Just bought a motorcycle? What to do in the first week
A new bike does not come with a maintenance plan. Add it to Garagely and catalog-matched service intervals for your exact model are already waiting for you.
Add your motorcycle to Garagely and it fills in service intervals from your bike's type right away, then upgrades to the exact catalog model's own intervals the moment you link it. Every part is tracked in km, engine hours or months, whichever unit actually fits it, so the first week takes minutes instead of research.
Why the first week matters more than it feels like it should
- A generic interval guessed from memory is often wrong for your specific model, so a part gets serviced too late or too early.
- The previous owner's habits are not written on the odometer. Without a logged baseline you cannot tell what is actually due.
- Forums and old manuals disagree with each other. One wrong interval copied from a thread can cost a part that never needed to fail.
- Every week you ride without a real interval is a week the bike ages with nobody watching it.
Myth vs reality
The myth
All bikes of a similar size need roughly the same service schedule.
Why people believe it
Engines look similar on paper, so it is easy to assume a 250cc single and another 250cc single wear the same way.
The reality
Valve clearances, oil capacity, chain type and cooling all differ by model, not just by displacement. A schedule borrowed from a different bike can be close enough to be dangerous.
What to do instead
Link your exact model in Garagely. The catalog carries interval templates for that bike, each shown with a source and confidence label, not a generic approximation.
Riders like you
Bought a used commuter with no paperwork and no idea what the last owner actually did.
Added the bike by type, then linked the exact model once found in the catalog. Intervals updated automatically. Nothing had to be guessed.
Moved from a naked bike to a bigger adventure bike and expected the same oil interval as before.
The linked model's intervals showed a different valve-check schedule entirely, catching the difference before it became an expensive surprise.
Had a rough manual note of intervals but no confidence any of it was still current.
Linking the model replaced the guesswork with the catalog's own interval templates, while the log history already entered stayed intact.
Setting up a new bike, step by step
- 1
Start the Add bike wizard
"Basics", "Specs", "Last service" and "Photo" - four short steps get your bike into Garagely.
- 2
Get a working set of intervals immediately
Intervals fill in from your bike's type as soon as Basics is done, so nothing is untracked while you look for the exact model.
- 3
Find and link the exact model
Search the catalog for your make, model and year. Linking it swaps in that model's own interval templates, shown with source and confidence.
- 4
Your own edits are kept
Any interval you already changed by hand stays as you set it. Linking a model fills gaps, it does not overwrite your work.
- 5
New parts start unknown
A part the linked model tracks that you had not set before shows as unknown until you log its first service, not an invented due date.
- 6
Check the Service tab
Everything the model actually needs shows in one list, overdue items first.
Before and after
Without Garagely
- Guessing intervals from a forum thread or a half-remembered manual.
- No idea if the previous owner's service history is even real.
- Every part on the same rough schedule regardless of what it actually needs.
With Garagely
- Catalog-matched intervals for your exact model, shown with source and confidence, linked in a search.
- A clean baseline from Last service, whatever came before.
- Each part tracked in the unit that actually fits it.
What is free, what is Pro
Free
- Full model catalog search and linking
- Type-based intervals from the first day
- Per-part km, engine hours or month tracking
Pro
Nothing here needs Pro.
Questions riders ask
Do I need to know my exact model to get started?
No. Garagely fills in intervals from your bike's general type the moment you finish Basics, then upgrades them automatically once you link the exact model.
What if my model is not in the catalog yet?
You can still log everything and set your own intervals by hand. Request the missing model and it can be added later.
Will linking a model erase intervals I already set myself?
No. Your own edits are kept. Linking only fills in what you had not already set.
Is model linking a Pro feature?
No, searching and linking the catalog is free for every bike.
What happens to a part the linked model tracks that I never logged before?
It shows as unknown rather than a guessed due date, and starts counting from the first service you log for it.
Related features
Proactive reminders that just work
Get told what is due before it bites - by engine hours, mileage, or date. The reminder you would have forgotten is the whole point.
Specs and fitment, sourced
Search your model's spec sheet and known issues, then check if a part actually fits. Free.
Import your history
Moving from a spreadsheet or notebook? Import your whole service history from a CSV in one go - nothing to re-type.
Give your new bike a real maintenance plan
Add it, link the model, and the first week is already done.
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