1981 CB750K - Repair/Tune-up

[cdaiscool]

I have to call a guy either tonight or tomorrow about going through my bike. $50/hour though.

Hope it doesn't take too long to get everything sync'd, but knowing my luck it'll be an all day excursion.

Anyone know how long roughly it should take to tune and sync the carbs? And compression test?

[Piute]

cdaiscool wrote

I have to call a guy either tonight or tomorrow about going through my bike. $50/hour though.

Hope it doesn't take too long to get everything sync'd, but knowing my luck it'll be an all day excursion.

Anyone know how long roughly it should take to tune and sync the carbs? And compression test?

       50 Bucks an hour ,sure hope you don't call this person "friend",But ya gotta do what ya gatta ,Seem he coming to you ,So tools to me would be the issue ya move around your own shop lots better,If compression is bad finding why takes the time,(there again tyme making sure of right supplys.)
   I changed the oil/flushed tank/cleaned areas while Paul(my cuzz/mechanic)did his thing(he knew what to do better then I )on new project.
 Tune up(new plugs in) /Timing/basic compression/lil elactrical testing (coils)took Paul less then An hour ,When I 1st brought my bike home,Did Fire right up by the way,he played with carb and learned were things were as it warmed up("Luckly"not included in 1hr time) He has never touched A cb 750 till mine.By the way we never yet synced my carbs .wount to see how he did (by ear)adjusting the other parts.When I push at 75-80 m.p.h. for a full hr.
       
                                                        His bike    

[cdaiscool]

No, found him through CL. He said he's been doing old bikes for 12 years, owned his own shop, worked on CB's before. But obviously no way to verify this. Its going to rain most this week, so I have some time to vet him out. Not going to make the mistake of sending my bike to someone that will just play bike time for a few hours.

On May 29, 2012 9:25 PM, "Piute [via Honda CB750'S]" <[hidden email]> wrote:

cdaiscool wrote

I have to call a guy either tonight or tomorrow about going through my bike. $50/hour though.

Hope it doesn't take too long to get everything sync'd, but knowing my luck it'll be an all day excursion.

Anyone know how long roughly it should take to tune and sync the carbs? And compression test?

       50 Bucks an hour ,sure hope you don't call this person "friend",But ya gotta do what ya gatta ,Seem he coming to you ,So tools to me would be the issue ya move around your own shop lots better,If compression is bad finding why takes the time,(there again tyme making sure of right supplys.)
   I changed the oil/flushed tank/cleaned areas while he did his thing
      timing/basic compression/lil elactrical testing took Paul less then An hour ,When I 1st brought my bike home,Did Fire right up by the way,he played with carb and learned were things were as it warmed up("Luckly"not included in 1hr time) He has never touched A cb 750 till mine.By the way we never yet synced my carbs .wount to see how he did (by ear)adjusting the other parts.When I push at 75-80 for a full hr.
       

                            1977 CB750 F2 Super Sport
<LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE><RIDE TO LIVE-LIVE FOR JESUS> 
Native American from central Cal,  Kickstand down in S.W.Missouri,
                                     Titled N owned;
 6 Harley's,2 Honda's,2Kawasaki's,2 Triumphs,28 vehicle's
 I used and abused them all,But Triumph's sold before could
 NOT A mechanic,          Custom Auto Body N Paint by birth
     But am An Elc oholic                                  >STOCK SUCKS<

                                                                                                   

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[Piute]

  I'm sure there's a time manual ,just like I use for auto body,basic removals,R & R

[cdaiscool]

I have asked. He says 'depends what I need to do to the carbs'

Can't give any indication to even relative amount of time. Even after I told him they were rebuilt just need to be tuned.

Sounds kind of hokey to me, honestly.

