why I avoid motorcycle mechanics 

I do all my own work. Had an oil leak (from new) on a Triumph Daytona 675. It was leaking from where the outlet of the combined coolant/oil pump exited the crankcase. Dealer told me it was a sump gasket. I told them no. They replaced sump gasket. Still leaked. Another sump gasket! I convinced them it was the pump outlet o-ring. They said it would be a shame to split the cases on a new bike. I told them there was no need to split the cases, and EXPLAINED TO THEIR MECHANIC how the job is done. Believe it or not they then asked me for a link to the job explanation on a forum I was on! Following this, we came to an agreement - I would do all my own service and warranty work using genuine parts and they would stamp my warranty book. And this is one of Australia’s biggest motorcycle dealers!

This is why I've invested in thousands on specialist tools including impact wrenches, bike lifters, flashtuners, you name it. By now it's all paid for itself in savings and less stress. RU-vid has been my teacher. I can do almost all work that a mechanic can, except I give a damn.

I completely agree, and I'll do you one better. I know a guy that works at a dealership (not naming the brand, but it's a rather well regarded one located in a higher class city), and I hear stories about technicians vaping and eating in customer's cars, a mechanic test driving a car and going over a median, wheel lug nuts not being tightened down, and so much more. Even brand new cars are getting blown motors sometimes. Too many of people simply do not care, or are not trained properly for their job. If you know what you're doing, having someone else work on your vehicle is a risk not worth taking, ESPECIALLY with a motorcycle. Like you said, you can maintain whatever quality you want if it's your vehicle, and you know more about it than anyone that touches 5+ cars a day.

Half the reasons I own bikes is to work on them. I don't pay other folk to ride my bikes either.

Bought a used bike and before I could burn a tank of gas it crapped out. I didn’t have the time to figure out the issue so I took it to a mechanic. Turns out the dealership I bought it from had “serviced” it before I took delivery and didn’t fully screw down a spark plug cap so it wasn’t firing one plug. Ok, simple fix and since it was with a mechanic I asked him to give it an inspection to ensure the loose cap and resulting overheating exhaust and unburnt fuel didn’t cause any other issues. He said it was all good. I got it home and soon found that the carbon fiber bits of the silencer has burned to a crisp in places when things overheated due to the loose spark plug cap. Now, I’m in the process of replacing the entire exhaust, manifold and silencer, and I’m doing it myself. Gives me the confidence to now do my own maintenance and basic repairs. 2 shops and both were kind of shite.

A simple fix can be replacing the bolt for the air hole with a short "set screw", which has no head and can be screwed in flush with the the fork tube. The set screw can be simply ground to length if needed to the thickness of the fork tube if needed. A couple of drops of Locktite on the threads and you're good to go.

I am a professional mechanic of 37 years experience i only work for select people and select jobs

I avoid all mechanics, had the 32k mile service done and didn't get all of my bike back, Missing bolts, bolts of another bike and missing trim clips. also had a rear tyre fitted and they failed to line up the light spot with the Schrader valve. This means they had to spam my rear wheel with balance weights all over the place.

To trust anyone, isn't a good idea. To trust nobody, isn't a wise choice either.

Too many "What difference at this point does it really make." mechanics out there just filling holes in suspension tubes and moving on. It's increasingly difficult to find good knowledgeable present interested mechanics. I've found three in recent years - worth their weight in gold. Especially since, despite being a diligent researcher and a procedure-driven man, anything beyond changing fluids has me cursing as I throw tools at walls with skinned knuckles. I'm no mechanic. You're a true RU-vidr when you've got GoPro mounts on your pram, congrats again mate. Enjoyed the vid, good story.

replace the bushings on the shocks

My partner had a series of breakdowns on her divvy 600, was recovered and used a few mechanics local to her and it kept acting up again within weeks with the same problem. So I have little trust for mechnics now and fix it for her, the same problem doesnt occur twice anymore

haha right, 35 years as a motorcycle engineer I can chime in here Hourly rate The overheads of running a shop and hourly rate promote sloppy work you are quite right get the job out who gives a fk, THATS your problem. When it comes to modern bikes you need some specialised equipment ( expensive ) Routine maintenance isn't a problem but if it say develops a misfire ,,,, and IF you are charging 100 bucks or more an hour ,,,, your bill is going to make small African countries wince in pain ! (Manufacturers are at fault here ) too high tech we don't need , What you SHOULD pay for in a mechanic is quite simply experience in getting the job done 1st time correctly ( there are still shops like that ) Even I use mechanics when I know the fella is just better than me at a certain task ( btw those fork seal hour plus parts if that )

Brawo, Mikołaj. I'm with you on this one !

Shorten the bolts. Take them out, put on a nut all the way. Cut off the excess length, clean up the end. Remove the nut to clean up thread at the end. Install with locktite or a spring washer (budget for the washer thickness before you cut them). But I hear what you are saying about mechanics. I had a new front tyre fitted and then I had a slow leak - they must have damaged the wheel. Took it back and they reinstalled with "sealant" and that mostly fixed it. Have to find a better tyre fitting place.

Sounds more like you should have paid for an actual mechanic, with an actual registered business number so you can enforce a contract of agreed works etc. Your fault for trying to skimp on it, because if you have a verbal contract with a mechanic, there are consumer laws you can enforce. But even if they are not a registered business, you could also go to a small claims court, provided you can prove that they have irreversibly damaged something or incurred a cost to you without compensation

That's cool. It's kind a sad when ya gotta check the Mechanics work. Cheers

Awesome post, I love it. You have the traits of a mechanical engineer. Work your way thru the problem and you find the solution. What a great satisfaction rush. Well done. DH from Canada eh?

Why mention the apprentice was a Maori? Not a necessary detail.

put a short rub screw in

APL charges arehigh but i only have the job done once

Was this mechanic chosen at random or a referral?

Why is Vlad from Garage54 your thumbnail?

Very cool! 👌