SuzukiSavage.com - Labor Cost?

Wolfman

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Labor Cost?
05/26/13 at 01:57:05

Ran a nail though the rear last sunday. Called a local bike shop and got priced a new tube with a 90 degree stem for 37.95. That didn't raise an eyebrow too much but the 25 bucks to simply put the tube in the tire got my attention??
Had a reg tire shop patch the tube, inside of the tire and reinstall the tube for 12 bucks.
Just hard to believe a bike shop wants $25 to install a new tube.
Tires off the bike.

Whats your shop charge??

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pg Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 5273 In Transit	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #1 - 05/26/13 at 03:31:56 I got flat a 100 yards from a Harley dealership and they told me they wouldn't consider looking at it. I was fortunate to find someone who loaded up my s40 in the back of their truck and took me to the Suzuki dealership across town. Their labor rate was $80 an hour to fix it and replace the tube. That was a LONG day.
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WD

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Re: Labor Cost?
Reply #2 - 05/26/13 at 03:58:48

Labor rate? Shop charge? I just have to clean the tire machine and move it back into the garage when I'm done with it. My friend up the road owns the machine. So I can use it as needed, no charge.

Closest bike shop has a flat rate of $60 for a tire change. He doesn't really want to do them, so, he charges accordingly.

Next closest shop is right at $100, and if you walk in the door the complaining starts. Most expensive and least customer service oriented shop in the surrounding 4 states. He'll be happy to sell you a brand new machine, but, you can forget about ANY post sale activity being handled correctly. In fact, you'll be wearing out the warranty (and your credit card) because the bike won't be set up/assembled correctly...

If our Suzukis need any actual work done that I can't handle, they get an 8 hour ride to the Gulf Coast in the back of my mini truck. The local dealerships are a farce.

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Charon

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Re: Labor Cost?
Reply #3 - 05/26/13 at 05:28:07

Back in April of this year (2013) I was chatting with a salesman at Star City Motor Sports in Lincoln, NE. He told me their shop rate was $125 per hour. He told me their carburetor cleaning was $100 per carburetor. I didn't ask about tire changes.

This is the reason many shops do not like working on older or lower-priced bikes. It isn't so much a matter of not understanding them. It is that the labor and parts price quickly mounts up to near - or over - book value of older bikes. The customer will then say something like "I'm not paying that much - you keep it."

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Eschew obfuscation.

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scubachef Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 140	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #4 - 05/26/13 at 08:13:46 Local shop will change a tire for 25.00 plus cost of parts. That includes removal, install, clean and balance. It is 17.00 if you bring the wheel only. If anyone is in Orange County,CA it is a small one man show 60.00/hr shop rate...cheaper if you pay cash. Don't know if I can advertise in the forum so pm for the name if needed.
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Charon

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Re: Labor Cost?
Reply #5 - 05/26/13 at 08:51:50

I also ran into a shop - Barney's of Brandon - in the Tampa Bay area. They have a sign in the service department saying that for liability reasons they will not install a tire unless you bought it from them. I cannot help but wonder whether the real reason is liability, or trying to avoid the Internet buyers looking for the cheapest tire. I didn't ask about tire change prices, since I was just wandering around the store.

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Eschew obfuscation.

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28674 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #6 - 05/26/13 at 09:12:54 Around here,... $25 to R n'R a tube... $20 if you buy the tube from them... ... but my last tube was $15 or $20,.. not $40....
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #7 - 05/26/13 at 09:39:34 MOunt a tire, $30.00 R7R a tube, otta be a little less.. & yea, I think its ridiculous the cost difference between a bike & a car tire being installed.
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Re: Labor Cost?
Reply #8 - 05/26/13 at 11:18:57

I own a motorcycle shop...our labor rate is $49.95 an hour. If you brought the wheel in and wanted the tube changed we would do that for $12.24...that's 15 minutes labor. $25.00 sounds like a shop minumum labor rate...some shops have a minumum they charge for labor ususlly 1/2 hour or sometimes like the local dealer, 1 hour ($60.00 hr). I like happy customers who come back so my minumum is 1/4 hour $12.24.

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Super Thumper Senior Member Offline 2001 LS650 With 97mm Big Bore Kit, Stage III Cam. Posts: 469 Windsor, Vermont Gender:	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #9 - 05/26/13 at 11:23:11 FYI....local dealer quoted a potential customer $450.00 for two tires mounted and balanced on his BMW R100. I quoted him the same brand tires mounted and balanced for $300.00. Guess who he did business with
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Wolfman Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 664 SW Missouri Gender:	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #10 - 05/26/13 at 12:24:29 My old local shop(harley shop at that) used to mount any new tire you bought from him for free. Had good prices on the tires to, not jacked up. Installing a tube if you had it off was 10 bucks. Made me sad when he moved to ohio. Closest local bike shop now is 25 miles either way. Think ill invest in some tire spoons.
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Borracho Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 132 Albuquerque, NM Gender:	Re: Labor Cost? Reply #11 - 05/26/13 at 13:05:22 local, non-dealer shop here charged me $20 per wheel to install new tires and tubes that I bought online. They did it quick and were happy for the business. I brought in just the wheels, but the counter guy knew all about the Savage. The shop had a bunch of used bikes for sale, mostly non v-twin. Triumph, BMW, motocross, crotch rockets.
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