Rear Wheel Replacement Price

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Queenlian
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Rear Wheel Replacement Price

Post by Queenlian »

Can anyone give me an idea of what it should cost to have my rear wheel replaced? I hit a MASSIVE pot-hole coming home last week in the dark and the rain (jeebus I hate Oregon winters), and managed to bend up my rim pretty badly. It was bent far enough to be hitting my rear brake arm. I pulled it over and parked it till we could come back and tap it back down with a hammer enough to get it driveable. I brought it to the shop to have it looked at because I figure the rim and tire need to be replaced and wanted to make sure the brakes weren't damaged.

They are quoting me somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 to replace the rear wheel/rim. That's not including the tire itself which they seem to think I don't need to replace, although for $40 I probably will since it likely has a weak spot now and makes me nervous.

$300 seems pretty high to me based on what i'm finding online part wise. I wanted to pick the brain of some more seasoned scooterists so see if I'm being had by the guys at the motorcycle shop or if that sounds like its actually a fair price.

He also mentioned just hammering the rim back into shape and calling it a day, but I just don't know how comfortable I feel about that considering being on 2 wheels already makes me infinitely more vulnerable should a tire blowout.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

That must have been quite a jolt!
A new wheel is $90, so they're charging you around $200 for labor. How handy are you? Since you're going to change the tire anyway, you can bring it to a shop and have them mount it. The shops around here charge $20 to mount and balance, just to give a reference. And I would definitely recommend changing the tire because if the impact was great enough to bend the rim, then chances are there is probably some damage to the tire carcase.
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avescoots1134
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Post by avescoots1134 »

The rim itself isn't available alone, you have to buy the hub also. That's $159. So if their labor rate is in the $95/hr rate like most motorcycle shops that's about right
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DeeDee
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Post by DeeDee »

Might not be the right color, but you can't argue with the price. Swapping out the rear wheel is not a hard job. Plenty of knowledgeable folks on this forum who can help you out. Search the forum. Some good posts with pictures on this subject.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-Genuine-Bu ... pD&vxp=mtr
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

avescoots1134 wrote:The rim itself isn't available alone, you have to buy the hub also. That's $159. So if their labor rate is in the $95/hr rate like most motorcycle shops that's about right
Scooterlounge lists the wheel alone without the hub for $90...

http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/buddy125rearwheel (item #7)

The complete rear wheel is item #6 and is $136.
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
Queenlian
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Post by Queenlian »

Thank you everyone for your answers and as always, for your extremely knowledgeable advice!

I am going to weigh all these options and try to make a decision. It might be worth it to see about ordering the part from scooter lounge and then towing the scooter up to Portland to an actual Genuine dealer to have it installed. I'm not very handy. I can handle an oil change, but that's about where my skillz end. It might be a good opportunity to leave it overnight and have my valves adjusted too. I don't trust the local motorcycle shop to get that right. They only work on scooters once in a blue moon.

Here is the offending pot-hole btw.... just for the sake of sharing. Evil evil pot-hole. I hit that sucker going 25mph in the rain at night. I dunno how I managed to keep her upright and on the road. Some cops who assessed the damage for me while passing through the garage I pulled her over in said they were really impressed I didn't get bucked off or didn't lay her down. I sure was feeling the impact after the adrenaline wore off though. Ugh.
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giddyup98
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Post by giddyup98 »

Can't you file a claim with your local DOT or city/town for damage to your bike due their negligence in not getting this pothole filled? I would at least look into it.
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Queenlian
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Post by Queenlian »

It's worth a shot! I will have to call and find out. I do have insurance that covers it but I have a $250 deductible so its not much help. I'm not filling a claim unless it's for sure over $250.
avescoots1134
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Post by avescoots1134 »

babblefish wrote:
avescoots1134 wrote:The rim itself isn't available alone, you have to buy the hub also. That's $159. So if their labor rate is in the $95/hr rate like most motorcycle shops that's about right
Scooterlounge lists the wheel alone without the hub for $90...

http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/buddy125rearwheel (item #7)

The complete rear wheel is item #6 and is $136.
They might have leftover stock, but genuine no longer offers the individual rim. It's still on my parts exploded view but the part number is no longer available. That could just be the funky ordering sheets, I bet if you contacted Scooterworks directly you could still get it.
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DeeDee
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Post by DeeDee »

If you can change your oil, you can do this! Buy a wheel, buy a tire and have it mounted. Watch Paul's video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHsmJQ8 ... load_owner

This one puts it on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsctmVt ... load_owner

Go slow, take your time (something the $10 an hour kid working at the shop can't do), and pat yourself on the back when it's all done. You can leave your current hub in place. You don't have to come up with the 15/16" socket to take the axle nut loose.
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MGM
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Post by MGM »

Dee Dee's right. This is probably simpler than an oil change, if you remove just the rim and have the tire mounted by someone.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

Not sure if it's a good idea for someone with very limited mechanical experience to be working on something that can have very dire consequences if done wrong, at least without someone experienced looking over their shoulder. As simple as it may seem, if a piece of hardware isn't aligned or tightened correctly, it could fail at (always) the wrong moment. This is where it might be better safe than sorry and pay a professional to do the work properly. At least that way if something does go wrong, you have someone to sue.:lol:
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
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DeeDee
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Post by DeeDee »

I love the mentality that thinks just because you are opening your wallet, you are getting better work than you can provide yourself. A $10 an hour kid rushing through your scooter, so he can get to the next oil change isn't necessarily going to do any better job than the scooter's owner. Take it slowly, check and double check your work. The rear wheel change isn't rocket science.
Queenlian
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Post by Queenlian »

I tend to agree that in this particular scenario, doing the work myself may be just as good of a job. This shop works on scooters maybe twice a year. If I had a genuine dealer nearby it would be a different story, but in this case the person doing the work probably has the same amount of experience taking this tire off and putting it on as I do... none.

I did contact the city yesterday and they gave me a form to fill out to make a claim. They said it will depend on whether they were aware of the pot hole before I hit it or not. I am hoping that they were aware. I cant see how they weren't.... It's been filled multiple times and even on google street view, which was taken in the summer (possibly multiple summers ago) the pot hole, with the same shape, is there. Its not as severe, but its there.

They did go and fill it yesterday so that's progress I suppose. I am going to fill out the claim form and cross my fingers. If the city will pay for it I may just let the shop handle it so I don't have to stress myself out over doing the work myself in the cold garage.

But yes.... the work will be of equal quality either way is my guess. And I do enjoy learning to wrench on my scooter. :)
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DeeDee
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Post by DeeDee »

There is a silver rear wheel on Ebay right now as well. If you pm me, I will gladly give you my contact info. I can be one text away if you run into problems. :)
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