S&S Video regarding cams
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,739
Likes: 10
From: Suffolk, England
I think it would take a small miracle to get this job done in an hour, I mean from wheeling the bike into the workshop to back out again. I tackled it a little while ago and it took a weekend, maybe 15 hours in the garage.
I had asked my nearest dealer for a quote and they said 4 hours labour. Which I don't think is too bad considering what's involved if you've done the job before, have a spare pair of hands ready if you need them, the bike is raised on a lift as needed and all the necessary tools are within reach. In fact, thinking about it, 4 hours seems quite low.
I had asked my nearest dealer for a quote and they said 4 hours labour. Which I don't think is too bad considering what's involved if you've done the job before, have a spare pair of hands ready if you need them, the bike is raised on a lift as needed and all the necessary tools are within reach. In fact, thinking about it, 4 hours seems quite low.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 871
Likes: 0
From: ohio
editbrain there is no way this will be done in an hour, everyone always talks about what dealers charge, look at there overhead they have to make money too. would you you do this job and guarantee it for $100 ?so as the nationwise commercial used to say "do it yourself and save" oh they`re outa business now
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,524
Likes: 57,079
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
"Spanners" ( reply #8 ) has hit the nail right on the head ... and as far as the video showing that it takes about an hour .... come on now .... most of your average riders couldn't get the exhaust of the scooter in two hours factoring in rusty/bound fasteners ... I'm not saying this to pi$$ anyone off, and yes I do most/all of my maintenance myself ( I'm a retired ASE certified mechanic and shop owner ) but in the real world you've got to consider that the job starts when the tech gets the work order ... not after the bike is on the lift and prepped down to the point of the clock starting when the first bolt is removed from the cam cover .... and the clock doesn't stop until the scooter is done and out side ready for the customer to pick it up .... however, I will go along with those who are thinking that $95.00 an hour is not a realistic labor rate in todays economy ... just my .02 cents worth .. I'm done!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 66,948
Likes: 4,573
From: TOAK western branch
Hourly rates are mostly regonal things. Here lawnmower shops charges 85 hr and auto/mc shops at 90ish and hour and heavy equipment is as high as 120 hr. Service manual is 50.00
Road Captain
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 564
Likes: 6
From: Wyoming USA
I think what tiks me off is the cost of the parts,I can build a stout SBC for what a HD cam change cost and get twice the HP/torque.I really want to do the stage 2 to my WG but daaam,does it really cost that much more to manufacture these parts?
The mechanics can charge what they need to, people will not bat an eye at forking over a coupla grand for this,because they don't have the knowledge to do it themselves.Thank god for S&S helping us less fortunate people out.IT'S SO EASY EVEN A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT.
The mechanics can charge what they need to, people will not bat an eye at forking over a coupla grand for this,because they don't have the knowledge to do it themselves.Thank god for S&S helping us less fortunate people out.IT'S SO EASY EVEN A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 66,948
Likes: 4,573
From: TOAK western branch
Yes but how many years have the SBC been around and how many have been made? A u-joint for my car costs 50 bucks but one for a semi is 16 bucks. Its about production numbers.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,900
Likes: 12
Listen. I know the job takes more than an hour, but the cam change did not. Once you got the bike prepped the cam change took an hour.
If you are doing this at home. I'd say a good 3 to 4 hours probably. Loading the bike on the lift, draining the oil, removing exhaust, blah, blah, blah.
The cam change took 1 hour.
Thinking about it more, and with a nice bonus coming up, I might venture to get a pair of SE 204s. I have a map for those, and should workout, but if I can get Dyno Ed to put in Woods 555s and tune for a decent price. Might be worth the 5 hour drive to him over a weekend.
Like I said before. The bike is reliable, runs good, and that is good enough for me now. I'd rather take that thousand dollars, and buy an old, carbed Sporty, and start a bar hopper project.
If you are doing this at home. I'd say a good 3 to 4 hours probably. Loading the bike on the lift, draining the oil, removing exhaust, blah, blah, blah.
The cam change took 1 hour.
Thinking about it more, and with a nice bonus coming up, I might venture to get a pair of SE 204s. I have a map for those, and should workout, but if I can get Dyno Ed to put in Woods 555s and tune for a decent price. Might be worth the 5 hour drive to him over a weekend.
Like I said before. The bike is reliable, runs good, and that is good enough for me now. I'd rather take that thousand dollars, and buy an old, carbed Sporty, and start a bar hopper project.
I think that Spanners & Uncle Larry have some valid points. This isn't a 1 hour job, a good mechanic under the best of circumstances, this would probably take a mechanic at least 3 ˝ to 4 hours, With no interruptions. I’m not real familiar with Harley Dealer service, but if they are anything like Car Dealerships, the service guy has a manual that says how many hours to bill for a particular service, and that is what they charge. And they don’t have to deal with all the modifications that most of us have done or had done to our Bikes. My local INDY was nice enough to fix some sloppy wiring that I had done when installing an accessory, while I had the bike in for some maintenance that I didn’t want to do ( adjust valves & sync throttle bodies ), and he didn’t charge me for it, just mentioned what he had found.
And lets face it, we all have interruptions at work, do we factor those in or out when billing our customers. Most mechanic’s are very meticulous about their work, as they don’t want to do it over again. If there certified they have completed a significant amount of education, which is not cheep, and most have to buy their own tools. Most won’t get even a 1/3 of the $95 an hour charged for their labor by the shop.
The shop has to make some money too, they have lots of over head, including the inventory they need to supply the parts.
As of the cost of doing labor and business in this economy, how many of us have seen the cost of our employment drop? Are our employers paying us less money to do the same work? If your self employed, is it costing you less to stay in business?
I also question why so many of us do our own maintenance & upgrades on our bikes, is it to save money or the personal satisfaction of doing the work our selves. I hope it’s the latter, at least it is for me. I recently bought my FXDF, and have lots planned for it, and I plan on attempting to do most of the work myself, with the help of forum members. I am amazed at the cost of parts for Harleys, compared to some other manufactures, they are very inexpensive. I’m in process of replacing clutch on my other motorcycle ( BMW R1200gs ). Parts BMW recommends during replacement almost $1000, labor 8 hours. I’m 5 to 6 hours into it myself, and all I have accomplished is to get to and remove the clutch. I chose to do the work as I wanted see if I could do it myself, knowing if I failed I would end up hauling the bike in pieces to my local INDY, and ask him to do what I could not.
Sorry if this seams like a rant, just had to get it said.
And lets face it, we all have interruptions at work, do we factor those in or out when billing our customers. Most mechanic’s are very meticulous about their work, as they don’t want to do it over again. If there certified they have completed a significant amount of education, which is not cheep, and most have to buy their own tools. Most won’t get even a 1/3 of the $95 an hour charged for their labor by the shop.
The shop has to make some money too, they have lots of over head, including the inventory they need to supply the parts.
As of the cost of doing labor and business in this economy, how many of us have seen the cost of our employment drop? Are our employers paying us less money to do the same work? If your self employed, is it costing you less to stay in business?
I also question why so many of us do our own maintenance & upgrades on our bikes, is it to save money or the personal satisfaction of doing the work our selves. I hope it’s the latter, at least it is for me. I recently bought my FXDF, and have lots planned for it, and I plan on attempting to do most of the work myself, with the help of forum members. I am amazed at the cost of parts for Harleys, compared to some other manufactures, they are very inexpensive. I’m in process of replacing clutch on my other motorcycle ( BMW R1200gs ). Parts BMW recommends during replacement almost $1000, labor 8 hours. I’m 5 to 6 hours into it myself, and all I have accomplished is to get to and remove the clutch. I chose to do the work as I wanted see if I could do it myself, knowing if I failed I would end up hauling the bike in pieces to my local INDY, and ask him to do what I could not.
Sorry if this seams like a rant, just had to get it said.
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Berkeley, CA
That was a pretty rude reply to an extremely well-intentioned and thoughtful response to your silly initial "rant".
"Edit" your 'brain' much?
If this was a more human venue than just the internet, I'd think an apology is called for.
"Edit" your 'brain' much?
If this was a more human venue than just the internet, I'd think an apology is called for.