. Any shims removed should be returned to you unless they didn't charge you for the replacements. The idea that any dealer wouldn't do ala' carte also seems absurd.
Yeah, I wasn't sure what to expect when I took the bike in. I should have been more specific when I dropped it off that I wanted to know where the clearances were at prior to any adjustments. I was not charged for the individual shims so it was a direct swap, but I doubt they will reuse the old ones.
@@advmatt Reuse of the old ones is common practice. It's good that they didn't charge you for them. Some shops will charge for new shims and re-use your old ones.
@@BlackdogADVthat price is about the same for all bikes when you take them to the dealership. I will likely do it myself the next time. I think the first time is the most likely of times to need new shims. I didn't mind taking it in for the first one. I knew it was coming. I am also able to inform others of the expected costs.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Matt! I'm approaching that 12k mark as well! - Chris
another outstanding video. I got the crash bar bags you had before the rigg gear (amourain or something) and they are the best deal on anything motorcycle related I have ever got. I pack them with soft goods like socks etc and no extra weight and they add a LOT of protection. I have dumped the bike pretty hard and those bags kept the plastic from getting a single scratch. The bags took way more abuse than I thought they would. Another comment on something you mentioned is F1 is a great source (and really THE source) for Tuareg parts in case anyone does not know that.
I’m a Tuareg 660 owner and thanks for these strategies for keeping costs down. For what it’s worth, when I had a valve check done on my VStrom 650 around 5 years ago the costs were similar. I’m putting miles on my T660 at a much, much lower rate than you are and won’t be doing this anytime soon.
@@rorymiskimen5221 thanks for the comment. When you do get there you will know what to expect.
Thanks for the info Matt. Just a few thoughts from my experiences. It is very wise to check the valves, especially riding off pavement. Dust getting around or through the intake filter is a major reason for valve seat wear resulting in a below spec clearance. Check the air filter box regularly for any dust inside. While they are a pain, I personally prefer oiled foam filters for this reason but there are good paper filters too.
@@Brad-RB great point. I installed an oil filter. When I changed back to the paper filter for service the air box was clean. Oil filter for the win.
First of all, thank you for the transparency. I really appreciate it since many RUclipsrs and owners of various bikes never seem to highlight the valve check cost, which is often very high with shop rates. With that said, I can't help but think the cost would have been issue in the past, such as when you made the BMW1200GS ownership cost video (stating how high it was). You must be doing much better financially now, or you just really do love this bike that much more where it makes it worth it to you. But that is an extra $200 per month just for the valve check. Either way, good for you for being either rich, or happy!!!
@@twowheeladventures63 I see where you are coming from in contrast to the R1200GS. The entry costs to Tuareg and other modifications like a full suspension are much less expensive than R1200GS. Tires are a bit cheaper too. Unfortunately the valve clearance check is expensive. Based on my riding experience on this bike, so far, I have found the ownership costs to be worth it. Shop rates everywhere have gone up so I expect a valve clearance check on a GS might be close to the same cost. Entry costs to GS have certainly gone up.
Thanks for the rundown. $.10 per mile seems quite expensive for maintenance. Imagine a car needing a $1000 service every 10,000 miles, I don’t think most people would find that acceptable. How does this compare to the Tenere 700 service?
Imagine skipping the service and running the bike to 100,000 miles then replacing the whole engine for $10k. Cost would be approximately the same and less hassle.
@@houseofroos The cost of service on the Tenere is the same but the interval is twice as long. Motorcycle engines are not built like car engines. The valves are different requiring more frequent service. The shim and bucket style valves need to be maintained properly for the engine to operate properly. After the first valve service most bikes can go much longer between service, but it's not recommended and can potentially void the warranty. I don't think a motorcycle engine will go 100k miles without valve service, it will run awful and likely cause other damage.
@ Thank you for your thoughts. Not trying to take down the Tuareg, sounds like an awesome bike that you’re really enjoying, just thinking out loud. Motorcycling with premium bikes can be quite the expensive hobby can’t it?
No wonder you see cheap small displacement machines in less developed countries!
@houseofroos yep, motorcycles, especially premium ones constantly hit the wallet. It's the cost of riding. It's worth it to me, and is my primary hobby that keeps me sane. Cheers and Happy New Year.
