Can anyone tell me why bike shops only open for half a day on Sunday?

[Morcs]

The best thing cycletreads ever did, was open on sundays.

Im sure thats both from a business and consumer point of view too.

Go figure.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Exactly right, what is often missed is that engine dynos are comparators. As long as you are using the same dyno, the same operator and the same pedantic warm up, heat soak and run procedures you are going to get excellent repeatability and wont be fooling yourself. It wouldnt matter if the dyno was calibrated in units of bananas, its still only a bloody comparator.
Moreover I think dyno sheets and their bragging rights are very often akin to men comparing the size of their wedding tackle or women comparing the size of their feet enshading devices....
Big horsepower also doesnt always equate to race wins either, as the Pirelli slogan goes ''horsepower is nothing without control''

Really easy to replicate things with our dyno, as we take the rear wheel out and drive a hydraulic pump. No wheelspin or slippage here. Torque is what we're after too..not outright HP.

[Big Dave]

>> BLOODY STOP WITH THE WHINING about how hard done you are cos people order from overseas off the net.<<

OK - If you fix the thing yourself, import your own replacement parts, get your own service data, and get your own advice about what to do when the parallel importer moves on, and don't bring it in here looking to trade it on something with backup either.

[Ixion]

Following that argument, why aren't you doing just so? Instead of whinning and moaning on the internet. You know, you can't please all the people all the time. It's their business, their decision, just like it's your money and your decision.

I am. But, I'd rather my money stayed in NZ. For lots of reasons. So , if I could get what I need locally I would. Even if it cost a bit more. But if I have to take 2 hours off work at a cost of $100 to go and buy a $20 part, then the effective cost is too high. I can probably get it delivered to my door for $15. And no time off work.

And then what happens, when I need the $500 part, I'll go overseas again cos I've got in the habit now. Cos the local bike shops just make it too hard to deal with them.

But, all that money going overseas is money that ISN'T going into Kiwis pockets. I'd prefer it to stay here. But the attitude of the trade makes it too hard to justify.

[Ixion]

>> BLOODY STOP WITH THE WHINING about how hard done you are cos people order from overseas off the net.<<

OK - If you fix the thing yourself, import your own replacement parts, get your own service data, and get your own advice about what to do when the parallel importer moves on.

Yep, yep, yep, and yep.

But it's really sales that's being discussed here. not service.

The guys who do bike SERVICE seem much more on the ball. Like that Motorcycle Doctor fellow - apparently he comes to the customer. He's got the idea.

And in the car service trade I've found no problem locating service people who can work with my schedule.

Sales is the area that seems firmly stuck in the twentieth century.

[merv]

We used to survive just fine with shops open 9-5, 5 days a week once not that long ago...

Way back then as I mentioned you are missing the fact they were open late night on Friday, at least they were in Napier where I was until the early 70's. Denill from this site ran the Honda shop then and me and my Bro's did the customary swing by his place and Jack Burns on Fridays. It resulted in a number of sales to our family at the time and that was also when we'd get our parts & accessories.

Then sure we saved the weekend for riding and I'm still happy with that.

Me, I'm not wanting 24/7, I just want some time where we can overlap. The hours mentioned in ChCh are coming close but I'm saying 7pm at least on one week night would suit me - 6pm is still a bit early.

[Big Dave]

>>The best thing cycletreads ever did, was open on sundays.<<

I though we were mainly talking about Vehicle sales.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Way back then as I mentioned you are missing the fact they were open late night on Friday, at least they were in Napier where I was until the early 70's. Denill from this site ran the Honda shop then and me and my Bro's did the customary swing by his place and Jack Burns on Fridays. It resulted in a number of sales to our family at the time and that was also when we'd get our parts & accessories.

Then sure we saved the weekend for riding and I'm still happy with that.

Me, I'm not wanting 24/7, I just want some time where we can overlap. The hours mentioned in ChCh are coming close but I'm saying 7pm at least on one week night would suit me - 6pm is still a bit early.

Problem is Merv...people have changed with the times too. I've worked in two bike shops that do a late Fri night. TOTAL waste of time. All you get now is pissed c*nts wanting to test ride your bikes...and kicking them over when you politely refuse.

[Big Dave]

Several retailers have forwarded me offers that they will pay Ixion NOT to shop in their store.

[CRF119]

Most bike shops are small, and i thought alot of them only opend half a day on saturday. To make it easy for the people that work all week and dont get the time to make it in they should do a late night.

Some hobby shops in Europe open at 1pm to 10pm so people can make it to them after work.

I work in retail and saturdays im closed at 12.30 on the dot no later. Weekends are most important for bike time

[Robert Taylor]

Really easy to replicate things with our dyno, as we take the rear wheel out and drive a hydraulic pump. No wheelspin or slippage here. Torque is what we're after too..not outright HP.

Yep, slippage is one of the big downfalls of Dynojet, also that the engineers lost control of that company many moons ago. The spec and concept of your dyno makes a whole load more sense.

[imdying]

Exactly right, what is often missed is that engine dynos are comparators. As long as you are using the same dyno, the same operator and the same pedantic warm up, heat soak and run procedures you are going to get excellent repeatability and wont be fooling yourself. It wouldnt matter if the dyno was calibrated in units of bananas, its still only a bloody comparator.

Which is of course true, but one small point... How much confidence in your abilities do you think it instills in your customer if you produce a 150hp dyno reading for a 110hp bike? Or do you think the average customer is just going to think your a bunch of incompetent arseholes? I mean, if they can't correctly setup a dyno to produce a figure that is close to accurate, what are the chances that they'll be able to setup a bike?

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

>>The best thing cycletreads ever did, was open on sundays.<<

I though we were mainly talking about Vehicle sales.

Nope, the original question was in relation to bike shops - specifically including parts, gear and bike sales and excluding workshops.

[merv]

Problem is Merv...people have changed with the times too. I've worked in two bike shops that do a late Fri night. TOTAL waste of time. All you get now is pissed c*nts wanting to test ride your bikes...and kicking them over when you politely refuse.

Now you've probably hit the nail on the head, society has changed. How me and my Bro's behaved in say 1969 is so different than people that are the age we were then but now. Napier used to have everyone cruising Emerson street, arm on the door out the window of the Ford V8, MKI or MKII Zephyr etc and the bikers were the milkbar cowboys - well the drinking age was 21 and most people sort of behaved else they'd get a hiding from their old man and bseides until 1967 the pubs closed at 6pm.

I really did see the change came with that oil crisis of '74, an era was lost and never returned. By the time of the big numbers of bike sales in the 80's, no-one lived that pattern any more.

I can but live a dream huh! I'd still like to be able to get some stuff after work though even if we aren't doing our milkshakes and icecream while acting tough and eyeing up the chicks on the street coz we were too young to drink.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Which is of course true, but one small point... How much confidence in your abilities do you think it instills in your customer if you produce a 150hp dyno reading for a 110hp bike? Or do you think the average customer is just going to think your a bunch of incompetent arseholes? I mean, if they can't correctly setup a dyno to produce a figure that is close to accurate, what are the chances that they'll be able to setup a bike?

Not a problem. If you want us to use your valuable time simply telling you what sort of HP your bike makes...we can do that. We simply find most people actually want IMPROVEMENTS.

We must be doing something right too. Mine was by far the fastest 883 Twinsport bike out there till Brett bought his to us!