cost of ownership.

[Hank]

Crap- riding bikes is getting expensive. Picked up 8 litres of Mobile One, just shy of a $140. I hope the bikes will work ok on a cheaper brand next time. Gas might go up as high as $1.50/L so doing the math a days ride with 2 bikes 50L is $75, $2000 for insurance for 2 bikes, tires for at least one $400. Is it just me or are we getting squeezed!
Just opened my Mar. issue of Mojo (and all is well in the world) to page 44. I just love that bike. When we were at the 2011 Moto GP we went downtown to the circle. Tons of great bikes everywhere but the 2 that caught my eye were 2 honda 400 fours that looked similar to the one in MM. The young couple built them in their garage,but nontheless quite nice. My wife thought I might look like a circus bear on one but hey. Keep up the good work.

[Twinsport]

You failed to mention what you are riding? I guess you are right though if you have 2 Liter fever well I guess 1800ccs just short of 2 liters.

[Ancient Priest]

His lady has something equally sort of like a rhinosceros. Hank, when are you going to figure out how to make do with a 250?

[Twinsport]

Well for Oil, Shell Rotella T6 synthetic goes on sale for 27 bucks for 5 liters every few months at CT, so there is one saving. Shell Rotella is JASO MA qualified.

[Malks]

Yeah, the price for everything seems to only go one way, up. This means you need to look harder for the deals and save your money so you can enjoy the things that are important to you.

Shop around for your insurance; I saved just over $100.00 on my insurance cost just by doing some online quotes. Back in early January I picked up full synthetic i-Pone oil on a two-for-one deal at Royal Distributing in Guelph. I started buying oil filters for my car, truck and bike whenever we are in the States because they are about half the price of Canadian stores. A few years ago I came across a guy in Montreal http://www.petes-superbike.com/english who ships tires across Canada for about the same price as some US online stores. I have ordered from him three times and just received my latest shipment in November, a pair of Avon Storm II Ultras for my ST for $324.70, including shipping.

There is no question the admission price to ride in this country is going up, but hey, some things are worth it.

[Gerhard]

I have ordered from him three times and just received my latest shipment in November, a pair of Avon Storm II Ultras for my ST for $324.70, including shipping.

There is no question the admission price to ride in this country is going up, but hey, some things are worth it.

Are you able to mount the tires yourself? If not how does your mechanic feel about you bringing tires to mount? Does he charge more because he is not supplying the tires?

Years ago I had a machine retrofitted with a safety guard and was able to source the part for less than the installer was selling it for. He got all indignant about me having ordered the part, I think he charged more for supplies, i.e. nuts, bolts etc. than was normal.

Gerhard

[Black Lightning]

Quite a few people I work with have said to me than I must be saving quite a lot using my motorcycle in the summer (actually for six months or so), 'cause it burns so much less gas. I just nod sagely since the truth would convince them even more that I am slightly more bent than most people but the truth is that operating a motorcycle is not particularly cheap. True, in most cases a motorcycle will get better gas mileage than a car and two liters of oil doesn't cost as much as four, or as in the case of my f150, seven. However, tires only last between six and twenty thousand kilometers depending on the tires and riding style as opposed to thirty to forty thousand for my truck. A pair of the tires I use on my bike cost the same as four of the ones for my truck and I need two pair a season. Insurance is a dodgy comparison because it varies so much. I carry the full wack on my motorcycle but only the bare minimum on my truck but if I was to put the full amount on my, (twenty two year old), truck then the insurance would still be cheaper on my truck.

So, I would say that operating a motorcycle is probably on a par cost wise with a four wheeled vehicle.

[Malks]

Are you able to mount the tires yourself? If not how does your mechanic feel about you bringing tires to mount? Does he charge more because he is not supplying the tires?

Gerhard

I have a choice of a couple of shops in the area where they will mount tires for me; one of them is my local Honda dealer. The guy I had been using had said he could not care less where I got my tires, his only concern was paying for the tire installation machine in his shop. He also will install the tires while you wait. A few years ago the Honda dealer would not mount tires not ordered through him. I guess times are more tough these days because when I asked last fall he said bring in the wheels and he would mount and balance the new tires for $20 per wheel. His price was slightly better, but they were not ready until the next day. I had him do the job because he is closer and I did not need the bike for a few days.

