State Of The Industry

[sidecar bob]

When I bought my R1200gs a few years back, I though, ok, this time I've done enough that I don't need or want to know how this bike comes apart, I just want to enjoy it the same as a person that doesn't have a clue how bikes even work.
Once to the dealer and I was completely cured of that kind of crazy thinking.

[nzspokes]

I bought a 1200 Bandit from a dealer. Took it back and told them it was leaking at the headers to the mid pipe.

Two days to fix and was told it was better than new.

It was leaking worse. I took it back. Mechanic laughed at me and said if he puts his hand over the tail pipe the motor will stop as he did such a great job.

It kept idling happly. He was pissed and could never fix it right.

Did it myself in the end.

[sidecar bob]

I bought a 1200 Bandit from a dealer. Took it back and told them it was leaking at the headers to the mid pipe.

Two days to fix and was told it was better than new.

It was leaking worse. I took it back. Mechanic laughed at me and said if he puts his hand over the tail pipe the motor will stop as he did such a great job.

It kept idling happly. He was pissed and could never fix it right.

Did it myself in the end.

You can't even make the idle change by holding your hand over a 4 stroke multi exhaust pipe, let alone stall the engine.

[geoffm]

My SV1000 got taken into MR Motorcycles for the 24000km service. They didn't plug the fan back in, SVs run warm and it boiled like a kettle (like really, really boiled) while stuck in traffic on a trip to wellington. Very hard to pull over on the hutt bridge and motorway and no water around.
Careless to say the least.

[tri boy]

Understaffing and paying peanuts, would that be a part of this sort of thing happening? Agree on customers not knowing better, the days of backyard wrenching being a standard part of growing up appear to be over.

As per the others above, feedback is useful here - we all need good, honest mechanics, and the good ones deserve the income they earn.

Paying peanuts is a fair comment. But also realise its only a motorcycle. Not important as say shelter, (ie a home) or fresh water etc.
Theres no real money in the industry because it is entertainment. Even a very basic machine like a pavement roller is worth far more than your average motorcycle.
Therfore monetry reward is pathetic compared with other trades like electricans, diseal mechanics etc.

These tradies are involved in industries with massive profits and untold work.
The truth is, its a hobby that supplies a few peanuts for the work. Unless your katman, Then all riders grovel to him, and hang onto every word he says.

[jellywrestler]

Even a very basic machine like a pavement roller is worth far more than your average motorcycle.

are you saying that harleys are above average then?

[Berries]

No, he said they were best used as a pavement roller.

[Kickaha]

No, he said they were best used as a pavement roller.

roller or filler ?

[nodrog:Me]

Paying peanuts is a fair comment. But also realise its only a motorcycle. Not important as say shelter, (ie a home) or fresh water etc.
Theres no real money in the industry because it is entertainment. Even a very basic machine like a pavement roller is worth far more than your average motorcycle.
Therfore monetry reward is pathetic compared with other trades like electricans, diseal mechanics etc.

These tradies are involved in industries with massive profits and untold work.
The truth is, its a hobby that supplies a few peanuts for the work. Unless your katman, Then all riders grovel to him, and hang onto every word he says.

Are you having a laugh? Heard of farms?

[sidecar bob]

Are you having a laugh? Heard of farms?

Heard of cows?

[nodrog:Me]

Heard of cows?

Flock me......

[spanner spinner]

Understaffing and paying peanuts, would that be a part of this sort of thing happening?

As above the reasons I got out of the industry. Trying to attract and hold on to good staff is next to impossible, and any good staff you do get or train up to a competent level are constantly being poached by other shops.

