F**king hell, how much?

[aesdj]

A bit of history at the begining so stick with me. With my bike (16000miles) came a 12000mile service receipt and the owner said that he dropped the manual and bike off at his local Honda dealer as they were no Triumph dealers near by and had them done there. Rang them to ask if the valves had been checked and they said that there was nothing on the computer to say they had but that it tuck the mechanic 4.5 hours so that they must have been. This sounds about right unless the mechanic is super slow at a basic service. Anyway its played on my mind for a year and I decide this winter I'd check for myself. Done them today (18000miles) and here our the results. 2 inlets at top limit, the rest mid. 1 exhaust at bottom limit, the rest at mid. Went to my dealer for a price on the cam cover gasket and 8 rubber washers. "58 pounds including the vat. Would you like me to order them for you sir?"  :shock: Thump, thats the sound I made when I hit the floor. "Errr no my old ones arn't that bad." 58 pounds   for some bits of rubber, are they taking the piss or am I just tight. Even the lad stood back when he saw the price and seemed shocked when he told me. Spoke to a mechanic there about the bottom limit exhaust and he said that it will be fine till the 24000mile check as they don't wear much which was my thought anyway I just wanted a second opinion. 58 pounds, I still carn't get over that.

[ChazzyB]

I've reused the old set at both checks I've done at 30K and 42K miles. No leaks that I'm aware of.

[Chris Canning]

I can't beleave you waited a year before you did anything,sod the 58 quid  :roll:

[swtigeruk]

My Tig is on 61500 miles and the engine is nice and quiet.  When I had the cam chain replaced a couple of months ago, I was told that the valve clearances are still at the factory settings and nothing needed.  Hang on in there.

Simon

[aesdj]

I can't beleave you waited a year before you did anything,sod the 58 quid  :roll:

As soon as I got the bike I gave it a full service, changed the coolant, bled the brakes, regreased the rear shock mounts (that was a pig), stripped and greased the pads all round and fitted an alarm. I only didn't check the valves because the last owner said they had been done and the dealer said they had been done but its played on my mind so this winter I ckecked them and there fine. Sorry, 58 quid for some thin bits of rubber is a rip off or is that just the tight arse Yorkshire coming out in me  :lol:

swtigeruk I'm going to leave them until the 24000mile check I just thought whilst I'm at the dealer I'd ask a mechanic.

[malc]

ouch not cheap

[Bixxer Bob]

Try replacing a crankshaft sensor.  £3 for a hall-effect sensor,  £52 after Triumph have a bit of wire and a plug added.  But they aren't alone in this blatant robbery.  A friend's R1 Yamaha needed a throttle position sensor...... £137!!!!  Makes Triumph look cheap at £37.. :roll:

[aesdj]

My Tig is on 61500 miles and the engine is nice and quiet.  When I had the cam chain replaced a couple of months ago, I was told that the valve clearances are still at the factory settings and nothing needed.  Hang on in there.

Simon

Sounds early for a cam chain or is that about the sort of mileage you get before running out of adjustment.

Thanks Bixxer I feel alot better now   . Were do they get the prices for spares in the motorbike industry. I know they are all as bad as each other but 137 for a sensor, 58 for some rubber, etc etc.

[Chris Canning]

Try replacing a crankshaft sensor.  £3 for a hall-effect sensor,  £52 after Triumph have a bit of wire and a plug added.  But they aren't alone in this blatant robbery.  A friend's R1 Yamaha needed a throttle position sensor...... £137!!!!  Makes Triumph look cheap at £37.. :roll:

Well having seen things from the otherside of the fence,rent/rates/electric/gas/employees on holiday/sick,and 5 months of the year when no one wants to buy anything,and with the vast majority of new bikes you'll be hard pressed to take 1500 out of the deal and most of that will be tied up in the scabby p/x that the punter was insistant was a minter,would anyone like to suggest how else to make a crust??

Oh did I mention the internet screwing the trade with no overheads!!

[Bixxer Bob]

I take your point on the overheads Chris, but I don't think the price of spares is down to the dealers.

The price of a bespoke part, like a gasket, including development sourcing etc is going to be expensive because of the relatively low number of items produced.  But the crank sensor is very similar to the one I changed in a Rover I had years ago and it only cost a tenner.  There's also evidence on TT.com of other off-the-shelf parts, like brake seals, costing more from Triumph than they do from other suppliers if you are able to cross-reference them.

And having been what I jokingly call self-employed for the last 4 months I now know a great deal more about people wanting everything for nothing.... :roll:

[Chris Canning]

Bob

The only thing that is keeping most bike shops going are spares sales and servicing,it's were the margin is and if it wasn't most would have gone bust by now.

[Bixxer Bob]

I bow to your experience Chris,  I didn't realise dealers could charge what they like for parts after shopping around for a crank sensor.  Same price everywhere.  That looks like either:

a.   Triumph fix the price

b.    An unhappy co-incidence

c.    There's price fixing going on that the OFT should be aware of.

And I'm not just pullin' your chain.  I know now that I'm self-employed how much I rely on parts mark-up to keep my prices realistic.  Unlike a lot of my competitors, I break down my receipts into parts and labour so the customers can see I'm not ripping them off.

[Chris Canning]

Bob

It's A !!now try and prove it!!

As for what you charge,it's all related,do you have a large shop,mortgage,10 employees,it all has to go into mark up,and then bare in mind all the silly sods who will have stalls at the NEC giving stuff away and under cutting you.

Folk want the service,nice shop blah blah blah,but it ain't a charity,I'd say at the mo there isn't a profit margin everyone is earning a wage and thats it,when it requires investment they haven't got it or won't risk it and hence why we have lost the likes of Windy Corner and ended up with a poxy car dealer taking their place.

[Bixxer Bob]

Chris, I'm lucky in so far as I have hardly any overheads.  But I think we've all seen a shift in focus over the years.  When I was a lad, I used to spend hours on Westgate Road in Newcastle looking over rows and rows of used bikes.  There was a good trade in 2nd hand in those days.

Nowadays, none of the local dealers seem to carry much except clean, low-miles examples.  I guess the rest go on Autotrader or into the auctions.

[Chris Canning]

Bob

In the last two years most decent secondhand bikes have gone abroad with the strong Euro,here were are in a full blown recession and the prices should be rock bottom,but I could tell you some wonderfull stories of Europeans walking into dealers,I'll have that,that and that' the dealer asks what kind of price do you want to pay,and they say the retail on the bike :shock: .
Or the Dutch guy who bought a mates Gixxer off ebay,turned up in a seven and a half tonner with trailer 6 bikes already on board and paid him cash,he must have come over with a 100 grand in readies.

If you wonder how the P/X thing works now,if you go into a single franchise dealer with a bike he doesn't sell and ask for P/X he'll phone around and ask another to underwrite the bike,thats the price assuming he can get a buyer,hence why so few carry stock and certainley not of a different make.

Midland Superbikes used to buy a lot of trade P/X's at silly money,now look whats happened to him  :roll: