[bham hal]

I wish a aftermarket would come out are a sleeve for the rear master cylinder.

 

[RESCUE-K9]

I have a friend here that works at a Kawasaki dealer and he said they won't work on anything older than 10 years old even if they sold it to you. I said what the deal with that he said it simple. It takes longer to work on old bikes and we want to sell you a new one.....

 

[FM]

Without reading the whole post (and many other threads on the same issue)...

IF a manufacture is going to design the GoldWing (or 'X') for longevity,
said OEM parts should also be at hand for an extended amount of time.

Quite simply, why leave a loyal customer high and dry? :?

 

[FM]

I have a friend here that works at a Kawasaki dealer and he said they won't work on anything older than 10 years old even if they sold it to you. I said what the deal with that he said it simple. It takes longer to work on old bikes and we want to sell you a new one.....

That could work IF they gave you a reasonably large discount on the new bike. (i said reasonably)
Loyal customers are part of the purchase value and in there future business equation.

 

[Rueda Grande]

If it takes longer to work on an older bike, and the dealer charges shop rate by the hour. Perhaps it is that the mechanics are too inexperienced on older machines. After all, if it is computerized then it is not easy enough for the lazier generation.


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[jerrygibb]

I bought my 94 Wing at state 8 motorcycle dealer here in Akron,they wouldn't let me take it without fixing the fork bushings.They even delivered it to my house. I went back later that year and got an estimate for a complete lube,oil change,bearing check,etc.......They were very accommodating and didn't any problem with servicing a 20 year old bike. To me service after the sale is the best advertising a business could have. Kudos to them!

 

[6adan]

I don't know if it has been said before but the old PO problem could make working on a old bike very expensive. I just did some wiring on a 95 trike that someone had used about 20' of clear lamp cord to get some of the rear lights to work. There was a ground in the taillight wire and they just twisted some wire to another fuse and went from there.

 

[LarryC]

I took a 75 Wing in trade once that had some wiring like that on it. It took awhile to get everything sorted out and fixed. I ended up throwing a lot of junk off that bike away. It was a nice running once I fixed all the wiring issues and put some Harley takeoffs on it. It had straight pipes on it when I got it.

 

[Magnoliachief]

I went into the Honda dealer in Dothan Al to get a price on some tires and take a look around and the dealer gave me an absurd price on the tires and then told me they would not mount them if I purchased them. I quickly turned around and will not grace their doors again. Especially to buy one of their beloved new bikes!:lash:

 

[Quinn]

I had a flat back tire on my 1994 wing one fine Friday afternoon after work. It was a screw in the tread so I filled the tire with air at the shop and headed for the only Honda / Victory / Suzuki / used bike dealership in the Spokane Valley. Upon arrival I was told flat out that they would not service the bike as it was older than 2000. When I asked why, they said they just don't. They offered to air up the tire and sent me on my way. I was prepared to buy a new tire from them but I have never been there again and never would buy anything from them let alone recommend their dealership to anyone else. I advertise for them every chance I get...

 

[cycleman]

Not making any excuse for dealers that won't work on bikes that are over 10 yrs old, but I can understand why.

Part of the problem is with the unavailable plastic parts that have to be removed for some maintenance work, electrical issues - extra wiring etc that owners put on their bikes and nobody has any idea where some of the stuff goes. mechanics not familiar with old wings, lack of parts and so on.

The saving grace is that in a lot of locations there are independents who will work on these older wings, and then in some cases the owners themselves or a local Goldwing Group will have the knowledge and expertise to maintain the bikes. In most cases, a lot of the common parts are still available or the aftermarket has filled the void, and then of course you have the wreckers and ebay etc.

So there is usually a work around.

 

[gt750]

10 year Garbage.

I recently sold my 21 year old ST1100 w/ 92,000 k.m.'s on it. It is in very good shape. If they tell me they won't set valves on it, I will not buy anything off of them. This is why dealerships are going to die. Another 20 years, and we'll just order your Motorcycle from the Factory. I believe a majority of Dealerships were run by enthusiasts, that have retired, and now his kid runs it, never having rode a bike! Or hires a Manager from a College. Then they have no idea that a 20 or even 30 year old Honda is perfectly serviceable, and rideable.Maybe have the Customer remove the bodywork before coming in for service, or have them sign a waiver. There is a way to make everyone happy. Times are too good where I live, that they can turn business away. These places need to help out their Customers AND make money. I believe that some Honda shop in every region should be offered something from Honda Worldwide to be a repair facility for any running Honda. If the Customer can source parts, then they gotta repair or tune it up. Honda Corparate would till have service manuals on all bikes. Kinda a cop out in my opinion!

 

[Silverado6x6]

Big multi brand motorcycle store in Anchorage Alaska refuses to stock any new Goldwings, special order only. I guess the thrill is gone, but they have lines heading into the Harley shops.

