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Not long ago I posed a question (see Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?)...wondering if I should trade in the bike I have riden and loved because it had 18000 miles on the odometer. To a person, people agreed that 18000 miles was nothing so long as the bike was maintained. She was in excellant condition...never been down...a real joy to ride.

But...

I took her in to the shop to put some new rubbers on her yesterday and while I was in the parts dept looking at gadgets and gizmos while waiting, one of the mechanics came up to me and saya"hey, man, you need to come with me." So I'm figuring that they found some huge problem that was going to cost me a kidney to get fixed. Turns out that they hadn't secured her properly on the lift and when the lift went up, she went down. The damage is amazing. All the plastic is screwed. There's a huge dent in the tank, the exhaust is screwed, THERES A HOLE IN THE OIL CASING...my poor poor baby...

That really sucks.

On the upside, the shop should be paying for all the repairs and new parts needed, as it was their own fault.

OUCH! dude, that really sucks - my heart goes out to you and your ride!

They should give you a loan bike while they sort out the rest of the repairs, too - just as a gesture of goodwill....

ask for a flatout trade for a new bike... then work with them so you just end up getting a really good deal.

They should be responsible for their techs handling of the bike. If they try to weasel, sue, sue, sue. Sometimes the mere mention of a lawyer can do wonders.

I'm pretty good at getting a point across without having to actually come out and say a word.

I just grabbed ye olde digital camera and headed down to the shop. I walked into service at the place I got it "worked on". The service desk guy told me that they hadn't gotten the parts in yet. I told him no worries, showed the camera and told him that I needed to see my bike. I took an assload of pix of the wounds on my baby while talking with all the gearheads and getting clues in to all the pertainants about the accident...how hoigh was the lift? which way did it fall? and so on. I then went to the sales department to speak with the sales guy I had talked to a month ago about trading the ZX-9. Told him about what happened to my bike...he said he know...everyone knew...it's the talk of the store. I told him that there was no way to be sure that the damage was entirely fixed and that I wouldn't have confidence in riding her...and you can't ride a bike you don't have faith in...I brought up the deal we had come close to striking and told him that I did, in fact, want to buy another bike...but that they would have to do better on the deal originally quoted...

Here's the deal they finally gave...

The price listed on the '05 ZX-10 on the floor is $11,399...I did some research and the price the dealer pays for them is $9,411. The dealer also pays $150. They offered me the one I'm interested in for $8,999. After trade in (they're offereing me the same as they origianlly did...$4,100) taxes and all, the "Out The Door" price is $5,462...

I'm considering countering...telling them that I either want $5,000 flat out the door or the $5462 plus they throw in a helmet of my choosing (I'm interested in a Shoei RF-1000 Duhamel knock off...my shop lists it for $499, but I've seen it online for around $350)...

Am I nuts? Am I being too greedy?

Anyone out there have any suggestions?

WyckedZX9R wrote: Am I nuts? Am I being too greedy?

Waddya got to lose? You went in for tires and got a whole lotta hell instead. Worst they can say is "no".

My guess would be that they will take your deal.......

Hell, I think you should play hardball. I don't think they want to tie up their mechanics and garage space for work the shop won't make any money on at the same time they are losing a new bike sale. And they damn sure don't want attorneys involved. I say you get your price, the helmet and a new rainsuit.

They should give you a bike of your choosing off the floor, no questions asked - it'd cost them a hell of a lot less than a lawyer!