Havin' a hard time let'n this go, gotta warn someone .... "Don't break down anywhere near Gillette, WY !!!"


Made a run to Missouri, coming back to Montana through South Dakota and through Wyoming. Before the trip, I put two new Dunlop E3's front & back, included tubes and rim strips. Had a rear flat maybe 30 miles East of Gillette, WY. Saturday evening, called the dealer in Gillette and told them of my issue, they said they were closing, I had the bike towed in and to their credit, they allowed me to store my bike there till Monday morning. I told the service manager (Calvin) that I just needed the flat repaired, he looked at me and with what appeared to me to be a "faint smirk" said "we don't repair, we replace". I explained that it was a new tire, there was that "smirk" again, and he said it was a "liability" issue. I'm try'n to get my head around that, and decide that I will just have to "bite the bullet here" and buy a new rear tire. As my friend Calvin is sit'n there writing out the work order, he looks up at me "with smirk" and said "you know, if we don't have a tire that matches your front tires tread pattern, we can't mount the rear tire". That was like a broadside, I said "what are you tell'n me, I gotta by a new front tire too ?". He said that all they carry is Dunlop tires, I told him my tires are Dunlop, he said all they carry is the "regular" Harley Davidson Dunlop tires. He went to check and was gone for maybe a minute, came back "with the smirk" and said they didn't have a matching tread. Inside I'm fuming, it's a brand new Dunlop E3 front tire, I don't need a new front tire !!! Calvin said "its a liability issue" ??? I told him that I would sign a waiver, they wouldn't be responsible. Calvin "with smirk" said they don't do that there, I said they allow me to sign a waiver at Glacier HD in Kalispell, MT, again with "smirk", we don't do that. You see where this story is going, they would not fix my rear flat unless I bought two new tires from them. They had me and they knew it, I knew it !!! I picked my bike up at 11 am Monday with two new "Harley Davidson Dunlop D 402's" mounted on it. With my two day lay over at the local hotel and the $680.67 bill from the friendly, "we are the Harley Davidson family and we will get you back on the road" dealer, I was look'n at just under $1000. Now as I got ready to leave, I asked Calvin the Service Manager " do you offer a Military/Veteran discount" like they do at both Glacier HD & Grizzly HD ? Service Manager Calvin looked up at me from his desk, writing up my bill, and said "with that same smirk", "ya know, I don't know. That will be $680.67"....

Now on my way home I made it a point to stop at Grizzly HD and I ran the story about my Gillette experience past their Service Manager, all he could do is shake his head. He asked me what dealer it was, and when I said Gillette, he shook his head again. I was in to see my local dealer yesterday (Glacier HD) and asked the Service Manager if he would answer a hypothetical question, and he said he would try. I ran the whole thing by him, I come in with a rear flat, they are new tires, yada, yada , yada. I asked if he would repair a flat, said it depends on how bad it was. I got that, but it at least sounded that they would "maybe" repair it. Then I ask, what if the new rear tire didn't match the front tire tread? He said they generally don't like to mismatch treads or compounds and would "advise" against it. That's what I expected to hear in Gillette, then he said after "advising me", they would mount the tire after I signed a "liability release", that is the way it should be done !!! I thanked him for their honesty, he asked me what dealer and I said Gillette, Wy (again there was that head shake). I bought my few parts that I went there to get for an oil change (with the Veterans Discount they give), and went home....still freeeeek'n angry over HD's friendly dealer in Gillette. I know this for certain, one of those techs in Gillette is ridin' around on a brand new Dunlop E3 that I bought !!!!!!!!!! Guess my only hope is that the friendly Service Manager Calvin someday finds himself in the same situation, broke down and out of state, and a friendly dealer bends him over and rapes him like he did me on that occasion "with a smirk" !!!!!!!!!

Done vent'n...............

 

Damn, that would **** me off.

 

that sucks. are you going to register a complaint with the factory? (not that it would really matter)

 

I would have insisted that I receive the dismounted tires and taken them home with me. Still a bullshit situation.

 

I know it don't help the situation. But in the future carry a tire repair kit. I am not one for running on a plugged tire but it can get you to a place to do it right.

 

IMO... You were robbed. Plain and simple.

 

Yes, I would notify HD of this situation, you may catch a break and they might care enough to do something about it.


Yes to this too. I would have insisted that the 2 tires that were taken off be shipped to my home. If they said that they don't do that you could have called UPS and arranged to have them picked up and shipped.

 

That is a great idea for tubeless tires. Which is one reason I don't like spokers.
Too late now, but I might have tried to try any other shop that repairs or sells tires. I had tires put on my FXR at the local Honda shop - way cheaper than the local HD dealer in my case.

-edit- time to start an internet smear campaign, facebook, yahoo, burn down their rep from cyberspace.
And sorry for your shabby treatment.

 

thats total BS. Ive mixed a lot of different tires over the years and never even considered tread design. Some had a faster tip in on corners, some tracked better on grooved pavement etc... I just never mix bias with radial

 

They can't even do an oil/filter change right.
I stopped there in the middle of an extended trip. Stupid tech half-unplugged my stator, just enough to cause an arc and ruin the plug leads. Almost didn't make it home, and cost another $400 to replace everything that was damaged as a result of his carelessness. Was told "Too bad".
Yeah ok...Your time is comin', MF'er.