Hey Matt, thanks for the heads up. My bike's two-year warranty is almost up, so I'm thinking of doing the valve clearance check myself. I've done a few small repairs before, so I should be able to handle it. Plus, I'm not too keen on taking it to a shop, and it'll save me some money.
@@MotoFurka let me know how it goes. I am thinking of doing all the follow up adjustments as well.
Great video. Thank you for sharing. I miss my 660 I traded it in for a Honda Gold Wing. I am thinking about buying it back
@@davidazzano5520 buy it back. You won't regret it, but you already know that.
It is great to hear some feedback on service costs so folks have an idea of what to expect (and how often). I do hope to see the intervals stretched out a bit in later generations of the Tuareg so they are on par with other modern motors (i.e. many of which are closer to the 20K mark).
@@williamb.6918 Yeah, I agree, longer intervals would be better. I am sure the bike can do it. Piaggio just has to be comfortable with it. It does cut dealerships getting labor income which might be a factor in the recommendation.
Very helpful. You made a good video. 👍
@@SashaV-ms7bd thanks.
Thanks for the information. A pretty penny for sure! Glad you had a good dealer experience!
Did they polish the bike? It was shiny! - Frank
No polish, just knocked off the bugs and Black Hills mud.
I have a local guy (I'm in Pa) that I trust to do the more involved maintenance on my Tuareg. He has worked on my other bike in the past and I trust him. The timing for me was such that I was on the road with my bike for a couple of months and didn't get the valves checked until I had well over 19K miles on the bike. I saw no real change in performance as the miles piled up but when he did the valves they were out of spec, but not by a whole lot. For example he works in Imperial and gave me a spec of the exhaust valves of .0059"-.0078" and one cylinder was at .006", the other at .005" . So not too bad. (He did give me a printout of what the exact measurements before and after were). He has a bit of a relationship with the local dealer and when he called them to order the shims he needed (he was able to swap some of the shims around as appropriate so he only needed a couple) they told him they don't even use Aprilia shims-- they use the same ones they would use for KTM. He had those so that's what is in my bike and it runs fine. Were they jacking him around? I don't know. I do simple maintenance and such but leave this sort of thing to mechanics who know what they're doing. This guy is a machinist and builds race engines so I hope he qualifies as a good mechanic. I think so. But we discussed this quite a bit and he showed me the two styles side by side and other than the bevels on the Aprilia shims they were the same diameter so we'll see what happens. I have a thousand more miles on the new setup and so far, so good. So my bill for doing the valves, plugs, oil, coolant, and cleaning a few pounds of Alaska off the bike and ultrasonic cleaning the radiator came to under $1,000.00. I had to wait and work with his schedule and he gets a good amount of business from me so I can't complain about the cost.
You have a great mechanic. That is great price too. I am not surprised to hear about the shims. I am sure you bike will be fine. Good to hear even after 19k miles the valves were not that far out of spec. I expect they will hold the spec much longer now that you are way beyond the break in period.
@@advmatt I hope that for the next inspection, at least, they don't need adjustment.
Keep up the good work!
@@georgemorrison9387yeah, me too. Thanks.
Great series on the T660. Been enjoying!
I am looking at purchasing one this spring. I want to wait for the 2025 model.
Could you make a video on what your tool kit looks like for this bike. Do you need multiple tools or does it have redundant sizes.
Does it come with a tool kit?
Thx
@@LuckyFoot9389 yeah I could do a tool kit video. It will take a bit. I took the tool kit off my T7 so there is a mish mash of tools for both bikes. I need to clean it up. Thanks for the feedback. If you haven't taken a test ride on one of these yet, go do it. It will confirm your choice in bike.
Great video. I have used the same method with my 3 GS's (bring it in for valve check only.) Only the first run in service was done fully by dealer. BMW has not voided any of my warranties with self maintenance. I think having a good relationship with your dealer is important to the ownership experience. I'm curious if any of the valves (especially exhaust) were tight?
@@adventuremulemoto according to the dealership all of the valves required new shims. However, they did admit this was one of the first Tuaregs they had conducted a valve service on. It seemed like they changed all shims because they had to lift the cams. Just a guess. I doubt all of the valves were outside of specs. I fine if they opened all the gaps to the top end of specs.
I'm looking at 2024 Tuareg 660 - My local Aprilia dealer said they can offer a maintenance plan covering 6 services for $2,500.
What are your thoughts? $2500 seems reasonable considering the cost you just described.
