How CRAZY are people

[member3480]

I just finished up a rebuild on a 4 cylinder bike. New top end rebuild. Had to get a set of used jugs because they don't make cylinders for this bike anymore. A good set of pistons and a brand new set of rings. Sucks when you can't get new parts. New gasket kit and I did a complete valve job on the head and because its a shim motor change out shims.
Now motor came out great very good compression after I had to clean up newer cylinders and make sure each piston fit was perfect. Now you would think that after all the hours on a bike that maybe worth $1500. that when I tell the owner he needs a new BATTERY he would just say get one. NOPE this guy wants to put a battery from another bike in this one to ride it home. $53.00 for new battery am I missing something???? Bike came to me running on this battery but low compression and oil leaks all over. But battery dies overnight just sitting and if I jump it bike starts right up and runs. Have you ever heard the saying throw good money after bad. Plus I have no way to ride bike because he jumps tags from one bike to another.
Am I crazy??? I got bad battery can't test but around my house on grass and he just wants to get on bike NO MILES TEST NOT Broken in and he thinks he can jump on highway do 70mph for a hour to his home and I got to give WARRANTY..
Is it me or wouldn't you want everything if you just paid $850.00 in parts and labor on a bike that was dead and brought back to life.

 

[pcoumbe]

Probably should make a few things clear about warranty in the case of this engine Daddy, especially after the work just gone into it and the fact you've had to hand craft everything to get it right.
Some people just don't get it at all.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Yessir, that's a WARRANTY killer fer sure. Tell him this: If he's earnestly trying to save money, and his warranty is now invalid, you can assist by reinstalling his original sparkplugs, oil and filter...

 

[member3480]

Its funny you say that and he didn't want me to change the plugs-oil-filter either and I told him NO they are getting changed. I can understand if you are on a budget and want to save money but good money on something is going to end good. I am cutting him a break as it is because I am ANAL......HAHA
JUG and PISTONS $200.00
GASKET SET $95.00
Rings $126.00
Shims $28.00
So that's $449.00
NOW LABOR
Break down of motor (big fairing had to come off) 1.5 hr
Head work ALL valves removed lapped back in plus new valve seats 2.5
Cylinders and ring gap 1.5
Cleaning all old gaskets off motor 1.5
Put motor back together set cams and timing 2.0
SO YOU GOT 9 hours labor at $65.00 hr
TOTAL $585.00 plus the $449.00 $1034.00 and I gave him a price of
$900.00 so I will eat some because I took my time and did it like my bike.
You got to be crazy not to go for a stinkin $53.00 battery
This is why I closed shop!

 

[gggGary]

Yupper, how many $200 + charging systems have been toasted trying to charge a bad battery the Dum-bass won't replace?

 

[fredintoon]

- - - Now you would think that after all the hours on a bike that maybe worth $1500. that when I tell the owner he needs a new BATTERY he would just say get one. NOPE this guy wants to put a battery from another bike in this one to ride it home. $53.00 for new battery am I missing something???? - - -

Hi Daddy,
what you are missing is that your customer ain't crazy at all, he's stupid.
I'd bury the battery cost in an inflated labor charge and tell him he gets a free battery for being your 1,000th customer.
Not sure how your insurance works but back in Manitoba they had dealer plates for test riding customer's bikes.

 

[650Skull]

I think your on a lose lose situation here.

Write up a warranty agreement and stat the facts above and make him sign it before letting the bike out the door.

This guy is going to have problems and your going to get the blame, and he will want it fixed under warranty................... A few years ago you had a situation played out on the net and i think this one is heading in the same way.............Get him to sign something absolving you of responsibility because he won't listen to advice given.

 

[Coaster Ben]

Yea this sucks. Like 650skull said You're in a loose loose situation. I hate when you try to help someone out and since you're so nice they expect you to fix everything for free now. Hopefully he doesn't have any problems but if he does you will sure know about it.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Isn't that called "enabling"?

 

[member3480]

OK problem solved ....I talked to him yesterday and gave him the lay out of the service I did to bike and told him. The only way this bike is leaving my garage is on a trailer and NO WARRANTY. NO BATTERY IN BIKE. So he complained a little then just said go buy the battery I want to ride it back home. DONE DEAL New $53.00 battery going into bike today and we are done. I also told him I can't set idle bike shuts off battery won't keep it running and after he puts miles on bike he is going to have to go over each head bolt to 27lbs . So now I feel better. He also wanted me to do his other two bikes and I said sorry don't have the time.

 

[DIRTY DOG]

SORRY RICH, WE ALL KNOW DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC IS BAD BAD BAD,THEY WANT EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING AND I'D STILL SAY NO WARRANTY IF IT RIDEN HOME, NEEDS MORE BREAK IN TIME ( sorry crap cap loc was on ) the street rod guys are the same,build a big block 12:1 pistons brings a swap meet carb ( 600 cfm vac.sec. and said it's what I want to run the guy said it's set up to run on anything you put it on and and you don't what your talking about the swap meet guy knows his shit !!! lmfao

 

[member3480]

Dog you are right but sometimes when you are in business you got to eat shit to keep the doors open. That's one of the reasons I closed shop. Still love to build but just don't have the time for the bullshit. I built 5 Busa motors last year two under contract that I had to supply my service at the track and anytime there was a problem. Two motors had over $25,000 in them one ran a best time of 7:05 196mph and I still wasn't fast enough . The other three were the three stooges SAME everything in motors all ran good but one. That motor always ran good when we had it but the guy is someone who should never own a motor of anything. His solution for having a problem was lets just ride it again and maybe it will go away. I never seen a motor in my life that took so much heat that a 22lb bolt would just snap when you went to remove it. New JE pistons were purple with 800 miles on bike. Motor completely trashed and because I had a warranty on the motor had to put new replacement motor back in bike. COST me $3000.00 in motor and labor but I stand behind my builds. That would kill small shops but that's the business of today. New motor new throttle body and ECM don't like talking to them WHAT? ....You just can come to really love older bikes simple design. Anyone that wants to be in this business now needs big balls and deep pockets HAHA