Holy F*** Up Batman

[Mr.Mom]

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.

 

[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.

View attachment 35816

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.:evil:

 

[Guest]

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.

 

[Guest]

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.

 

[Guest]

I do not do my own tire work either. I have in the past but now I order the tires and/or tubes and take them to a little place that does general street, dirt, atv work. They messed me up once on a rear for a 550E and it went flat after getting it back on and I was a block from home. They had not tightened up the valve core correctly and although easy enough fix I let them know about it and never a problem since. I also give them enough business in between so they recognize my face, ie buying an occasional oil filter or accessories or maybe a new helmet (which I just bought for my daughter). The last tire I took in was from my KZ400 and I had removed the old tire and cleaned up the rim surface myself. They mounted & balanced it for $20.

 

[earlfor]

I had a long list of dealer mistakes during the period I was taking my bike in for maintenance/repairs. The final straw was the day I had them mount a new rear tire, When pulled out of the parking lot, the rear wheel came off. They didn't put the axle nut on. After that I took my wheels off the bike and took another shop only the wheels to install new tires on. The final straw to that was getting home from the shop with a new tire mounted and it was already flat. back to the shop, wait two hours while they find someone to fix it. finally get back home with it and mount it on the bike. Next morning, it is flat again. Back to the shop, they're too busy, going to be a couple of days, they'll call me. This went on for four times over a period of two weeks. Went to a W.Va. GSR meet a couple of years ago and halfway there, the chain starts running jerky. Have to replace it. Stop at a dealer. They have a chain, but no sprockets. Can't wait a week for them to order and have them install a new chain. Wait four hours while they try to find someone to do the work. Guy finally brings bike out to me with new chain and its adjusted so tight I could play dueling banjo's on it. I send him back to the shop with instructions on chain slack to set. He brings the bike back out half an hour later and the chain is still so tight, it's probably already ruined. I sent him back to do it over five time before it was even remotely close to being correct. Never again will anyone put a wrench on my bike. I mount and balance my own tires.

 

[Mr.Mom]

I sent an email because it's raining here. A guy from the shop called about an hour later sounding nervous and very apologetic. He said he would give me a $25 gift cert. and send someone out to my house to torque the bolts when it comes in. The tech admitted to loosening them up.

 

[Guest]

I sent an email because it's raining here. A guy from the shop called about an hour later sounding nervous and very apologetic. He said he would give me a $25 gift cert. and send someone out to my house to torque the bolts when it comes in. The tech admitted to loosening them up.

I would find out what motorcycle tech school this so called tech went too. Called them and ask them what the hell are you teaching these guys!

 

[81GS850]

At least you got good service and the tech admitted to the mistake. It takes a lot of man to admit he screwed up especially when he knows the guy on the phone wants to tear his head off. That's unfortunate they didn't do the job right at first, but at least he's trying to make up for it.