[Twinsport]

Shops that wont mount ebay tires and parts are just throwing good money away.

[Gerhard]

Good that you have places that will mount them for a reasonable charge. I kind of understand both sides of this dilemma, if I turn away business the customer may get mad on the other hand if I lose the markup on parts I have to increase the labour rate to keep my profit margins. Very few people go into business as a public service so I don't resent them their return on investment.

Gerhard

[Twinsport]

Well Gerhard what really causes cross boarder shopping isnt the dealerships but the distributors and manufacturers. When a Kawasaki dealer has to pay more for a KLR 650 than the dealership 15km south across the line is retailing the same bike for.
As for a dealership, yes they are in business to make money. That being said if no customers leave that store feeling that there has been some goodwill on behalf of the store, the store will fail. Especially in todays depressed markets.

[Malks]

Good that you have places that will mount them for a reasonable charge. I kind of understand both sides of this dilemma, if I turn away business the customer may get mad on the other hand if I lose the markup on parts I have to increase the labour rate to keep my profit margins. Very few people go into business as a public service so I don't resent them their return on investment.

Gerhard

I don't buy all of my bike supplies online. Over the past five years I have owned the ST I have visited my local Honda / Suzuki / Bombardier dealer several times and bought many parts and accessories from him. A couple of years ago I had him replace the fork seals because I did not feel confident that I could do the job.

In my opinion any shop that will not install tires brought to them, particularly when the customer has already done the difficult work in removing the wheels from the bike, is just turning away good money. The installation machine is sitting there in the shop so it might as well be put to use. It only takes a few minutes for a tech to do the job and it can be done when there is down time in the shop.

[Gerhard]

To me this kind of thing is like going to restaurant with two eggs, a couple of slices of bread and bacon then asking them to make you breakfast with that for a $1.00. I think the business plan just would not support that kind of activity.

Like I said great that you found someone willing to do the work and I am sure that they take into consideration that you are getting other work at their shop.

Gerhard

[slomoshun]

To me this kind of thing is like going to restaurant with two eggs, a couple of slices of bread and bacon then asking them to make you breakfast with that for a $1.00. I think the business plan just would not support that kind of activity.

Good point Gerhard, but then it`s quite normal to bring wine to a restaurant and pay a corking fee.

The cost of tire changes have always been an expense that I`ve hated paying but instead of doing something about it I`ve just continue to shell out for the service. It seems strange to me that an off road rider will change his own tires without any fuss, and they have tubes and security bolts to contend with, but a street guy has to bring his tubeless radials to the shop.
Hey, if you know any kid who wants a summer job before college then buy him a bead breaker and tire changer, they are not that expensive, and watch the money roll in.
slo.

[Black Lightning]

To me this kind of thing is like going to restaurant with two eggs, a couple of slices of bread and bacon then asking them to make you breakfast with that for a $1.00. I think the business plan just would not support that kind of activity. Gerhard

The particular tires I run aren't available at the dealer I use. They are approved for the bike but the dealer doesn't stock them. I also live three hours away. If I am willing to source the tires, receive them at my house and bring them in with the bike so they can be put on during a regular service the dealer thinks that is wonderful since he doesn't have to do any of that work around something he normally doesn't stock. This actually reduces his cost and he still gets the money for the installation. I suspect any profit he might make on the tires would be eaten up by the extra costs associated with stocking an item he doesn't normally deal with.

I don't know what your situation is, I'm assuming you are a motorcycle shop of some sort. How things are set up in your particular situation are most likely different than mine but that is how it works for me.

[Gerhard]

I don't know what your situation is, I'm assuming you are a motorcycle shop of some sort. How things are set up in your particular situation are most likely different than mine but that is how it works for me.

Oh I am sorry did not intend to give the impression that I was involved in any part of the motorcycle industry other than being a customer. I was just wearing the hat of an entrepreneur trying to scrape out a living.

Gerhard

[STAL13]

+1 about Pete's Superbike.
I ordered tires last year for the best price around, and received them 3 days later.
Can't beat that.



Yeah, the price for everything seems to only go one way, up. This means you need to look harder for the deals and save your money so you can enjoy the things that are important to you.