On May 29, 2012 9:43 PM, "Piute [via Honda CB750'S]" <[hidden email]> wrote:

  I'm sure there's a time manual ,just like I use for auto body,basic removals,R & R

                            1977 CB750 F2 Super Sport
<LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE><RIDE TO LIVE-LIVE FOR JESUS> 
Native American from central Cal,  Kickstand down in S.W.Missouri,
                                     Titled N owned;
 6 Harley's,2 Honda's,2Kawasaki's,2 Triumphs,28 vehicle's
 I used and abused them all,But Triumph's sold before could
 NOT A mechanic,          Custom Auto Body N Paint by birth
     But am An Elc oholic                                  >STOCK SUCKS<

                                                                                                   

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[Piute]

           This is how every pro's charge ,some just know more trix to cut time,or better tools



http://www.autoepc4you.com/catalog/view/Mitchell-OnDemand5-Repair-&-Estimator-1quarter-2010


 or pick n choose http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mitchell+manuel+honda+motorcycle&b=&fr=ie8

[cdaiscool]

Oh I know about Mitchell. That's why I'm saying I don't know if I'm even going to go with him. It may turn into a 3-hour job and it should've only been 45 minutes. I can't see a quick compression test, tuning the 4 carbs, and syncing the carbs taking more than 2 hours. That sounds a bit high on its own.

But him being unable to quote my ANY sort of time makes me wary. He owned a shop for 12 years, worked on 'tons' of CB750's, yet doesn't know how long it'll take to tune 4 carbs and sync 'em?

Something ain't right there.

[Dw07u]

It will help your video if it was listed on youtube, currently only those who you give the link to can view it, this is why embedding it wont work...


I commented tho :D

[cdaiscool]

I did it intentionally, as there isn't a need for all of the Youtube community to view 'what's wrong with it' videos.

And the brakes already got some lovin. Rebuilt the front caliper, new pads, and new master cylinder.

[Piute]

cdaiscool wrote

Oh I know about Mitchell. That's why I'm saying I don't know if I'm even going to go with him. It may turn into a 3-hour job and it should've only been 45 minutes. I can't see a quick compression test, tuning the 4 carbs, and syncing the carbs taking more than 2 hours. That sounds a bit high on its own.

But him being unable to quote my ANY sort of time makes me wary. He owned a shop for 12 years, worked on 'tons' of CB750's, yet doesn't know how long it'll take to tune 4 carbs and sync 'em?

Something ain't right there.

                     

                           realize your 1st ????

I have to call a guy either tonight or tomorrow about going through my bike. $50/hour though.

Hope it doesn't take too long to get everything sync'd, but knowing my luck it'll be an all day excursion.

Anyone know how long roughly it should take to tune and sync the carbs? And compression test?

                                                         

[bosco39]

Not sure what all is involved in a complete tune up, but to compression test 4 cylinders is probably 5 minutes. Synching the carbs shouldn't be long. For someone who knows what they're doing, I'd say 5-10 minutes. I'm basing that on how long it took my mechanic to double-check my vacuum gauge synch with his mercury sticks and make a couple small adjustments -he does it by ear. Didn't charge me for it. If you're checking the timing and making adjustments to the advance, maybe half an hour for that.

I'm basing these time estimates on my experience with my XS 11. There could be some differences in how Honda set up the CB vs. Yamaha and the XS, but I'd think they'd be minimal. I could be wrong, but I'd say the whole shootin' match shouldn't take more than an hour.

[cdaiscool]

The biggest thing is the tuning of the carbs on the low speed adjustment. But the fact that he can't even say "Well, if they're COMPLETELY out of sync, then it'd probably take me a good hour. If they're not bad, I can do it in about 20 minutes" or something similar, whatever those times would be, shows he either doesn't have the experience, or wants to see what kind of person I am to see if he can milk me for a few hours on everything. You're right, I can't see a vacuum sync and compression test taking more than 30 minutes. But giving me ZERO time estimates means I don't want to deal with this. Having to fight someone that's supposed to be making my life easier? 

No thanks. Dealer already bent me over and shafted me, don't need someone out here doing it either. I don't know the guy, have nobody to ask how he is as a bike mechanic, and he no longer owns his shop, which means I cannot even get reviews from there. I have no way to vet him, and he's not telling me times. Fuck it, I'll go somewhere else. I work too hard for my cash to give it to a guy that can't tell me how long 3 simple procedures will take. 

