Bling vs Bang

itgirl · 09-17-2010, 07:40 AM

i still stand by the fact that the person i am paying should be a voice of reason. if i choose to ignore that, then the fault lies on me. just sayin'...

OTB · 09-17-2010, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itgirl

i still stand by the fact that the person i am paying should be a voice of reason. if i choose to ignore that, then the fault lies on me. just sayin'...

...and I agree. If you're paying somebody for RACE GAS... Then they oughta clue you in to what you are buying and the suitability of it for your intended use........

He were paying us to map his bike based on his intended use.....

Go back to my initial post....

OTB · 09-17-2010, 08:51 AM

By the same token, we DO ask folks to fill out an information sheet when they come in for any type of tuning, be it suspension, dyno or engine performance work. Besides the regular info, we ask them what they are looking to achieve, what is most and least important, why they chose the modification that they did, ect.

A LOT of shops won't install stuff they haven't sold to the person for just this reason; they don't know what the person has or has not been told (or if the claims are even TRUE or not). We are sensitive to people's pocketbooks; a lot of folks buy stuff on the internetz and then bring it to us for installation. Many folks get the wrong parts, or buy something inappropriate for the intended use and then get pissed. Is it REALLY my fault because I am the bringer of bad news?

In suspensions, we sell Race Tech, Ohlins, Penske and Elka; we sell Dynotune and Bazazz for FMS; we sell Leo Vince, Yosh, and custom race pipes; we work on all the Japanese bikes, new and old, Truimphs KTM's and Ducs, street bikes, dirtbikes, racebikes and cruisers. We fabricate just about anything someone could need. All with just 4 guys.

We are VERY careful about what we sell; most of our business has been by word of mouth through the racer's grapevine. Most of our clients come back time after time.

And most of the problems we encounter are because people don't tell us what they REALLY expect, or interrupt when I'm doing my information gathering and tell me "I just want you to put it on; I'm not interested in that other stuff."

OK...you're the boss.

I will tell you that one of the big issues we've had is with people's expectations from what they may have read; ie. motorcycle mags and websites.

All the big hoopla over the BMW S1000RR in the press has lead to some VERY po'd folks. Motorcyclist touted the "190HP BMW"....(they don't tell you on the cover it's crank HP). So we get folks who want their BMW's dyno'd and then get pissed cause it only makes 174 at the RW. Even when you explain to them beforehand that RW hp is different from crank hp, and that every dyno will give a different reading and that humidity and temperature can have a 2-3% difference on actual raw numbers.

And don't get me going about the guys who come back a week later with $3600 Akropovic full race systems and a Bazazz unit they bought from some internet site based on some "expert" on one of the boards who tells them they should see 195-198 hp with THIS downloaded map... only to find out we can only coax another 4 hp out of the bike on pump gas, and that even with a custom map he might only see another 1-1.5 peak hp by leaning it out a bunch more.

Don't believe everything you read on the internetz........

azoomm · 09-17-2010, 11:49 AM

itgirl, you understand that race gas isn't something you can just walk up the pump and purchase, right? It is a very intentional purchase, typically by those that understand full well that not only can they not leave it in the machine - but, they can never put any other fuel into it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTB

...and I agree. If you're paying somebody for RACE GAS... Then they oughta clue you in to what you are buying and the suitability of it for your intended use........

He were paying us to map his bike based on his intended use.....

Go back to my initial post....

The guy was clearly an idiot. Reminds me of the guy that would come into the shop and weigh tires. He didn't want to buy the best tire composite - he wanted the LIGHTEST tire.

You can't fix crazy. Sometimes people get so hung up on what they think is an "easy" way to buy fast that they can't let go.

OTB · 09-17-2010, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azoomm

The guy was clearly an idiot. Reminds me of the guy that would come into the shop and weigh tires. He didn't want to buy the best tire composite - he wanted the LIGHTEST tire.

