Shop prices per hour

[chevy45412001]

Is it really worth $90/Hr. for shop labor rates?Man we're in the wrong bussiness giving out free advice 100 dollars to have one headlight installed eeks.

[jetmechmarty]

You don't have overhead here. I have a friend with a home based motorcycle shop and he only charges $40 per hour. Try opening a commercial business at those rates and tell me how it works out.

[Pat Kelly]

When I was wrenching the shop charged (back then) $45 an hour, flat rate. The mechanic got ½ that and the shop got the other ½.
This was in 1992. I have since moved-on and make less money but I'm happier (priceless).
Flat rate was nice as long as you wern't interrupted (yeah right) and everything went nicely. I just got tired of the (understandably) grouchy customers.

[John]

I used to do side work on cars, but after twistin' a wrench all day for the past 20 some odd years, that's the last thing I want to do when I get home from work. Some times I don't even feel like working on our bikes. SWMBO does what she can on her bike to help out.
I am on vacation this week. We spent four days in Maine (beautiful weather) and we got home last night. Just today I had to replace a power steering hose on my car, (91 Corsica, what a PITA that was) and I need to get my bike ready for the rally on Friday. I have all of the parts required to lower Foster Child, but I just need to get off my ass and do it. Maybe tomorrow...

[Winterhawk]

Merriam Cycle charges $60.00 an hour.

[Thumper]

I don't know how much any of the local mechanics here charged, but I imagine it was silly money. But then, I never trusted any of the local mechanics, they were all dodgy as hell. So I learned of friends, clymer and classic menchanics magazine. At least when it's done, I know it's done and to what standard. Just my 5 cents, sorry if I sound a bit preachy.

[Dragonrider]

Yeah . . . unfortunately you are not getting "shop rate" worth of labor for the time on your bike in most shops now . . . they charge shop rate ($75.00) and then pay piece rate to some kid to fix your bike.

It looks like this:
Me: (tire change)
Them: (1.5 hours shop rate = $113.00)
Them: (pays kid $12.00 to do the work)
Kid: (no experience and in a flaming hurry so he can do as many $12 jobs as possible that day)
Me: (gets $2.75 worth of quality on a job that my life depends on)

Heh heh . . . yeah, I'm bitter. (for crying out loud, at least PUT the axle pinch bolts back in)

[John]

Then there are the shops that spend hours dickin' around on your bike but still can't fix it, until some one off the street comes in and asks them if the bike has the correct ignition module. That happened to btdtdan. He had his 81SH in a shop for weeks and they did all kinds of things to it to get it to accelerate past 5k. Numerous main jet changes, reset the timing, still no luck. I asked Dan if he knew what module it had. He didn't. I went to the shop and asked the mechanic if he knew the difference between the 78-80 and the 81. He didn't. He said there was no difference in the modules. I explained to him the differences, but he didn't believe me. I pulled the seat, and lo and behold, there sat a 2H7 module. Dan located a 4R0 module, and...problem solved. I never aked Dan what the shop charged him, but it had to be some ungodly amount, and they didn't do a damn thing to fix it. They just threw parts at it hoping something would stick. Dan's a good guy, and he may have been unfamiliar with the XS, but the shop shouldn't have charged him the full rate due if they couldn't fix his bike. I can understand charging a few hours of troubleshooting time, but if you can't fix it, don't charge the entire amount. That's how you lose return business. I have done business with this shop, but it was just to purchase parts for my big bore. I did all the work myself.

[chevy45412001]

agree

i understand overhead,pay for the building ,insurance, people to work,etc.,etc. But come on they are charging 90 an hour to work on your bike,atv,.etc. That to me is just a bit overkill! and yes the first and last time i trusted a mechanic from there to do work on my bike guess what? @ss hole did not fill my mid gear with lube when he completed the work. Big guess what happened at like 30-40 mph driving down the road?Oh ya you got it,one small noise no other warning,the bike damn near pitched me over the handlebars,as the rear wheel locked up tight right in the middle of traffic.The one time in my life i was lucky enough to have the cage driver paying attention behind me. As you know i did not hit the brake so there was no brake light to warn him. So long story longer,Please don't forget to at least check your lubes both mid and final drives. And have a safe and wonderful riding season.

[Bud Manley]

The local shop here in town charges 55 an hour to fix bikes. I tried saving a few bucks figuring if I removed the rear tire and brought it in I'd cut the cost of a changing a flat tube in 1/2.
It took the mechanic almost an 1/2 hour to get the tire off due to the rim locks and he finely got the tube in refilled and ready to go in about 1 hour. And that was using the machine.
They charged me 36 bucks including the price of the tube.
I figure had I done the job myself I would have had to buy at least 4 tubes, 3 tires and a new motorcycle after getting pissed and blowing it up.

All in all I'd say I'm ahead on this deal by about 1600 bucks.

[prometheus578]

I can't hold back any longer.......