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 9:01 AM, bosco39 [via Honda CB750'S] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Not sure what all is involved in a complete tune up, but to compression test 4 cylinders is probably 5 minutes. Synching the carbs shouldn't be long. For someone who knows what they're doing, I'd say 5-10 minutes. I'm basing that on how long it took my mechanic to double-check my vacuum gauge synch with his mercury sticks and make a couple small adjustments -he does it by ear. Didn't charge me for it. If you're checking the timing and making adjustments to the advance, maybe half an hour for that.

I'm basing these time estimates on my experience with my XS 11. There could be some differences in how Honda set up the CB vs. Yamaha and the XS, but I'd think they'd be minimal. I could be wrong, but I'd say the whole shootin' match shouldn't take more than an hour.

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[shinyribs]

Estimates suck. Being self employed I am forced to give estimates and I despise that part of my job. Everyone wants to hold you rock solid to an estimate as if you gave them a written quote on the job. In Virginia if I give you a written quote, by law,  that price cannot increase by more than ten percent. It gives the contractor the ability to maybe not lose his ass if the price of materials or equipment rises between the time the qoute was given and the customer finally decided to do the job. Most people treat an estimate the same as a qoute. Two totally different things, but they will still ruin you with word of mouth."he charged me more than he said..." no way I would ever give an estimate without the bike sitting in front of me where I could see it. You could run into broken or frozen fasteners or any sort if rig job someone has prepared for you to fix.

 No way you could sync carbs in five minutes. Not unless the customer rolled the bike in your shop, got it up on the lift, removed the gas tank,got all the plugs out of the carbse, installed the vacuum port adapters, got the gauges set up, got the fan set up, auxiliary fuel source set up....see where I'm going. A mechanic deserves to be paid for every minute he works on your bike, not just the split second he turns a screwdriver.

Same thing on a compression test. I would like to see the Guy who can remove all four plugs on a bike, test the cylinders, get the plugs back in and have the bike rolled back outside ready to ride...in five minutes. That's one fast sob. Actually, I'd rather someone be a little more careful than all that. JMO of course

[cdaiscool]

But even explaining that would give SOME credence to what he has to do. Just outright saying "No clue until it's in front of me" makes it seem as if he doesn't know anything about the bike. If he said "Well, if the screws are jammed, then xxxxx or if it takes xxxxxx then xxxxxxx but if everything's good (I DID tell him that the carbs were recently rebuilt, and that all was well with regards to that) then xxxxxxxxxxxx. 

I'm getting 1-liners back. "Here's my number, I have to have it in front of me. I charge $50/hour. You can stay if you want."

Since I'm not getting much info back whatsoever, I'm good. You can have Mitchell's book, experience, whatever tell you it's going to take X hours. But if this guy is only saying "I know CB750's" and really don't, he may take an extra 2 hours to get shit right. That's an extra $100 out of my pocket. Why not show some experience and sell the damn job and say "well, I typically did 'em after a carb rebuild in about 2 hours. It takes some time to get 'em perfect. Though if anything's messed up, then that'll change that number. Typically you may find X, Y, and/or Z is messed up. If that's the case, then I have no idea until it's in front of me."

Not "No idea until I see it and get into it. Price is $50/hour." 

I get that estimates and quotes suck. I'm asking for a rough estimate. I've even said "I get that this is only a rough estimate". But how can one figure out what it'll cost to do this? If it takes him 4 hours to do all this, I'm out another $200, and I can't see everything taking 4 hours. But if he doesn't know wtf he's doing, then yep, 4 hours it is!

Not trying to be an ass, I just am way too wary at this point of being screwed over. Lots of people out there do it, and lots of people out there just don't care anymore. I've already wasted way too much at the dealer trying to sort this out. Don't want to repeat that, is all. And yes, I've explained this to the guy, but he doesn't seem to give a shit about it other than "I can't make any calls until you bring it to me. $50/hour."

I'm just going to keep searching. 

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 10:29 AM, shinyribs [via Honda CB750'S] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Estimates suck. Being self employed I am forced to give estimates and I despise that part of my job. Everyone wants to hold you rock solid to an estimate as if you gave them a written quote on the job. In Virginia if I give you a written quote, by law,  that price cannot increase by more than ten percent. It gives the contractor the ability to maybe not lose his ass if the price of materials or equipment rises between the time the qoute was given and the customer finally decided to do the job. Most people treat an estimate the same as a qoute. Two totally different things, but they will still ruin you with word of mouth."he charged me more than he said..." no way I would ever give an estimate without the bike sitting in front of me where I could see it. You could run into broken or frozen fasteners or any sort if rig job someone has prepared for you to fix.

