[IcePick06]

Well, I dropped my bike off a few days ago (Wednesday) to Race Tech in Corona, CA and had them totally revamp my shock (i.e. gold valve kit, new springs, etc.). When I dropped the bike off, I walked around it and made sure there were no scratches or anything on it; this is common practice whenever I take my bike to get serviced just to cover myself. The bike was completely flawless when it left my hands and went into the hands of Race Tech. Fast forward two days later (today), I go to pick up my bike around the same time in the morning. The guy pulls my bike out so I can sit on it and set the sag, pay him, and leave. Well, I walked around the bike after he loaded it on the wheel chock and immediately said "WTF is this man! " The gash on my right tail fairing (right below the factory ZX-6R sticker) stood out like a blood stain on white carpet. There were also numerous minor scratches above that gash and on the seat cowl (not to mention the aforementioned sticker was scratched). The guys all paniced and started calling for their superiors. One guy said the guy who was working on my bike was having surgery today so they couldn't question him (I call major BS ); then another guy came out and said "that looks like a scratch from somebody's shoe as they were climbing onto the bike." So I told him, "Well, those must have been some steel toe hiking shoes, because I don't see how a shoe could've caused that. IMO it looks like it was rubbed up against something." Then another guy came out and said, "That doesn't look like it could've came from any shoe, plus nobody sat on your bike while it was here." So the guy said, we can check the video feed to see if anybody was near your bike from Wed. to today." So the guy leaves and comes back 10 min later. Now I'm thinking, "Wow, he sure watched that video feed pretty fast!" So he proceeds to speak and says, "I checked the feed and nobody was around your bike, nobody sat on it, it only shows the guy working on your bike." So I said, "Well that video is BS because I brought the bike here in pristine condition and I'm staring at a less than perfect bike right now! This bike is 4 weeks old and only has 160 miles on it, 90% of which are track miles and the bike has never been dropped, scratched, or carelessly mishandled." Then he says, "Well maybe we can give you a discount off of your shock invoice." I said, "I don't want a damn discount, I just want my tail looking the way it was when I dropped the bike off." Anyway, to make a long story short, the guy begins barfing up BS about how he knows where I'm coming from and he wants to make it fair for both of us. Well, I don't want a damn compromise; I know what's right and what's wrong. I shouldn't have to settle for any patched up job (as he said, "maybe my guy can buff the cowl out"), just order me a new tail and seat cowl and we'll call it even. He said he's going to talk to the owner and get back to me next week, he also took photos of the scratches before I left. I'm just angry because I know how my bike was when I dropped it off and I don't appreciate being called a liar. I would expect this kind of negligent behavior from the stealership but not from a suspension specialist.

Basically, I hope they read this rant and understand that they screwed up and need to own up to their mistakes by pulling out their wallet...they should really avoid losing a customer over this incident Also, in future visits to shops/tuners it may be a good idea to have a service technician sign a form verifying any damage on you bike before you leave it in their hands...this should easily clear up any doubts in the dealer/service shop's mind and make them fess up to mistakes like this much sooner.

 

[wharthog3II]

Looks totaled. I'll give you a grand for it.

 

[IcePick06]

Originally posted by wharthog3II
Looks totaled. I'll give you a grand for it.

HA HA very funny. []

 

[xtremewlr]

Take dated pictures of your bike when you are dropping it off at wherever for work. Do it in front of the service tech that you are speaking to and leaving it with. If you come to pick it up and there is a problem like this, they wont be able to say anything and will have to take care of you without giving you BS.

Sux that this happened to you. Hopefully they will do something that will make you happy. I personally would have taken a large discount on the parts and labor for the work they had just done. I could deal with a scratch like that with a decent enough discount on the suspension work. Some touch up paint or a well placed sticker and I'm good. Just me tho.

 

[xtremewlr]

BTW, what did the suspension work cost? I'm not too far from Corona, might consider taking the bike up there and have them sork things over (but hopefully not scratch up the bike!) You only had them redo the rear shock, no work done on the forks?

 

[WHOA636]

These Race Tech guys adjusted my bike for my weight. Made a nice difference. Best $20 I've spent. They are once in a while at bike nights [Beach Burger/Backwoods/Frisco's]

 

[jdgun_13]

Biggest thing i found over the years of Modding bikes is that if you atke it to someone else, TAKE YOUR BODY WORK OFF!!!! unless you are with the bike the entire time.

I know how i treat my bike and after an experience like yorus once i said F that....why should i be held responsible or even partly acocuntable for someone else messing my bike up...

