Parts and servicing

Service schedule

The Z1000SX has a daftly short minor service interval - just 3750 miles - but it’s just a tyre-kick and fluids check, so many owners choose to ignore it and base their maintenance on the 7500-mile service. The rest of the schedule’s pretty daft as well, so many owners tear it up and write their own - particularly changing spark plugs and air filter at 15,000 miles rather than 7500 and 11,400 respectively.

Valve clearances are due at a completely random 26,250 miles - it makes more sense to do them at 22,500 or 30k to coincide with a normal service. Access for general servicing is pretty good - oil changes are a doddle as you don’t need to remove any bodywork to get at the oil filter. But you do need to ‘burp’ the new oil filter to get rid of trapped air, or you can get an airlock. For more extensive work you need to be very careful with fairing fixings - it’s easy to break or crack lugs and fastenings.

New and used parts prices

New parts aren’t too bad. Genuine heated grips are a bit pricey at £176, and a radiator is an eyewatering £563, but an air filter’s only 25 quid, brake pads £48 a pair and discs about £140 each (cheaper than aftermarket ones). A centre fairing panel is about £130. Because of a long production run and many parts shared with other models, there’s no problem getting pattern service parts. Wemoto can do wheel bearings for £9 a pair, Hh-rated brake pads at £21 a pair, an oil filter for £5.28 and air filter for £13.04. A heavy duty chain and sprocket kit is £92.07.

That same parts commonality means there’s a reasonable supply of used parts, too. A sniff at online breakers turned up a clutch lever for £12, a mirror for £15, air-mass sensor for £16, a mid-fairing panel for £40, standard silencers for around £40 each and a starter motor for £40.