Occasionally someone will say my carburetor rebuilds are expensive. Or that the wait is too long. They're not expensive of course. Compare the rebuild work available at the highest level, that is, what the pros do, and you will find I'm right in there with them, or even a bit lower. I think I'm ahead of my competitors in timelines too. Allow me to let you in on how things really are.

• There are nearly 30 hours of work in a set of CBX1000 carburetors. And that's for an average set. Many need a lot more work than that. Specialists like myself don't work straight through on a rebuild. Time therefore is measured in weeks.

• A significant percentage of the cost is in the standard rebuild parts. This means o-rings, diaphragms, screws, cotter pins, gaskets, seals, vent fittings, springs and washers--parts that all rebuilds get. And of course consumables such as cleaning solutions, greases, thread locker, polishing supplies, solder, acids, test liquids and more could be figured in as well.

• When a rebuild does get pricey is when there is damage that has to be repaired. In almost all cases this means replacement of parts: vacuum tops, float bowls, slides, carburetor bodies, linkages, jet needles, brackets, as well as many small but unique factory parts. All such parts by necessity must come off of existing carburetors. None of it is available from Honda. Even back when used Honda carburetors were plentiful the cost of these parts was relatively high. Used Honda carbs aren't as plentiful now, fifty years hence. Parts from these carbs are therefore at a premium, especially when it's a part that there are only one or two on a carb set, and each one removed dramatically reduces the value of the set.

• Welding is often a part of carb work also, and thread repair, and straightening of brackets and shafts. And though most of the repairs needed on carburetors I charge out as extra parts--not extra labor--it does take time and expertise.

• Then there are the options. When appearance work such as abrasive refinishing or re zinc plating is requested, this adds significantly to the total. Such work is optional and not standard because ninety percent of rebuild customers are happy without it. And it requires quite a lot of extra time and effort. Wet blasting a set of CBX1000 carburetors for example takes more than half of a workday to do. And removing and replacing throttle shafts and carb linkages to facilitate blasting of the bodies, or for replating shafts, brackets and linkages, is likewise very time-consuming and exacting work.