New spanner man in Christchurch area

[Spanner Man]

Hi to all,

I am new to this form and am looking forward to getting to know you all better.

I am a fully qualified motorcycle mechanic, i trained in the UK and have 8 years experience from there in a wide range of road bikes and have been working here in NZ for 2 years working on all sorts.

I am interested in trying to provide a better level of service to people here and would like to hear you views and oppinions on what you expect from a bike service and repair centre.

I have been doing some work from home and am looking to expand on this by providing people with what they want.

I hope this doesn't encourage slating of existing bike shops however to find out what you like about a service and what you dislike without naming names will help me generate a better idea of what kind of service to try and provide people to enable me to expand what i am doing now.

I look forward to your oppinions.

Spanner Man

[KiwiPhoenix]

Welcome to the forum!!

[CookMySock]

There's already plenty of slating going on, some of it warranted.

I think mostly people just want straight-up communication, a fair hourly rate, no gouging on the parts prices, and someone to not be rude to them. Oh and the want the job done they paid for.

Steve

[p.dath]

Welcome aboard! Ignore any abuse, and just take the positive away.

You'll find a recent thread on what people want ...
EDIT: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/121688-The-chance-of-a-lifetime-You-are-asked-to-start-a-bike-shop.-How-should-it-be-done

[onearmedbandit]

Welcome to the forum. And to answer your question, for the most part communication. And honest time frames. I'm happy to pay the right money for the right job, and I realise some jobs take longer than others to get right, and sometimes suppliers can stuff you around with parts etc, but keep me informed and be realistic with quoted time frames. If a job is going to take 2 weeks, tell me up front. I'd rather be in the picture nd understanding rather than feeling like I'm being fed lies (eg 'ah yeah, should be ready tues arvo. Ah yeah will be thurs now. Sorry looks like it's going to be monday now...').

[Spanner Man]

Thanks all for your comments so far. I have been reading through the previous post in the link above and the entries so far in this thread and its all good and not too disimilar to the way things worked in the UK. Even there, whilst i was in the trade and able to buy bits at cost i frequently bought items from abroad over the net as the price difference was huge. Most of the stuff i was getting was form the states and were genuine parts.

The company i really enjoyed working for in the uk was a small non franchise shop run by two brothers who had pretty much dedicated their whole life to motorcycling and providing a high quality of service at a respectable price. The same with the parts and accesories they stocked not the flashest but good quality fair priced stuff. Not as cheap as the net but relied on customer loyalty to overcome that.

This business is stilll going stong despite one brother being killed in a bike accident last year, (he was my mentor during my training) they are expanding every year and have just recently purchased a dyno. This business model is the one i favour and it's never going to make me ritch but should provide me with a sustainable income to survive doing the work i enjoy most.

Their un-written company moto was to try and be for bikers by bikers.

They were not greasy sales guys and not up themselfs tech's but knew what they were talking about and i have yet to find anyone within this industry with such a level of knowledge.

This is what i hope to achieve and be able to provide people here and continue with the mentality i was taught as an apprentice. A solid business that grows as its customers become more satisfied and pass the word around.

[jim.cox]

Welcome to the KB madhouse, Spanner Man

In answer tio your question - the thing i most value is "a good job, done well"

I like to have cionfidence in the work, and the person doing it.

I dont mind paying for service - but I wont pay (twice) for crap.

And when I find a place I trust, I stick with them

So do you have any experience in servicing DellOrto PH carbs?

[Spanner Man]

Welcome to the KB madhouse, Spanner Man

In answer tio your question - the thing i most value is "a good job, done well"

I like to have cionfidence in the work, and the person doing it.

I dont mind paying for service - but I wont pay (twice) for crap.

And when I find a place I trust, I stick with them

So do you have any experience in servicing DellOrto PH carbs?

Thanks for your input Jim.cox this is all valuable info to me and what i had hope to hear, Basically that people like to have a propper job done and to be treated like a real person.

In response to your question about the carb i have had some dealings with these carbs but i wouldn't call myself a guru, however i am happy to have a look for you. I believe in not charging people if a cannot help them so if you would like i can have a look see and let you know what i think. What bike is it off, out of curiosity?

[zeemax]

Well done spanner man you sound like someone who just want to do a good job and meet some new bikes/owners. You know you are now an information resource for bikers in Christchurch tho!

[Spanner Man]

That is tru. However i think advise should always be free. If people are going to have a go themselfs then they will find out what they want from somewhere, be it then net or somewhere else. All i can do is try and help and hope that those that i help will think of me first if they have something that they dont want to try themselfs.

People will alwasys want to tinker with their bikes thats the nature of the industry, with the net out there providing more and more info more and more people are trying it. Sometimes its not as easy as it sounds and thats where i come in. You cant learn experience or a feel for something off someone else that only comes with doing the jobs day in day out and years in the trade.

[hayd3n]

That is tru. However i think advise should always be free. If people are going to have a go themselfs then they will find out what they want from somewhere, be it then net or somewhere else. All i can do is try and help and hope that those that i help will think of me first if they have something that they dont want to try themselfs.

People will alwasys want to tinker with their bikes thats the nature of the industry, with the net out there providing more and more info more and more people are trying it. Sometimes its not as easy as it sounds and thats where i come in. You cant learn experience or a feel for something off someone else that only comes with doing the jobs day in day out and years in the trade.

live long and prospure

[Subike]

So ,
If found saw a modification that has been done with success on the nett.......
that was a performance enhancement specifically for my bike.........
which had been proven to be a good mod by many other owners of the same bike overseas...and...
If I had the parts and the information as to how to do the mod,......and......
it did not was not something that would be a potential road safey issue......and....
it was not something that would take anymore than two- three hours,
But I dont have the confidence to do the mod by myself.....
You would be the guy to ask assistance from?
For a price of course!

[Okey Dokey]

Welcome aboard kb, spanner man, and best of luck with your business. :)

[Spanner Man]

So ,
If found saw a modification that has been done with success on the nett.......
that was a performance enhancement specifically for my bike.........
which had been proven to be a good mod by many other owners of the same bike overseas...and...
If I had the parts and the information as to how to do the mod,......and......
it did not was not something that would be a potential road safey issue......and....
it was not something that would take anymore than two- three hours,
But I dont have the confidence to do the mod by myself.....
You would be the guy to ask assistance from?
For a price of course!

Yea, I'm keen to help if i can. More info on what you would like help with would be good. PM me if you like.