Ninja 250 Service Question

[Apex123]

Hello, I own a 2008 ninja 250 and I was wondering about the price and details about a recent service I had done on it. I brought the bike in for a rear tire swap due my last tire getting down to its steel belt. The mechanic who swaps the tire has a standard procedure of riding the bike for about 5 - 10 mins after the swap to insure its working. During this time period the mechanic said that there was a lot of problems that needed to be fixed.

A little background knowledge before I continue, This is my first motorcycle. Before this season / during this season I honestly knew NOTHING about motorcycles and ever since finding ninjette I have been learning more and more everyday. Anyway, I purchased my bike from a previous owner that took good care of it. During the 3,000 miles I put on it the only maintenance I did on it was clean the chain once. (I Know! I have since changed to a scheduled chain cleanining and lubing.)

So back to the question, The mechanic said I had run through my entire break pads and I was now digging into the metal rear brake disc. This caused the disc to be warped. He also said my sprockets and chain had around 300 miles of safe use on them. He estimated to replace the following:

1. Brake Pads Replacement
2. Rear Brake Disc Replacement
3. Rear sprocket disc replacement
4. Chain replacement
5. Labor

I would be around 420 USD.

Did I get scammed? What do you think? Also, the price was a little higher due to the convenience of the service. I brought the bike in on a saturday, and it was done on wednesday.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Apex123

Hello, I own a 2008 ninja 250 and I was wondering about the price and details about a recent service I had done on it. I brought the bike in for a rear tire swap due my last tire getting down to its steel belt. The mechanic who swaps the tire has a standard procedure of riding the bike for about 5 - 10 mins after the swap to insure its working. During this time period the mechanic said that there was a lot of problems that needed to be fixed.

A little background knowledge before I continue, This is my first motorcycle. Before this season / during this season I honestly knew NOTHING about motorcycles and ever since finding ninjette I have been learning more and more everyday. Anyway, I purchased my bike from a previous owner that took good care of it. During the 3,000 miles I put on it the only maintenance I did on it was clean the chain once. (I Know! I have since changed to a scheduled chain cleanining and lubing.)

So back to the question, The mechanic said I had run through my entire break pads and I was now digging into the metal rear brake disc. This caused the disc to be warped. He also said my sprockets and chain had around 300 miles of safe use on them. He estimated to replace the following:

1. Brake Pads Replacement
2. Rear Brake Disc Replacement
3. Rear sprocket disc replacement
4. Chain replacement
5. Labor

I would be around 420 USD.

Did I get scammed? What do you think? Also, the price was a little higher due to the convenience of the service. I brought the bike in on a saturday, and it was done on wednesday.

First of all since your new to motorcycling,


Welcome, here are just a few things to think about,
1.Get trained and licensed http://online2.msf-usa.org/msf/Default.aspx ,
2.Wear protective gear -- ATGATT All The Gear, All The Time -- including a helmet manufactured to the standards set by the DOT
3.Ride unimpaired by alcohol or other drugs
4.ALWAYS Ride within your own skill limits
5.Be a lifelong learner by taking refresher rider courses


A.T.G.A.T.T. so I may ride another day. www.rockthegear.org


Now with that out of the way, to me all mechanics prices are higher, being that I do my own work, also it's hard to tell because you didn't tell us which brands he used when replacing said items.

All things he did were on the easy scale for me, but I would say, in the moderate range of difficulty.

I'm glad that you were at least smart enough to have those issues repaired, but in the future start learning to do the maintenance items yourself, not only will it give you the experience and knowledge, but it will save you money in the long run.

[Apex123]

Thanks for the fast reply.

Yeah I have done some things on my bike for myself such as replacing the entire exhaust system, replacing a rear set bracket, new clutch cable etc. He replaced all the parts with OEM parts.

Do you think with the labour and the cost of all the parts I got scammed? Or was it not as bad.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Apex123

Thanks for the fast reply.

Yeah I have done some things on my bike for myself such as replacing the entire exhaust system, replacing a rear set bracket, new clutch cable etc. He replaced all the parts with OEM parts.

Do you think with the labour and the cost of all the parts I got scammed? Or was it not as bad.

Once again my personal opinion is yes, you paid too much, eespecially when you could have upgraded the parts to better ones, and most likely been cheap than OEM.

But I understand the need sometimes you can't afford to have the bike not running, and the extra time needed to do the work yourself.

Hopefully next time you will be able to preform the work yourself.

[Alex]

Was it a quote, or a bill for work already done? If your rear brake pad is truly gone and is dragging metal on the rear disk hard enough to ruin it, this maintenance isn't optional. You need to have it fixed before you ride the bike. As many riders take tens of thousands of miles to go through the rear pads on this bike, it does raise a question about how you might be using the brakes. A picture would help folks let you know whether the sprockets/chain are truly gone. If you do need to replace the rear sprocket and chain, you almost certainly want to replace the front sprocket at the same time.

[Linkin]

Maintenance like this is not optional! It sounds like you have neglected maintenance for a while.

Things you should check every day, at worst every week:

Chain slack, chain & sprocket wear
Tyre pressures
Brake discs/pads, free play in the brakes
Cable wear (throttle, clutch, choke, brakes) & adjustment if necessary

Your chain should be cleaned, lubed & the slack checked every 500KM (works out every fortnight with my travel distances)

I just had my Ninja serviced, it cost me $650 AUD. I did have the brake discs, pads, & lines replaced (I provided the parts), oil & air filter done, new dash plastics, new spark plugs. It's running like a dream

[Ghostt]

There is nothing wrong with taking it to a dealership, or a certified mechanic, just stay away from the so-call shade tree mechanics, yes they might be cheaper, but sometimes it costs you in the end.

I have been on cars, bikes, etc.... since I can remember, I am by no means a certified mechanic, but I'm neither a shade tree mechanic either.
I don't work on others vehicles, except very close friends.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Apex123

.............. So back to the question, The mechanic said I had run through my entire break pads and I was now digging into the metal rear brake disc. This caused the disc to be warped. He also said my sprockets and chain had around 300 miles of safe use on them. He estimated to replace the following:

1. Brake Pads Replacement
2. Rear Brake Disc Replacement
3. Rear sprocket disc replacement
4. Chain replacement
5. Labor

I would be around 420 USD.

Did I get scammed? What do you think? Also, the price was a little higher due to the convenience of the service. I brought the bike in on a saturday, and it was done on wednesday.

You could have done all that work yourself, buying the parts on-line.
Sooner or later you will be in similar situation.
It is now when you have to decide if you or another person will do the service and eventual repairs.
If the first choice, you need to learn all you can from this informative site.

I would never return to any mechanic that states that "my sprockets and chain had around 300 miles of safe use on them."
That is simply a number impossible to estimate.

[CZroe]

$420 for all that isn't bad at all. The brake rotors are pretty expensive.