SPV Dunedin: Useless

**RobRod** · 23rd June 2009, 20:59

Originally Posted by hayden123

Just got my bike back from SPV Dunedin after THREE MONTHS. Can't really say it's going much better than it was when I took it in. After it had been there for a week they told me it needed new carby seals and they would have to be ordered in from Japan which would take about a month. A month later I call them and they tell me they couldn't actually get the seals as Kawasaki don't make them any more. They made no effort whatsoever to find some second hand ones or even to contact me. He told me that I should try some wreckers but if I can't get some then he doesn't know what to do with the bike. I look on ebay and there's 26 of them. Once the carby seals turn up I take them in and he says the bike's going ok but still not idling very well and needs some other seal replaced. This takes another two weeks to turn up from Kawasaki. I call them once this is sorted and they say it's STILL not idling properly but that I may as well come and pick it up. I get there at 3.30 on a Saturday but they close at 2. My fault of course but then my dad goes in there the following Saturday morning to pick it up and they've taken the fucking thing to bits again to mess with it after they said it was ready. So I wait yet another week and then my dad goes in again to get it. They ask if he has a trailer to take it incase it won't start. They inspect the fuel system and discover THERE IS STILL GUNK IN THE FUEL TANK. Wouldn't this be the first thing you would check? No wonder it won't idle well for fuck sake. He then tells my dad that he thinks this bike's a bit of a dud and that I should sell it and cut my losses. What a wanker.

Overall, I think the guys at this place don't really give a shit about old bikes. They have a Kawasaki dealership and this is undoubtedly where they make the majority of their money. I do not recommend taking any bike here to be serviced and I can't stress enough what a bunch of idiots these guys are.

Hey you have just gone on about SPV not getting your bike right and offering poor service, have you bothered to tell them this or is it okay just to burn them without them realising your frustration at there service.Especially as it took 3 months??? Did MCR do any better in the idle problem repair. The bike may have multiple problems which haven't all become apparent yet. so always approach these things with a open mind.
Sometimes with older or worn engines it comes down to a comprimise of how much do you spend versus how many bits are required and which repair has priority.

**tychver** · 23rd June 2009, 23:17

How much is your time worth? How much is being without the bike for a while worth? How much is their time worth?

If you're planning to own the bike for a while start getting your hands dirty. It'll be cheaper and more rewarding. Tools will be an investment, but unless you're doing serious spannering generally repco crap will do.

The fantastic Ninja 250 FAQ is a good start.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Intake

Cleaning the tank through isn't that hard, when you put it back on install an inline fuel filter.

There's also a GPX250 service manual here:
http://pdftown.com/Kawasaki-GPX250-Service-Manual.html

I only use MCR, and so far only for tires. I'll be down on their dyno soon probably though. Which could get expensive.

**Brian d marge** · 23rd June 2009, 23:29

Originally Posted by NOWOOL

Without asking him first, I'll reccomend Phil Ford here in Middlemarch, 70 kms up highway 87 from Dunedin when it comes to working on old bikes.....he has a shed of them he's restoring and he's passionate about old bikes and each one he works on....he has a extensive library and follows everything by the book. If a part isn't available then he has it made to factory tolerances. He's not a commercial repair shop but he walks you through and shows and explains everything he does while he does it.....when you leave his garage you actually learned how to do it. just walking through his garage and seeing his rare bikes in different states of restorations is a treat.
A carton of smokes and a bottle of scotch or a case of beer will greatly lessen the charges...last i checked he charges $20 an hour.
I'm sure many here know him...he's been a kiwi biker influence for 20 years.

Its what a bike shop should be ... ( though making stuff for a jap bike can get expensive real quick

Stephen

**Robert Taylor** · 23rd June 2009, 23:43

Originally Posted by RobRod

Hey you have just gone on about SPV not getting your bike right and offering poor service, have you bothered to tell them this or is it okay just to burn them without them realising your frustration at there service.Especially as it took 3 months??? Did MCR do any better in the idle problem repair. The bike may have multiple problems which haven't all become apparent yet. so always approach these things with a open mind.
Sometimes with older or worn engines it comes down to a comprimise of how much do you spend versus how many bits are required and which repair has priority.

Well said and so true.