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I've been riding almost all of my 77 years and am a die hard Harley man, but that said I'm not very good mechanically. My current bike is a 1984 (Early) FXRS Evo and finding a descent mechanic to work on it has been a nightmare. Finally I contacted the local Harley dealer in my area to work on it and although they did agree to work on it if I agreed to a two hour minimum charge of $109 per hour told me they usually don't work on bikes that old. WHAT The Hell is going on I thought Harley Davidson is abending their old time customers.
Am I the only one or are there others like me having this problem?
That is one nice ride you have there. You are not alone. Most Harley dealers won't work on anything before the twin cam. There is a local section of the forum where you can post to try to find a trusted independent mechanic/shop. Florida crew
There are lots of Independent shops out there who will work on your bike. Finding parts can be difficult, however, but a good Indy shop will find a way.
Not much to add to the above. There's got to be an independent shop reasonably close that can help you out. Hopefully the Florida crew guys can steer your right.
About 5 years ago I was traveling on my 1998 Ultra. I needed a front tire....pulled into a dealership. The answer was “sorry, we only go back 10 years.”
I argued....I understand if it was something big or if the bike wasn’t maintained well. Tires are tires....no matter what year.
Dealership is useless for the older bikes. Honestly I wouldn't want them doing me a "favor" and working on a bike they are not familiar with, I would find a good local Independent shop. Lots of bikes in Florida, I would imagine not the hardest thing to find. Good luck.
Best option is search and do what your are doing ask others. Find a shop with some one That is over 50 and has been around Harley a long time. If the place is sloppy and the reaks of beer and pot run. If the place has posted hours but opens only when they feel like it run . If they never seems to answer the phone run. Check them out with BB not a lot of help but can expose some frauds.
There are some good indys out there but hard to find. The last dealership here that would work on any HD 1939 and up was forced to close by HD 3 days the lock the door for good. Up side shop manager and couple techs opening up as an INDY.
Many years of experience..
Good luck you have a treasure there .
Finding a Mechanic
