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Author Topic: Never ever trust a parts salesman  (Read 2230 times)

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Offline Hush

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Never ever trust a parts salesman
« on: September 04, 2012, 04:24:53 AM »
I'm just sooo pissed right now, some of that at myself too for not checking.
I'm working on a "grey" GSXR250RR, grey? you ask, well the Japs made these only for their domestic market and getting parts or that rarest of things a workshop manual is insanely hard.
Anyhow, son and I have been struggling with this wee bike for weeks, carbs off 8 times, they are faultless, tappet cover off...timing spot on, valves blameless, plugs in plugs out plugs cleaned plugs back in plugs out plugs in etc etc etc.
At one time we got the bike on-song and son did 80 kilometres and hit 140 kmph on the straights (bike good for 200 kmph when in tune) before it slowly died.
Anyhow just as we had given up for the umtenth night and were about to close down the garage I noticed a bag of old spark plugs on the bench, son couldn't remember where they came from but I did notice that they were long reach Denso U27ESR-N ones where as the ones we had been removing and replacing monotonously were short reach NGK CR8HSA plugs!
My mind being like a steel trap (but rusted solid) instantly put 2 and 2 together coming up with 3.5.... ;D
So I'm guessing short reach plugs don't work well when they fire up unside the thread, correct plugs are NGK CR8EK, when we went back to the bike shop for some, the salesman again tried to sell us the short reach ones...this is the reason I'm not allowed a gun!!!! >:(
My theory is that the shiny new short reach plugs worked for a short time but once they picked up some colour the fact that they were so far up inside the thread that they couldn't ignite the gas cleanly. New plugs arrive tomorrow, time to test out my theory. ;)
« Last Edit: September 04, 2012, 04:29:11 AM by Hush »
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I think the thing I most like about motorcycling is the speed at which my brain must process information at to avoid the numb skulls who are eating pies, playing the ukulele, applying make-up etc in the comfort of their airconditioned armchairs as they make random attempts to kill me!!!!!!!

Offline trueblue

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2012, 04:33:25 AM »
Just check the length of thread in the head before you install those longer plugs, if the plugs are too long they will make friends with your piston.  If the head is designed for long reach plugs it should make a huge difference to the performance, but the bottom threads may be a little carboned up.
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Offline Hush

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2012, 02:12:38 PM »
Yeah that's what we are thinking, very hard to measure a thread when it's like 8 inches down in the head, they burried the plugs on these pocket rockets, the con rods must be soooo short!
You can easily see the difference in the thread length.
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I think the thing I most like about motorcycling is the speed at which my brain must process information at to avoid the numb skulls who are eating pies, playing the ukulele, applying make-up etc in the comfort of their airconditioned armchairs as they make random attempts to kill me!!!!!!!

Offline trueblue

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2012, 02:43:19 AM »
Feel the threads with a piece of wire, you should be able to feel where the threads start and finish, and get a rough guesstimate by marking the wire and measuring against the head.
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1979 CB650Z
Nothing can be idiot proofed, the world keeps producing better idiots.
Electronic Guages for your SOHC 4

Offline Hush

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2012, 04:18:19 AM »
New plugs, bike fired right up, son reports "goes like a cut cat" so problem cured.
Mental note: never trust a boy behind the counter, always research before asking for a product....Heck it's what Google was invented for wasn't it? ;D
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I think the thing I most like about motorcycling is the speed at which my brain must process information at to avoid the numb skulls who are eating pies, playing the ukulele, applying make-up etc in the comfort of their airconditioned armchairs as they make random attempts to kill me!!!!!!!

