There are a lot of posts on here that report dealers not working on any bike over 10 years old. You are the best mechanic for your bike. That way, you know what is in it, and how it's been done. Just keep doing what you are doing.:waving:
New local dealer refuses to work on 1500 GW
The city is Tallahassee,FL. New powersports owner called RED HILLS only works on 1800. All I called for is tire/install price on a rear tire thinking if I have to buy the tire anyway I'll get them to install it and grease the shaft. NO can DO. I am almost through the maintenance list you experts provided anyway and have now ordered the tire online. But I am still shocked that the dealer we now have here will not work on a 1500 wing. I called 3 dealers within 80 miles, Dothan, Vdosta, and P.C, and all said the expected 'Of Course' bring it on down. We work on more 15s than 18s. Since there are still more 1500s on the road I found this unacceptable. They gave me a story that they need too many special tools for a tire and lube job(rediculous) so I checked in with another local winger and he told me they have a tech trained only on 1800. Is this even permitted for a dealer? The trust is already so damaged I would never use them in the future for an 1800.
Do any of you know of dealers that consider the 1500 obsolete??:ROFL:
Do any of you know of dealers that consider the 1500 obsolete??:ROFL:
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Not over five miles from my home there is a bike shop, he doesn't work on Harley's, he will mount a tire if they bring in the rim, but no work other than a tire on Harelys....American made??? Too few to mention, but if you need new points on you 54 Cushman Eagle he will find them and install them...This shop owner and his mechanics have twisted wrenches in several dealerships, of all kinds of Japanese made motorcycles, He was a Vento dealer till the Feds killed selling Vento's in the US, but I believe they are still being assembled in El Paso,Texas????..
He is not crazy about all of the Chinese mini bikes and trys not to do anything but tires...His prices are reasonable, high but less than almost every dealer charges..He's honest, he could have nailed me for several dollars more on one of my 1100's, instead he had some odds and end pieces of vacumn hose and fuel hose laying around, he changed out all these hoses charged me ........Ar you ready???? ......A whole total sum of $5.00 for new hoses and clamps????.....So I'll take any bike except a Harley to him for work or service...
He is not crazy about all of the Chinese mini bikes and trys not to do anything but tires...His prices are reasonable, high but less than almost every dealer charges..He's honest, he could have nailed me for several dollars more on one of my 1100's, instead he had some odds and end pieces of vacumn hose and fuel hose laying around, he changed out all these hoses charged me ........Ar you ready???? ......A whole total sum of $5.00 for new hoses and clamps????.....So I'll take any bike except a Harley to him for work or service...
I think I expected an 'auto attitude'. Happy to be learning fast! Not much left to do and the bike will be new. Thanks again seniors. I never imagined several dealers would be so doing.......another factor to consider in consistent impeccable maintenance!
Yes they do need too many special tools they normally do not have on hand.
Sure they have sockets and wrenches, but they also need brains and that's the main tool they do not have and do not know where to find any!
It's like I bought a tire online with free shipping for $100, they want $200 at dealer for same tire!
I mounted mine free myself, they want about $100 to mount it.
They think I should pay that $300 to them to save myself 2 hours of work at cost of $200 savings! NO BRAINS!
The only time in my life I made $100 an hour is when I can do my own work in 2 hours and save $200 that the stealer would have charge me! LOL
At least my local stealer would work on my bike for some things if I wanted to be ripped off bad enough to pay the lung and kidney to have the work done.
Heck they charged me $65 for a stupid estimate for my damaged 88! Yes estimate was stupid! $1500 for new radio when it was only a $50 door broke for cassette player LOL
$10K on an 88 for repairs LOL
Sure they have sockets and wrenches, but they also need brains and that's the main tool they do not have and do not know where to find any!
It's like I bought a tire online with free shipping for $100, they want $200 at dealer for same tire!
I mounted mine free myself, they want about $100 to mount it.
They think I should pay that $300 to them to save myself 2 hours of work at cost of $200 savings! NO BRAINS!
The only time in my life I made $100 an hour is when I can do my own work in 2 hours and save $200 that the stealer would have charge me! LOL
At least my local stealer would work on my bike for some things if I wanted to be ripped off bad enough to pay the lung and kidney to have the work done.
