That's what I was told when I brought in a '73 BMW R60/5 to be worked on (that they could get most parts for BMW bikes dating back to the 40's). However, the BMW dealer also said the same as what's been posted on this thread when it comes to servicing the bike -> If the bike looks like it came out of a barn and hasn't been taken care of, they won't touch it either. The only reason they worked on my R60 is that it was in excellent condition to begin with.

I took my 1995 FXDL over to the local Harley dealer about 6 months ago, and they said they won't work on bikes older than 10yrs. They said I would have to take it to an indy, which I did. No problems though, as SoCal has lots of shops that work on older Harleys.

Btw, I was told by Honda that they wouldn't work on any bike older than 7yrs, but would make exceptions for customers who bought a bike from them and kept it in good condition.

Working on older bikes varies by dealership. It depends on their services techs and experience. I know my local dealership will work on shovels and pans no problem. But they have some older techs that have experience with these engines. Unless this experience gets passed on it's gonna get harder and harder to find someone to work on these old bikes. That's the first thing i tell someone that's looking at buying an old shovelhead. You better like fixing your own bike. If not, you better learn.

Sheet metal is hardly a service part. Service parts would be alternators, brake components, radiators, etc. ... none of which are made by the auto manufacturer to begin with.

I've been in the auto industry since the mid-90's. I've heard many different versions that people were positive of. I've never had anyone manage to support their claim by providing a legal reference. ... but for sure, it's a law, they have to provide them for 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, 15 years or 20 years, depending on whom is telling the tale.

Is this a federal mandate? State? Local? Auto industry? ... who created this rule? Who enforces it? What are the penalties for non-compliance? When an auto manufacturer shuts down, are they fined or otherwise penalized for failing to provide repair parts for the next 5 years?

Yeah right? I'd consider that to be dis-honorable, SOMEBODY in EVERY dealership ought to be able to work on a "Model T", seeing how they're still making them. That's right, there ain't a nickels worth of difference between a Twin Cam and a damned Knuckledhead, and even less between the Evo and the Knucklehead.

F.T.W., learn to do it yourself 'cuz The World can't do it if it ain't video game. You ride a Harley now, act like it. And that means DOING for your bike.

Don't know what to tell you or what your really bitching about here I was talking about all the replaceable sheet metal panels & exterior plastic like bumpers for wreck repair , 5 years is the limit a dealer do it then goes 3rd party . When our stamping & plastic molding plants had to produce an overrun not needed for the line or the Die sets were switched in the presses to earlier model yrs to do a production run it was called Service Parts . We were required to have number of these in house stored at all times including old models for up to five years . After that the stamping and molding dies were shipped off I heard south America somewhere .

A production plant or major company will not keep , store and pay taxes on anything it doesn't need to make product like a couple dozen 12 ton stamping die's nor with pay the associated cost's for storing the stuff for 5 yrs if they are not required to believe me . Warehousing is taxed by the square ft out here and you have to pay taxes on what's in it .

My local dealer still works on my bike ('94) for tire changes and they replaced the starter last year, but I know many other riders with similar age bikes they won't touch. They know I take care of my ride, do most of my own work, and don't kick about the cost when I do ask them for help. It apparently depends on the bike and the customer.

Still, the day of reckoning is approaching. They really have only one guy who has any experience with Evos, and he gets little practice,as they only work on a few of them.

I hate changing my own tires, and the nearest indy shop is over 40 miles away, but then so is the dealer.

I don't know about now...will dealers service shovels? I do remember in the 70s that pans and knucks were turned away (generally).

No , not in this country anyway most dealer people snicker when a shovel pulls in it's a joke to them .

Not good enough. You're assuming. You were required by whom to warehouse 5 years of parts? The claim is it's a law, it's required - yet I have yet to meet anyone that can find a reference for this law. Not bitching about anything... looking for a reference to a law which requires any manufacturer to provide replacement parts for a set period of time. It doesn't exist. It may have been the policy of your company, but not a legal requirement.

All I can do is pass on what I was told by the General Manager of the engineering dept and the AGM of production control told me which is what I've stated . The how's , why's and reasons because were well above my pay grade . It may not be a law per say could be a contractual obligation or stipulation for doing business mandated by the government ? When dealing with the 2 largest auto companies in the world and the federal government deep in the mix I take what I was told at face valve , we,re talking a huge monetary expenditure here and knowing how tight we were screwing down costs they would have shipped this stuff elsewhere if wasn't pushed on them someway . Hell we kept 200+ 45' trailers loaded with incoming parts in a huge staging area with 4 full time hostler trucks jockeying them in and out to supply the line all so they wouldn't have to pay the warehousing & inventory taxes on keeping stock in the plant . Numbers just don't add up unless it was required . Do a little research into the FTC's dealings with import auto manufacturers bet you'll run across at least references if not specifics .