These are the maintenance schedules for these bikes taken directly from the shop manual. If anyone has the factory schedules for other makes and models of bikes, please feel free to contact me to get them added here. While I do feel that these are an excellent reference for maintaining your bike, I also think there is no substitute for common sense. There are always going to be things on any bike that should be monitored but are not mentioned by a maintenance schedule like this, just as there are certain aspects of a maintenance schedule like this that are subject to “interpretation”.

Some examples of “common sense” maintenance would be things like tire pressure, hydraulic fluids, oils, and brake pads just to name a few.

• Tires go flat naturally over time, the frequency and mileage a person rides can necessitate checking tire pressures more or less often. A rider who rides 4,000 miles in six months should check tire pressure more often then a person who rides 4,000 miles in one month. Now to be very clear – checking more often is always better – but my point is that mileage doesn’t directly correlate with tire pressure.
• Hydraulic fluids go bad with time, not mileage – so these should be monitored regardless of mileage. Hydraulic fluid goes bad by absorbing water from the atmosphere, so naturally someone who stores their bike outside, rides in all weather conditions, or lives in a humid environment should see faster fluid degradation than someone that doesn’t. I’ve learned that a visual inspection of the fluid can tell me more than a calendar ever will.
• Oil (both engine and final drive) goes bad with time so it should be monitored regardless of mileage as well. Oils naturally break down over time (even just sitting) and as oil breaks down it is more apt to form acidic compounds which will eat your motor from the inside out. This means that if you ride very low mileage then you should still be changing your oil at LEAST once a year.
• Brake pads are a maintenance item with a lot of variance. They go bad at different intervals depending on the rider and his riding/braking habits (some riders favor front or rear braking). This means pad wear will vary from rider to rider as well as front versus rear pads. Again, this is where a visual inspection can tell you more than your odometer.

I mention all this not to discredit these nice charts, but to drive home the point that there is no replacement for a little knowledge mixed with common sense. These are a good guideline because they illustrate many of the things you should be monitoring to keep your bike safe, but it is important to remember there will always be exceptions to every rule.

I: Inspect, C: Clean, R: Replace, A: Adjust, L: Lubricate

VTX 1800 Maintenance Schedule
Items	Notes	Odometer Reading x1,000								Link
		0.6	4	8	12	16	20	24	mi
		1.0	6.4	12.8	19.2	25.6	32.0	38.4	km
Fuel Line				I		I		I
Throttle Operation				I		I		I
Air Cleaner	2				R			R
Crankcase Breather	3		C	C	C	C	C	C
Spark Plug				R		R		R
Valve Clearance				I		I		I
Engine Oil			R		R		R
Engine Oil Filter			R		R		R
Engine Idle Speed			I	I	I	I	I	I
Radiator Coolant	5			I		I		R
Cooling System				I		I		I
Secondary Air Supply System				I		I		I
Evaporative Emission Control System	4				I			I
Final Drive Oil				I		I		R
Brake Fluid	5		I	I	R	I	I	R
Brake Pad Wear			I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake System				I		I		I
Brake Light Switch				I		I		I
Headlight Aim				I		I		I
Clutch System				I		I		I
Clutch Fluid	5		I	I	R	I	I	R
Side Stand				I		I		I
Suspension				I		I		I
Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners				I		I		I
Wheels/Tires				I		I		I
Steering Head Bearings				I		I		I

I: Inspect, C: Clean, R: Replace, A: Adjust, L: Lubricate

VTX 1300 Maintenance Schedule
Items	Notes	Odometer Reading x1,000								Link
		0.6	4	8	12	16	20	24	mi
		1.0	6.4	12.8	19.2	25.6	32.0	38.4	km
Fuel Line				I		I		I
Throttle Operation				I		I		I
Carburetor Choke				I		I		I
Air Cleaner	2				R			R
Crankcase Breather	3		C	C	C	C	C	C
Spark Plug			I	R	I	R	I	R
Valve Clearance		I		I		I		I
Engine Oil		R		R		R		R
Engine Oil Filter		R		R		R		R
Engine Idle Speed		I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Radiator Coolant	5			I		I		R
Cooling System				I		I		I
Secondary Air Supply System				I		I		I
Evaporative Emission Control System	4				I			I
Final Drive Oil				I		I		R
Brake Fluid	5		I	I	R	I	I	R
Brake Pad Wear			I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake System		I		I		I		I
Brake Light Switch				I		I		I
Headlight Aim				I		I		I
Clutch System		I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Side Stand				I		I		I
Suspension				I		I		I
Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners		I		I		I		I
Wheels/Tires		I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Steering Head Bearings		I		I		I		I

 

I: Inspect, C: Clean, R: Replace, A: Adjust, L: Lubricate

VT750DC (Spirit) & VT750CD (Ace) Maintenance Schedule
Items	Notes	Odometer Reading x1,000								Link
		0.6	4	8	12	16	20	24	mi
		1.0	6.4	12.8	19.2	25.6	32.0	38.4	km
Fuel Line				I		I		I
Throttle Operation				I		I		I
Carburetor Choke				I		I		I
Air Cleaner	2				R			R
Crankcase Breather	3		C	C	C	C	C	C
Spark Plug			I	R	I	R	I	R
Valve Clearance		I		I		I		I
Engine Oil		R		R		R		R
Engine Oil Filter		R		R		R		R
Carburetor Synchronization				I		I		I
Engine Idle Speed		I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Radiator Coolant	5			I		I		R
Cooling System				I		I		I
Evaporative Emission Control System	4				I			I
Drive Chain		Every 500 mi (800km) I, L
Brake Fluid	5		I	I	R	I	I	R
Brake Shoes/Pad Wear			I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake System		I		I		I		I
Brake Light Switch				I		I		I
Headlight Aim				I		I		I
Clutch System		I		I		I		I
Side Stand				I		I		I
Suspension				I		I		I
Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners		I		I		I		I
Wheels/Tires		I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Steering Head Bearings		I		I		I		I