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knox_harrington posted:1000km service consisting of an oil change: CHF237 (exchange rate is 1CHF:1USD) What sort of bike? That's on the high side but within the realms of normality.
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Sep 13, 2018 21:18
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knox_harrington posted:1000km service consisting of an oil change: CHF237 (exchange rate is 1CHF:1USD) Here in CA that would be close to $200, I imagine. ~$120 per hours of labor (minimum 1 hr), ~$50 for oil and disposal fees.
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Sep 13, 2018 22:00
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Yeah I shouldn't be surprised labour costs are high I guess. It's a CBR1000.
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Sep 14, 2018 04:59
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I've never paid for a bike oil change, but I'm really surprised it's so expensive. I have to remove a fairing (well you don't have to, but it's easier), then it's ~$50 in oil if I'm buying individual quarts, plus a $10 filter. It's definitely less than an hour to do the whole job, and that's with pulling the bike out of the garage, getting my stands out, taking the fairing off, then cleaning everything up when it's all over.
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Sep 14, 2018 05:34
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It doesn't matter if it's 1hr exactly or 20 minutes. They charge 1hr anyway for anything that's not completely trivial.
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Sep 14, 2018 05:42
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MomJeans420 posted:I've never paid for a bike oil change, but I'm really surprised it's so expensive. I have to remove a fairing (well you don't have to, but it's easier), then it's ~$50 in oil if I'm buying individual quarts, plus a $10 filter. It's definitely less than an hour to do the whole job, and that's with pulling the bike out of the garage, getting my stands out, taking the fairing off, then cleaning everything up when it's all over. Right, but you don't have to pay for the admin and overheads. It isn't as simple as time it takes = price when you've got overheads and employees. The reason they charge a minimum of an hour is because even easy quick jobs still involve a lot of administrative loving around and time spent where the mechanic isn't actually working that you still have to pay for. This is also why you will never, ever find a dealer who does as good a job as an independent you trust. If I think you're a good oval office I'll spend 15-20 minutes extra to get the bike super tickety-boo, lube every little pivot and cable and linkage, neatly ziptie errant wires, replace ugly mismatched bolts and just generally fix small stuff I haven't been asked to. It doesn't really 'cost' me anything cause I'd just spend that time jerking off or whatever, and I certainly don't make any more money doing it that way. But my incentive is doing a super job so people will jump on their bike, feel a tangible difference, tell their friends and give me a good rep. A dealer/large shop's incentive is to move as many bikes out the door as quickly as possible with the minimum time/materials spend possible. Do the barest minimum required on the job sheet and if 1 in 10 jobs are a gently caress up and the customer has a bad experience, that's ok because you're still making fat stacks from the other 9.
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Sep 14, 2018 07:46
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Slavvy posted:Right, but you don't have to pay for the admin and overheads. It isn't as simple as time it takes = price when you've got overheads and employees. The reason they charge a minimum of an hour is because even easy quick jobs still involve a lot of administrative loving around and time spent where the mechanic isn't actually working that you still have to pay for. Yeah, the last place I got my bike serviced (little under-the-arches mechanic who specialises in Ducati) he did loads of little things like replace one of my mirror bolts, adjust my sidestand, and clean out the little void under the ignition barrel that always accumulates dirt. None of it "needed" doing but the outcome was like having a brand new bike. The fact it was 20% cheaper than going to the dealer is just the cherry on top, I'd willingly pay over the odds because not only is it a nice experience, but it proves the mechanic actually gives a poo poo.
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Sep 14, 2018 08:14
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Slavvy posted:Right, but you don't have to pay for the admin and overheads. It isn't as simple as time it takes = price when you've got overheads and employees. The reason they charge a minimum of an hour is because even easy quick jobs still involve a lot of administrative loving around and time spent where the mechanic isn't actually working that you still have to pay for. That sounds so nice. On the other hand, BMW of Manhattan was what led me to learning to do my own work when they charged over $400 for a 6k mile service and then messed up a bunch of stuff (including opening the little tube with my registration and an extra $20 on it even though it wasn't remotely close to what they were doing and then just leaving it open - at least they didn't steal the cash). So, you know, thanks to them for that. I'd more than happily go to an independent mechanic I trusted if there were such a thing, but sadly not in NYC. It's also awfully nice to know generally how to fix stuff when you're out on the trail.
