Paul's Rants - What it costs vs what its worth after spending to repair!

Рет қаралды 3,232

Күн бұрын

The total cost of buying and recommissioning a machine is usually more than what it might be worth at the end of the day, due to many factors, some of which are discussed here, but what price do you put on something brought back to life and good working order? Each to their own on that one, I guess!

Пікірлер: 56

@billverdon2085 2 ай бұрын

£40 an hour is damn good value Paul. Love your videos.

@tokairic3925 2 ай бұрын

In the late 90's I was a bike shop workshop manager and I was told by the owner to raise the labour rate to £26 per hour. I was shocked and said "nobody will pay that much..." how wrong I was. Local bike shops now charge minimum £75 per hour and most of that is spent removing and replacing plastic fairings - not actually doing any complex mechanical repair. No wonder damaged bikes are so easily written off these days.

@petejohnson6921 Ай бұрын

To me, it isnt how much its cost to keep it going, as the smiles per mile are priceless

@brockett 2 ай бұрын

I bought a bike for £1100 spent over £2000 on it and it now it's worth £600. I didn't buy it to make money and I don't regret spending the money on it. It has kept me busy in the garage has kept me sane. So many jobs I'd never done before. It's been my metalic lego toy. I really do enjoy your videos.

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Great stuff, and thanks!

@BritanniaMotorcycles 2 ай бұрын

When I was doing restorations here in the US on what I would call ordinary bikes, Triumphs, BSAs etc, I would always ask if the bike was special to the customer. If not I would say they could probably get a really nice one for a lot less than the cost of my restoring it.

@billysolhurok5542 2 ай бұрын

Indeed,it is an affair of the heart. If not,get out.And stop watching"Flip this item..."TV. I have two bikes,and a car,(all 3 54+ years old)and a 2003 Chevy S-10. I have more into these 4 machines, than what I could get for any one of them,on the open market. But,I've got what I want. You can't get what you want,if you don't know what you want. Reminds me of a Joe Jackson song. Undue emphasis on the financial aspect,is a sure loser. Every time. "The armored car,does not follow the hearse."

@edwardkaminsky8142 2 ай бұрын

40 pounds is equivalent to roughly $53 U.S. Service rates in Vegas are $160 an hour and $200 an hour for rush jobs. You are a fair and reasonable individual, and I applaud your style. I service and turn the wrenches myself!

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@marcheighton6436 2 ай бұрын

Practical skills and knowledge comes at a price. If you can you can do it yourself . If not then you have to pay someone who can.. 40 quid an hour is darn good value.

@rickconstant6106 2 ай бұрын

Well said, Paul. That hourly rate is extremely good value for your customers. I'm a retired car mechanic, and we were charging that much 10+ years ago (+ VAT) in a small, independent workshop. Old(-ish) bikes have always been my passion, though, and people have said I should buy them, do them up and sell them on, but as you said, there is no money to be made doing that competently and conscientiously. I am quite happy to spend time, and occasionally, a bit of money on my own two, which I bought to enjoy riding, and on odd occasions, help out friends with theirs.

@dave7908 2 ай бұрын

well said Paul. We do it for the love and the want😎

@petershepherd6889 2 ай бұрын

You are so right,I have rebuilt many bikes over the years for myself and never made any money on them when sold. I did it for the joy of doing it . But if someone is doing the work for you they are doing it for a living so it's going to cost them but at the end of the day they will have a bike they can enjoy and ride and sod the cost.👍

@DavidcCbrider 2 ай бұрын

100% correct Paul

@highdownmartin 2 ай бұрын

Occurred to me years ago, a new seat for a D14/4 or a T120 was the same price, round about a hundred quid so a restoration of a low price classic was going to cost a similar amount to a very desirable one. Like you said a wheel's a wheel. And a bantam rim and set of spokes is going to cost exactly the same as will the building and truing If these people really want to get a cheap mechanical job done', they could always learn how to do it themselves and buy some tools and a manual

@roythearcher 2 ай бұрын

sometimes the value of any particular machine can't be calculated in monetary terms but in the pleasure you get out of it, either by just riding or by fixing and riding which for me is even more valuable than any new bike out there!...

@borderlands6606 2 ай бұрын

I love old bikes, but don't understand the criticism of retro classics, or Cosplay bikes as some people call them. How many people still use a vintage bike as their daily transport? It's not that their single pot BSA can't provide reliable transport, but in a toss up between something similar looking with fuel injection and an electric start, I'd go for the latter to fire up on a November morning and an early shift. This is where a degree of realism comes in with old machinery, what the owner wants from it and how much they are prepared to spend to get it. If you can't do it yourself, £40 seems extremely reasonable, and a visit to the dentist will prove it.

@tokairic3925 2 ай бұрын

you mention wheel building - I used to build my own wheels for vintage racing and pre 65 trials. New Akront alloy rims on the race bike with new galvanised spokes etc I never questioned the cost so it must have been reasonable. I recently priced up a rim and spokes from the same company I bought from in the past and was stunned at how much just the rims and spokes cost. I ended up buying an excellent used complete wheel for half the price of the rim and spokes.

