EDIT: ITS WORSE!!! Major problem- need advice- WARNING: LONG

[NAKID]

So, when is the "in writing" due date for the bike?

[Popeye the Sailor]

Seems worth it to me.  I would pay thousands and thousands of dollars to smoke the cr@p our of kids in the 5.0 Mustangs.

Why spend that much? Just get yourself a good pair of running sneakers and......

[Howie]

Paradisecity, if you and the mechanic are equally unhappy you did a good job of negotiating.  Do check the bike out carefully, including test ride before final payment

[Count Desmo]

Congrats on the civil resolution!

+1 on a long, thorough test ride before final payment.

Also, ask him to go over the bike with you.  With this much custom work, it will help for you to know how it's set up, what certain bolts are torqued at etc.

[hbliam]

Congrats on the civil resolution!

It's not resolved until the bike is in his possession and the bill is considered paid in full.

Hope it works out for you.

[Desmo Demon]

I wouldn't worry too much over the chain, I don't think the extra mass of a 525 compared to a 520 is going to really make much difference in the ridability & enjoyment of the bike. 

You won't have a problem going from a 520 to a 525. I did this with my 748, mainly for chain and sprocket life. Generally, you will get more miles on a 525 system than you will with a 520. When the Monster needs a new chain and sprockets, I'll probably bump that up to a 525, also.

Why spend that much? Just get yourself a good pair of running sneakers and......

It was hilarious seeing the look on their faces when a stock looking pickup smoked them. It was even funnier when I'd raise the hood and they couldn't figure out how I did it......I had painted the aluminum heads and aluminum intake to match the block (giving the impression that they were stock iron), I ran a stock air cleaner with the whole rear cut out (but not visable), and most of the vacuum lines were there (but blocked). I even had the a/c unit on the thing, but the belt was removed. Running a tricked out tranny and 3.73:1 rear gear helped, also. The truck would hit second gear and the rear end would kick over about 2-3 feet as it went sideways. I'd break the tires loose at 95 when it hit third. When they'd ask me what the engine was, I'd say "Oh, just a stock 350"...and they usually believed me.   

[ducrider45]

This is a reply to the original post. From the looks of it they guy is not pulling your leg and the problems that he is having sound to be par for the type of mods. He missed the deadline though. That is the only real issue that I see. I always include a back-charge clause in my contracts.

[MikeZ]

You done OK with chain and sprocket.

Ride the shit out of it that first month so there are no questions regarding if it will hold up.

+1,000,000,000

[PizzaMonster]

This has been an interesting story.        I can see where both sides have learned a thing or two about the pitfalls of doing custom work.  I don't see either party as being a winner on this one but it sounds like everyone will at least be able to walk away without a brawl erupting.

I'll be marking June 7 on my calendar and hoping for a happy ending to this whole mess.

[DoubleEagle]

A most amazing tale of whoa...one can only hope this comes to a pretty " sunset." Such perserverance should not go unrewarded.

[55Spy]

a compromise that doesn't make you hate the bike is the best one you could have come to.

A week from now we all expect a bunch of pictures of it NOT in a garage.

[junior varsity]

Number in excess of 20. (Pictures in various locales).

Try to put 150 miles (a tank of gas) each day of the weekend minimum when you first pick it up, so you can really start to 'figure' it out. I'd recommend routes that have a variety of turns: fast/bumpy, slow/bumpy, abrupt, fast/smooth, slow/smooth, and this will give you a pretttttty good idea of what's in store for you - ownership-wise - and if there are any suspension/geometry issues.

[paradisecity]

I'll be traveling approximately 150 miles the very next day for a soccer game.

Weekdays will be very difficult to get more than 20 miles a day on average but I will do what I can. 

[junior varsity]

Take the long way home. I've done this before, it was only 10mi to work, so 20 mi round trip, but on the way home, I could usually add an extra 20 mi without much trouble. That makes 40 mi total per day.

[paradisecity]

I might just try to work in the app gap a couple times a week.  Its about a half hour from work if i beat the rush traffic