ShortVersion – DON’T DO IT!



Longer Version – (my experience – aka,"How I blew a Paycheck")

I ordered a full rear kit from STF. I ordered a sissy bar. I ordered custom paint.

I was an idiot...

And I cannot, cannot stress enough how much I wanted this to work out. I have liked the look of the STF kit since I first saw the o.d. green bike in American Iron back in like, 2007? I wanted it to be quality, I wanted Kyle to prove all the old reviews wrong. I wanted to show everyone that they had become better than the old reviews…but as they say, you can want in one hand, and take a dump inthe other and see which fills up faster…

THE GOOD– Kyle’s wife Deidra’s customer service and quick responses via email were the only thing keeping me sane. She was polite, understanding, and at the end, evenagreed with me that it all went badly on their end. Thus ends all the goodthings.



THE BAD– First, there was the paint. In my very first email to Kyle, I asked for a specific paint job. I even sent him a picture FROM HIS OWN SITE of the paint scheme I wanted. (IT WAS TO BE A BLACK AND DARK MAROON PATINA JOB) Along with apic of the sissy bar I wanted, again FROM HIS OWN SITE. He said “no problem”…I send him a load of cash.

A week orso goes by and I get a pic of the tank, (he actually told me it was ready to ship, I said I would like to see a pic, to ensure it was done as agreed upon.)

Nope.

He says,it’s one of the coolest paintjobs his painter has ever done… I say, looks cool.But not what I paid for. Kyle says, “But it’s COOL!” I say again,that’s not anywhere near what we agreed on.

He says to give him some time to sell it online and he will make it right. Two weeks go by. It does NOT sell.

Kyle then calls me telling me it will cost me another $700.00to have his painter redo it. I ask him, “So… I have to pay out of pocket to getwhat I already paid for?!”

Let me be clear. Because Kyle failed to relay tothe painter what I paid for, I am asked to pay again. (And I sent pictures…from his own site)

YEP. That ACTUALLY happened.

I tell him I am a hard working Soldier, and not someone who has tons of cash to throw around. Send me the tins, and I will spray paint it myself…



I get my kit.

UGH.

My buddy and I dive in. Excited to finally get my bike back together! The rear fender has arrived predrilled, (and to be honest, I originally asked for it that way to minimize error on my side, but was ASSURED it would NOT come predrilled…as apparently “ every crossbones rear end is different”Kyle says)

SO… we get the rear fender mocked up. It’s crooked from where it is predrilled to fit at the base, and high on the right rear. Ok... we hope that once we install the sissy bar to the predrilled holes on the fender that it will even out.

Nope.

As we tap the axle thru the sissy bar, it catches the “less than quality” powdercoating on the inside and flakes it off all around the exterior of the sissybar base. Not only that but after we force it to bolt up to the fender we notice that the predrilled holes in the fender are half and inch off of each other and the whole damn thing sits crooked! … And seems to rub on the sissybar way to tightly, like the two were not made for each other.

All this from a rear end set up that Kyle ASSURED me had been fitted at his shop prior to shipping. (Though I argue that if he had,not only would he have seen the OBVIOUS offset of the fender and sissybar, but the powder coat that snagged on the axle would have come off then, and not in my garage.)

On the topic off the sissy bar… Yeah, it wasn’t the one I asked for either (no kidding, I sent him a pic from HIS WEBSITE, of the one I wanted,and again I got the “No problem” from Kyle). I noticed that rightout of the box, but at the time didn’t know I had completely blown my paycheck on a pile of scrap, and was willing to make due. AND a huge chunk of powdercoating was damaged at the top. NO powder coating in the wrap or box, so I can only conclude that it was packed and shipped that was. Again, Kyle refused this as a possibility, I guess unbeknownst to me powder coating can evaporate into thin air.

WHICH REMINDS ME…

Gas tank.It was the last box to arrive. Pulled it out of the box, willing to accept the cards I dealt myself. (So, so, SO MANY reviews of SHADYTREE FABRICATIONS were "less than stellar" in the early years. And believe me I was warned. But I took Kyle at his word that the company had improved, Hell last month he was featured in American Iron)

There is paint spray all up IN my tank. And a good two inch DENT in thegas tank, where the paint flaked off in my hand as I touched it.

And THAT folks, is where I lost it. Called Kyle. Told him I was packing it all up and sending it back. He said he couldn’t refund me all my money. I said keep themoney for the “custom” paint. But I expected the rest back. Told him, if he was so proud of it, and if there truly was no defects (which MUST be the casesince he assured me all the issues were mine) he could easily sell it to someone else.

Came to the agreement that if he gave me “X” amount of my money back (less than half, but I figure anythingis better than losing all my money.) That I wouldn’t write an honest review of my experience with him. Agreed that I would get my money refunded, two weeks ago.Last Friday Deidra sent me half, asking if I would give them til Monday to paythe rest. Well, I’m not stationed in Texas, so there is little I can do about it. I agreed.

Tuesday I email and ask if they got busy and forgot. Kyle tells me he doesn’t have it and to give him til Friday… I chalk it up to yet one more thing promised, that I didn’t get from SHADETREE FABRICATIONS...

Yes, I was conflicted writing this. I am a STRONG supporter of local, “Mom & Pop” businesses and realize that STF is not a “BIG name”in the game. And further conflicted because I told them I would not as long as my refund came thru smoothly. But they failed time and time again on their side, so I write this as a warning to all of you out there who may be visually impressed by the look they offer. Hell, as I right this, they still owe me money as promised days ago...

BOTTOMLINE – If you, like me, want to spend your money on a quality product, from a reputable company who will do as agreed for the price set. And if you feel that you should be valued as a customer…

AVOID SHADETREE FABRICATIONS.

IF, you are a guy who doesn’t mind getting the run around. Not getting what you paid for, and generally sits around on a Saturday lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills… go right ahead. But like many before me told me “you have been advised, good luck!”

 

These are pics FROM SHADETREE FABRICATIONS OWN SITE that I used to show Kyle the paint job I wanted. And the sissybar I wanted. He agreed. I paid.

 

This is what I got -

 

a few more for eveyones viewing pleasure
crappy powdercoating, offset brackets, bent and warped fender, paint inside the tank...

 

This guy's wife is a good woman.

 

I bet he's powder coating those parts in a regular electric oven in his garage and the paint is probably done in a home made paint booth as well.

Just an FYI.. Between the fender and that sissy bar bracket you need a thick spacer to keep it from actually touching the fender.

 

Holy ****. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

Upon further inspection it's not difficult to notice this guy works out of his garage or something not much bigger.. His bike lifts are Harbor freight junk and his bike are all garbage.

You wasted your money, move on and take that lesson you just got and learn from it.

 

oldskewl- yeah I get that.lol my posting this here isn't in hopes of gaining sympathy, but informing others in an in depth way.
Leason learned, trust me. Moving on.

 

Good for you Jay, sorry you got screwed. My son is in the Corp and extra money is hard to come by for a solider.

OS