Yeah and what all did you have done to your bike, beside the pretty sticker....sory couldnt resist...

I personally just replace the stuff, Shock and fork internals..or complete fork if available..

 

[ZeRo_C0oL]

I know how you feel. Have had very similar things happen with my wheels on my car.

 

[IcePick06]

Originally posted by xtremewlr
BTW, what did the suspension work cost? I'm not too far from Corona, might consider taking the bike up there and have them sork things over (but hopefully not scratch up the bike!) You only had them redo the rear shock, no work done on the forks?

I had them totally redo the rear shock (i.e. revalve with Gold Tech kit, and put a new Spring on for my weight, replace seals, etc.) The total cost was $475. I plan on having the forks redone in the near future but when I took my bike to my local shop we measured the front forks and they were pretty good stock, but the rear was way off, so I replaced the rear first. They used similar settings from one of their sponsored riders since he races a '05 zx-6r. However, you can bring the bike back to them within the first 6 months if you feel it is too soft or too stiff and they will swap out the valving fluid and adjust the settings free of charge. I talked to several racers and the Race Tech service manager who said that the OEM shock on the '05/'06 zx 6r is pretty good already, it just needs a little fine tuning. He said that unless you are racing at the AMA level, a 3-way aftermarket shock (i.e. Penske, Ohlins, etc.) is wasted money and Race Tech guarantees the OEM shock to perform just as good if not better than a double adjustable aftermarket shock. I guess if you have money to burn, why not buy a pretty Ohlins shock, but I wanted the best bang for buck...I just wish it didn't cause me the hassle of getting my bike scratched

 

[xtremewlr]

Interestingly enough, I was on the race-tech website and checked out thier spring rate calculator for the zx6r. According to that, the factory springs are already perfect for my weight, 215. In fact the calculator was recommending a lighter spring for street riding than the factory ones. The stock springs seem to come out to a happy medium between street and racing for me so I would probably only need to have the forks and shock re-valved for better performance.

For the forks, calc'd for street riding:
Rider Weight: 215 lbs.
Recommended Spring Rate: 0.883 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Fork Spring Rate (measured): .900 kg/mm (stock)

Calc'd for racing:
Rider Weight: 215 lbs.
Recommended Spring Rate: 0.948 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Fork Spring Rate (measured): .900 kg/mm (stock)

Rear shock for street:
Rider Weight: 215 lbs
Recommended Spring Rate for Street: 9.29 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate (measured): 9.7 kg/mm (stock)

Rear shock for racing:
Rider Weight: 215 lbs
Recommended Spring Rate for Racing: 9.75 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate (measured): 9.7 kg/mm (stock)

 

[jdgun_13]

hate to be "THAT GUY" but shot if you pent the almost $500 why not get the ohlins shock veruss some still midified sticker that isnt worth anything if/when the time comes to sell the bike?

Also i personally dont believe the shock they rebuilt can compete directly with an Ohlins out of the box after it has been set-up.

until you have experienced what an Ohlins Equipped bike set-up for you, feels like you are not knowing what supsension BLISS is...

 

[xtremewlr]

Sorry to disagree with you jdgun but for every day street riding and the occasional track day, spending a grand on an Ohlins shock is wasting money IMO. My understanding is the factory rear shock on these ('05/'06) is one of the best out there straight outta the box as compared to other factory setups. Yes an Ohlins would be nice, assuming you have the money for one and assuming that you can actually ride the bike hard enough to justify one. I don't have that much disposable cash and I don't race so the stock shock is more than adequate (sp?) for me and for about 90% of the people that own these bikes. I'll spend $500 to have the stock shock worked over and use that until I can justify throwing a grand or more at an Ohlins setup.

 

[tweakmon]

Just be firm with them bro. Don't let them think they can weasel out of this. If you must, let them know you will follow through on small claims if you have to.

Then talk directly to the owner. This "Let me talk to the supervisor/owner" crap is for the birds. Don't let them insult your intelligence.

Worst case you have to take them to small claims court, which they will most likely loose and they know it.

Also, you can mention that you are part of the largest Kawi forum on the NET and they darn sure don't want to be the topic of discussion because of this. That will cost them more in the long run then replacing your tail/cowl.

Dont compromise if you dont want to. In fact, have a look at the video and see if they covered your bike while they were working on it. A good mechanic always covers paint around where he is working.

Personally, I would have removed the shock myself and gave it to them, then take the bike back after you reinstall it to have the sag set.

NEVER TRUST ANYONE TO CARE!