I've been working on the 125cc Yamaha Majesty a lot in the past few months. Little things, like the engine not running properly, have lead to me spending a lot of money on parts from my new found friend Vicky, at Yamaha. I have to admit, I knew it could be bad because the bike was so cheap, and yet I didn't realise how so many small things could be such a problem. And now my gripe.Where does it say that a mechanic should look at a problem, and then tell you it's not worth repairing. If a customer comes to me with a broken PC, I will do everything (and before now have changed almost everything) to get the damn thing working again. If the customer's prepared to pay, then fine, let them pay. The work might take longer, but the satisfaction that the problem has moved on far outweighs any financial benefit. Not the case with this scooter.
About 6 weeks ago, following advice from a car mechanic who likes to ride bikes, I took the scooter to a new guy 5 miles away. He took one look at the bike, said "Oh, I hate scooters" and then diagnosed a 'small' fault with the wiring. I asked him at the time, was it worth me replacing the wiring and he said no, he could fix it. Then he phoned me to tell me it was fixed, but not to go any further because the engine mounts were rusted through and it wasn't worth repairing. He then charged me £90 for the privilege. I took the bike to another friend who does a lot with welding, and he saw the engine mounts. They were, in his opinion, repairable. And so, £50 later, I get the bike back with all the engine mounts repaired. I then put the basics back together, and track down another mechanic who will now look at the engine and lack of power for me.
He comes back that the engine mounts are rotten(!), the engine has no compression, the thermostat is buggered, and the water pump's had it, oh, and the wiring's shot.
So, another quick call to Vicky, and I find out the thermostat is about £20, the water pump is about £80, and a piston kit is about £30. And yes, according to him, it's not worth repairing. So he's telling me to write off the £700+ I've spent so far for £130 worth of spares and his time. His maths teacher would be impressed...
700 < 130 = true.
I have sourced a whole new loom from Yamaha for £130, or a second hand one from eBay (*ack*) for £21 with a 1 month guarantee. I also (apparently) need the ignition computer thingy, called the CDI, which would cost me about £100-£150, but computers being my thing, let's see what's wrong with the old one first.
The sheer frustration of repeatedly being told it's not worth repairing is getting me down. The fact I paid so little for it is admittedly an argument as to why it could cost so much to get on the road. But it's high mileage, and that's to be expected. I could have spent twice as much, and found all the same problems. The point is it seems so easy to fob it off, rather then repair it. I'm tempted that the next time any of these so called mechanics ask for my help with a virus, or whatever, I'll just tell them it's not worth repairing. Just so I can see how disappointed they are.
