To the First Thousand Miles
by Chad Brislawn
February 14, 2020

I bought my bike on Labor Day weekend. When they rolled it out the door for my test ride, it had two miles on it. When I completed the test ride, it had ten. When I rode it yesterday, which would have been January 6th at the time I wrote this, I hit the 700-mile mark.

This is the first time in my life I’ve ever bought anything brand new. All of my other vehicles have been, well, far from it. It’s a pretty cool feeling to know that all of those miles are mine, except for those two mysterious miles that got laid down between the dealership and wherever it is that God cranks out Harleys, Wicksville, South Dakota, I think.

Anyway, hitting the 700 mark means that the 1,000-mile service is going to be coming up in the spring. Apparently the 1,000-mile service is a big deal. Who knew? I figured they just changed the oil, slapped a new filter on, and you were out the door. Turns out, after some extensive, tedious, journalistic type research (Google) there’s a little more to it than that.

At 1k is where they go in and make sure that the bike you’re riding isn’t about to shake all the bolts loose and fall apart going down the highway, unless you’re into that “kinda thing.” I could name off all of the things they check, like I know what I’m talking about, but basically, they check everything. The list was extensive, and they want to make sure you are riding a quality and safe bike.

I’ve heard things like, “You can do all that yourself.” I can’t.

I’ve also heard things like, “A local shop will do that way cheaper.” That may be true, but I’ve heard that having your bike serviced by anyone other than the dealership can void your warranty. Not sure there either. Definitely don’t want to risk that.

Speaking of cheaper, what’s cheaper? I’ve read that the 1k service can range anywhere from $150-$375. Obviously, when I call and schedule, I will know for sure, but I just wanted to get an idea of what I was in store for before I say, “Blankity-blank dollars!?” in that tone that makes me sound as cheap as I actually am.

Overall, I’m sure I will kick out the money and have it done. It’s a new bike, and I want to make sure that I get everything squared away so I can enjoy it for years to come. I look forward to all the miles that I will put on this bike. I think it will be a cool feeling to look back on in ten, twenty, even thirty years to see all the changes that I’ve made and all the places that I’ve seen, the blood, sweat, and tears that will go into the history of this bike just like the one before it. And, to know that I put in all of those miles myself will make it all that much more of a treasure to me. Here’s to the first thousand miles.

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