For Sale 02 fc470 help!

do it yourself mate? spark?

wet plug?

kick! that is where it starts.

Taffy

Motoxotica 357 Merchant St. Vacaville California 95688 1(707)446-4282

AS Rainero says MotoXotica - MotoXotica - Home

Be careful with Dan at MotoXotica. Last time I was in there, he hissed and spat venom at the mention of "Husaberg". As I'm sure you are all aware, the prices on these bikes has likely hit rock bottom and, as such, guys of very questionable nature are finding deals on broken down and neglected bikes right and left since Husabergs have finally entered their price range. These same guys take their newly-acquired basket cases in to Dan and ask him to fix them for pennies. He says that so few are actually willing to spend the money necessary to get them running right and it's become a major headache for him.

I currently have '94, '00, 01, and '02 models so I'm in there a lot buying parts. I wanted to do this for Dan since he's such a nice guy and has supported the brand for so long but, during my last visit, I asked him if I was truly doing him a favor by ordering 'Berg parts. His response was that it's harder and harder to get the parts while fewer and fewer are available. He basically just orders parts from KTM like he always did and ignores the alternate parts sources such as Orangeberg and Taffy - the guys who have innovated where parts are no longer available.

As such, I've given up on Dan and just send all of my buddies who want new bikes over to him. That's the business Dan prefers to be in anyway - selling/servicing new bikes.

He may take on an '02 FC470 project but be prepared as it may cost quite a bit.

Thorgan

we closed the workshop 3 years ago next month. nobody would pay the right money for their work. the answer was always the same...both sides of the pond..."but I only paid (chicken feed) for it!".

the worst bike of the lot is known as the "ratfuck" engine; the 2001-2002 FC and FX470e.

It's 3 hours out on the bench and strip
we take about 6 hours to wash and layout all the parts
I reckon 3 hours to list the parts needed, then the A and B route for the customer, then call them and spend what? an hour and half talking it through?
ordering the parts, sending the parts away you don't do yourself-2 hours
a rebuild with everything there is a 8 hours
to put it back in the bike and start it is about 6-8 hours. this can vary because they all lie and say they had it '.....as a runner'. so you end up kicking and checking stuff when an honest "OK, I never had it running is the truth" would save time and money....the dealers money (so that's why they do it!)

and now the best bit. get this....
from the moment they are running and you are happy with "right, that's it!!" from that moment you still have 8 hours work left. not an hour.......8.

tank seat shrouds, coolant, oil levels, set carb, set ignition, zip tie this 'n that,
wipe it down and inspect
test ride, do another job or two. 50% of the time there's always a small leak that involves that frigging left cover. you're not being paid for any of the above let alone this...forget it.

so there it is, she's good to go.
so you write your hours on top of the other days hours, then you do all the parts by creating a doggie box and checking it through. this can be a disaster with a THICK, SLOPPY **** of a mechanic. My record was £450. yup, he forgot £450 worth of parts and services done (outsourced), so the parts are listed and the hours and you have a doggy box.

Now everything is priced up and the hours can come to 32 hours or so?
then there's all the parts. the parts are usually £1,000 and add £200 for VAT in the EU. but if you need the "big 3" it can run to £1,500 easily. and do remember that this is with using aftermarket bearings and wossner not OEM pistons etc. it includes re-nikasiling and not a new liner etc.

now the bike parts come to £1,200-£1,500 which is all husabergs are worth unless it is any SM. for a dirtbike that is all they are worth.

so wher do you add labour to that? someone please tell me? THE BILL IS THE VALUE OF THE BIKE JUST FOR PARTS!

and how can you get 30 hours labour? a parts machine would have saved maybe 3 hours but I don;'t know how much "stringy ****" is left after one of those because that is what we are basically washing off by hand - the silicon.

"that's all I paid for the bike"
"that's all I paid for the bike"
"that's all I paid for the bike"

finally, how much skill did it take? most of you who are regulars here now do your own engines and the VERY LAST thing you are going to admit it that it didn't go right 'first time' but each fresh mechanic has to learn. you can't stand next to them ALL THE TIME.

I once had a mechanic that was so useless I decided i'd keep him just so i could say to him; "you've been given a break in life. I've had them and now I'm doing it for you". He was so bad that i once had tears of laughter at his stupidity. It got to be a standing joke that he couldn't lose his job.

So one day i said, "i won't sack you, just don't come back tomorrow please". So i never did sack him......he just got told 'not to come back'....and that....is how I'd like to remember him!!!!!

this guy was so thick, I was walking over to him every 120-seconds to check his work and I did that for what? 6-months.

He did Fergus Ross's bike (anyone remember him?). We did an engine rebuild on a FE501e 2004 he'd bought onseen from the west country and had it shipped directly to me. we then did all the bike parts. his total bill for parts was £1,800

and the labour was 80 hours. I knew the job couldn't stand it so i asked fergus for the £1,800 and absorbed the labour. 2 weeks of labour on a job....I absorbed it. I could have done it in 40. so it was his 80 and me watching him for 3/4 of that again.

people that thick still think they are mechanics yet the only loser is the boss because the squeeze is the boss, the government want their taxes, the customer wants a nice running bike and the mechanic wnats his wages no matter how **** he is. so the squeeze is on us.

So when dan says phuq it? I say YOU PHUQIN BET!!!!!!!

Taffy