When you have to pull the cams to change the shim, it can add substantial amount of time over just checking. It all depends on the bike and how easy it is to access stuff. For most street bikes, the local mega mall dealer charges a flat $600 for a valve check and adjust if needed.
Well I was was just baiting the guy to get in there and realize at this point it's time to dig in and learn the valve adj routine.One can always trailer it in have them do the shimming and trailer home and put it back together,I know it's kinda out there but doable.
One way or the other, the important thing is to find a shop that you trust and build a relationship with them. If a shop or mechanic is going to lie to you and overcharge it doesn't matter which excuse they use.
if it is a shop doing quality work I dont mind paying for actual time spent. but I have yet to find a shop like that so I do my own
Depends on how much your time is worth I have a few customers who bring their bikes to me, they are quite capable of doing the service/repair but don't have the spare time. And Yes I charge to inspect the valve clearances and if needed charge to adjust them (bucket shim) but adj them if screw/nut with the inspection charge. I do not believe in ripping anyone off and don't it's all about a clear conscience.
I have a friend who has wrenched all his life for money,he can work on anything and at 1 time or another has worked on everything,now he takes all his stuff to shops,he says it someone else's turn,so yes at some point it is a choice even when you can do it to drop it off and say call me when it's done,Im just not there yet.
This is the way I do it to. Bring me your LC4 and I will adjust them for the same price as the inspection. If it is a Ducati, it is 2 hours to check it and then about 45 minutes per valve that needs the closer shim changed. I think that many of the less ethical shops charge flat rate because it is rare nowadays that most bikes actually need the valves adjusted, so can charge for work they know they won't likely have to do. It is also easier when dealing with ignorant customers who don't understand what is being done. They authorize the rate to check them, then balk at being charged more if they need adjustment. In fact, I started off billing valve jobs as flat rate, but then changed it to two separate prices as I realized they often didn't need the adjustment and I tend to have more intelligent customers than the mega shops. Bottom line, ask to see what the clearances measured at inspection and which ones were actually adjusted. I also measure each valve and write down the clearances before I check what the specs are, so I'm not subconsciously checking them for "in/out" of spec.
I find that it's extremely rare that a bike DOESN'T need the valves adjusted. I don't charge anything for a valve adjustment, I do sweat equity in my home shop and expect the "customer" to pay me for shims used, I'm there to guide and supervise because I want them to eventually go home. If I was having to pay to keep a shop open I'd charge about 4 hours shop time for most bikes, 6 hours for stuff like Ducs and KTM twins...free shims, hafta put something 'free' on every invoice...$115 per hour labor rate. Just because I can do it in an hour doesn't mean that you get a break, any customer that wanted to hover and see how long it took me wouldn't be a customer for very long.
748/916 can be checked in 3 hours, adjustments take a bit longer since you have to pull th cams. Haven't done an adjustment on a Testa yet so I wouldn't know.
Other than dirt bikes, most stuff I've checked has been good once they've accumulated some miles. I used to do stuff for free for friends, now I run a small independent shop and charge $60 per hour. You can have the valve covers off on a monster in about 15 minutes and be measuring. I do usually throw the shims is since you will be better off with a customer feeling like they got a deal and telling everyone than with one who grumbles about the extra $20 you got in your pocket.
For simplicity's sake and giving accurate estimates, I lump them into categories. A mutlistrada takes longer to get down to the valve covers than a monster, but only by about 10-15 minutes. I also have not done enough adjustments on every model of bike to get down to the most efficient time. For example, the first time takes awhile, second time is quite a bit faster when you figure out exactly which pieces need to be removed and which tools to use, third time is slightly faster still and it doesn't increase much over that. This isn't saying I not confident in what I'm doing, but finding the most efficient way takes several times. I usually slightly underbid jobs the first time I do them, get it about right on the second, and if I'm hustling from then on out come in slightly below what I bill. In trying to give the fairest prices I can, I don't typically go by book times, but I don't use a stopwatch either, it is based on my personal averages from experience. I also discount times when multiple services are combined. The 748 I did last week was having the belts replaced, valves checked, and a fuel leak fixed as the customer just bought it and wanted to be sure everything was in top condition. Since I already had to pull the gas tank to fix the leak and the fairings, battery, and air box to get to the belts, I charged him 2 hours for the valve check rather than the 3 it would take if he only brought it in for a valve check. I don't feel right to effectively charge to remove the gas tank 3 times and the fairings twice when the were only removed once. Make sense?