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For the record, before we go any further down this road, I am a mechanic myself and work on my own stuff. I don't take my bikes to shops and part of the reason is the outrageous service rates. Another reason is the fact that most "mechanics" at shops are hacks.
The Shop
I do this stuff on the side and charge $40/hr. I have stands and will wipe down the bike with sc1 and lube their chain at no cost(assuming its not caked in mud). In their mind theyre getting a steal on labor and their stuff is coming back cleaner than they dropped it off.
Where the incentive comes into play is number of hours charged and how many come backs the mechanic has, meaning what % of equipment has to come back because of same issue.
At least when I worked in a OEM dealership shop this is how it worked.
Then we would still charge .7 hours to do a tire change on the bike, even if it was a GL1500, which I believe the book said 1.5 hours to do the rear tire. The frantic pace trying to maximize your efficiency led me to leave the bike shop and get into heavy industrial maintenance at twice the pay and benefits, at a much more leisurely pace.
While I was there, i told the service writer to go ahead and quote me for a tube change. The guy quoted me $137. I started laughing and said how is that possible? Keep in mind I am a service writer myself for Ford.
He proceeds to tell me how, they have to break down the tire from the rear axle, remove the tube, replace the tube, put the tire back on, and then the axle.
I laughed again, at this point it was really entertaining for me. So I asked him how long it would take? He replied about an hour. Uh huh..... even with a tire machine? Yep he replied.
I’ll take the tube
Pit Row
of most stuff that comes in. Farm quads with cow shit plastered under the fenders and caked on the motor. Jet skis with more mold and mildew in them than a penicillin factory. Bikes that may get hosed off but have never seen an air hose and everything is rusted. Literally some guy picked his new kx450 up, went and trail rode it, mind you its oregon in February, came back late that afternoon to drop it off for its first service. Couldn't even tell what brand it was. Honestly, the dealership is geared towards the farm quad, SXS, streetbike crowds more than the hard-core moto guys. The shop rates directly reflect this. You need to keep in mind, most of you guys here know how to take care of your stuff, the dealership is there for the people with the money, that either don't have the time or knowledge. If you wanna play, you gotta pay, just depends on how you're willing to pay.
Your techs can make you $100 in an hour or less, yet the service manager still treats them like dirt. They're arguably one of the most valuable assets and easiest money makers for you. Charge an hour to clean a carb, takes the tech 15 mins, Charge the customer $80-$100 for the "hour" it took. Pay the tech for the estimated hour instead of the 15 minutes.
You wouldn't have a bevy of bikes with angry customers waiting for their shit to be finished all the time, and you would have happier employees. I don't get it.
Fator’s Husky-KTM-Suzuki
Lee’s Honda-Kawasaki-Polaris
That’s up in Redding, CA.
Both have been excellent in both work & price.
All the while, I am kinda bummed that there a lot of you seem to be stuck with mediocre dealers. If I were stuck in that situation, I’d d find a good “shade tree” mechanic in my area...like Big Lenny. Remember him? He does all sorts of work on other people’s scoots. And I don’t think he charges enough!
My race/track bikes are built and maintained by AMA pro-mechanics &...on occasion, I have an engine...or two...or five...built at Twisted Development. Certainly not cheap; but, from Rip to Cabo to a full year of racing...their motors are fast AND dependable.
That all can cost money; but, in the long run...
No crazy breakdowns.
Things are serviced/replaced correctly.
My sprocket bolts are torqued.
And I’m always stoked at how well my bikes work.
Go find “your” mechanic.
And for all of you that “Do your own thing”...
More power to ya!
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