 No way you could sync carbs in five minutes. Not unless the customer rolled the bike in your shop, got it up on the lift, removed the gas tank,got all the plugs out of the carbse, installed the vacuum port adapters, got the gauges set up, got the fan set up, auxiliary fuel source set up....see where I'm going. A mechanic deserves to be paid for every minute he works on your bike, not just the split second he turns a screwdriver.

Same thing on a compression test. I would like to see the Guy who can remove all four plugs on a bike, test the cylinders, get the plugs back in and have the bike rolled back outside ready to ride...in five minutes. That's one fast sob. Actually, I'd rather someone be a little more careful than all that. JMO of course

Montvale,Virginia
 Piute said it best:  "wheres my 10mm?"
Hellbilly-"that is a great way to tell if you have come to your senses, when you start drilling random holes in things... "

LukeM-"Scooters rock, especially when they're in posse formation. "

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~Plato

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[bosco39]

shinyribs wrote

No way you could sync carbs in five minutes. Not unless the customer rolled the bike in your shop, got it up on the lift, removed the gas tank,got all the plugs out of the carbse, installed the vacuum port adapters, got the gauges set up, got the fan set up, auxiliary fuel source set up....see where I'm going. A mechanic deserves to be paid for every minute he works on your bike, not just the split second he turns a screwdriver.

Same thing on a compression test. I would like to see the Guy who can remove all four plugs on a bike, test the cylinders, get the plugs back in and have the bike rolled back outside ready to ride...in five minutes. That's one fast sob. Actually, I'd rather someone be a little more careful than all that. JMO of course

Well, I suppose I should have mentioned that I did roll it into the doorway of his shop, and do the setup while he was working on other stuff. Didn't use a fan or aux. tank or do any plug pulling. Just raise the back of the tank a couple inches, pop the tubes onto the vacuum ports and he had a handy-dandy long screwdriver w/ a 90 degree bend in it to adjust the screws. Quick as could be.

Compression testing is only the time it takes to pull the plugs, screw in the tester tube, turn the engine over a few times, unscrew the tester, reinstall plug. Times 4. Okay, so 5 min. might be on the low side, but I'd be willing to bet that I can do it under 10, do it correctly, and with care.

cdaiscool- I can give you his info, but he's up by me in Waters. About 2.5 - 3 hours north of you. If you happen to be up this way, then he's the guy to see. I'm sure there are plenty of good people downstate who are great mechanics. I'm just offering, just in case. =)

[cdaiscool]

Waters is 3.5 hours from where I work, lots of highway. I don't trust the bike currently with its rear-end. I wouldn't mind riding it on back roads or something, but that far, on highway, is just trouble.

Definitely thanks for the suggestion though! If I don't find somebody soon, I may just say screw it and make a day trip out of it and leave at like 6 am.

[Half-Caf]

cdaiscool wrote

I'm getting 1-liners back. "Here's my number, I have to have it in front of
me. I charge $50/hour. You can stay if you want."

Could be worse, I suppose... Every place around me charges $90/hr

[Half-Caf]

Oh, and you still get the one-liners

[cdaiscool]

This isn't a shop, or it'd be closer to that. The dealer charged $80/hour. $116 to do the vacuum sync, and that was ONLY the vacuum sync. They charged a lot more for the spark plug tune-up, compression test, etc. 

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Half-Caf [via Honda CB750'S] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Oh, and you still get the one-liners

The best things in life are custom

1980 cb750f SS
Chicago, IL

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[shinyribs]

Craig, I know you weren't being an ass. And I'm on your side on this one. When someone is shooting you one liners  like that they typically don't want the job in the first place. Some people have no people skills and shouldn't deal with the general public.

Bosco, I wasn't trying to give you a hard time either. I was just imagining some nasty bike with bugs and grease built up around the plugs, old ass brittle wires that fall apart when you touch them, etc. The kind of crap that you get blamed for breaking when someone else brings you junk to work on.