Issues with my bike, I'm a beginner

Thankfully, they are a great little shop and have helpful pleasant people working there, I was recommended to go there by my CBT instructor if I had any problems with my bike, they didn't charge me anything to fit it, just the £30 for the battery itself so I was happy with that.

Thanks for the battery advice, didn't realise they needed replacing once a year.

 

Some random questions:

1.How often on average does the brake fluid need topping up?

2.Can I use any 4 stroke oil? Or does it need an oil change to use a different brand?

3.I plan to service the bike at least once a year, it was last done in November and the previous owner did around 400 miles and I've done about 65 so 465 since last service, I plan on servicing it just before the MOT in September, what do you think? The bike is only used a couple of times a week on average sometimes a little more, so won't be doing much mileage between now and then.

I know about the batteries and correct voltages now and what to look for from what I was told today by the breakdown guy and the bike shop so i'm getting to know the basics.

 

battery SHOULD be replaced once a year, they go bad especially when the bike isn't used daily.
a battery costs what? £30, hardly breaking the bank.

keep a eye on brake fluid through the little window, tbh if brake fluid is going down, check for leaks but when it gets to the point where its going down, just have it changed and yes brake fluid does need changing as with all fluids can only be heated up so many times before it becomes innaffective. generally its a good idea to have it done every FULL service.

only put in the oil the manual says, too thick and it wont heat up quick enough, too thin it wont lubricate properly.

oil change every 1250-1500 miles depending on how well you want to look after it etc etc (I do mine every 1,000) valve clearances should be done every other oil change, spark plug every other oil change, good idea to just clear the air filter out with compressed air once a month. gearbox oil changed every 4000 miles.

accyuklad ill send you a message explaining why I say replace battery each year when bike not being used a lot so we don't hijack a thread.

 

oil change should be done every 1250-1500 miles on a small CC bike. cars are 5-6000 miles. motorbike engines need more care. Preventative maintenance is always cheaper than replacing or rebuilding a engine because its not been looked after. as oil heats up and cools down every ride it slowly looses its viscosity (thickness). for the sake of a £15 bottle of oil every now and then vs a £600-£700 engine rebuild (dependant on shop) or a £1,000+ engine replacement it makes sense!