imported post
I think that we need to get used to the fact that the "old" system, of having the shop that sold you a vehicle service it, is gone, now. I stopped taking my little Toyota pickup to the guys who sold it to me at 60K miles (that's 160K miles ago)....they were great, but too far away...and, what kind of "factory warranty" was I hoping to preserve, at that point?
I too, am getting used to dealing with "independents", and I too find it shocking that Honda dealerships dang near won't service a brand new bike, in a timely fashion, let alone a 25 year old one. But....I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that someone who doesn't currently work for a Honda dealership, or, for that matter, is "younger" than I, doesn't know his or her stuff.
My doctor is a good 10+ years younger than I, but he's highly competent, and is far less "stuck in a rut" than the old fuddy-duddy I had, prior to him. He's had 20 years, to learn his craft, and he knows what he's doing.
Our local shop, which mostly sells ATV's, Dirt Bikes, and related gear (once in awhile they have one or two Wings, possibly due to mis-shipment?
) has a service manager who truly knows "everything about everything", when it comes to Honda...unfortunately, he doesn't WORK on bikes, anymore, and some kid will service your $20K+ machine. Thanks, but I'd take my chances, with the independent, who seems to know about GoldWings! (OK, yeah, I'd just do it, myself!)