[MuzTheInfidel]

While driving to work this morning I pulled up behind a bloke on a Kawasaki go-fast-thingy and noticed his mount was shod with a Conti Road Attack on the rear.... the things you look at when it's too early for the girls in skirts to be walking by :hearts: . Something didn't seem right, and a more critical look showed that the tyre was mounted in the wrong direction!!!

I managed to pull up alongside him at a set of lights a few blocks later and showed him the problem... no traffic so we pulled up a bit further & both had a quick look. Turns out he'd just had the tyre fitted a couple of weeks ago by an outlet owned by the 'biggest and best' chain of bike shops in the whole of Oz (no names mentioned). Oh, and the axle nut was only FINGER TIGHT as well.. . Needless to say he'll be back there in the next few hours to get things sorted.

Makes you wonder just what sort of idiots work in some of these places. Never forget the golden rules:

• Always use a specialist if you can (tyres and suspension are two examples).

• Make sure you know and trust whoever is working on your steed and always check their work as best you can.

• The best person to work on your bike may not be the dealer you bought it from - using someone else shouldn't void your warranty - check first though...

Your life may depend on it...

 

[test-reg]

Good wisdom Muz.

I trust my dealer's mechanics, the guy that works on my bike is Triumph Certified and I'm allowed to watch him work, as long as I don't talk too much and distract him.

I want to become a Triumph Certified Mechanic but don't really know the path to take.

--Kory

 

[stinky93071]

I pull out tools before I head out and check everything they might touch when working on my bike.. They always looked at me till I found a wheel not on right and oil drain plug finger tight.. (not on sprint but my cbr) After I made a real big stink about it. owner manager and a few sales guys look at the problem I asked them who would be at fault if I went down do to these problems? After a few shocked looks about what could of happen they hired a guy to do nothing but before the bike heads out of the shop check the major nuts and bolts and wipe down the bike.. I got the service for free but never went back..

 

[TRI955]

I trust my dealer....He's the owner, salesman, and mechanic! He know these bikes inside and out. It's a shame that the small shops like his are a becoming a thing of the past.

 

[Geimer]

You got that right.
In the 70's I had work done at the most experienced and trust worthy Triumph shop in the area.
Once on my '77 Bonnie I took half the crankcase in to have the shaft pressed out of the right hand bearing, the crank ground, new shells fitted, plastic-gaged, re-torque the bearing caps and press the crankshaft back into the right hand bearing. I had the rest of the engine back together, re-mounted in the frame and was about to begin bolting on the top end when I decided on whim to look at rocking play on the crank bearings. Loose as a goose. So I pulled the engine back out of the frame, split the crankcase and checked torque on the one side I was able to reach.... Only 4 ft-lbs on the big end bearing cap screws..... So... back to the shop. The mechanic rechecks with his clicker type torque wrench and say that it is perfectly OK and is set at 28 ft-lbs. "BS" I say "its barely more than finger tight". We get his manager over with a different torque wrench and sure enough, its only set on 4 ft-lbs. The spring inside his clicker type torque wrench is broken.
So they disassemble the thing, torque it properly, re-press the crankshaft into the bearing and off I go... all is well.....

BUT... how many bikes did that clown put together with that broken torque wrench???? I was afraid to ask. I always try to do my own work as often as possible...

 

[ablankS4]

Good wisdom Muz.

A good deed, too. Nice work.

 

[caddydaddy]

That's one of the reasons I try and do all the work to my machines myself. When I get the tires replaced, I remove the wheels and take them somewhere to get changed out. That way, I know they were installed correctly!

 

[Calliway]

Good post Muz and hell of a good eye!

 

[nmendham]

Blimey

Good Eye Muz - well spotted!

Those "Biggest and Best" boys... hire one half decent mechanic and 4 "apprentices", then the mechanic "oversees" them - it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Was the Kwaka rider concerned about handling since the new tyre?

Cheers,

Neil

 

[MuzTheInfidel]

Good post Muz and hell of a good eye!

Mate, the eye's always scanning for skirt when sitting at the traffic lights...

About the only other thing I take notice of is tyres on bikes (weird huh!!)... always on the lookout for tyres that are scrubbed up like DaveM's - usually the mark of someone who can actually ride. Funny thing is it's mostly on bikes like the ST & the odd Beemer / Guzzi that you see it. Rarely is it a 'superbike replica'... those bloke usually have a flat spot in the middle and chicken strips a mile wide..

Cheers & Beers,
Muz

 

[MuzTheInfidel]

Good Eye Muz - well spotted!

Those "Biggest and Best" boys... hire one half decent mechanic and 4 "apprentices", then the mechanic "oversees" them - it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Was the Kwaka rider concerned about handling since the new tyre?

Cheers,

Neil

The poor guy hadn't noticed a thing other than the fact that the bike was much better than it was before the new tyre. Chances are he would have noticed no ill effects for the life of the tyre... the axle nut is a different story though - he would have found out soon enough methinks.

As far as the 'well spotted' bit goes, I think we all see things that aren't right and we have some responsibility to stick our hands up to point out potential problems.

Had a classic a few weeks ago - a lady on a 250cc Jap 'cruiser' was getting on in the carpark at the local shops - both front and rear tyres were so flat they squirmed under the weight of the bike alone. She had no idea and would have continued on her merry way until she had to stop or turn in a hurry... who knows what the consequenses would have been?

It's all a part of the 'do unto others' thing and keeping an eye out for those around you I reckon.

Cheers,
Muz

 

[nmendham]

Public Service

Hey Muz,

know what you mean, s'funny though, I take a similar approach to cagers who neglect to check their brake lights... it's a real bug-bear of mine, and I'm often amused at the reaction of drivers when I pull up next to them to let them know. Every reaction from "Yeah I know" - "well do something about it then! You could kill me!", to complete shock and some bull about getting them checked (just go to the servo for gawds sake!), most amusing are the drivers that react by not winding their windows down and NEVER acknowledging that you're there...

Just providing a public service

Cya,

Neil

 

[danall]

Muz

Turns out he'd just had the tyre fitted a couple of weeks ago by an outlet owned by the 'biggest and best' chain of bike shops in the whole of Oz (no names mentioned).

Like WHY "no names mentioned"...?? If a place does shoddy work why NOT specificly identify it? When someone is critical of a place but won't mention the name i generally get really doubtful about the whole affair...in this case since you have it only second hand from the Kawi rider i reckon perhaps that is the best approach since you can't absolutely verify it. Not saying it didn't happen, wondering why we don't identify the culprits?

 

[CLB]

Good job spotting the problem and communicating.
I probably wouldn't have noticed. And for that..
Good job posting this.

 

[MuzTheInfidel]

Like WHY "no names mentioned"...??

Simple really, there's laws against things like Libel... Anyway, the comment "an outlet owned by the 'biggest and best' chain of bike shops in the whole of Oz" and a look at my location will tell anyone from the Eastern seaboard of Oz who reads the thread exactly who I mean.

In this instance (Neil [nmendham]) knows who they are and won't use them, I bought my bike off the 'Mega Chain' and also won't use them yet there are others (one that I know of) on here who think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I'm happy to PM anything, but posting negative comments about a business name for all to see is something I won't do.

Cheers,
Muz

 

[KevyKev]

TRI955 --- you must be talking about Steve & RPM! What a great deal we have going for us.

 

[OUTLAWD]

I am my own triumph certified mechanic, I figure no one cares about my well being more than, well...me. I figure with the manual, this forum full of knowledgable folks, a few tools, and my wall full of engineering degrees, I should be able to figure out most of my issues, plus, I am cheap...haha

Anytime the bike has gone to a dealer for any sort of work, even just getting new tires (rims off of course), there are new scratches, broken off tabs for the fairings, etc.

Good catch Muz, Kawi-boy must be thankful.

 

[BMWK100]

My dealer failed to remove the rear tire at the 12K service as described in the manual and their service sheet. They failed to notice that the rear bearings were crushed which could have killed me.

At 18K, a free service due to the above listed incident, they lifted the tank and when they put it back they cut some of the wires on the wiring harness. Thus, I had to get a whole new wiring harness.

I don't do business there anymore.

 

[steventhechef]

Good job Muz. I am the same Neil and their look is really funny. The blank stare at the dash, like that is going to tell them!

FWIW I know which one too Muz.

 

[Grae_ST]

good pick up....

Now, i hate to rain on everyones parade... But... Continental have decided that it does Not matter which way round you mount the RoadAttacks or SportAttacks....

In fact they have stated that "further testing has shown these tyres to be better in the wet when mounted in the opposite direction to the arrow on the sidewall" go figure?!

And I have had Road & SportAttacks mounted both ways... no discernable difference in performance....

Cheers, G