Motorcycle Service Cost - India !!! (in 2005 mind you)

[Cortina]

I had a "wee laugh" to myself at this one, stumbled across this evening while searching for something. In 2005 (so , only 19 years ago !) we were living and I was working in Southern India - 500cc Bullet was my everyday transport , which included the daily 40km round trip to work. I got the bike Serviced three times in this year (bought new at end of May ... another story)
The average cost of the three services was £3.52 - and the reason it was so expensive , was the fact that I was charged extra for the cleaning operation each time !!!
Petrol was relatively expensive at 38p per litre (nearly half a days wages for our employees !!) , and the bike was doing around 85mpg ... which was the reason none of the locals had one ! (expectation for fuel economy was in the 200 to 250 mpg range ..... think about that , even a modern small Honda today , fuel injected, only does about 160 mpg !)

[MikeyC]

Great story!

Back in 1991, I toured Northern India on a 350 Bullet. Bought it in what was know as Calcutta then, drove it westwards across to Delhi then up into the Himalayas from there. I remember having the engine seize on me somewhere along the way, rebuilt it by the side of the road with the help of a machine shop in the village nearby 'that just happened to have all the right kit'.

Total cost of the rebuild was about £1.50.

A £3.52 service in 2005.....that's a fair bit of inflation through the '90's

[911hillclimber]

I was on Lambrettas in the very late 60's, and never had them serviced, all DIY, and almost always the weekends were work on the one, my lovely TV175/225.

They were the most unreliable things ever.
But great fun, and I learnt so much.

1969, my big sister and her husband: