Something that really grinds my gears...

[jdanderson1449]

I figured that this would be an appropriate place to vent a little frustration with the breadth of the 2-wheeled transportation world.

You seriously can't expect to drop off any kind of vehicle with a symptom of "I don't know, it just stalled on me and wouldn't start again," and expect a "timely" turn around.

Diagnostics take time, getting parts takes time, installing parts takes time and finally, road testing takes time. As you can see, time is a very valuable commodity in the service department.

The typical turn around time for something like that could be at least a week in the off season, let alone mid-May.

I understand that many of the users here including myself, are DIYers but many still rely on shops. The best thing for anyone who rides, drives, bikes whatever is to pay attention to your mode of transportation. It talks to you and when it's mistreated, it'll act up.

I'm guilty of not paying attention to what my bike is telling me, but when I do pay attention, the turn around is much faster which means my service bill is much less.

Also, if you live in a place like I do that actually has a winter, why not have your tires put on then or that new set of bars or any of the hundreds of other things neglected over the last part of the riding season so we could squeeze in one more ride?

Sorry for the rant, but as someone who is an avid enthusiast as well as being "in the business," I thought it needed to be said.

[Sailboat13]

Fair enough,,,,,,I've needed to do a oil change, I'll do that today.

[rsrider]

Proper maintenance is the only thing that will keep your bike running. There are bikes that you can abuse, but when they do fail, you're looking at major repair for just about every system that's been ignored. It also helps to have another means of transportation when you take you bike/vehicle in for service. I never demand to have a quick turn around on my vehicles, they're done when they're done. BUT, I don't drop my machines off to any shop either. I take pains to make sure that the quality of work is top notch at any shop I go to. I also inspect my vehicle after the maintenance to make sure that bolts are tight, fluids aren't leaking, and there isn't grease or oil stains on the surfaces. If something is wrong, I will point it out, and if it isn't handled to my satisfaction (which it usually is) I will find another shop. And once I find a good shop, I pretty much stick with it. I've also followed certain mechanics/technicians around from shop to shop because of the quality of their work.

[Syd]

I get that all the time with people's computers.

"I was working on this thing, and it gave an error and crashed."
"What was the error?"
"Oh, something about not doing something. You know."
"What were you doing?"
"Uh, I don't remember right now. Just fix the damn thing, OK!"

I feel your pain.

[skully93]

I get that all the time with people's computers.

"I was working on this thing, and it gave an error and crashed."
"What was the error?"
"Oh, something about not doing something. You know."
"What were you doing?"
"Uh, I don't remember right now. Just fix the damn thing, OK!"

I feel your pain.

I too am in IT. One of my favorite lines:

"I've been having this problem for weeks! can you fix it now?"

well, you just reported it to me, and you're about 5th in line. I'll head over to your desk as soon as I can.

"That figures, you would blow me off after I've been suffering with this problem all this time. I know I should have said something before but I really need it fixed NOW!"

Sorry for the thread hijack!

[TVB]

Don't get me started about computer-user anecdotes.

Imagine that the computer here is a person ->

[Cheshire]

OP: I hear ya. The other one that gets me is walk-in's. If you know you have a service interval coming up or your tires are wearing thin...order and schedule in advance! Tread depth is measurable. The odometer accumulates linearly...not exponentially! A little forethought and planning goes a long way towards minimal down time and headache.

[still shifting]

oh come on guys, computers are all wizardry and mumbo jumbo, 22nd century witch craft aren't they? R

[viney266]

OP...brace yourself...SPRING is coming...

" I have this custom project I was curious about having you guys do for me"...as he walks in the door mid April...THAT is MY favorite.

[JHScoot]

i think its prudent to have two or three bikes that can be counted on for this reason. if without another mode of transport, or you simply do not want to use another mode. such as myself. when i don't ride, i suffer a bit. not real suffering, but you know...

and it just creates bad vibes to have to wait on something you count on, and the wait can get long. however often times its not anyone's fault, shop or owner. even in the best of times things can take days depending on a number of factors. heck i did my own brakes for the first time recently and even if i'd known exactly what i was doing and had done it 100 times before i'd still have a three day wait!

being prepared with parts and what not could help a semi DIY'er like myself, but who knows what you might need and when? we can guess and stock up on maintenance items, but many times its not a matter of a part, or it can be an uncommon part or repair beyond your skill. any number of things can come up!

but the chances of being without a ride is most likely less with two or three around. i understand it cost to purchase, insure, and register. and repair. BUT using more then one bike or simply keeping one as "back-up" can make it a lot easier to tell a shop "whenever you can get to it" and walk away. being they are a reasonably timely shop.

and two weeks is reasonable if it takes a week and a half to get the part. and from what i understand, that is downright speedy in some cases when it comes to fixing scoots 'n cycles

guy has a thread posted today his scoot took nine months

scoots are pretty cheap. even a little back-up beater is better then anything else with wheels tbh