Motorcycle Repair: Maintenance, chris hope, service schedules

Question
Hey Chris, hope you're having a good day.  I was just wondering if I could get advice on some maintenance on my bike.  I bought a 2002 Ninja back in August (my first bike) and I'm not quite sure what to do about maintenance.  
So far I've put about 1100 miles on it (had about 2000 miles when I bought it) and the all I've done for my baby is to keep the tire pressure up and the gas tank full.  I have a feeling that I have been neglecting her.
Seeing as how I'm not very mechanically inclined I think I will have to take this somewhere to get serviced.  What exactly should I be doing to keep my baby in tip top shape?  And if you have any idea, how much do you think I would be looking to spend?

Thanks in Advance,
Mike

Answer
Hi Mike.

Maintainence is the one thing that most newbie riders completely forget.  In these days of 100,000 mile service spans for many vehicles, we tend to forget the simple things like that.

First thing to do is to get the owner's manual.  If you feel like a challenge, then get the repair manual as well.  Both manuals will have the service schedules in them, but the repair manuals will have everything that you need to know about doing the repairs and maintainence as well.

If the bike has never been serviced, then get it done.  However if it has had it's 500 mile service, then you should be ok for awhile.  Check the manual to be sure.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON