Done with the hd service dept.
#1
05-02-2014 | 09:31 AM
Done with the hd service dept.
[rant]
Ok. Last year I realized I needed new tires, so I naturally went to my local HD (just moved back to the area 8 months prior so I didn't know any shops); they had $10 tire install with purchase. OK cool, could you also throw on this sissybar for me since you're going to have the tire off anyways? Yeah no problem. (I didn't realize at the time that it was just 4 bolts, slide it in tighten the bolts again) Total came out to ~$500. Ok that doesn't sound too bad. Well, last week I noticed some chipping on the powder of my sissybar, so I emailed the guy who does them he says "OK no problem, we do our coating in-house now because of issues like this with the previous shop, if you'd like send it back and we'll re coat it free of charge". Anything free is worth saving up for, so I'll do it. Went to the garage yesterday to take the back wheel off and re-wire my turn signal because it was rubbing on the tire and not working...went to take the sissybar off. 4 bolts and less than 5 minutes. Wait a minute! The stealer charged me 30minutes for this install! Theres no way it was that easy? Yep. **** that.
Got my tax return back so hey, lets finally put those forwards on that I've been wanting. ~$600 installed blah blah, which is cool cause I dont know what I'd need to take apart the primary or whatever is needed. My general rule of thumb; if I dont think I can put it back together I wont take it apart. Ok, cool. Thats a little bit more than what I wanted to spend, but hey, whatever. I'll still have enough for a nice interstate ride this summer. Had them come pick the bike up and do the work. The day they said it would be delivered I'm sitting around waiting for it....so I finally give them a call. "Oh yeah, I guess blah-de-blah didn't call you. Theres a problem with your primary." In my head I'm thinking, **** **** **** **** ****; my bike is my second child so I'm worried for her at this point but also thinking how much cash this is going to eat up, so I didn't even catch what was wrong...the shift linkage was bending and about to break or something along those lines. I discuss it a little bit with him and tell him to go ahead and do it. "Oh hey! I was also walking by your bike and theres a screw in your back tire." Are-you-****ing-kidding-me?! So naturally at this point I think they're just trying to milk my wallet. He texts me some pics of the screw, the tire, and the bike. "Ok, change the back tire, but give me the old tire back." (Remember the first story? Well, that tire as less than 500 miles on it.) Few days later on the due date, I call them up wondering if I'm going to get it back. "Well, we did your primary work and when we put it back on we must've pinched a gasket cause now you're leaking oil....but we'll go ahead and take care of that for you and have your bike back in a few days." Few days later....I FINALLY have my bike...total after this was done...Somewhere between $1200-$1400. My entire tax return.
So after these two incidences, mainly the $1200 one, I decided I'm going to look for a new guy. I buy some new wheels on ebay and want to get them installed. My buddy got a bike last year and had some work done through a small shop around here. I call him up (as well as several other small shops in the area) They're half of what the stealer wanted to charge. I go with the one my buddy went with. First off, I apparently was trying to put on a pre-2000 wheel onto my post-2000 bike...I guess they're not compatible...well the shop calls me up, "Hey, so that back wheel wouldn't fit so we throw one of the spacers on the lathe and made it work, but new we're running into a sprocket issue; your old sprocket has a 2-1/4" center hole inner diameter; the sprocket you bought has 2" ID, but only has 65t...you need a 2" ID 70t one." I scour all the shops in the area looking for this part...hoping...well local HD shop gives me a part number of what they think I need. I search everywhere for this part that come to find out wouldn't fit anyways and was $200...posted in the softail forum (thought my new wheel came off softail) and they pointed me in the direction of a $6 adapter. Wait...theres an adapter for a pre-2000 wheel into a post-2000 sprocket?! Shouldn't the dealer have known that? Shouldn't that be one of those subtle things that they should know? I'm done with the service....I'll buy parts there if I can't find it anywhere else, but I'll only go there to kill time and look at all the shinies...they're good people, but I dont agree with their business.
So with everything being fabbed and making it work, and double checking all this stuff; it was only 4 hours of work so ~$350 at my local guy.
[/rant]
tl;dr/cliff notes - dealer shop loves money for the most basic of work. Small shop gives damn good prices. I even found a local leather shop that sells amazing stuff for half price the stealer does.
Ok. Last year I realized I needed new tires, so I naturally went to my local HD (just moved back to the area 8 months prior so I didn't know any shops); they had $10 tire install with purchase. OK cool, could you also throw on this sissybar for me since you're going to have the tire off anyways? Yeah no problem. (I didn't realize at the time that it was just 4 bolts, slide it in tighten the bolts again) Total came out to ~$500. Ok that doesn't sound too bad. Well, last week I noticed some chipping on the powder of my sissybar, so I emailed the guy who does them he says "OK no problem, we do our coating in-house now because of issues like this with the previous shop, if you'd like send it back and we'll re coat it free of charge". Anything free is worth saving up for, so I'll do it. Went to the garage yesterday to take the back wheel off and re-wire my turn signal because it was rubbing on the tire and not working...went to take the sissybar off. 4 bolts and less than 5 minutes. Wait a minute! The stealer charged me 30minutes for this install! Theres no way it was that easy? Yep. **** that.
Got my tax return back so hey, lets finally put those forwards on that I've been wanting. ~$600 installed blah blah, which is cool cause I dont know what I'd need to take apart the primary or whatever is needed. My general rule of thumb; if I dont think I can put it back together I wont take it apart. Ok, cool. Thats a little bit more than what I wanted to spend, but hey, whatever. I'll still have enough for a nice interstate ride this summer. Had them come pick the bike up and do the work. The day they said it would be delivered I'm sitting around waiting for it....so I finally give them a call. "Oh yeah, I guess blah-de-blah didn't call you. Theres a problem with your primary." In my head I'm thinking, **** **** **** **** ****; my bike is my second child so I'm worried for her at this point but also thinking how much cash this is going to eat up, so I didn't even catch what was wrong...the shift linkage was bending and about to break or something along those lines. I discuss it a little bit with him and tell him to go ahead and do it. "Oh hey! I was also walking by your bike and theres a screw in your back tire." Are-you-****ing-kidding-me?! So naturally at this point I think they're just trying to milk my wallet. He texts me some pics of the screw, the tire, and the bike. "Ok, change the back tire, but give me the old tire back." (Remember the first story? Well, that tire as less than 500 miles on it.) Few days later on the due date, I call them up wondering if I'm going to get it back. "Well, we did your primary work and when we put it back on we must've pinched a gasket cause now you're leaking oil....but we'll go ahead and take care of that for you and have your bike back in a few days." Few days later....I FINALLY have my bike...total after this was done...Somewhere between $1200-$1400. My entire tax return.
So after these two incidences, mainly the $1200 one, I decided I'm going to look for a new guy. I buy some new wheels on ebay and want to get them installed. My buddy got a bike last year and had some work done through a small shop around here. I call him up (as well as several other small shops in the area) They're half of what the stealer wanted to charge. I go with the one my buddy went with. First off, I apparently was trying to put on a pre-2000 wheel onto my post-2000 bike...I guess they're not compatible...well the shop calls me up, "Hey, so that back wheel wouldn't fit so we throw one of the spacers on the lathe and made it work, but new we're running into a sprocket issue; your old sprocket has a 2-1/4" center hole inner diameter; the sprocket you bought has 2" ID, but only has 65t...you need a 2" ID 70t one." I scour all the shops in the area looking for this part...hoping...well local HD shop gives me a part number of what they think I need. I search everywhere for this part that come to find out wouldn't fit anyways and was $200...posted in the softail forum (thought my new wheel came off softail) and they pointed me in the direction of a $6 adapter. Wait...theres an adapter for a pre-2000 wheel into a post-2000 sprocket?! Shouldn't the dealer have known that? Shouldn't that be one of those subtle things that they should know? I'm done with the service....I'll buy parts there if I can't find it anywhere else, but I'll only go there to kill time and look at all the shinies...they're good people, but I dont agree with their business.
So with everything being fabbed and making it work, and double checking all this stuff; it was only 4 hours of work so ~$350 at my local guy.
[/rant]
tl;dr/cliff notes - dealer shop loves money for the most basic of work. Small shop gives damn good prices. I even found a local leather shop that sells amazing stuff for half price the stealer does.
Last edited by Mars47; 05-02-2014 at 11:37 AM. Reason: Rearranged tl;dr/cliff notes
#4
05-02-2014 | 10:37 AM
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 338
Likes: 41
There you have it. The absolute best thing you could do is buy a shop manual for your bike and do the work yourself. Even if you have to buy a special tool now and then you could use it and then sell it on ebay if you think you'll never need it again.
And remember, the HD mechanics work on commission.
And remember, the HD mechanics work on commission.
#5
05-02-2014 | 11:12 AM
There you have it. The absolute best thing you could do is buy a shop manual for your bike and do the work yourself. Even if you have to buy a special tool now and then you could use it and then sell it on ebay if you think you'll never need it again.
And remember, the HD mechanics work on commission.
And remember, the HD mechanics work on commission.
I bet had I gotten my parts from ebay and gone through my new shop I would've saved $1300 easy on both projects.
#7
05-02-2014 | 11:30 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 149,462
Likes: 50,243
From: Southeast Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
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#8
05-02-2014 | 11:33 AM
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,642
Likes: 181
From: Massachusetts
If you can buy a jack or lift and a manual for your bike. Read the manual once. Then read it a second time hopefully within sight of your bike. Many things will come together on the second read. Then start tackling things yourself. Once you start doing the things you are comfortable with you'll start talking wrench with like minded people and learning even more plus other wrenches love to help out.
#9
05-02-2014 | 11:36 AM
If you can buy a jack or lift and a manual for your bike. Read the manual once. Then read it a second time hopefully within sight of your bike. Many things will come together on the second read. Then start tackling things yourself. Once you start doing the things you are comfortable with you'll start talking wrench with like minded people and learning even more plus other wrenches love to help out.
#10
05-02-2014 | 11:39 AM
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 116
From: Raleigh, NC