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Sep 14, 2018 16:56
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Just took my bike in for it's 600mi(1km) service they are charging me $300 for oil change, valve check, and a bunch of other stuff. They are going through the entire owners manual checklist for first service. I'm assuming orginal post regarding this they did more than an oil change. If it was just an oil change I'd do it myself but they are doing a bunch of checks on important stuff I couldn't do myself or know what to look for.
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Sep 14, 2018 17:02
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Keegers posted:Just took my bike in for it's 600mi(1km) service they are charging me $300 for oil change, valve check, and a bunch of other stuff. They are going through the entire owners manual checklist for first service. I'm assuming orginal post regarding this they did more than an oil change. If it's a single cylinder bike, you can definitely do valve check yourself. If not, you can still do it but it's more complicated (because you have to do it 2/3/4 times). There are things you need to be careful about w/r/t timing but the easiest way to make sure you don't mess up a valve check is to do a good job zip tying your timing chain to your cams in TDC before taking anything out. Then when everything is all buttoned up, timing will still be correct. Other than that, don't drop stuff in the engine and it'll be fine.
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Sep 14, 2018 17:34
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builds character posted:That sounds so nice. Aw, shucks. I try! Keegers posted:Just took my bike in for it's 600mi(1km) service they are charging me $300 for oil change, valve check, and a bunch of other stuff. They are going through the entire owners manual checklist for first service. I'm assuming orginal post regarding this they did more than an oil change. They are checking next to nothing, doing the bare minimum and relying on the manufacturer doing a good job and yours not being the one in a hundred bike where something comes loose/isn't set correctly out of the box. As the man said, the cost of a valve check on a single cylinder is $30 feeler gauges and some time. The hardest part is getting a hold of valve shims when you don't want to buy a bulk lot. I don't know if a competent dealer workshop exists out there somewhere, but the entire structure and business model of a dealership is anti-conducive to doing a good job. There's simply no money in it because you have to spend time you can't charge and pay skilled mechanics what they're worth. At least in my country, the pattern is that any tech at a dealer who is legit good either gets into racing/custom/other specialty work that pays well, or fucks off to start his own shop when he realises that pay rise/promotion is never gonna happen, taking his favourite customers and factory knowledge with him. This leaves just the clueless younger guys to do most of the work (and get paid bugger all doing it), overseen by ossified older guys who got their contracts when times were good. All of this is coupled to parts people who come from office jobs and never touched a spanner IRL, salesmen who pathologically lie as part of their job description and service managers drawn from the above two pools.
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Sep 14, 2018 20:25
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knox_harrington posted:1000km service consisting of an oil change: CHF237 (exchange rate is 1CHF:1USD) You are in Switzerland, the land of $9 beers and $30 hamburgers. This seems to be a reasonable price.
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Sep 14, 2018 21:00
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Slavvy posted:At least in my country, the pattern is that any tech at a dealer who is legit good either gets into racing/custom/other specialty work that pays well, or fucks off to start his own shop when he realises that pay rise/promotion is never gonna happen, taking his favourite customers and factory knowledge with him. This leaves just the clueless younger guys to do most of the work (and get paid bugger all doing it), overseen by ossified older guys who got their contracts when times were good. All of this is coupled to parts people who come from office jobs and never touched a spanner IRL, salesmen who pathologically lie as part of their job description and service managers drawn from the above two pools. Change "start their own shop" to "get a job with the railroad/government/other unionized place" and you've described what I saw happen to techs where my dad works. Most of the younger mechanics figured out they could find a job that used their skills but had real benefits, and could actually have fun with motorcycles in their off time. And for anyone else going to a dealer for work, remember that there's more than one mechanic and it's probably not their best guy doing oil changes.
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Sep 14, 2018 21:21
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Middle aged south african with a multistrada and an amex: get the best guy on the job we don't want this wanker complaining. Regular joe with a bandit 650 and a budget: get the minimum wage apprentice that may or may not stick it in the right hole. ^^^what competent service managers do, but most of them aren't so you just get a spin on the roulette wheel
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Sep 14, 2018 21:33
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The RST Mille has been in the shop for 95 days now. They have been waiting on a key cylinder ignition switch for 44 of those days. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Sep 14, 2018 |
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Sep 14, 2018 22:08
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clutchpuck posted:The RST Mille has been in the shop for 95 days now. My MV Agusta experience has never been this bad. I think it spent less days than that in the shop over the course of a year and a half (and 6 warranty visits). That was still enough annoyance for me to sell of the bike.