 

[jgznc]

I purchased my Goldwing when it was 4 months old in 1981. I was 22 years old and soft clean hands spending more time with books than wrenches. I had an 18 yr old car and not a lot of money. With no internet, I read books and catalogs to keep the car running for use in awful, usually frozen, weather (I drove the Goldwing at all other times). Most of my metric tools were in the kit in the false tank! I began taking it apart twice a year for cleaning which taught me a lot about the bike and then I bought the service manual began doing the maintenance work myself. The dealer I had at the time in Arlington, VA was great and helped me every way. Times were different and motorcycles were not anywhere near as common as now. I moved a number of times due to my job and I could always find a local dealership to work on it without any problems - until about 7 years ago. Now by this time the bike was well over 25 years old and the dealership that I had been using in south Charlotte, NC was sold and the new management will no longer do any work on my cycle, even though I purchased a 1986 a few years earlier, citing the 10 year rule. I came upon this site a couple years ago and you guys have saved my machine multiple times and increased my wrenching skills many times over as my metric tools have similarly expanded. This past week coming home from work at 2am, something broke in the transmission (no fourth gear and something banging around even in neutral). This leads me to believe that this motorcycle that has been with me the last 35 years as a daily driver will be laid to rest. I would have been loyal to the Honda brand except for the treatment I received over the recent years and will not give them any more of my business or walk into another showroom.. And that is the point. After owning 3 Honda's in almost 40 years, I am ready to jump ship due to the attitude at the dealerships (and I have since tried others many more miles away). They did not offer to help me out - they actually escorted me to the showroom once to try to sell me a new one. When that did not work out, I was treated with rudeness which eventually provoked anger and raised voices. I will not return to Honda again. I have thought about HD, but I have never liked the taste of their grape Koolaid. I plan on taking a new Indian Roadmaster out for a drive and see what they are like. I do not understand why Honda does not see the consequences of their policies (corporate or local). They will continue to lose business and, more importantly, the loyalty of their customers.

 

[chrisz]

I found this thread interesting. I also ran into something similar with the BMW dealer when I tried trading in my 2002 R1150RT on a new BMW bike about 4 years ago. No go says the dealer, it was deemed too old (with 60K on the odometer). So sold the bike privately and purchased another brand. Thankfully the web is a good source of parts and folks with good intentions willing to help out.

 

[sccaz]

Since I had the time, I read through this whole thing. Interesting, but not surprising, to see nothing has changed since it was started 6 years ago.


It is my belief that the 10 yr rule thing shouldn't really apply to the 1800, at this point in time. Nothing is different underneath the cosmetic changes to say "sorry, we cant work on your 2002 Wing". To use the excuse of hard to find parts is pure BS. This generation of Goldwing is now in its 16th year. Long in the tooth for sure, but that also makes it easier to source/stock/sell parts.


Motorcycles are certainly a different market than cars. It is much smaller. It's seasonal in most of the US. It does not benefit from mass quantities. I too am completely dumbfounded by the whole refusal to work on them. The ones that do, benefit greatly due to being one of the few "go to" places. Auto dealerships have proven that service departments are a very lucrative source of revenue. The same principals apply to managing a successful motorcycle facility. The downside is that it takes a substantial investment to get a decent ROI. Therein lies the problem. Many people do not want to pay a shop what it takes for them to be profitable and successful. We all love to have a "go to guy". But they usually are 1 man shows with no succession plans to keep it going. When that guy is gone, everything is gone.


So the real problem, IMO, is the potential cost of repairs to rise beyond estimates due to unforeseen circumstances from the vehicles age. If people are made aware of this UP FRONT, there is usually no problem. Most people are understanding to the needs of older bikes. Plastic pieces being the crutch for repairs. If they break, and replacement is necessary, time and cost goes up. Repainting may be necessary as well, which adds expense. How many people are going to be accepting enough to pay for it? Not many, I presume.
A dealer turning away work is due to avoiding the headaches associated with making a customer face the realities of older vehicle ownership. Many people don't want to face this. If my experience with auto shop ownership are lined up with motorcycle shop ownership, this is the biggest determining factor as to their decision to work on older stuff. 10 yrs old is, IMO, too early to deny service. Rusty bolts are a rarity on motorcycles. They are being overly cautious.


Technician experience may also play into this to an extant. Yes, newbie techs learn EFI stuff, and probably barely cover carbs in school. With time come the experiences of trial and error to make great techs. Everyone of us have unwittingly helped a newbie get his feet wet in some form. Especially in the medical field.

 

[dfhamp]

We have the same problem with the Honda dealer in Lexington, KY. This dealership staff is very young and might not be able to do anything that is not plug and play. Most of these guys might not know what a carburator is. So considering that it might be better to go where the gray beards work

Darrell

 

[noviwinger]

Over the last 15 years I have found the 10 year rule vary common. I purchased a 1986 Aspencade from a dealer in 2000 with an extended service contract and then the dealer would not service the vehicle. They would not even change tires unless I took the wheels off. A few years later I was speak to a Harley Rider who was so proud to state that the Harley dealership will service any harley regardless of year. Speed ahead a few years and the same Harley rider was complaining the dealer he used would no longer service a harley over 10 years old. To tell you the truth it is because of this rule I was motivated to get a new bike. Why is it I can get a 30 yr old car service but not a 30 year old bike? It does not make since to me. Fortunately, I was able to find motorcycle repair shops in my area to get my Goldwing repaired. Though I had one shop that was just down the road that works on any bike, but specializes in "American" bikes. I was happy to find them until I had a real problem (Stator) and they had the bike for 4 months over the winter and never even touched it.

 

[trike lady]

There is a shop in Florida where they claim their mechanics can fix any bike, a gentleman left his bike with them and they had it four months, none of their 'Geniuses' knew how to work on a GL1200. They made excuses every time the guy called asking about it. He got disgusted and took his bike elsewhere. The shop manager should have been honest and told the customer we don't work on Goldwings, instead of dragging it out as long as they did.

 

[Roadyrider]

To me, being able to fix anything on my own bike is part of the fun of having a bike, so the dealers would go broke waiting for me to come into their shop.