Shop around for your insurance; I saved just over $100.00 on my insurance cost just by doing some online quotes. Back in early January I picked up full synthetic i-Pone oil on a two-for-one deal at Royal Distributing in Guelph. I started buying oil filters for my car, truck and bike whenever we are in the States because they are about half the price of Canadian stores. A few years ago I came across a guy in Montreal http://www.petes-superbike.com/english who ships tires across Canada for about the same price as some US online stores. I have ordered from him three times and just received my latest shipment in November, a pair of Avon Storm II Ultras for my ST for $324.70, including shipping.

There is no question the admission price to ride in this country is going up, but hey, some things are worth it.

[Black Lightning]

Oh I am sorry did not intend to give the impression that I was involved in any part of the motorcycle industry other than being a customer. I was just wearing the hat of an entrepreneur trying to scrape out a living. Gerhard

I wasn't trying to imply anything negative either. Different businesses are operated differently. Most motor vehicle businesses I am familiar with make most of their profit on services rather than hardware. If they don't have to stock the parts then they don't incur the costs associated with carrying them. Obviously they have to stock the parts most commonly used but if a customer shows up with everything needed to do whatever service he is paying for this is generally a plus for the dealer.

[Black Lightning]

Since we are plugging tire sellers here I would like to cite Blue Streak Racing for honorable mention. I saved quite a lot on my tires and they didn't charge shipping from Ontario to where I pick up my mail in BC. It worked out cheaper than I could source them from the United States and I didn't have any hassles with customs.

Incidentally, if you order stuff from the US make sure the vendor will ship US mail. UPS, FedEx, and the other courier who's name escapes me at this time all charge a brokerage fee whether there are customs charges on the parts or not. The mail takes longer but there are no brokerage fees since you deal directly with customs when you pick up the parts.

[Twinsport]

DHL?
Actually on some obscure Guzzi parts Ive had good success ordering from Europe. One part was 220 EU minus 18%VAT 25EU shipping, Airmail so no duties or taxes, I was ahead about 15Eu over buying it in the store in person.

[Uwe W.]

DHL?
Actually on some obscure Guzzi parts Ive had good success ordering from Europe. One part was 220 EU minus 18%VAT 25EU shipping, Airmail so no duties or taxes, I was ahead about 15Eu over buying it in the store in person.

I think the other courier BL was trying to recall is Purolater. DHL is a delivery arm of Deutsche Post, so a lot of their shipments get handed off to Canada Post for the final delivery leg in Canada. I use DHL whenever I can for shipments from Europe.

[Black Lightning]

I think the other courier BL was trying to recall is Purolater. DHL is a delivery arm of Deutsche Post, so a lot of their shipments get handed off to Canada Post for the final delivery leg in Canada. I use DHL whenever I can for shipments from Europe.

Purolator is the courier arm of Canada Post. The other courier, out west anyway, is CanPar. Purolator will deliver to a post office box if that is the only alternative. Where I live nobody will deliver to the doorstep. My house is too far off the beaten track. Google Earth hasn't even heard of it.

[Uwe W.]

Canada Post owns 94% of Purolator. Apparently Deutsche Post DHL is the world's largest air courier with 467,088 employees and a revenue of 51 billion EUR in 2010. That's a lot of deliveries, especially since some of them were to places "off the beaten track."

[Ancient Priest]

at the scene in Cast Away where Chuck Noland, the time-obsessed sysyems analyst for FedEx (Tom Hanks) delivers the one package he has managed to keep over four years on a desert island. The big expanse of Montana, contrasted with the small Pacific island, made the scene striking.

Movies are seldom remembered for their stories. You may forget their titles but a particular scene will stay with you for years.

[Night_Wolf]

I buy as much stuff locally as I can. The closest Suzuki dealer has his head up his a** on prices, while the local Yamaha dealer is very close to prices posted online. Anything that is Suzuki specific will see me check online or head into Calgary to place an order. Anything that can fit either of my Suzuki motorcycles that comes through Motovan, Parts Canada etc.. gets ordered through the local Yamaha dealer. Have purchased a cpl thou $$ through the Yamaha dealer & never a problem