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Sep 14, 2018 23:15
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Slavvy posted:They are checking next to nothing, doing the bare minimum and relying on the manufacturer doing a good job and yours not being the one in a hundred bike where something comes loose/isn't set correctly out of the box.  Total ended up being 186. Probably not going to do a break in service on my next bike if it's new.
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Sep 15, 2018 00:57
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I saw my dad at work (a Harley dealership). He rode in on his DRZ and was wearing a Yamaha shirt. Brand loyalty.
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Sep 15, 2018 01:40
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While we’re making GBS threads on dealerships, friendly reminder to stay far the gently caress away from Ziegler Motorsports in Kalamazoo MI for their intense, well documented dislike of actually doing work on motorcycles.
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Sep 15, 2018 03:06
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Keegers posted:
I stand by my earlier statement. Definitely do the break-in oil change though on every bike though, it's pretty crucial and sort of sets the tone for the rest of the engine's life. What kind of bike is it? By the tyre pressures I'm guessing something relatively small?
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Sep 15, 2018 04:40
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Slavvy posted:What kind of bike is it? By the tyre pressures I'm guessing something relatively small? Ninja 400
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Sep 15, 2018 06:31
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Keegers posted:
At least they checked all that stuff, or at least put it on the bill. My first service was for free but they really didn't do anything other than change the oil. My experience at the mega-dealer where I got my bike is that they always overlook stuff, either that needs fixing or when putting stuff back together. Forgetting to hook up my oil temp sensor (it's not there stock), missing a busted o ring on my chain after I ask them to inspect it, swapping short/long bolts, oily finger smudges over stuff, wanting me to pay for stuff that was no extra effort while they were looking into something under warranty (which they didn't manage to fix). Anyway as for the price, motorcycles are an expensive hobby and having others work on them especially so. High Protein fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Sep 15, 2018 |
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Sep 15, 2018 06:46
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Several of my neighbors think I'm a professional mechanic because of all the time I spend in my garage keeping my poo poo running. I usually explain that I'm not wealthy enough to have somebody else do it, so this is a necessary evil.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:20
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The mechanic I took my Rex to this summer really impressed me when they not only solved the original problem (sprocket nut fell off and the sprocket was freewheeling on the threaded part of the shaft), but also caught that my rear brake reservoir and right peg bracket were loose, and tightened those down as well. I struggle to think of any other mechanic I've gone to that's found an unrelated issue when I haven't asked them to look for anything. e: I know I should have spotted all of those myself.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:41
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Phy posted:The mechanic I took my Rex to this summer really impressed me when they not only solved the original problem (sprocket nut fell off and the sprocket was freewheeling on the threaded part of the shaft), but also caught that my rear brake reservoir and right peg bracket were loose, and tightened those down as well. A good mechanic approaches every job with the mindset that you're fixing a bike, not a part. Yeah I'll fix your broken [PART] sure, but I'll also make sure the rest of the bike is in good shape and give things a quick once-over, because there's potential for more work if I find something, and potential to add perceived value for the owner by fixing little stuff like your peg bracket.
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Sep 17, 2018 22:07
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clutchpuck posted:Several of my neighbors think I'm a professional mechanic because of all the time I spend in my garage keeping my poo poo running. There are people I work with that think I'm like a master mechanic because I do my own brakes. I guess when I was like 18 and did it for the first time I was probably pretty intimidated by it but once I knew how loving easy it was I've done my own brakes ever since. They can't believe I know how to do "things like that" and I can't believe there are people that will not learn how to do it and complain about the cost of getting it done. E: Especially with the invention of YouTube. I changed out a turbo on my car this summer after watching a video on it and realizing how easily accessible everything was and that I could do it in my driveway very easily.
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Sep 17, 2018 23:24
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I tried to explain to a neighbor once that I was not actually better off for knowing how to work on things as I was swapping a ring and pinion out in a lovely diesel work truck in my driveway.