Offline Killer Canary

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2012, 05:41:35 AM »
How many months of riding did that cost you? I'd sure like to see bikes like that here. Trade you 10,000 cruisers for 10 of those! Oh what the hell. 100,000; we have plenty. :)
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Offline tortelvis

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2012, 06:43:22 AM »
Have mercy on us poor parts guys! Half the customers literally have no clue what they are even riding. Typical conversation:
Me: What bike is it for?
Cust: It's a Honda.
Me: What year?
Cust: Oh, '75 or '76, doesn't matter "THEY ARE ALL THE SAME"
Me: What size is it?
Cust: PO said it was a 550.
Me: Can I get the VIN off you?
Quick check shows it is really '72 500! These are the guys who come back a couple days later with the classic "You sold me the wrong parts!"
I love this comment, especially when it is an Internet order, customer supplied part numbers! Granted, you got to get to know your parts guy and trust that he knows what he is doing. We have a huge turnover of young kids staright out of school who don't know their arse from their elbow. They never last long. I've been riding and wrenching for over 40 years so I like to think that i have a pretty good idea of what I am doing!
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Offline Xnavylfr

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2012, 07:22:26 AM »
The thing I like to pull on a PARTS guy is , ask for plugs for a 49 MERC , what engine 501 CADDY and some of them says the 49 MERC didn't have a 501 caddy engine!! NO #$%* SHERLOCK!!!


I unfortunately had to work as a parts guy at a bike shop for a LONG 2 weeks. The real desicion to quit was when they had a Senior rider trade up and he wanted his new bike set up the same as old (ie, Bags,Windshield,Rack) He wanted OEM not aftermarket. The windshield(at 200$) was BO from Yamaha so the store owner had me install aftermarket (at 90) and NOT tell him or refund the extra $$$ he had paid. Also the first pay check they paid me BOUNCED , so they got a real ear full in front of customers of their business ethics!!!

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)
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Offline trueblue

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #8 on: September 06, 2012, 01:53:47 AM »
The best parts guy I dealt with, the conversation went as follows:-
Me:- Hi, I'm looking for a battery for my CB650.
Parts guy:-  Uh, do you mean CBR600.
Me:- No it's definately a CB650, a '79 model.
Parts guy:- They didn't make a CB650
Me:- Bye.
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Nothing can be idiot proofed, the world keeps producing better idiots.
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Offline Xnavylfr

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #9 on: September 06, 2012, 05:42:48 PM »
That reminds me of when I went to a HONDA shop for a safety insp. on a CB750. The Girl that did inspections asked me what the lever was for on the right side of the engine. I told her it was a KICKSTARTER and the bike was built before she was born, and she needs a M/C history lesson before she'd work in any M/C shop of mine!!!!


Xnavylfr(CHUCK)
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Offline Flying J

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2012, 09:19:21 PM »
Im pretty lucky. My local dealer has some pretty good guys. I still usually can tell them what part number on the fiche im looking for just to make sure i get what i need.
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Offline BAchvytrk

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2012, 08:23:39 AM »
i went to buy some blue loctite from the local auto parts store, i take it up the counter to pay for it, guy looks at me and says, you know, once you put something together with this stuff, you'll never get it apart!
luckily all the words running through my head  ( you're an idiot! etc etc) didn't come out. i just told him to ring it up so i could leave.  You def have to get to know your parts guys and who knows their stuff and who doesn't. when i go to my local napa, i wait in line for the guy i know knows his stuff.
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Offline Pecantree

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2012, 11:27:55 AM »
Quote from: Xnavylfr on September 06, 2012, 05:42:48 PM
That reminds me of when I went to a HONDA shop for a safety insp. on a CB750. The Girl that did inspections asked me what the lever was for on the right side of the engine. I told her it was a KICKSTARTER and the bike was built before she was born, and she needs a M/C history lesson before she'd work in any M/C shop of mine!!!!


Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

My friends niece (8 or 9) got a ride in an old car with non-electric windows. 
Said "What's this crank for?" :o
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Offline LesterPiglet

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Re: Never ever trust a parts salesman
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2012, 12:25:34 PM »
Did she actually use the word crank? Pretty smart.
My 20yo son thinks carbs are the business. He loves the movement of them. He only seen fuel injection before.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2012, 12:27:12 PM by LesterPiglet »
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'Then' and 'than' are completely different words and have completely different meanings. Same with 'of' and 'have'. Set and sit. There, their and they're. Draw and drawer. Could care less/couldn't care less. Bought/brought FFS.


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