Last week after returning home from octoberfest and about a half mile from home I got a flat tire (Rear tire). Well the next day I took it to the local harley dealer to be fixed. It was a small finish nail in the tread, so I did'nt need a new tire. They did put in a new 22 dollar tube and a 2 dollar strip of something. So I go to pay for the fix and I get handed a bill for $139 dollars. I think my jaw bounced off the floor a couple or times. I thought surely there was a mistake, like maybe they mistakenly charged me for a new tire maybe. But it was not to be. The dealer charged me 1.5 hours labor@65 dollars an hour plus parts came to 139 bucks. I walked out of there feeling like I took a big corn cob up my butt. My question is,did I?

 

Here in So. California the going labor rate at HD dealers is $75 to $80 per hour. I think the job could have been done in 1 hour but HD dealers charge whatever labor time the MoCo comes up with for the job.

That's why I take my bike to a local shop (that I can trust and have been doing business with since 1997) .. their rate is $70 but they charge "actual time" for the repair. It usually turns out to be cheaper than the HD dealer.

 

That big bill is why I do it myself.

 

If you took the wheel off and took it to them, you paid too much.

If you took the bike in, think about what they had to do for you. Write service order, put bike on lift, remove bags, remove mufflers, remove axle nut and axle, drop rear wheel from frame, inastll tube and strip, check rear brake pad thickness, clean rear axle, coat rear axle with anti-seize, install axle, install nut, adjust tension of drive belt, torque axle nut, install mufflers, install bags, clean up mess from repairing tire, and finally figure out the invoice and collect money. $139.00

Do it yourself and know that all that was done right - priceless.

 

You forgot the spin balance...... I paid 126 bucks for the same thing....but when you actually look at what it takes to do it right....$130 aint to bad.

 

Eh, I don't balance 'em. I just put the sidewall dot in line with the valve stem. Been riding on tires like that for the past 100K+. They last as long and ride as smooth as the next guy's.

 

i was checking the price of a new tire on the hd net. they dont know what a new tire cost. so what is the price of a new tire?

 

Look somewhere like here:
http://www.americanmototire.com/
for a reasonable price.

 

$139? Dealerships in my area are $75 per hour, so that would sound about right. If I'm stuck on the road away from home where I don't have many options, I'll have a dealership do the work. Normally, I would remove the wheel from the bike and take it into a shop for replacement. Saves a couple of bucks, and at least you know that everything has been put back together correctly. And any 'new' scratches on the bike were you're fault.

 

Sounds like more than 1 corn cob!
If I ever got a flat (near home)I would remove the Wheel and take to a local mc accesories I go to and have them repair it at a fraction of the cost of a HD dealer.
I cant see paying a dealer around here $95/hr to fix a flat unless I was on the road.