Heck they charged me $65 for a stupid estimate for my damaged 88! Yes estimate was stupid! $1500 for new radio when it was only a $50 door broke for cassette player LOL
$10K on an 88 for repairs LOL
Wow Red, 401k. Congratulations!
lmao chromo
LMAO. I feel better about my set of tools already!Yes they do need too many special tools they normally do not have on hand.
Sure they have sockets and wrenches, but they also need brains and that's the main tool they do not have and do not know where to find any!
It's like I bought a tire online with free shipping for $100, they want $200 at dealer for same tire!
I mounted mine free myself, they want about $100 to mount it.
They think I should pay that $300 to them to save myself 2 hours of work at cost of $200 savings! NO BRAINS!
The only time in my life I made $100 an hour is when I can do my own work in 2 hours and save $200 that the stealer would have charge me! LOL
At least my local stealer would work on my bike for some things if I wanted to be ripped off bad enough to pay the lung and kidney to have the work done.
Heck they charged me $65 for a stupid estimate for my damaged 88! Yes estimate was stupid! $1500 for new radio when it was only a $50 door broke for cassette player LOL
$10K on an 88 for repairs LOL
so I checked in with another local winger and he told me they have a tech trained only on 1800. Is this even permitted for a dealer?
All they have to be trained on is current models. If a tech has been around for several years he would have training on older models.
i am not supporting the dealer fully on his option to work on 1800's only but if you have ever ran a business you might realize his choice to only work on mc's in which he is sure is profitable for his business
easier to just ride down the road another hour and find someone who will work on your motorcycle,even better is to learn how to do it yourself,you might surprise yourself to find how easy it is,with info from this forum and others
although i am retired and have the tools i pretty much am insulted when others want work done but expect that my free time should be pretty much be free,hence seldom do any sidewwork,but that's my personal choice
easier to just ride down the road another hour and find someone who will work on your motorcycle,even better is to learn how to do it yourself,you might surprise yourself to find how easy it is,with info from this forum and others
although i am retired and have the tools i pretty much am insulted when others want work done but expect that my free time should be pretty much be free,hence seldom do any sidewwork,but that's my personal choice
New Dealer w/ fresh recruits maybe.
Scrounged from the Internet:
"... There is no sanctioning body that certifies motorcycle mechanics. I have certifications from BMW, Honda, Triumph, and Harley-Davidson, but each of these is recognized only by the issuer. Meaning only Honda cares about my Honda certification. ...
...You have to have your own- if you get a job, then start borrowing tools from your coworkers- get ready to start looking for another job.
The biggest thing is that, no matter how much you read, nothing replaces doing it for real. I can read "remove swingarm" in a BMW manual, but DOING it takes a 42mm socket, a heat gun, and two hours of high-pressure labor. Not to mention the fact that putting it back together will take twice as long, and you run the risk of ruining the whole thing if you screw up. As a professional mechanic, you will learn something new at LEAST once per hour, for the rest of your career. It's amazing. You can't rush the experience, so you just start at the bottom (probably fixing 2-strokes or smaller ATVs, possibly mounting tires) then you just keep easing into more complex stuff. The first time you get turned loose on a big touring bike with an intermittent electrical problem, you think "what have I gotten myself into?" but just bang it out the best you can.
I got lucky that my first "trainer" eased me into the craft. At the second dealership I went to, they slapped me with a Yamaha Venture Royale with air forks that needed new steering head bearings. DUDE I couldn't even get the thing on my lift. rrrrr I don't miss those days- I stressed out every single day for two years because every single bike I got was a different make or model, and the problem it had was a brand new problem I'd never seen. It's absolutely staggering how many things can go wrong, and management expects you to just dive right in and make their dreams come true.
If you're gonna do it, more power to you. Hang in there. Prepare yourself for spending uncomfortable amounts of your paycheck buying tools. After 20 years, I still have to buy a tool per week. It sucks. Shoot, today we MADE a 41mm split fork seal driver- no time to wait for Motion Pro to ship us one. It's stuff like that you learn to hate, but you love it, too. Weird."
