Clueless bike owners

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by fastdruid

Is it just me that sees 'no user servicable parts' as a challenge?

Druid

Has that phrase ever actually come true?

[Speedy]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Technicians/mechanics/fitters. The best guys around here are the old boys who can actually FIX things rather than just throwing money at problems in new parts.

Er yeah......(Dave bites his tongue!). I've been working on Cars, Bikes, Vans, Karts since I was 5, OK, with my Dad at that age, But rebuilt my first bike, a TS Suzuki, when I was 10! I'm 30 now, so have a fair amount of experience in "fixing" things.

Firstly, thats NOT what I do. With parts that ARE fixable, I fix them.

Unfortunately, as vehicles get newer, most parts are not repairable, but are of a modular construction, whereby when they go wrong, they are replaced.

The difference between a Technician and a "fitter" is that, certainly in my case, a Tech DOES NOT throw parts at a problem, spending peoples' money hoping to cure a problem with luck, they DIAGNOSE the problem accurately, THEN fix the problem.

And while I agree that some of the Old ways are the best ways, unfortunately they sometimes cannot be used with MODERN vehicles.

As for the "old boys" fixing things, yeah maybe on something they're used to, but to stay good at fixing things, you need to keep up with todays technology, which moves on quickly.

Thats why I go on training courses to keep learning, to keep getting better at my profession and to stay ahead of the "old boys"!

[yorkie_chris]

That wasn't a dig at you, it was a dig at the generic "kwik fit" type.

[Speedy]

No,no. Didn't think it was aimed at me personally. But there are some excellent mechanics/technicians out there and I'm speaking on behalf of those people.

Unfortunately though there are some EXTREMELY bad, I wouldn't call them Techs or mechanics, "Fitters" out there, in those "Quick" repair places. They, given something Technical, would be way out of their depth.

What doesn't encourage good working practice is the way in which the employers pay their staff, ie commission or bonus incentives.

I know this, because I have had to rectify many wrongly diagnosed vehicles that have been to these places or even rescued by certain top-name recovery companies.

Where I work, a main dealer in Westerham, Kent, my employers push us to "up-sell" on every car that comes into the workshop or MOT bay.

I absolutely dissagree with this attitude, so much so, that I have had many a clash with my so-called manager and the directors of the SEAT dealership!

My personal work ethics are simple. Be honest, do whats required, but do it better than anyone else. That way, I rarely get any "comeback" jobs, even though I no longer enjoy repairing cars.

There is a massive push at the moment for "finding" work. This is fundamentally wrong. I cannot and will not work to this idea. However, in all instances, the pressure is upon all in the motortrade, be it bikes or cars.

My advice is, if you need something done that you can't do yourself, speak to the Tech or mechanic that will be or is working on your vehicle......You won't get any BS. (unless they don't know what they're doing!)

No, YC, no probs, wasn't attacking you!!!

Heh I guess it's your comfort zone.
I love working with and fixing stuff and learning how it works.
I will happily rip a several grand PC or bit of technology apart if something goes wrong to see if I can fix it as I'm confident I know enough that in the worst case scenario, I'll put it back as it was, but my bike!! I know I don't know enough that I could make a small issue a major issue

I do the basics every weekend, Tyres, Oil, Fluid, Cleaning, Lubing, waxing etc but adjusting the chain (when I'm riding a chain drive anyway..), and adjusting suspension is about as far as I'll go.

I'll happily use the manual to try and check sparks and fuses, maybe even change a bulb but anything goes wrong and I'll quickly get over my head and take it to a service.
Heck I'll even adjust my brake and clutch tension to sit where I want it but at the end of the day if I mess up and a wheel falls off or a fuel line leaks or a bit of wiring gets caught round the headstock....I don't want to risk it .

That said if I had someone local who does their own service I'd love to come by and watch, learn and provide the post service beer

I do all the work on my bikes (and for mates) myself, I wouldn't feel happy riding a machine I didn't fully understand. I also agree with what others have said about garages and not knowing what they have actually done. i dropped my ZZR and ZX7 off for their MOTs this morning and a chap on a Ducati 600SS had just turned up to complain about his new fork seals that had already leaked - turns out the young lad working there had used the wrong tool to fit the new ones. I shalln't name and shame here but they are a well respected garage.

Equally when I bought my ZX7 it came with a recipt for a front fork rebuild. being a perfectionist when it comes to mechanics I took them apart to check - the idiot who reassembled them had put the rebound damping rods back completely incorrectly.

SO - it aint just bike OWNERS who are clueless, plenty of mechanics are too! The only way to know if a bike is sounds is to understand it really.

I do oil/filter changes, sparkplugs, airbox and that's it. Everything else gets done by trusted garage. Mechanics know more than I do and I don't have the time or inclination to learn.

[fastdruid]

Then again I wouldn't even trust every dealer to get a PDI right, the place I bought my SV from managed to put on the wrong registration number and I've heard plenty of tales of other woes from idiots putting bikes together wrong.

Hell I don't even trust the *manufacturer* to get it right, if I was to get another new bike I'd take it home, strip it and put it back right with silly things like grease in the linkage / swingarm / wheel bearings, copperslip on the brake pins and bolts, grease the electrical connectors etc all those things that would cost them an extra 50p per bike but mean the difference between a bike lasting without issues for 10k and 50k.

Druid

Druid,after the faff I had with my rear brake, when i get my new bike...the first thing will be to treat it with greases and lubricants. Itrs easier to do at 5 miles than at 25,000 miles!

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by DanAbnormal

I do oil/filter changes, sparkplugs, airbox and that's it. Everything else gets done by trusted garage. Mechanics know more than I do and I don't have the time or inclination to learn.

I dont even do that. Tyres pressues, chain tension, general inspection for anything obvious, before each ride or when cleaning.

The rest of it gets done by a little local garage that I found a while ago. Their prices are cheap and the quality of work is high. My time is precious and I would rather pay somebody to do stuff for me.

I could / can do work on the bike if I so feel like it, I changed the fork seals on the SV, and fitted new throttle cables, new choke cable and took the carbs off to get the plunger screws out. I just choose not to.

Does it make me less of a "biker" because I choose not to do this stuff, IMHO does it feck...