Charon
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Without necessarily defending "Joe" lets look at a couple of other things. Motorcycle makers are notorious for making dozens or hundreds of different models, each to satisfy some perceived market need. Each of these models requires at least some different service procedures, and the mechanic is expected to know them all. But because there are so many models, the mechanic doesn't see any of them very often, so the old rule "The mechanic will never have seen one exactly like yours" applies. The exception here is probably Harley. Harley is condemned for making the same thing year after year, but at least the mechanics have seen the same thing over and over.
Motorcycle mechanics are not well paid, with a few exceptions. The shop may charge $80 per hour, but the mechanic is lucky to get $15. The mechanic is paid "flat rate" for the job, so has every incentive to rush through it. The mechanic probably does not get paid unless he is actually on the job, so the time spent in the morning pushing bikes out onto the parking lot is unpaid. The mechanic does have some incentive to do the job correctly, because if it needs rework he doesn't get paid to do it again - which explains why he will try to deny any problems he may have caused. The mechanic also has to supply his own tools, and may have $20,000 in that Snap-On roll-around tool chest with all the decals on it. In fairness, the shop usually supplies any "specialty" tools.
Motorcycle owners do not like high repair bills any better than car owners - and almost all of us are also car owners. We know we can get a car tire fixed for $10, so it really galls us to pay $30 to $50 to fix a bike tire. Neither motorcycles nor cars are designed for easy maintenance - they are designed to be easy (cheap) to assemble on the factory floor. Cars are designed to require little more than filter and lubricant replacement for perhaps 60000 miles. Motorcycles are much more maintenance intensive - and expensive. When you do the work yourself, you may save the $80 per hour shop charge. But perhaps you need to think in terms of "paying yourself" at whatever wage you might be earning if you were at work instead of working on your vehicle.
Dealerships likely have more than one mechanic. They will range from the experienced and presumably skilled to the apprentice. Jobs should be assigned accordingly, with the apprentice changing oil and filters and the experienced getting engine rebuilds. I have heard of dealerships allowing an owner to specify which mechanic is wanted, and charging a premium for the "good" one. If you know the dealership has a "good" mechanic you could ask about that. By the way, the reason the last "Joe" left for college is that he found out how poorly he was being paid to do the job he liked.
It will interest you to know that aviation shops have exactly the same set of problems. Think about that next time you fly.
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