Fucked off beyond words....a new level of fucked off-ness

[motorbyclist]

How anyone can leap to the conclusion that Henderson Motorcycles are at any fault from the information provided is beyond me. .

agree 100%

there was infact a carby problem if i remember correctly, but if asked "what's wrong with the bike" a proper compression test would've indicated other things were amiss (rather than ixion's thumb test)

lol i suppose you work at/own the place? (and what was your old sig? what's the joke?)


note i am pretty anti-mechanics and bike shops unless i know the mechanic and/or he actually owns the same bike, but even then stuff goes wrong... i find it easier to do it myself and then there's only one person to blame and that's me.

[deanohit]

C'mon man, perfect excuse for a big bore!

[The Stranger:Me]

agree 100%

there was infact a carby problem if i remember correctly, but if asked "what's wrong with the bike" a proper compression test would've indicated other things were amiss (rather than ixion's thumb test)

lol i suppose you work at/own the place? (and what was your old sig? what's the joke?)

Well yes, but "IF" is the operative word here and there are many ifs about the whole scenario. I guess the difference between you and I is that I am not inclined to speculate on a maybe, I tend to rely on fact.

My sig was saying that Henderson Motorcycles are good bastards.
They have always looked after me very well when purchasing bikes, parts, accessories and for service.
It's no accident that a small shop at the back of Henderson on a minor road can survive and sell more Yamahas than many of the larger shops with main road exposure. They do have a high repeat customer rate, and for good reason.

I am sure that they have made errors, doesn't everyone?, I know I do.
It's not that you make an error so much as what you do about it, I actually find it an excellent opertunity.
Knowing what I do know of Adam, I would be very surprised if you were to raise an issue with him in an appropriate manner and he didn't seek to remedy it. He is a motorcyclist and has been for many many years and loves and respects bikes like the rest of us.

[Swoop]

None at all.

That and I haven't seen anything here to suggest there is a problem with their service.

Quite so.
I have used Henderson Motorcycles in the past. They performed a small miracle sorting out several problems on my old VFR. Good quality workmanship but slightly lacking in the communication department, just like most bike shops. A phone call to update the customer that there will be a delay in the bike being ready, is better than the customer being perturbed when it isn't ready at the agreed time.
As said before though, good quality workmanship!

[Metalor]

Bugger. That sucks mate!! Was just wondering about the death metal comments someone made... do you listen to metal? Was wondering cos I seem to be about the only person who listens to metal that goes to Auckland uni and rides a bike as far as I can tell. Keen to meet other metalhead bikers!

Oh, any other metal heads feel free to give me a PM.... especially if they enjoy beer!

[motorbyclist]

dude!

you should've come on saturday night!

[ital916]

Bugger. That sucks mate!! Was just wondering about the death metal comments someone made... do you listen to metal? Was wondering cos I seem to be about the only person who listens to metal that goes to Auckland uni and rides a bike as far as I can tell. Keen to meet other metalhead bikers!

Oh, any other metal heads feel free to give me a PM.... especially if they enjoy beer!

Haha yeah mate, I love a dose of the old metal and rock...and by dose I mean overdose. It has become a hated thing in the smc I think now. Whenver there is a catch up I pop the old metal/hard rock on and people give me angry looks! Well except andrew who is a westie he just carries on as usual. Come to the friday night chiller, there won't be any metal as we hang out in strata then which is a pretty "ponsy" place but it'll be a cool to to meet and talk bikes. Oh where do you park your volty, I've never seen one at uni.

[BANZAI]

Bugger. That sucks mate!! Was just wondering about the death metal comments someone made... do you listen to metal? Was wondering cos I seem to be about the only person who listens to metal that goes to Auckland uni and rides a bike as far as I can tell. Keen to meet other metalhead bikers!

Oh, any other metal heads feel free to give me a PM.... especially if they enjoy beer!

You ride Volty? Do you usually park at Symonds St? I saw one silver-ish colour parked there couple weeks ago.

Volty's handlebar and tank should fit my GN250 without problem

[Ixion]

agree 100%

there was infact a carby problem if i remember correctly, but if asked "what's wrong with the bike" a proper compression test would've indicated other things were amiss (rather than ixion's thumb test)

lol i suppose you work at/own the place? (and what was your old sig? what's the joke?)


note i am pretty anti-mechanics and bike shops unless i know the mechanic and/or he actually owns the same bike, but even then stuff goes wrong... i find it easier to do it myself and then there's only one person to blame and that's me.

Just so.

There were in fact two distinct and different issues

The first, that the front cylinder was not running at all. That was quite probably a carb problem, and a mechanic presented with "bike not running on one cylinder" would usually put carb near the top of the list. That issue is now fixed. We know the front cylinder is running because Mr D reports that it is smoking.

The second, unrelated issue, which could not be addressed, or even identified, until the first was fixed, is that the engine is worn. Cylinders show 70 to 90 psi on a gauge. But there may have been some leakage around the gauge adaptor, and my thumb, more accurate and finely calibrated than any gauge, says 80 front 100 rear. Those are low figures, below the "something needs to be done" mark. But not so low that the machine will not be usable.

The worn cylinders will cause high oil consumption (and smoke), and suboptimal performance (so much more professional a phrase than 'gutless as a finnan haddie')

However, performance is a relative thing. And any old bike will likely be down on performance over new. It is a risk that must be accepted when buying an old machine .

