Holy F*** Up Batman

[Guest]

Got new tires put on my GS850. Picked the bike up Thurs. aft. and paid the $320. So ~150 miles later I'm cleaning the bike and noticed my back rear caliper is missing a bolt and the other one is barely finger tight! My confidence in bike shops that charge $100/hr is at an all time low.
What the %#$#$#%#$$!!!!!!

[GSX1000E]

Which shop in what location?

[Mr.Mom]

Pro MotorSports, Fond du Lac,WI

[Dogma]

They shouldn't have even tried the caliper mounting bolts. You take one screw out of the brake stay on the caliper end and lift it out of the way. Once the axle is out, the caliper and its bracket come out together. Are you sure those screws were properly installed before? With a bit of the blue loctite?

This sort of thing is one reason why the vast majority of us don't even try to find a shop willing to work our bikes. Do it yourself so you know it's right, or at least it's your own fault.

[Mr.Mom]

I don't know what to say other than I never touched the bolts and they just put new tires on.

IMG_20140809_234346698.jpg

[Scout]

I worked as a bike mechanic for a few years and I hate to say it but I agree with most of the sentiments expressed. No one is going to care for your bike like you are. That said they should have done a quality, complete job for you , especially at that price. Next time you need tires consider taking them in under your arm instead of the whole bike.

[Mr.Mom]

The sad truth is the last time I had a shop put tires on a bike there was a malfunction and I crashed at 60mph. The bikes front forks started to whip back and forth and bucked me off. So this one I was a lot more cautious driving at first.
Anyway I am dumbfounded that there wouldn't be a check list for them to follow. I should have ridden home and torqued the bolts myself!

[Rob S.]

Last October I had NY Motorcycle, a Kaw, Suz etc. dealership in Queens, NY replace my fork seals, oil and filter. They didn't bother to mention (or notice?) that the o-ring from the oil filler cap was missing. Didn't sit right with me.

I just had Frank Davis of Powerhouse (http://powerhousemc.com/) replace my tires, fork springs, chain, sprockets and more. He told me my fork seals were no good (leaking), and that the forks, as well as the front axle had been reassembled incorrectly, with many stripped, broken, frozen bolts.

I didn't ask him to even look at the brakes, but he called to say my rear brake was shot. I like that.

The bike was wobbling. Now it's rock-steady. I like that.

Frank always calls a few days after the bike is returned, as a follow up to make sure everything is okay. I like that.

No one else will ever touch my bike - except me. And I'm sure Frank can fix whatever I break!

[Steve]

I don't know what to say other than I never touched the bolts and they just put new tires on.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]35816[/ATTACH]

OK, if you "never touched the bolts", you can't say for sure whether they were there and undamaged before you took the bike in.

Hopefully you will consider this as a cheap lesson that today's service "technicians" are not necessarily real "mechanics".

An experienced mechanic would know that neither one of those bolts needed to be touched to remove the rear wheel. Only the bolt that is shown on the right edge of your picture needs to be removed. As Dogma said, only the bolt from the brake stay to the caliper needed to be removed, then the whole assembly would swing out of the way when the axle was removed.

Your $320 would have been better-spent on the tools to do this yourself.

.

[Mr.Mom]

The $320 included two new Dunlop tires.

The service women specifically stated " they also checked the brakes"

[Redman]

Did you go back and have a "discussion" with the shop....?


.

[Mr.Mom]

Closed on Sundays... no riding today.

[mrbill5491]

The sad truth is the last time I had a shop put tires on a bike there was a malfunction and I crashed at 60mph. The bikes front forks started to whip back and forth and bucked me off. So this one I was a lot more cautious driving at first.
Anyway I am dumbfounded that there wouldn't be a check list for them to follow. I should have ridden home and torqued the bolts myself!

That my follow rider is what we call a tank slapper, recovery is unlikely, though some do luck out and do recover, not often.

[allojohn]

The $320 included two new Dunlop tires.

The service women specifically stated " they also checked the brakes"

If they really checked the brakes they would've told you the hoses need replacing and the calipers/master cylinders need rebuilding.

[nejeff]

The sad truth is the last time I had a shop put tires on a bike there was a malfunction and I crashed at 60mph. The bikes front forks started to whip back and forth and bucked me off. So this one I was a lot more cautious driving at first.
Anyway I am dumbfounded that there wouldn't be a check list for them to follow. I should have ridden home and torqued the bolts myself!

Oh, they have a checklist alright. Goes something like this:

1)Guy drives old Japanese heap (check),
2)Guy can't do the work himself or he would not be here (check),
3)We receive payment when he picks it up (check),
4)Rush this piece through and get it our of here so we can work on more dirtbikes (check)

Never ever think these guys don't size you up the mark, ehh customer, when you come in. They can't treat everyone like this or they would be gone. That said the more knowledgeable YOU become the better they treat you. Good thing is the better you know your bike the less you will need them.