[Munch]

lol…have to look at bill to see what they charge for each individual service.

[Munch]

ermm $60 an hour out of $70….. IF you ever see that… I want company name and relocation addy
You can bet on average the labor rate is 2x what the highest paid tech is getting. The lead tech at my shop is getting less then that. National average automotive labor rate is about $90 an hour… depending on locale… highest paid techs…maybe $24 an hour. $30 if you’ve been in a long time and work for a dealer.
Oh and never mind we only get paid a flat rate… so take an oil change… you get .3 hours… thats three tenths! Alignments… well the hot rocks company pays 1.2 hours for that…flat rate no matter condition of vehicle. They charge you $70 give or take depending on specials… and theres no materials involved…
I like your optimistic view though… could you call my boss and convince him of it?

[Munch]

LOL….
yea…. thats why I also suggested asking questions…it serves purposes. A professional and helpful tech/mechanic is all to willing to help….it saves him from guessing at your problems later. Another one is that it makes the shady ones uncomfortable having to answer questions as you might hit one that will show his ignorance. Another is to make YOU an informed customer. I get a thrill every time a customer asks me something. I encourage it. I tell all my customers that if you don’t understand ask them to show you. There is nothing stopping them from taking you behind the “Big Curtain” and pointing things out and explaining how it works or should.

[Munch]

hehe…me …sensitive….nah I was only offering a break down of charges. I wasn’t accusing you or anybody on this site of such a thing as that. However for the ones we don’t know… I try to entail a little more information then necessary before the fingers get pointed.

[Munch]

Good looking! Ok…. where’d you find the fountain of youth and I can imagine getting carder all the time has to be getting a little annoying.

[Munch]

#1 parts , never really the bulk of the cost
#2 Labor… .usually 80% of the cost, however don’t get pissed at the mechanic… he only gets at most 10% of what your getting charged and that’s on the high side of the pay scale.
#3 Specialty ….. motorcycles are considered specialty shops. That’s all they deal with and specialize in. Same reason you pay almost a standard of $100 when walking in a tat parlor… or the $200 just walk in an emergency room. Though with motorcycles you have the benefit of learning what to do and cutting that cost.
Make sure when you pick it up to get your moneys worth. Ask them what they did…ask them if they checked the torque on the bolts as most first services recommend. Ask them if they checked the tension on the chain/belt. Wear them out with question…just please make them thoughtful intelligent questions.
I am an auto mechanic and people always look at me like I am a thief or trying to get one over on them. If you understood the pay scale there would be a very different opinion of who is trying to get one over on ya.

[Munch]

Know whatcha mean… I ride the 900 Classic LT. The custom was on the short list but what I need the bike for I was gonna have to get the sissy bar and saddle bags anyway..might as well get it in the all inclusive package.

[Munch]

Ok….whew wow…. my question… you work for your local paper?
I can only tell you from a Vulcan 500 stand point.
From the sounds of it the V500 would be a high contender for you .. it has enough low end torque to give you some security on the take offs. You won’t have to feel to much on the nervous side about having to hear the engine wind up to get going. It will be a touch short for your longer legs though I am 5’10” and never had my knees come close to hitting the handle bars at full lock. You can find many adjustments from it from Scootworks.com. Really the only few places that can make things for them. You can get Handle Bar risers to remedy the knee knocking…. forward foot controls for the stretch. You can go to any company for saddle bags. Both Kawi and Scootworks make the brackets to safely keep the saddle bags away from the wheel.
The V500 has more of a standard foot position at stock and is as nimble as most any sport bike out there. The engine is based off the Ninja 500 motor but “tuned down” a touch for cruiser like feel. It will get you up and above highway speeds easily and still leave room for passing. IT can stay at 90 all day long. Riding 2 up tends to slow it up a little bit. Barring full boar hellion riding you would get close to the upper 50’s in gas mileage. Heck I would probably still have mine if the woman and kids weren’t constantly wanting to ride with me.
My only dislike really about the V500 was it’s chain driven. Living in NC it constantly rains here and I am lazy. I hate felling like I have to re oil the chain every week end. There are some Vulcan boards where I frequent that even has a couple older 500’s go well beyond the 100k mark. So the reliability is definitely there. Resale value… well when I traded my V500 for my V900….. the bike was gone in 2 weeks. I had already put the saddle bags on it which is why it went so quick.
Now prepare yourself for alot of sport bike recommendations as us cruisers are far outnumbered here …lol.
Good luck on whatever you chose and relax! Enjoy the ride but ALWAYS keep your head in the ride and your body in the gear.

[Munch]

$40 who what when where? After about 12 cleanings of the 9 I am still on the original $4 can of “Original Bike Spirits” that I bought. That was back in January.

[Munch]

Congrats!!!!! Glad it was something simple!

[Munch]

Heck the stealerships here have 2 on the floor constantly…though it’s never the smae bike. They know what they sale and order one the same day they sale one. The salesperson says he always keeps atleast 1 on hand.

[Munch]

Heck ya…. you look at the Drifter! Well….in a couple more rides Nomads are nice too! a 1700 though is outta my range for now and long while my 9 will do just fine for a very long time….. unless of course I win something.

[Munch]

hmm….you mean I aint the only ass of the bunch…. dang….must be losing my touch if it isn’t being noticeable.

[Munch]

erm …links?

[Munch]

Sensing some sarcasm ^^

[Author]

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