Bike comes into the shop... owner says it doesn't run right.
I could logically:
1. Check the plugs
2. Check compression and do a leakdown test.
3. Check the valve adjustment.
4. Check/ clean the carbs.
5. Check the coils, wires, caps...
6. Check the fuel flow.
7. Check the timing.
or
8. Run back and forth to the microfiche checking the part numbers on the plugs, valves, valve springs, valve keepers, carbs, main jets, pilot screws, o-rings, diaphram assemblys, floats, choke plungers, coils, plug caps, proper gauge of wiring, petcocks, petcock diaphrams... just to find out that some pinhead (or the previous owner) put the wrong "magic box" on the bike.
Hhmmm... have a bike scheduled for first thing in the morning. Owner said that it doesn't run. Took a quick glance at it tonight as I was heading out the door. Noticed that the "Kill Switch" was in the "OFF" position. So, obviously, the first thing I'll do tomorrow is to spend two hours at the microfiche reader checking electrical and fuel component part numbers before flicking the switch to run, pressing the button and firing it up.
Two hours and five minutes, at $75 per = $156.25.
Gentlemen, it was not my intent here to offend anyone... but geez, cut the mechanic a little slack.

As for the high price of silly jobs. Customer ranted today, "$75 to replace a mirror!!"
"Actually sir, I replaced the mirror for free. I'm only charging you for having to take off and replace the windscreen and most of the bodywork in order to get to the mirror."
But, it's like the guy who complains about the plumber's prices, when he's too lazy to stick his hand down the toilet himself.

(Maybe I should've stayed in the infantry and not retired. All this pent up aggression with no where to go!)
OK, I'm ready for everyone to gang up on me. Have at it!

[John]

Nothing personal, but your going to hit this guy for a 2 hour bill when it is only the kill switch? Why not just turn it on, fire it up, and charge him 1/2 hour of trouble shooting time? If indeed that is the problem. It there is a real problem, then by all means do the T/S and repair it honestly. I'm thankful that I don't have to deal with customers. I work for a airline maintaning their ground equipment. I don't need customer approval to do any work. I just fix what I find wrong. if it comes back, then I don't have to eat the next repair. I hear from some of the other guys I work with about how they would hose a customer over on a repair that took no time at all, or didn't really need to be repaired. I can't stand dishonest mechanics, or shops. One shop, a while ago wanted $200 to replace the starter in my Mother in law's car. A 91 Dodge. It was a Nippondenso starter, and all it needed was the contacts in the solenoid replaced. A weak battery had caused pitting/arcing in them. $10 worth of parts, and an hour to do the work. Another wanted $50 to replace the oil pressure sender on her next car, a 96 Taurus w/ a 3.0 L It took all of 5 minutes for me to change it. I just don't uderstad taking advantage of people in that manner. I feel that a mech, or a shop that cuts their customer some slack, will get repeat business from that customer.
That's just my 2 cents worth. That and $2 more will buy a cup of coffee.

[jetmechmarty]

How easy do you think it is to hire a competent, reliable mechanic to work on motorcycles these days? I'm sure these shops are challenged to find quality help. Just look at the quality folks the high schools send to shop class. The problem could be fixed at that level.

[prometheus578]

In the morning with a clearer head....

Actually, John, the "kill Switch" deal was from last month, and I just called the guy up and told him to come get his bike. As for the mirror, I told the guy that his tool kit had a phillips screwdriver and a 10mm wrench and he should have done the job himself and taken his wife out to dinner with the money saved. I also recommended that he get the manual for the bike, which I recommend to all customers, as most of the repairs I do are so childish that anyone who has an opposable thumb could master them.
Yesterday, A man came in wanting me to clean the carbs on his bike. ($225) I had a bank of carbs on my bench, and brought him back, pointed out all the gizmos, and showed him how to do it himself, set the floats, etc. "If that doesn't work, then bring it in."
Also explained to another how to trouble shoot why the starter doesn't work, and how to jump the soleniod,or repair it, etc.
Am I losing money like this? Yes, but an honest approach has always brought them back when they have more serious probs that they can't deal with.
The season really hasn't started yet, so I spend a lot of time doing freebies for people. I may work for two hours on a guy's bike, but then when I finish the requested job, spend another two hours of MY time going over it, taking off covers and fixing oil leaks, etc. It's better than just sitting on my a$$ reading comic books till six o'clock.
(not the ogre I appear to be)

Ok, time to hit the shower and head to work. (Who can I rip off today?)
Jetmechmarty is correct, too. Alot of people have the book smarts, but not the practical experience from years of labor, etc. (And truthfully, were it not for this site, I'd have not learned month ago about the differences between the two modules and the running effects that a swap would cause. I can't know the idiosyncricies of every brand of bike that comes across my lift)
"Damn it Jim... I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!" ("Bones" McCoy)

[John]

Prometheus, I'm glad to have read that. From what I've seen in your postings you really didn't seem like that kind of guy. Some one so willing to participate here, as you have been, with good free advise, and in you shop also, is not normally found with the 'other' type of mechanic. Like I opened my other post, it was nothing personal. You probably feel the same way I do about crooked/incompetant mechs. I will be the first to admit that I don't know anything about the other models of bikes. All I really know is my bike. You have a knowledge of many different models. That really makes it easier to T/S problems when you know some of the different quircks that different bikes have. I'm pretty much stuck working on the same type of equipment everyday, with little change. You get a varity of bikes to work on. You're lucky.