Attention folks of London.

[Dave McCool]

Right, so let me start off by saying this is not spam, I am in no way personally affiliated with this company, it's just something I became aware of through doing some work on their site recently.

Oval Motorcycle Centre

No idea if this will be of interest to any of you, but I sincerely hope it is, seems to be a genuine case of a business, run by motorcyclists (or a motorcyclist as a I believe the case to be) for motorcyclists.

Basically, the premise is that you rent a space in their workshop to tinker with your bike, along with all the tools you could ever need. To me this sounds ideal for those who would otherwise have to work on their bikes on the street, and it's certainly cheaper than having someone else do it for you in their workshop.

There are bike ramps, and full tool chests, and even a trained mechanic on hand to point you in the right direction, should you need it.

Facilities weren't fully in situ when I was there, but what was there looked top notch to me, and I was assured that there were plenty more coming in.

Met a couple of the guys involved, and they were properly sound, very down to earth and genuine, and there were cups of tea more regularly than I could really handle.

Hopefully this will help some of you out there, if not then at least I know I tried!
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McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750

[.....]

Wasn't Sickpup considering starting something like this a while back?

[G]

Yea - he was thinking of doing it in Cardiff.
£25+vat for the first hour does seem rather a lot for what you're getting, but appreciate it's not going to be cheap to offer what they do either.

[Polarbear]

It certainly sounds a good idea if you haven't got anywhere to work on your bike at home.

I suppose it comes down to prices, and reading theirs I would never be able to afford the time it would take to do a major job. Small stuff I could do in the road anyway.

Do those hours count overnight when you have to leave your bike there because it isn't finished?

1st hr £25
2nd hr £15
3rd hr £15
4 - 12 hrs £10 p/h
12 - 14 hrs £145
14 - 18 hrs £165
18 - 21 hrs £180
21 - 24 hrs £200

I have a mechanic friend who does all the work on my bike for a lot less than £25 an hour anyway.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Dave McCool]

[Polarbear]

While I understand they are supplying tools etc, I do wonder if that is nessecary except for specialist tools. If you work on your bike you have tools, if you don't you won't be there cause you pay someone else to do it.

Surely just specialist tools and 1 set of general tools for someone who had forgotten a socket or something, and 1/2 the price would be a better way to go?

I'm not having a go at them, I'm just trying to work out the pros and cons.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Dave McCool]

Yeah, I definitely see your point, I suppose the advantage is for those who haven't invested in a toolkit, or those who can't be arsed to transport it there on the bike, meaning it can be literally ride in ride out.

Another reason I think they've kitted all the bays out is in terms of accountability for tools; if something goes missing it won't be too hard to work out who was responsible for it at the time.

Like I say, not my business, but having met a couple of the guys involved I'd really like both for it to succeed as a business, and as a tool for the poor sods who have to live in the urban nightmare that is London.
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McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750

[G]

For London, my thought was that there may be people living there in the week or similar, on quite well paid jobs; but who don't have any of their normal stuff with them for whatever reason.

[Dave McCool]

[skatefreak]

under how it works it says:
"For larger jobs book the longer time periods. So you can, with the right timing, have up to 3 days bench time. There is no extra charge for keeping your bike on the bench over night while the premises is shut. "
Although directly below it then goes on to say:
"If in the unlikely event something goes very wrong. We suggest that you remove your machine from the bench, collect all loose items in a storage container (supplied) and store it on site for a charge of £10 per day until you have the required parts you need or have arranged to have the motorcycle collected."

Is the first night free or would you blagg the first night saying jobs taking longer than expected :p

-Jvr

[Rogerborg]

That looks like a brilliant idea, and I hope they do well out of it. It'll probably come down to marketing.

Other potential customers are passing-through bikers who want to service or repair bikes away from home, or even Pedboi/grrls who might want to rent access to a toolkit and a grownup to point at the sump plug rather than pay dealer prices.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[iooi]

[The Tot]

It would be handy for some folk, particularly London. However £20 a bit steep if you're not making full use of the facilities. Oil changes can be done on a drive, so can brake servicing.

A lot of the issues would be the lack of spare parts available on tap. The only time I would consider renting a facility like this would be for a big job which would render the bike out of use anyway if the parts are wrong or you suddenly realise you need to order new parts.

London garages charge £50-60 per hour for work which makes me glad that I'm no longer living there! The only place I let near my bike (in north london that is) is Southerncross motorcycles so this could be worthwhile for those folk who just don't have the facilities like a garage.

Londoners I find are busy folk. I fell into the category of having the tools but not the time to do jobs. So stuff usually goes to the mechanics. For a basic service, all you need are 1/4" and 1/2" sockets and spanners for which you can get for the equivalent of 3 hours at the place and you're set. It's a very specific market they're tapping into since most folk that fettle with their bikes have a garage or have a mate with one. And most folk that WANT to work on their bike but DON'T have time, or KNOW that the problem can only be solved by a long wait for parts will take it to the dealers. At least they won't charge for storage if your bike's waiting for parts.

Whilst it may seem a good idea, I'd like to see how well it does in a few months time. Shame it's south of the river though. Maybe if they have a franchise if they're successful and set one up north of the thames.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[calyx]

Why would anyone need that kind of facility? Maybe to change wheel bearings, head bearing, fork oil at the same time. But that's about it really. I can't imagine any other work that worth going this place. (for that price)
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Boris - London