@danielmcneil3004 2 ай бұрын

Paul, your labour rate is a real bargain, considering your skill and perseverance in finding the source of the problem and setting it right. It is no easy task where I live, to find a mechanic who will take the time to do a job correctly, rather than “good enough”. And charge an arm and a leg to just get it out the door. This latest BSA was a real pain in the ass and I hope the owner recognizes how much effort it took to get it running properly. Keep up the good work Paul. Cheers, Dan ✌️🏍🇨🇦

@stevec-b6214 2 ай бұрын

I have watched many hours of your work, and realise how many of those hours are spent putting right shoddy and sometimes downright dangerous bodgery. Your charges are positively microscopic in comparison, not to mention the utter disappointment of owners having to get their `restored` machines properly fettled. ROCK ON PAUL!

@peterrestaino7047 2 ай бұрын

I had a craving for a norton Commando and I by chance found a 1970 model S blue metalic incomplete roller down the street in some guys shed. I paid him 1000 $ and rolled it to my house. stripped it down. evaluated and bought used items on Ebay and new at Andover norton. Up to 5700 $ and not done and love the project. No rush just slow and steady

@mickhardstaff6605 2 ай бұрын

It sounds as though you are expecting some trouble with this one Paul, it did turn out to be a bit of a nightmare though I must admit . You are more than reasonable with the hourly rate and work hard to achieve that , but it's not just the work involved, its the knowledge and experience that makes the job cheaper in the long run . I never gave quotes as you are bound by them , I just gave estimates .

@stevepage2541 2 ай бұрын

Well said,sir! Smile per mile,that's the real currency,in biking!

@pw601 2 ай бұрын

Hobbies are supposed to be fun. Keeping older bikes on the road and working at their best is the reward for the time and money spent rectifying their issues. Because old bikes have often been through many hands, some of whom have little ability to fund or do maintenance, it's inevitable that they are going to cost the new owner time and money. If you're handy with spanners then there's a lot you can do yourself, especially with the guidance on KZbin. For more complex issues the skills of a time served experienced engineer like Paul are needed. People when selling old neglected bikes think they are worth lots of money. It's very rare to get a cheap fixer upper and turn a profit. This business model has by and large gone.

@timcolledge6813 2 ай бұрын

As I've discovered, restoration costs of vintage cars, motorbikes, even vintage lawnmowers, can be far greater than their eventual value.

@tokairic3925 2 ай бұрын

Work out how much it will cost, and how much time it will take - then treble it and you will be somewhere close.

@hermangibbs8163 2 ай бұрын

Well said. Thanks Paul.

@gordonsuddery4635 2 ай бұрын

Nice little RANT Paul, people don't realize it's the same costs No matter what the bike is except when it comes to the engine and gearbox ! My best wishes to you from the Philippines ❤️💪👍😉😀😁🏁🏍️🛺🇵🇭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@peterowen851 2 ай бұрын

Just back from Malle Mile 2024. Probably half the bikes were 50’s, 60’s, 70’s British and most being ridden as intended and all off road. Post festival repairs will keep the suppliers of spares happy.

@PeterTaylor-p4s 2 ай бұрын

Well said paul

@peterparsons3297 2 ай бұрын

i have rebuilt / restored many bikes over the years and made huge losses on each and every one. do it for the love of it or not at all

@jerryhatley5004 2 ай бұрын

Very reasonable…across the pond here in the states one can pay anywhere from$65.00 to $120 per hour…or more, depending on the region and the shop….also…a Christian who is up on his/her Bible could quote the New Testament line of “…a worker is worthy of his hire”…meaning a worker who does an honest job deserves an honest wage…

@roverchap 2 ай бұрын

It's a widespread problem in both the car and motorcycle world. Most owners will not spend money repairing and maintaining vehicles with a low market value. This is the main reason that we have lost so many worthy motorcycles and cars, when they are only valued in terms of what price they might fetch on a sale and their utility and amenity value is ignored. Buy a bike for £1500, spend £1000 getting it properly sorted out and recommissioned and it will still be worth £1500 if you sell it, but instead could give you five or more years of trouble-free enjoyment.

@stevec-b6214 2 ай бұрын

Then some seem quite happy to buy shiny new computerised plastic toys and lose £1500 in no time at all.

@paulsire 2 ай бұрын

It's a minefield buying and selling classic bikes. A few weeks ago on the classic motorbike channel they were assessing a bike brought in that was bought from a classic dealer. It was a lemon, but the cost to fix it will be enormous. No satisfaction from the dealer. Their windows would be put in if it were me 😂

@Rugbyman269 2 ай бұрын

You make your profit when you buy the bike/car whatever , not when you sell it , ask any dealer , you also take it on the chin when it goes wrong , such is life .😢

@colinmartin2921 2 ай бұрын

Now classic bike prices are dropping I think that a lot of people are going to view repairs as uneconomical, because they see them as an investment, but for enthusiasts bikes are a hobby, and hobbies do not generally make the participant a profit; do golfers expect to make a profit out of their hobby?

