Moto-Brian

I can certainly give a heads up to a good dealer with a good price for you. Tell me what you want and your best price and I can see if they can beat it. Ohio dealers only, though... Mostly Southern shops. All street only and MX based stuff. Race only is a different source.

I am really joking. Flounder was giving me shit because he thought a 100 ft-lb impact DRIVER was as good as an impact WRENCH. You use the driver on a screw for say, cabinets. The wrench should be used for automotice applications. Busting balls - in a freindly sorta way... No way you can get a properly torqued counter shaft nut off with a wheezer impact driver...

Again, why didn't you go directly to Mike or Tom to begin with? Why did you go to the service department that you apparently rarely visit and shoot the shit with and have them do the job? When I go into a shop for something, I go to the guy I know first. I don't go to service and say I know Tom or whomever. I go to Tom and ask if he can help me out. If willing, he'd most likely walk back with me and do the talking and BAMO!! Free removal of bolts... But hey, let's say Fuck off to HNW cause you didn't go through the proper channels... You were expecting free because you know Mike and Tom. Not because you've spent a lot of money there and such. Little things here and there aren't a bike and thousands of dollars in service....

Actually, what most the stuff they give away for free comes from vendors or distributors. It's free to them so, it's free to customers. Anything that is auctioned or used as giveaways that the shop supplies is usually written off and done that way. Completely different than if you walked into the shop and tried to get a set of tires for free or a T-shirt for free w/o a purchase... We're talking a service here - not a handout or promo item. Two completely different things.

Flounder doesn't know which tool is to be used in an automotive scenerio. He's confused between using a driver for his wood cabinets and a wrench for his motorcycle. Please PM Flounder aka "Mr. Home Improvement I like to work on bikes" wants to know which is best to remove his counter shaft sprocket... I told him my thoughts, but he told me to suck a big fat one.

Welllllllll.... I mean, if it wasn't put back together correctly, I'd say so. I mean, Mike's 2001 600 we rode at Putnam that one year wasn't a Superbike motor like Jonas has, but we were only one second off his pace in endurance mode... It had nowhere near the build we did to the Kaw's and it was WAY better. Maybe not by much as I think we were at 110 RW on the 2000-2001s. But, I think with a Supersport build to that 2001, we were at that number. Stock, I think the ZX6 was at about 100. Maybe 105 properly tuned in race set-up...

Dude, you don't get it. You bash them for not giving Putty who didn't buy his bike there free service. Now, if you did all that you say you did - thousands in service, bought your bike and so on and so on and knew the guys, etc. and they charged you $10, I'd say that was kind of a bum deal. But for Putty to come on here and get all pissed and such is stupid and makes no sense. Well, to the people that get it, at least...

Business is business. Losses and gains are always occuring. What I am saying is that if you think you and your buds are going to cause a ripple effect by not buying anything there, they will certainly have double that amount waiting in the wings to fill in for you. Unit sales and accessory sales are unit based. In other words, they pay a flooring for the bikes monthly. They also have to pay dating terms typically on accessories and the like or have them on a Net set-up. That being said, if it comes a time that people aren't buying bikes or accessories, having a sale usually combats that issue. Giving shit away for free (service or otherwise) is a poor business decision and a reason why certain people are buyers and others are owners of shops. Making money is the goal. For any business. Back scratches and the like are something easily overlooked for supporting customers. Your attitude and the fact that Putty didn't buy his bike there are signs of non-supporting customers. You may still get a deal if you are at the right place at the right time, but other than that, why would they give something free to someone who doesn't support them. Using free stuff to attract customers is NEVER a good idea. The people that get stuff free, usually always expect free stuff. When they don't get it, they bitch and moan and do things like this thread. In business, you do something good for someone, that person tells three people. Do something bad for someone, they tell 500 people... Customers expecting free stuff are usually not very loyal and a waste of time...

I do my own work. We've done complete motor tear downs and builds in my garage. I also rely on a few well known race guys to help out with things that get over my head. As far as shops. Anyone have a dice they can throw?? Personally, depending on what you want done, there are more small shops that do WAY better than any OEM dealership does. However, I know my VERY good friend is working for Ducati of Indy and I would take anything I owned to him in a flash. One of the best bike builders I have met in a long time... But, in CBus? Call me and I can trailer to Indy...

I'm responding in a dick like manner as to how I was responded to. Read it closer. Sarcasm is a funny thing - especially when you don't get it...