So hey, count yourself lucky that someone kept the new kid off your bike and knew better. You don't want someone experimentally learning how to work on motorcycles by using your bike just because you're willing to pay them to do so. There are shops out there that would've taken it in a figured it out as they went, new or not...
Scrounged from the Internet:
"... There is no sanctioning body that certifies motorcycle mechanics. I have certifications from BMW, Honda, Triumph, and Harley-Davidson, but each of these is recognized only by the issuer. Meaning only Honda cares about my Honda certification. ...
...You have to have your own- if you get a job, then start borrowing tools from your coworkers- get ready to start looking for another job.
The biggest thing is that, no matter how much you read, nothing replaces doing it for real. I can read "remove swingarm" in a BMW manual, but DOING it takes a 42mm socket, a heat gun, and two hours of high-pressure labor. Not to mention the fact that putting it back together will take twice as long, and you run the risk of ruining the whole thing if you screw up. As a professional mechanic, you will learn something new at LEAST once per hour, for the rest of your career. It's amazing. You can't rush the experience, so you just start at the bottom (probably fixing 2-strokes or smaller ATVs, possibly mounting tires) then you just keep easing into more complex stuff. The first time you get turned loose on a big touring bike with an intermittent electrical problem, you think "what have I gotten myself into?" but just bang it out the best you can.
I got lucky that my first "trainer" eased me into the craft. At the second dealership I went to, they slapped me with a Yamaha Venture Royale with air forks that needed new steering head bearings. DUDE I couldn't even get the thing on my lift. rrrrr I don't miss those days- I stressed out every single day for two years because every single bike I got was a different make or model, and the problem it had was a brand new problem I'd never seen. It's absolutely staggering how many things can go wrong, and management expects you to just dive right in and make their dreams come true.
If you're gonna do it, more power to you. Hang in there. Prepare yourself for spending uncomfortable amounts of your paycheck buying tools. After 20 years, I still have to buy a tool per week. It sucks. Shoot, today we MADE a 41mm split fork seal driver- no time to wait for Motion Pro to ship us one. It's stuff like that you learn to hate, but you love it, too. Weird."
- 5 years ago
So hey, count yourself lucky that someone kept the new kid off your bike and knew better. You don't want someone experimentally learning how to work on motorcycles by using your bike just because you're willing to pay them to do so. There are shops out there that would've taken it in a figured it out as they went, new or not...
All this... makes me laugh out loud. (or if you're Asian: ROR... "Raffing Out Roud!")New Dealer w/ fresh recruits maybe.
Scrounged from the Internet:
"... There is no sanctioning body that certifies motorcycle mechanics. , new or not...
We have become a race of morons... more interested in liability risks than diligently working toward a common goal of making things better overall.
T
The big problem with the usual Honda dealer is that they don't stock or sell many Goldwings. Unlike Harley and BMW dealers they deal mostly in quads, ATVs, dirt bikes, and most anything but very few Goldwings. Because of that they're unlikely to have much in the way of Goldwing mechanics on tap. I believe Honda makes them handle 10 year old or less GWs but after that you're on your own. Even now there are years of 1800s some dealers will refuse to work on due to age. It is frustrating that some will cut off bikes due to age when few if any changes had been made between some years.
I gotta change that 401K, because its my retirement fund going into it...Its only got 65 or 70 thousand on it...
I had some work done at the Ducati store on capital city. It was work on a GL1800, they had to take the engine apart to fix what was wrong with it. They did a good job and I was pleased.
Give them a call and see if they can help. One of the guys that work there now works at Red Hills, his name was Marian.
And BTW Ducati has lower labor hours.
Give them a call and see if they can help. One of the guys that work there now works at Red Hills, his name was Marian.
And BTW Ducati has lower labor hours.
...sound thoughts, wisdom, truth and humour from all. truth is usually the most humorous
Maintenance performed so far: Timing belts, spark plugs,oil and filter including final drive,air filter,brake fluids,clutch and slave. Then I had to just ride our hgwy 98 beach cruise.
Bike runs perfect. Remaining: pre filter and cruise filter on order. Dunlop elite (whew pricey) on the way, rear tire install and shaft spline lube. I also installed a new battery and customized a 1.5 amp trickle charger ' plug in 'just outside the side plate that hides in the backrest leather cover. Battery is always fully charged and I do love the sound system. Thank you thankyou and thankyou! The bike will be new at about 23k in time for our smoky mountain trip in the spring thanks to the how to info found here Nice day all!
