When I got my bike in January, the dealer stressed to me how crucial it was to bring it in for the 1K service, so that they could check it out after it's initial break-in period. Made sense, so when that time came, I took it to them and also bought some new grips to install. When I picked it up the next day, I have to say that I was less than thrilled. It wasn't just over the $400 hit my wallet took, though that one stung a bit. They also installed the left grip crooked, put my air cleaner cover on upside-down, for some reason re-routed the throttle and idle cables, and as I noticed a few days later, there was a screw missing from the derby cover. Not sure if they forgot to put it in or it rattled loose on the way home, but either way, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Knowing that I can't trust those guys to perform such simple tasks has given me the courage to work on my own bike. Since then, I've already done several mods with the help of that all-too-valuable service manual and the wealth of knowledge on these forums. I've found that doing my own work has put me in better touch with my bike and it really gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the job was done right. So, thank you dealership for giving me the motivation to do my own wrenching, and thanks to you all for making this site such an amazing resource.

 

I have done 95% of my own work, only have one person to blame if screw something up. I take it to a local Indy for tires but so far that has been all I have needed someone else to do.

 

Comments similar to yours are posted, what seems like, every week here. Remember that Harley Davidson doesn't own or operate dealerships. Albeit they have certain quality rules they must follow, the mechanics are still hired by private individuals who offer very low pay with practically no benefits. The only people willing to apply are those who can't get a better paying job anywhere else. It seems common practice for Harley Davidson dealerships to hire bottom-of-the-barrel mechanics.

 

Mine sent out a group email a while back saying they were looking for mechanics. People with automotive experience would be considered.

 

they don't pay them any decent money, even the top flight techs, don't make as much money as an automotive tech. You can't keep good help, if they are going broke working for you. So they get these Jiffylube drop outs and let them loose on your bikes and get that OJT on your dime

 

Don't forget that they get paid a flat rate for each job, which is based upon the job they're doing. So it pays for them to work as quickly as possible. The faster they can crank out oil changes, the more they make. And these low paid employees don't care about your satisfaction or whether you're ever coming back, they just care about making enough to pay the rent at the end of the month.

 

dealers charging over 400 for 1k service is crazy.. that's more than a car's 1k service.

 

Bunch of damned hacks, that's what they are. The oil change boy got the service, and probably didn't "really" know how to install the grips. Yeah a "Technician " probably asked the person working on your bike if they knew how to do the job, and they said "Yes" ( not really knowing WTF they were doing). you are better off attempting it yourself than letting the dealership Technicians work on your bike. Let us know how it goes getting the bike fixed right. The derby cover bolt would be hard to prove, but they should have caught that it was missing during the service would be my comeback if they say that it was like that before.

 

You're off to the best way to own/operate m/c...self maint. Enjoy, wrench-on & ride-on!

 

No offense but I'm just curious about something. When you noticed these problems after they serviced your bike, did you take your bike back to them and show them what they had done wrong to see what they would say or do about it?