1. After 20+ years it's time to pass the torch. If you are interested in acquiring this forum please contact support@cv-performance.com for details. Any spam will be reported and blocked.
  2. Welcome to Bike Talk, a forum for all bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts. If you are new to Bike Talk, be sure to register for free and join the conversation.

    There's always someone around willing to help out with questions or give a friendly wave back. All Harley and metric riders are welcome.
Bike Talk Motorcycle Forum is For Sale Welcome to Bike Talk

HELP!! What is Flat Rate & How Much Do I charge

Discussion in 'Motorcycle Tech Talk' started by tlcAngel, Apr 10, 2011.

  1. tlcAngel

    tlcAngel New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Washington
    I have just recently graduated from MMI, And since i"ve put my flyers up I have recieved more calls for jobs then I expected, I had a call today for changing out stock handlebars to 16 inch apes on a 2008 Road King, I don't know flat rate or what I should charge for Labor. I don't want to charge to much or to little, Is there a site I can go to? Or somewhere I can order flat rate manuals? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you:)
    tlcAngel
    tlcAngel, Apr 10, 2011
    #1
  3. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2004
    Messages:
    13,682
    Likes Received:
    584
    Location:
    Mouseville USA
    Call shops in area to see what the market is in your area. Get a quote from them


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    hotroadking, Apr 10, 2011
    #2
  4. tlcAngel

    tlcAngel New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Washington
    Thats a great Idea, Do you think i should shave off a bit on labor since I'm new to the industry?
    tlcAngel, Apr 10, 2011
    #3
  5. HarleysLR

    HarleysLR Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2007
    Messages:
    2,113
    Likes Received:
    13
    Location:
    Colorado Springs, CO
    depends on how bad you want business, most techs learn on others stuff the more you do the better you get, sometimes flat rate (fixed price) is good untill you are able to pick up the pace,
    My buddy paid $300 dollars to have apes put on his road king. I think that included new cables and extending the wires.
    I charge $75.00 to cut windshields, takes me about 30 to45 minutes start to finish.
    HarleysLR, Apr 10, 2011
    #4
  6. FLHTbiker

    FLHTbiker Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2004
    Messages:
    18,516
    Likes Received:
    252
    Location:
    Oregon
    Harley shops are either close to or above 100.00 an hour but they also got a lot of overhead. Call independent shops and if you start out charging the same as all the shops you may not get a lot of work. But then if you set your fee to low and get going its then harder to raise rates when customers coming in feel like their getting a better deal. You however do need to charge enough to keep yourself going.

    Ever thought of working for either a HD shop or Indy shop to get more experience.
    FLHTbiker, Apr 10, 2011
    #5
  7. sarge7

    sarge7 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2009
    Messages:
    1,738
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    NE Indiana
    Local indys around here charge about 60$ a hour - if you have the equipment for gear cutting or cnc knowlege and there is a need for it in your area then I would up the 60$ - but ya still want to stay below the dealers price until you built up a following of return customers. If you do good work the word of mouth will drive them to your doorstep no matter what the price is. Of course you ralize that all HD riders are stinkin rich and they can afford anything when it comes to their ride. Except JB and CB. :roflmao:
    sarge7, Apr 11, 2011
    #6
  8. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2010
    Messages:
    9,568
    Likes Received:
    205
    Location:
    Minnesota
    :roflmao:
    JohnnyBiker, Apr 11, 2011
    #7
  9. tlcAngel

    tlcAngel New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Washington
    You all have been great with the advice. Thank you. I decided to pass it up I'm not really prepared to do that kind of job. I'm still new, but i'll get there! I learn something new every day and I look forward to it. Thank again for all the help.:)
    tlcAngel, Apr 15, 2011
    #8

Share This Page

XenPorta © Jason Axelrod from 8WAYRUN.COM