Local Dealer worked on my '89 E Glide that I had when it needed it. He won't work on Shovelheads tho. At least he knows what he can and can't do. Depends on your dealer and what staff he has. Can't seem to find anybody to work on my 64 F100?? Jus have to do that myself.

Mercedes is one manufacturer of cars that will work on any year Mercedes that you have. In the US they have a place in California for that. Of course you better have the $$$ by the bushel.

Ferrari will re-manufacture any of their past offerings. Some times it will go over $1 million to do so.

Harley could do that but they are smart enough to know that all most no one would be willing to pay the freight.

BMW dealers carry parts lists for their motorcycles going back to 1948.

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/fiche.aspx

Totally. Manufacturers are not required to produce spare parts, ever.

They already do.

No Harley Dealer will touch my 1999 FXR2. Its in mint condition but its "to old" now.
Go figure. Not that I would want them to though. For most Dealers, as has been said, 10 years is the "limit".

Dealers wont' work on older bikes because

One, nobody working there has experience working on them. So they have to lose money on the deal when the mechanic screws up. With the new bikes the factory warrenty covers the mechanics learning curve when he sails through uncharted waters for the first time.

Two, as cars, trucks bikes get old many a time things can break as they get a wrench on them. Customer does not want to here that whats'it broke when the mechanic was fixing the whose'it. There was nothing wrong with the whats'it when I brought my bike in, I'm not paying for your grease monkee's mistake.

Last, a dealer makes his most of his money selling bikes. He keeps your clunker rolling, he doesn't make a sale. Plus he opens himself to lose money by being a nice guy to work on older bikes as pointed out in one and two.

Wrong , auto manufacturers are required to produce dedicated " service parts " like the stamped sheet metal body panels for 5 yrs for any model produced or sold in the US including after that model is discontinued or replaced . Worked in the industry spent many a weekend in that plant making that shit .

Any vehicle that comes into my shop older than about 1972 I sit the Costumer down and explain that the job costs what it costs, parts may have to come from every corner of the country or sometimes have to be custom made.I am fair with these jobs but I refuse to give estimates, It costs what it costs.

Yes, they are required to have parts for seven years. There is an exception to everything. If they went bankrupt the judge throws that out.

That is why HD will have parts for seven years and the reason that they would not sell Buell. The story that they gave to not sell because Buell was too integrated into HD was a big fib. They had calculated that they will make more off the seven years of parts. If they sold Buell they knew that they would immediately switch to Rotax motors and all the parts were from other sources not HD. HD only did the air cooled V-twins which the forced Buell to buy at a loss to Buell of $300 over the much better Rotax motor.

I still am mad at HD for that. Those turds.