Maintenance performed so far: Timing belts, spark plugs,oil and filter including final drive,air filter,brake fluids,clutch and slave. Then I had to just ride our hgwy 98 beach cruise.Bike runs perfect. Remaining: pre filter and cruise filter on order. Dunlop elite (whew pricey) on the way, rear tire install and shaft spline lube. I also installed a new battery and customized a 1.5 amp trickle charger ' plug in 'just outside the side plate that hides in the backrest leather cover. Battery is always fully charged and I do love the sound system. Thank you thankyou and thankyou! The bike will be new at about 23k in time for our smoky mountain trip in the spring thanks to the how to info found here
Nice day all!
exactly my surprise. The 1500 did not change mechanically since.......and from my research built the supertouring GW reputation. Hence, I assumed.........oops. No emergency and doing it myself. Enjoy a cold beer more when I earn it. No more timing belts for 80K or a few years
Its MY opinion to why most dealers have a cut-off, at least in my area, is that many bikes get neglected to the point that they are really no longer worth repairing. I knew someome that LITERALLY stored a motorcycle OUTSIDE for a couple of years, and forgot that he had pulled the spark plugs out. Yes, thats the extreme, but I know MANY people that just don't ride every year, and the bike sits without being properly 'stored.'
I have a friend that just retired as a service manager at a dealer and told me dozens of stories of people bringing in a bike they bought for a couple hundred bucks (junk) that they wanted fixed for $50, but NEEDING $3k+ worth of stuff. Of course, the dealer was just attemting to rip them off....
Dealers and other repair shops are NOT charities. If there is no money, or worse, the risk of loosing money, they won't do it; I don't blame them. The RUNNING 1200 I just bought CHEAP would cost me far more than it would ever be worth if I had to pay someone to get it back road ready.
Bill
I have a friend that just retired as a service manager at a dealer and told me dozens of stories of people bringing in a bike they bought for a couple hundred bucks (junk) that they wanted fixed for $50, but NEEDING $3k+ worth of stuff. Of course, the dealer was just attemting to rip them off....
Dealers and other repair shops are NOT charities. If there is no money, or worse, the risk of loosing money, they won't do it; I don't blame them. The RUNNING 1200 I just bought CHEAP would cost me far more than it would ever be worth if I had to pay someone to get it back road ready.
Bill
Thanks Chaos. Incidentally Marion was the guy that gave me the 'special tools' BS. I got the impression they were scrambling to pull it together over there and barely have the expertise to open the doors. GREAT NEWS on ducati dealer. Just bought a helmet from them. Also keep in mind that in my 'discovery' The Dothan, Valdosta, and Panama city dealers mechanics will readily work on the 1500. But at this point I am a hard core DIY er. Chaos do you ride with canopy road cruiser or other club? We are interested in networking and hooking up with other wingers in the area. Thanks. MD.
I, like many, do most everything on the bike. If it's worth the trip here, we can do many things including tires and most repairs together. Of course Atlanta isn't close to everything but I do work on all years (with you so you know how to do it yourself later).
If people want to chip in something for it, it's cool, otherwise, I don't mind doing it with them if it helps someone learn how to live without the dealers and why they typically know less than you do about it. Also, you will never be safe if you put your hands in dealer service departments. They don't care about your hide like you do. They don't have to.
If people want to chip in something for it, it's cool, otherwise, I don't mind doing it with them if it helps someone learn how to live without the dealers and why they typically know less than you do about it. Also, you will never be safe if you put your hands in dealer service departments. They don't care about your hide like you do. They don't have to.
I can see a shop being concerned about getting paid if they tie up a thousand dollars on a five hundred dollar bike and the owner walks away from the deal. However the shop has options.
They simply get pre-approved payment for services if the bike has no potential value.
Too often the problem is the attitude of elitism by the dealer or mechanic.
If my bike isn't good enough for you my money isn't either.
They simply get pre-approved payment for services if the bike has no potential value.
Too often the problem is the attitude of elitism by the dealer or mechanic.
If my bike isn't good enough for you my money isn't either.
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