You can't fix crazy. Sometimes people get so hung up on what they think is an "easy" way to buy fast that they can't let go.

See, now you've got me started!

A guy we did some engine mods (high comp kit, Ti valves, cams, crank, rods...the works )and paintwork for this spring, brought his bike in on a flatbed last week; said the bike's clutch was slipping and kept "stalling".

This guy spent almost $8k on mods, paint and custom motor work for a Kawasaki Mean Streak...lotta money!!! He's put about 8K miles on it since May. When we send bikes out with major engine work we give the owner a break-in and service sheet that tells how to break in and when the next oil change and/or service is due (usually 200 miles to get all the metal shavings from break-in out) ......

He had not brought the bike back in for service since then.

We put the bike up on the lift, pulled the drainplug..........................

........and out came ........

....almost a pint and a half of the burntest, chunkiest glop you ever saw........

....and some metal pieces.....

and that's it.........

TOAST!

itgirl · 09-17-2010, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azoomm

itgirl, you understand that race gas isn't something you can just walk up the pump and purchase, right? It is a very intentional purchase, typically by those that understand full well that not only can they not leave it in the machine - but, they can never put any other fuel into it.

the only thing i know about race gas is that i don't need it.

seriously, i only know how to ride my bike and i'm probably not all that qualified to do even that much anymore. i am very glad there are people like you and OTB to clear things up for folks like me. like i said, sometimes we need it spelled out to us. and some people there are just no hope for.

09-17-2010, 08:51 AM	#3
OTB The Man Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CrabTown USA Moto: 00 Bimota DB4 Posts: 823	By the same token, we DO ask folks to fill out an information sheet when they come in for any type of tuning, be it suspension, dyno or engine performance work. Besides the regular info, we ask them what they are looking to achieve, what is most and least important, why they chose the modification that they did, ect. A LOT of shops won't install stuff they haven't sold to the person for just this reason; they don't know what the person has or has not been told (or if the claims are even TRUE or not). We are sensitive to people's pocketbooks; a lot of folks buy stuff on the internetz and then bring it to us for installation. Many folks get the wrong parts, or buy something inappropriate for the intended use and then get pissed. Is it REALLY my fault because I am the bringer of bad news? In suspensions, we sell Race Tech, Ohlins, Penske and Elka; we sell Dynotune and Bazazz for FMS; we sell Leo Vince, Yosh, and custom race pipes; we work on all the Japanese bikes, new and old, Truimphs KTM's and Ducs, street bikes, dirtbikes, racebikes and cruisers. We fabricate just about anything someone could need. All with just 4 guys. We are VERY careful about what we sell; most of our business has been by word of mouth through the racer's grapevine. Most of our clients come back time after time. And most of the problems we encounter are because people don't tell us what they REALLY expect, or interrupt when I'm doing my information gathering and tell me "I just want you to put it on; I'm not interested in that other stuff." OK...you're the boss. I will tell you that one of the big issues we've had is with people's expectations from what they may have read; ie. motorcycle mags and websites. All the big hoopla over the BMW S1000RR in the press has lead to some VERY po'd folks. Motorcyclist touted the "190HP BMW"....(they don't tell you on the cover it's crank HP). So we get folks who want their BMW's dyno'd and then get pissed cause it only makes 174 at the RW. Even when you explain to them beforehand that RW hp is different from crank hp, and that every dyno will give a different reading and that humidity and temperature can have a 2-3% difference on actual raw numbers. And don't get me going about the guys who come back a week later with $3600 Akropovic full race systems and a Bazazz unit they bought from some internet site based on some "expert" on one of the boards who tells them they should see 195-198 hp with THIS downloaded map... only to find out we can only coax another 4 hp out of the bike on pump gas, and that even with a custom map he might only see another 1-1.5 peak hp by leaning it out a bunch more. Don't believe everything you read on the internetz........ __________________ http://www.decreasingradius.net/