Scary thing is that his motor is stock - outside some jet kit and a pipe. I've been trying to sell him one of our left over KIT boxes and KIT clutch parts... Our motors were pretty tight and ran to the point they needed torn down after two endurance events. Otherwise, bad things would happen. the bottom ends were solid, though. Great bike, but just a pig and low on power. That's why we ran Superbike - otherwise, supersport would have had us chasing our tails...

+10000!! Ever seen one on a tire balancing machine? They have "lumps" in them sometimes. Weird and scary....

RIIIIIGHT.... How was your holiday?

Here's my issue with CBus only. One, most of you would be like this guy - willing to travel what, an hour or so for a better deal. That said, I bet if HINDS had a GSXR600 for $500 off and Mid-Ohio in Mount Vernon had the same bike but $1000 off, you'd buy from Mount Vernon. I mean, how many guys actually buy a bike from the best selling dealer and then take it to a local shop to have service done? That's a better question... Personally, I have a choice amongst a LARGE dealer base to buy from if I go new or a good used machine. IF I buy from a certain dealer, I take that unit to them for service. Only warranty work as i do all my own service... But, I give the business to the dealer I bought it from. How many actually do that? I know Putty apprently doesn't!

But what you guys are missing is that he bought his bike somewhere else that was even closer. He stated he could have had them do it for free, but went to HNW anyways. If he has never bought a bike there, why should they give him a "back scratch" if he supports another dealer? Had he bought the bike there, knew the staff better, etc., I guarantee they'd have done it for free. It pays YOU the customer to get to know the service guys, the parts guys, and the sales guys. The guys who come in and shoot the shit on a Saturday over a cup of coffee get a shit pile more attention than a guy who buys a bike somewhere else, knows one guy at that shop and has a job that could potentially turn bad if the bolt would have wallowed out or snapped off. Ugh...

Uh, techs are usually paid per the job instead of hourly. Again, it could be different in his case, but most the time it isn't. Yes, it pays the store, but they earn money per job. You need to understand that first. You seemingly work on computers and this isn't the same. Computers break and there is usually a flat hourly fee plus parts. In service, they get a listing of hours that job takes. Based on how quickly they do it and how well, they get paid accordingly. If they are interuppted, it's money out of their pockets. So, you could have been costing him money. Feel differently now?

Wow, a whole 4 people have voted. Yeah, that's gonna kill them that 3 customers are going to buy somewhere else. I still think even if you feel strongly enough to NEVER go there again, you'd consider it anyways if they'd beat the best deal on your next bike by $500-$1000...

Of all the people on here that read this and actually agree - how many are going to buy a bike w/o shopping anyways? Taking that into factor, once they find a better deal within a short driving distance, they'll go where the deal is. If you eliminate them, that leaves you the people that buy w/o worrying about a deal, buy from their favorite shop and based on heresay. Those people are so damn small that once HNW loses what, 10 total bike sales, they'll gain that 10 from making deals to 20 other people to get them in the door. Overall bike numbers are 10 per day - not 10 per month. Dude, they spend about (A dealer their size) about $75k PLUS a month in flooring costs for their units. The units you don't see are usually off site or at an assembly company (Custom Assembly). So, that expensive floor plan makes it a deal where they will do lowball deals or meet lowball deals to move units when time comes. You and the 10 other people that decide that charging Putty $10 for a labor job that COULD have been more than a simple removal of a bolt, is peanuts. If you think otherwise, you need to do some more research and understand what dealers pay and what they move unit-wise before you go and think if you and your buddies stop shopping there it will make them hurt. It's like you and 1,000 of your friends deciding to stop buying gasoline a MONTH to prove to the oil companies they can't mess with you. Yeah, that'll hurt 'em...

Wow, pages galore - I need to catch up... BUT, best place to buy a bike is Hinds? Are you nuts?? Dude, we have been in there on a couple of occassions to buy new MX bikes and they were BY FAR the highest priced. Plus, their staff is clueless... Sportbikes? Forget it... At least HNW has a service department that has a little knowledge to the point IF you cannot do it, you can assume they will know how with some credibility... Hinds sucks... Jeff's a racer wannabe and dumps his money in his vintage crap and walks around the pits with his big expensive rig like his shit don't stink.

No offense, but at the end of the day, Hinds isn't the most profitable shop in the area. Plus, their service staff isn't too top notch... Free is certainly cool and fine. However, giving everything away for free is stupid. If you owned a business, wouldn't the object be to stay in the black. Know what the most difficult area in a motorcycle shop is for holding a profit and not sustaining a loss? Yup, Service Department...

