Just a simple question??

Friend of mine told me about a Yamaha shop in the next town over here, so thought Id go check them out.

Went to the service department and out of curiousity asked how much it would cost to clean the carbs in my '80 XJ.

20 minutes later I knew just HOW expensive it would be to rebuild EVERYTHING on that bike, and how a lot of the parts are discontinued and WHY would I want to spend that much money on such an old bike...

Sheesh...sorry I asked. I did get a nice pair of summer time glove for $20.....

 

Better to fix it yourself. This forum has everything you need to become a wrencher!

 

I was at the Yamaha dealer in the next town over here yesterday too.

Went to check out helmets, was basically ignored, so went a mile down the st. to another dealer. Got the same helmet for $20 less, so I bought more.

but I digress....

The Yamaha dealer had a sign posted for their flat rate stuff. Tune up, 4 cyl sport bike pre 1997, would be $380. Doesn't include carb cleaning, only sync and general bike preparation .

The dealer I bought my helmet from was excited to hear what I was riding. He's a former racer & had an 81 Seca 550 that he had built.

 

Oh Im preparing myself to wrench it myself.....just thought Id see what kind of reception Id get...whoo boy.

 

$380 for a tune up? Unbelievable. Do you get fries with that?

 

I have a question ...

What's a tune-up if it don't include Cleaning the Carbs?

Plugs and adjusting Carbs that need cleaning?
Seems like a rip-off.
It only takes 15-minutes to change a set of Plugs.

Adjusting the Carbs if they need cleaning is a waste of time.

 

I agree completely Rick. a $380 tune up means the following to me:

1. Clean Carbs
2. Check Plugs
3. Change Air Filter
4. Change Oil and Oil Filter
5. Check Valve Clearances and shim if necessary
6. Check over electrical and lights
7. Check tread
8. Check Brakes and rotor condition.
9. Check final drive oil
10. Change fuel filter
11. Lubricate throttle cable, brake cable, and levers.
12. Check fuel lines for elasticity and heat damage.
13. Check Battery
14. Check fork oil level and replace fork seals if necessary
15. Check timing, tighten cam chain (depending on bike)
16. synch and balance carbs.

That sounds like about $400 what do you think?

 

There is a guy in my hometown who can eat Yamahas for breakfast. He did a load of work for me and only charged me $60. This included wiring work...cleaning carbs...and a spark plug change. He is not a mechanic but he has been around bikes his whole life. The local dealer even sends him work that have them stumped !

 

You're not going to get that 16-Part List done at a Dealership for $400.00

Not at $85.00 per Hour Labor Charge.

That 16-Part List would be over 4-hundred dollars labor, I'm sure.

THAT'S why we take care of our own bikes.
Every hour we work on our own machines is a savings of 85-Bucks.

And, ... THAT is why I say buying a Factory Manual for your Bike pays for itself the FIRST time you use it!