@ianhenshaw2260 2 ай бұрын

You’re a fucking bargain. Your clientele are very lucky!

@cp4512 2 ай бұрын

£40/hr is very very cheap for someone with your expertise. I’ve tried a couple of ‘classic expert motorbike shops’ that charged double your rate and both failed to actually fix my bike.

@kafkastrial8650 2 ай бұрын

A mate of mine who has got arepair shop told me once that he brought a bike from the scrap yard back in the day for 10 shillings 50 p and rode it home !

@chrispomphrett4283 2 ай бұрын

I spent 6 months on my "dream" job of restoring/buying/selling. Nearly bankrupted me and worked me into the ground. If you're going to do a proper job which I always did, there is no profit. That was back in the 80s. So, hobby yes, making it pay, no.

@norsehall309 2 ай бұрын

G'day Paul, when l had my Plumbing services Business my hourly rate $120 first hour and $100 every hour after, and travel time as large distances between jobs in country Australia, always had people trying too lower your price, if you pay for peanuts you get monkeys not a tradesmen job, the worst are the ones that don't pay, that's still a problem since l retired chasing money 💰, cheers mate, Neil 🤠.

@damiantuttle1348 2 ай бұрын

I'm still surprised they're people involved with classic & vintage motorcycles that DONT understand this ?? 😂😂😂

@daveco1270 2 ай бұрын

It's not easy to make money flipping vintage bikes. I've tried it a couple times and I ended up breaking even on both of them. I learned a lot in the process, which was worth something to me but you have to find a really good deal (and then hope it only needs a carb clean like the owner says) if you hope to make a few bucks. 40 pounds an hour is a bargain. Especially for someone of your skill level. That's about 50 us dollars. The two guys I know that work on vintage bikes here in the US charge between 100 to 150 dollars an hour.

@windmilljohn 2 ай бұрын

It’s a shame that the only people who will understand, are the ones who have worked on stuff themselves. As you know, someone takes an old bike somewhere for an electrical fault in the rear light. Once fixed and they ride it home, there’s an issue with the front brake. The people you are talking about will take it back to complain 🙄 I’ve just done an oil change on a newish to me 600 Yamaha. If I’d booked it in and said how much for an oil change, the price may have been low. But, as it turns out, when I went to remove the drain plug, I couldn’t due to the aftermarket exhaust system… so had to remove that. No problem, just time. Then discovered two of the flange bolts are hidden behind the frame. So had to modify, cut down, an 8mm Allen key. Again not the end of the world, but imagine a dealer telling you all this and you had no experience of older vehicles, you’d assume they are ripping you off. But, on the flip side, I refuse to believe that not all dealers set or check the tappets on certain hard to get to bikes.

@KarlPrall 2 ай бұрын

Amen

@p--n 2 ай бұрын

You can't put a price on happiness 😊

@whalesong999 2 ай бұрын

I was wondering how you handle a customer who asks for an estimate prior to doing work. Hourly rate is one thing but completed work is another. Since these older bikes can have so many issues crop up, like you deftly deal with here, it would be interesting to see how you contemplate the vast gray areas of time and labor.

@philmuskett265 2 ай бұрын

You can't put a price on happiness!

@anthonyhull2998 2 ай бұрын

Motorcycle owners are notorios for being mean about coughing up money ! They will say please help me and fix my bike I will be ever so grateful if you can. I don't know how you keep a straight face dealing with them. I feel sure they would want the earth for anything they had, I always have a laugh listening to traders at Rufforth, York. I did purchase a piece of unobtanium an Ariel gearbox chaincase for £10 a steal I thought.

@michaelfirth1075 2 ай бұрын

Paul you know your stuff and do a great job. Buddy there will always be the odd nutter who don’t understand what a true bike guy is.

@callmeanythingbutlatefordinner 2 ай бұрын

Here's a perfect example for you, Paul... I knew when I got this bike that I would NEVER get back all of the time, energy and money that I've spent on it, that is not why we do this. A year and 1/2 later and I'm still tinker-farting around with it. It is my toy, hobby, relaxation, and mental therapy. Just sitting and looking at it for hours on end, when I couldn't do anything else, has given me the hope and inspiration to keep going. Now that I can ride it, the shear thrill alone that I get from cracking the throttle and blowing off frustrations, is worth it all. I must thank you again, Paul, for all of the information and direct personal advice you've given me. I have never seen another youtuber that actually answers the questions in their comments, as you ALWAYS do. I couldn't have done it without you. And am I finished tinker-farting with it now? you may ask... NEVER... "Keep 'er 'tween the ditches", Brother. 🤪 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opexooRjg82MrdE

@paulhenshaw4514 2 ай бұрын

That's great to know - thanks!