You mainly end up with staff who want to work in the motorcycle industry as they are motorcyclists. This is good to start with as the enthusiasm level is high, but if you want to be cured of your enthusiasm for your hobby do it for a job. New staff tend to think the job will be like being at a motorcycle rally, stand round all day talking motorcycles with the customers who come in the door but you get payed to do this. The reality is very different you need to extract every dollar you can out of the customers coming in the door with out ripping them off (as they then don't come back and you need that return business) as the margins are so tight and overheads at most shops are so high (rent wages etc) you need all the sales you can get just to survive, this doesn't leave a lot of time to just stand round shooting the breeze with some one who is not contributing to the business bottom line. And as under-staffing seem to be the norm you will be lucky to have time to stand round doing nothing.

watching the enthusiasm get ripped out of new staff by the job was never fun, and some of the realities of working in the industry hit hard. Many new staff think that you will get to ride all the new cool bikes coming out. In reality you don't often get to ride the new stuff as anything cool is in short supply as everyone wants one so are all presold to customers, and most shop owners don't want to many k's on the demos as it reduces there resale price so borrowing one for the weekend just to go for a ride on the new (insert make model here) is usually quite difficult.

And as the bikes get more electronics heaped onto them and get more and more technical the cost of the tooling you need to hold to repair them increases. But your average customer doesn't want to pay for this or your training or expertise as it just a toy and needs to be as cheap as possible to run to keep the holder of the household finances off there back. This pushes this cost back on the dealership and as the money for this has to come from somewhere it comes out of some other business operating cost, and wages are an easy place to start. As has been said pay peanuts get monkeys, but just remember this this monkey is working on you 300km per hour capable super-bike and you do not want it to go wrong at half that speed.

[tri boy]

Are you having a laugh? Heard of farms?

Priced a farm tractor compared to a mud bug?
Farm managers couldn't give a shit about 4 wheelers, But a cooked tractor/out of order milking shed gets their attention, (and the bank).

[nodrog:Me]

Priced a farm tractor compared to a mud bug?
Farm managers couldn't give a shit about 4 wheelers, But a cooked tractor/out of order milking shed gets their attention, (and the bank).

Fuckin lol. Priced a decent quad and Service intervals against a road bike? That's where bike shops make money.

And you must know some fuckin useless farm managers, especially when most new quads and side by sides are sold with a service plan in place. where they are picked up and taken away to be serviced at set intervals by the shop. They even leave a loan bike while yours is getting the worlds most expensive service.

[TLDV8]

Late 2016 I decided I would get a new bike which ended up being a Honda Africa Twin DCT... I had contacted a large dealership by email close to where I lived north of Sydney but got no reply, so the next time I was home (28 days away/6 back) I dropped in, they seemed to change their tune when it was revealed i was a cash buyer and they seemed to have amnesia regarding my prior contact.
Anyway they said they had a manual bike on the way and I could test ride it, but it never showed up so I ended up buying one based on internet feedback.

I got them to send some pics in the crate, notice the chain and all they really had to do was fit the front wheel and mudguard along with the number plate and surround, the centre stand is free on the DCT but they would have to order it as a single item.

Anyway the day comes to pick it up in January 2017, they roll it from the showroom floor to outside (I was not allowed due to liability)
I notice the chain is tight and outside check it , the decal on the chain guard says 40 mm slack on the side stand, it has around 15 mm so ask what that is about.

They get a 'tech who is maybe 20 yo.... he informs me and I quote him... The chain will stretch over the first 1000 kms and at the first service the "filings" will come out with the first engine oil change.
I limped it home and adjusted the chain, after the first big ride (NSW to QLD, about 1000kms) I notice the two bolts holding the front fender on the l/h side have fallen out so I go over the bike.... the axle pinch bolts that side are, outer one super tight, the inner half of that.... I then notice their dealership number plate surround is on upside down and later find the bolt holding the battery ground cable to the engine is finger tight.... The centre stand took 12 months to turn up but did in the end, I got a recall for the circlip but it would be a two day job so declined... other than that its a great bike but has never seen a dealership since I rode it out the gate and never will.
Most likely just luck of the draw but of the three new bikes I have bought here since 2008 (DR650) all had some form of drama or dishonesty.