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Sep 19, 2018 17:24
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Goddamnit, I just had a spill on a junction I take every day and I'm more pissed at the circumstances. It's absolutely lashing it down with rain and all around lovely as sewer drains are overflowing, despite having terrible visibility I managed to clear the A-road part of my trip and the rain also starts to clear as I get closer to home. Then this happens; I gently pull up to some lights (for a right turn which crosses a lane) behind three cars on red and come to a full stop, traffic in the lane to cross moves then stops and our light turns green, everyone slowly sets off for the tight turn and just as I commit into the turn (still on a green light) the stopped cars in the opposing lane lane decide to set off, so of course I quickly brake on sopping wet road sideways which causes me to lowside just barely outside their lane (they also just drive the gently caress off). gently caress I'm so annoyed as I take this route everyday that this shouldn't be a thing, there was no silly risk taking involved and it was obvious I was right behind someone getting into the same lane.
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Sep 21, 2018 16:47
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That sucks, friendo. I suggest you follow the American tradition of chasing them down, busting their mirrors, their face and their dreams.
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Sep 21, 2018 17:49
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pokie posted:That sucks, friendo. I suggest you follow the American tradition of chasing them down, busting their mirrors, their face and their dreams. please document your crimes via a poorly edited gopro video posted to youtube, titled MOTORCYCLE V IDIOT DRIVER sucks about the crash, at least it sounds like you weren't hurt
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Sep 21, 2018 18:48
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Did your bike get nicked as you were getting back up?
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Sep 21, 2018 20:41
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Would have honestly done me a favour if someone did, alas I still posses this unreliable piece of poo poo. As per british tradition I kept quiet, hosed off, and post about it on the internet. edit: plz send thoughts and prayers
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Sep 22, 2018 10:34
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Super Slash posted:Would have honestly done me a favour if someone did, alas I still posses this unreliable piece of poo poo. Understood. Sending sloths and players.
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Sep 22, 2018 17:34
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pokie posted:Understood. Sending sloths and players. Excuse me, the request was obviously for snots and brayers (aka elephants & donkeys).
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Sep 25, 2018 22:20
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Did some work on an R6 that the guy has just bought, I picked it up from his place without him being there. The bike has pretty clearly been set up as a track weapon by the PO - power commander, trick shock, quick shifter, nice tyres and bunch of other little touches here and there, all good stuff. After I did my thing I jump on it for the test ride and the rear suspension just...doesn't sag. I weigh just over 70kg on a good day and this thing is sagging so little with me on that my missus had trouble deciding if it was 4mm or 5mm (har har). Shock spring preload is backed right off. Clearly sprung for a substantially heavier rider, confirmed by having my ~85kg mate sit on it and get somewhat acceptable sag. Riding it is pretty scary. Forks are factory so all feels ok turning in, if a bit flighty, but the thing has no grip or feel in the rear. If you hit a small bump at WOT, perfectly upright, it develops a terrifying headshake that I feel lucky to have gotten out of. I didn't want to know what happens if you try using the gas in a corner. It's the first (choppers excepted) bike I've test ridden where I got part of the way up the test route and turned around out of fear of crashing. I deliver it to the guy and he's visibly smaller and lighter than me. I told him all of the above, emphasising that the bike can't generate traction with a light person on it, and suggested he should either sell the shock and put in a factory unit or track down a replacement spring suited to his weight. He sort of laughed it off and said 'it's sweet bro that's what throttles are for!' The fastest bike he's owned is an R3. 
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Oct 3, 2018 21:45
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Slavvy posted:He sort of laughed it off and said 'it's sweet bro that's what throttles are for!' Did you advice him to acquire a GoPro and amend his will accordingly?
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Oct 3, 2018 22:06
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Jesus Christ. I would have listened to you, Slavvy. That reminds me I should hit up one of those suspension dudes they have. I can't be assed to figure out how to properly set preload and sag and whatever wizardry
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Oct 4, 2018 18:17
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captainOrbital posted:Jesus Christ. I would have listened to you, Slavvy. It's really easy to set your sag and preload. There's a motion pro tool for like $20 that's good. e: $30. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1055/60974/Motion-Pro-Folding-Sag-Scale-II
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Oct 4, 2018 20:19
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The only thing I know about setting sag is whether to go with paneer or aloo.
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Oct 4, 2018 21:18
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builds character posted:It's really easy to set your sag and preload. There's a motion pro tool for like $20 that's good. poo poo, I've been meaning to set mine up and never did it. Does this make it a lot easier? It didn't seem like something that required a tool when I looked into it before, but I remember thinking I needed a person to help out.
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Oct 4, 2018 22:04
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