@@chameleon1001 if those services include three valve clearance checks then sign up. You will be money ahead. Make sure the service contract includes parts and is not just labor.
Oh gosh…
All the more reason to stay clear…
I’ll stay with Yamahas and Hondas 🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing 👍
I believe the valve check cost of the Honda Africa Twin is near the same level.
@@BlazinBlades the valve clearance costs on any of these bikes will cost about the same, but the required intervals are a bit longer on other bikes. That will save you money.
I see they used Triumph coolant in your bike. They use orange coolant and Piaggio uses pink coolant. I don’t know if the chemistry is the same?
@@levigato125 good catch. I will look into it.
Matt did he feel or hear any different on the bike after doing the valves service? Was the motor (valves) noisy before service? Thanks for the update video.
@proracing99 no, I didn't hear any valve noise that I could point to. I didn't really notice a difference that was anymore than psychological.
@advmatt thanks for your time.
I had a 23 Touareg 660 loved the bike. How much was the 12 K service
@@davidazzano5520 12k service without oil change was $1007.
I have had multible different japanese bikes valves done and they have all been $800 to$1200 so thats a decent price fyi the bikes engine has to be completely cold so dont expect to ride your bike in have the job done and ride it home it would be 2 days when I trailer the bike one day job.
@@duanneblouin7148 yeah, great point about the bike being cold. It took them a few days, which was fine, I didn't expect it to be back in one day. The price seemed reasonable for a Euro bike.
Wait, do I need to take parts off my bike before I swing by to have you check my valves in the spring? 😳 - Frank
@@OneOldManRiding depends on if the technician get remove plastics and get to the head without removing a bunch of aftermarket parts. I think you will fine. The crash bars and skid plate on Tuareg use engine mounting bolts. When the crash bars are removed engine mounting bolts have to be reinstalled. Bit of a pain.
A major reason I don’t want buy a Toureg is the “Dealer light 💡 “
You don’t have choice. The light came on. You must take it to the dealer. It’s like it’s not even your bike. Hope they aren’t playing games.
Tighten and loosen a few spare parts. 😂
I’d buy an aftermarket product to clear the “dealer light 💡 “.
Dealer = Stealer
The service light is so small I don't even notice it. That was an issue with me when I first got the bike but since it is small and tucked in the corner of the display it's easy to ignore. It is frustrating owners can't reset it themselves.
There's a new device for clearing the service light on tuaregs now. We were just talking about it on our tuareg thread in advrider
@ Good! I’m glad to hear this. I’ll consider buying one again. It’s such a nice bike. 👍
@iamjdag I will take a look. Thanks.
Matt did your receipt show how many shims were required? Just wondering how many of the valves were tight.
@@azlong4596 the receipt did not specify how many shims were required but when I asked the sales manager he said they adjusted all of the valves. However, he said this was one of the first Tuaregs this dealership had conducted a valve service on so I am thinking it was used as training so all of the valve shims replaced. It's possible some were within spec but just barely and they ere adjusted to open them up a bit. I am speculating based on what I was told. The cost is the same whether it's one shim or eight.
@@advmatt Thank I appreciate the info for mine.
You paid a lot of money for the valve adjustment. In my mind, it should include information about clearances before and after and what shims were installed on EACH VALVE. Any shims removed should be returned to you unless they didn't charge you for the replacements. The idea that any dealer wouldn't do ala' carte also seems absurd.
Yeah, I wasn't sure what to expect when I took the bike in. I should have been more specific when I dropped it off that I wanted to know where the clearances were at prior to any adjustments. I was not charged for the individual shims so it was a direct swap, but I doubt they will reuse the old ones.
@@advmatt Reuse of the old ones is common practice. It's good that they didn't charge you for them. Some shops will charge for new shims and re-use your old ones.
@michael95453 good to know.
$1,000 for a valve adjustment seems insane. I’ve always done my own adjustments on my BMWs and KTMs it’s not difficult.
@@BlackdogADVthat price is about the same for all bikes when you take them to the dealership. I will likely do it myself the next time. I think the first time is the most likely of times to need new shims. I didn't mind taking it in for the first one. I knew it was coming. I am also able to inform others of the expected costs.
Well Matt, The T7 would keep going for another 12K.. Cha Ching 🤑
But you seem happy, that what matters, cheers! 🍻
@davidwillis6499 yes it would, but considering how much I hated riding it, I think that is ten years away.