It is hardly fair to slate Henderson Motorcycles for failing to diagnose engine wear when presented with 'front cylinder not running'

If the problem presented to them had been 'low comprerssion and low power' I am sure their diagnosis would have been different. But, that problem could not be identified until both cylinders were running.

[motorbyclist]

well it's a good thing for all of us i don't get mechanics to look at my bikes isn't then

last time i sent one in was to a mechanic who owned/raced the same model bike, with the instructions "find what's wrong with the no. 3 carby, balance the carbies, and a new air filter please".
he did the first two fine, but upon looking at the new foam filter some weeks later, he had just cut out the paper and replaced with foam. that was ok he asked me first, saying it was common practice on that bike (google showed the same and new filter was in japan 2 weeks pay away). what he didn't do was actually use some grease or glue or anything to seal the edges of the foam, particulary in the corners, and left the foam dry. sure enough when i next had a look there was all sorts of grit and crap that had gotten around the filter and dust that had worked through sitting around the velocity stacks(? is that what they're called? those rubber cone things on the carbies). i'm not a fan of grit and crap going into my engine, not at all.

safe to say next time i need carby work (which until then balancing was the only work i left to the pros), it's google and a "wtf won't my bike run" thread here on KB to guide me through the process. that way i don't get pissed off at mechanics and they don't get harrassed by a fussy customer

[Metalor]

Kool, might come along if I find the time. I park my bike on Symonds st, either outside the IC building or the gym. It's burgundy (redish) with a dent from a knee in the tank and munched up front guard...

[ital916]

I died today...I found out how much it would cost to fix engine and then I died. Labour costs stuff all it's the bloody parts that cost a fortune but they are the only ones which fit.......

[MGST]

Can't you get a whole second-hand engine and throw it in there? But then again maybe that might not be a good idea cos the one yo bought in the bike was second hand too. Or put in some Wynns for oil? or Motorup shit? so it does smoke so much?

Basically, it sounds like YOUR SCREWED! looks like plenty of overtime at where ever you work and no beer for months! Look at it this way, while a full engine rebuild will cost you big pin ( relatively, cos your a poor student, so it's big pin to you ), when it is all said and done, you know then you have got a new motor and it will last for a very long time if you maintain it. I hate to sound mean, but with your crash history, a new engine will outlast the rest of the bike.

Serious now. Now, some hard questions you need to sit down and think about seriously in the cold light of a fresh winter's morning, from someone whose been there, done that. Is it worth spending big pin on a new motor when, based on previous indescretions, the bike will be heavily damaged in the not to distant future? We all know you are itching to get back on the road again, so in the cold light of day is it not quicker / cheaper / easier to go and buy a cheap GN250 or similar, which will get you on the road again, not cost you a fortune in maintenace ( saving $$ ), and if you do crash it it's not the end of the world? Also, doing that will allow you to still be a biker with the gang, but also buy you some time to save money and fix you project bike properly, rather than doing a half-arsed patch-up job just to get you on the road, which will end up costing you more in the long run cos it won't be done properly the first time.

Failing all that, you may have to cut you loses and sell the bike with a fucked engine, recover as much money as you can from it, write the rest off to experience, and get something in good mechanical order.

But the last piece of advice here for now is - DON"T RUSH!!! What ever you end up doing, think about it for more than 5 minutes over a beer with the boys. Weigh up all your options and think about the pros and cons of each one, and hopefully one option will come out ahead.

[Squiggles]

I cant find shit all on SRV pistons. Do we know if they are the same as XV250 ones? Any dimensions given in the manual you have?

[ital916]

Thanks for the advice MGST, I do appreciate it. First, even with the engine rebuild, the bike will be coming in under 3k which for a 250 is an alright price compared to some of the ridiculous prices you see on trademe. Also once the engine is done she is pretty much complete, only a can to be put on and a bit of leather patching on the seat so 3k gets me a bike that not only runs sweet due to the fact it has a newly rebuilt engine but also one that is personalised to what I like and I can have pride in owning it. Spending 1000 on a budget gn just to get back on the road is in my eyes the rush thing to do, I'd rather wait two more weeks and get the engine rebuilt and the bike done up good and proper, she is a gorgeous bike and I won't be selling her ever, as it will get passed on to my mum when I get my full.

Second, don't bring crashing into this, it has no relevance to doing the bike up, so I had a bit of misfortune with my previous bike. But it is difficult to comment on those incidents if you were not there or didn't know the full stories. Now that isn't saying it wasn't my fault, as a new rider I made mistakes and learnt the hard way, but you should know mate, I am one of the most careful riders out there. Always wearing my gear and probably the only one who sits at 100 on the open road! So no talking shit about crashing as I don't plan to ever again. I look after my bikes, my previous rg150 got royal treatment for a two stroke, she got banged up but was always looked after! I do remember that you rode for a whiole year wiothout checking you tyre pressures? Also if were talking about crashing, that rule should probably put ehab into the get a budget bike cos you will probably crash/drop it soon category and hanne too *for stationary drops not moving one, though they still count as bins*.

I do appreciate your advice though. Oh and I will be putting crash knobs on her when funds arrive.