If Tom's a bud, why didn't you wait for him to handle it? By the way, you shouldn't impact a rotor bolt off... The allen heads will strip in no time if it is truely seized. Suggestion - buy a propane torch. Easy fix for next time - more than $10, though!!

Build relationships??? Guy buys a bike at a shop closer to his house and doesn't take it to them for service?? How's THAT for building relationships...? What some people don't stop and think about is a few things on the side of the dealer... 1) They got a rim that had two rotor bolts left in it. Rotor bolts are, in fact held in with Loctite and should be. Now, anyone with any mechanical ability knows if it gets stuck and won't budge, you simply apply a light amount of heat and PRESTO!! It comes free... Now, said dealer gets the rim, hears the bolts are seized up and the customer cannot get them loose. Dealer looks at it and sees it SHOULD take a few minutes. Should... Now, if it is, in fact frozen solid and wallows out the head of the bolt, they need to apply more than a few minutes of work, etc., they evaluate the worst case scenario - $10. They probably charge $80 per hour... So, 10 minutes isn't out of the norm to suspect it could take that long... 2) Ever been in ANY business that does shit for free to all their customers? Where does it stop? Do they give free 5 minute repairs to everyone that comes in? Maybe just 25 people? 10? Where's the line drawn? I worked in a shop for over 6 years. We did a LOT of free work to customers who bought their bikes FROM US. This guy didn't. Now, add up all these "relationship" building customers that come in for only small things they shouldn't even be doing in the first place and you'd be amazed at how many walk through that door. I bet on average, there's probably 100 a month in similar situations... Let's say 1000 per year. $10k is a good bit of lost business, no? 3) Walk into your local grocery store you've shopped for YEARS. supported them to the end. Ever ask them for a few gallons of milk for free since you forgot your wallet? Maybe in a town like Flounder and I grew up in, but in Hilliard? Yeah, right... Look, $10 is $10. Sure. The cost of business isn't free. To go off and get all pissed at a dealership over a $10 service charge on something you really should have known how to avoid is kinda lame... If you had a friend that worked there and he said "Shop rules - nothing free and a minimum $10 charge on everything" and charged you $10, would you be so pissed? I doubt it. You definitely wouldn't have fired off a big "F you" thread... Again, food for thought. I see the other side a lot. You guys see someone seemingly ripping you all off. How about your boss decides that a little job for you is small enough to just skip giving you any money for? Flame away. I'm sure it will be getting hot in here in a while...

Not by today's 450 standards... The 500s were brutal in a way due to power and sheer weight. The 250s are cool, but they aren't as arm ripping as the 450s. Wanna see the results of the injuries we see in today's MX racing? Jumps are bigger, longer, tracks are faster, etc. Why? 450s... 2 strokes came on hard, but here's the drill - 4 strokes come on hard and carry through all the way. Easier to ride when lugging as compared to a 250 stroker when lugged, but overall, the top speed and quick acceleration of a 450 is WAY more than a 250 puffer...

600s. Back in 1998-2001. You know, the years that the ZX6 was a turd... It was a LOT of work to keep up with the Zooks...

Ok, let's get this all sorted so you can understand better, shall we? I said for track and street that the 750 is a better mount overall. Doesn't mean the best... doesn't mean the lowest ranked one, either. Get it? Now, for a guy like you, a 750 is probably more than enough. Probably a 600. For me, I'm a rockstar and a pro rider destined to be signed for a MotoGP team so, a 1000 fits the bill. Jesus. The deal is that I have raced 600s for probably close to 10 years solid. Still ride them one off at times. I raced the 750 for the first time (When I say race, I mean a whole season) in 2002 alongside my 600. I preferred the 750. More power, easy to handle. Not a breeze as it was more powerful - just not horrible and heavy like the 100s were at that time. Today, I'd like to do a 1000 and a 600. Why? Contingency. Those are the two bikes that are classed in any organization. I can still race the 750 all day long with WERA and others, but a 1000 or a 600 is where you want to be for money and overall competition... I have had enough of 600s. I'm old and get to a point I kinda hate working so hard on the shifter and in the corners. I'm a lazy ass so, a Giggy works well for me. Plus, at 180 hp, it ain't an easy task and it will develop more of my skills which is what I always set out to do. Relax Mr. Literal. I still think a 750 is a solid choice and overall, I still feel it is the best choice. But, I want to go with a 1000. Why? Because I can.