stuck float pin/ Float pin tool

[mro]

A genuine business would charge nothing

Yup, your right
I gust pay my guys to work for customers for nothing
After all I don't have to pay for the shop/power/insurances/taxes/wages

Yes we do occasionally do a minor repair for free, but it's normally me doing it. Also give churches/schools a break.

The rest need to pay for work performed or there wouldn't be a shop to go to.

mro
don't mean to rag, but who's going to pay the bills.

[prometheus578]

"I dare you to do that again."

Don't you DARE take that carb to a rip-off Yamaha dealer!! Only if they do it for free. A genuine business would charge nothing

Hhmmm..... I've been known to mount tires for a cheap 6 pack of beer. Many times I've chopped a couple hours labor offa a bill for young, married, military guys 'cause I know what that's like. I've spent a few hours chasing a guy's electrical short provided his wife bake me a pie. And I'm soon to get the first of four installments of having my naked body caressed by a VERY attractive, SINGLE, massage therapist for fixing her son's dirtbike. (I've got plans for her!)
As you know... or maybe don't... but do now..., most mechanics get paid by the hours that they bill. And no, they don't get paid the $75 bucks that the shop charges, but a fraction of that, usually around a third.

[prometheus578]

'WOW... how'd THAT happen?"

Reply posted itself before I was finished ranting!

And in conclusion....
I can't wait till the service manager says,"Hey Kurt, eventhough what you're working on feeds you and the dogs, stop adjusting that guy's valves and come over here and work on this guy's carbs for free. Be sure not to snap the posts, as then YOU'LL have to buy him new ones."
Pull the guy's pins for free... Not if he demands it. If he's willing to pay out of respect for my time spent, then I'd do it as a freebie. I reserve the right to pick and choose my gifts.

[prometheus578]

Public service announcement.

The proceeding was not meant as a hostile barb... just enlightened opinion.

Thanks, T.C. I'm gonna measure it anyway just to satisfy myself and see just how much clearance there actually is.

[mro]

Hhmmm..... I've been known to mount tires for a cheap 6 pack of beer

Did you use you own shop, if so no problem. Anyone who agrees to can work for whatever. I also let employees work on there own cars/bikes etc. at my shop, use my equipment etc., on there time and help them when stuck or need a part made/repaired.

Side jobs don't count. Some for free, others for trade etc..



mro

[mro]

Public service announcement

I was typing (slow) while you were finising your rant

Opinions differ, if not what a boring place this would be


So far nothing but good people here!
(I've been known to be a turkey at times, but thats the way it is)


mro

[prometheus578]

"Gobble Gobble"

MRO. No... work for KawaTriumphVictoryKTM dealer. I love winter riding season. I just show up 'cause they like having a mechanic there... just in case. My paycheck last week was $50. (no, that's not a typo) Fifty bucks. No work, no pay.

I also "just show up" 'cause it's heated, I have two 1100's and an XS850 in there, my Sandblaster and buffing equipment, and since the other mech isn't there to complain, my opera, Jimi Hendrix and Patsy Cline CDs. Heaven on earth, it is!

I can afford to live like this during the winter months 'cause I make so much money in the summer ripping off customers on their carb jobs! Indeed!
(Friendly sarcasm... The medication doesn't allow me to get angry anymore)

[pggg]

Ah yes! It's different down here guys. Charge someone for 5 minutes work, the average kiwi will likely tell the mech to get stuffed! Bad bad business practice. Earn your customers! Do plenty of 5 minute freebies(not for bludgers) and you'll reap the benefits aye.

Happy Xmas ciao for awhile.

[skids]

I am sure there are many GOOD motorbike mechanics out there! Like anything else, it is only a rip-off if the customer has been lied to or the shop charges big sums for a job that they knew would not solve the real problem. Nobody's career has been cheap and nobody's time on the job should be free. I take my wife's Pathfinder to the shop because I don't like (read "hate") working on it. It seems like it costs a grand every time! The bikes are different to me. I usually enjoy working on them as long as I think I have or can obtain the right tools. But hey, thats my opinion and I am sticking to it!

[prometheus578]

"Time waits for no man."

Charge someone for 5 minutes work

If safely pulling float pins that haven't been moved in 25 years without breaking anything was an easy, risk-free five minute job, why then take them to a shop to have it done?
Oh, it's Christmas Eve and I'm being naughty again!

Got to shower and get to work. Have rust to blast and aluminium to polish!.

When customers try to pay me for work that took me less than a half hour to complete, I hand them their money back, "act" insulted and walk away! (Except tires... I hate doing tires!)

[mro]

prometheus578

(Except tires... I hate doing tires!)

Used to not like some jobs, but now I just don't like any jobs

mro

[prometheus578]

"As long as they keep pretending to pay me, I'll keep pretending that I'm working."

T.C.,

I suppose I should get the micrometer out and measure the tower distance and the bowl section before running my mouth. The end of the pin may be able to move out of the far tower. Shall check tomorrow

Rough measurements: Float bowl recess: 30.35 mm. Pin length: 27.5mm. (Difference of 2.85mm between the recess and the pin) Freeplay on each side of the pin would be 1.43mm. Even if the head of the pin moved out 1.43mm... the other end would still be 2/3s in the tower. No Probs.

[GNEPIG]

.. sometimes the shop charges a half hour for a 5 min job, but all things being equal most of time that same 5min job on a different bike on a different day will take an hour or more to do.
most of the time the shop gets the 5 min job that takes an hour or more because if the job was easy then the customer would have fixed it himself
.. but a good shop will not charge you anything if it only took them 5 min to do it, and a good customer will throw the tech a 5-10 dollar tip for there time and help. even though it only took the tech 5 min to do the job, it was still a problem that was beyond the customers ability to preform.. the shop does not pay for all those great, spiffy and expensive tools in the techs tool box, the tech has to buy the tools to have a job
.. although i have removed a thousand or more of those float pins, if a customer wanted me to remove one that he himself has unsucsessfuly tried to remove, i would not work on that part unless the customer absolutely understood that there would be no guarantee that i could remove that pin without breaking the carb also. although the likelihood for sucsess is higher that the job could be done right by a good mechanic(key word GOOD) in no way does anyone want to be held responsible for buying the customer another carb because the one he brought in for repair was crap in the first place
.. OK, enough with all that, i have an idea to build a holder for the "goal posts". i will look at a carb in the next couple of days and figure out how to build a little steel holder to support the posts while exposing the pin for the certain punishment that it deserves
.. meanwile good luck to CUBuffs on the removal of his float pin,
Andreas is a good person to get another carb from if you break yours.. sorry for the long @ss ranting

[Ken Talbot]

Originally posted by GNEPIG
..
.. OK, enough with all that, i have an idea to build a holder for the "goal posts". i will look at a carb in the next couple of days and figure out how to build a little steel holder to support the posts while exposing the pin for the certain punishment that it deserves

How about something like this:


It only really needs to support one post as the other end always slides free once you've got it started. A simple fork would grip behind the post, and a knurled knob should work to slowly drive the pin back through the post.

[Wet Rock]

Nice little design there Ken. But what if the post you were pushing on wasnt the one that was stuck? Would the pin be stout enough to snap off the other post? Just lengthen the tool with another backup for the other post and I think ya got something.