I recently had chrome lower legs, chrome cowbells, etc installed on my 2005 Road King Classic by a local HD shop. So today I was gonna check the tire pressure and ...what-the-heck !.......the front tire rotation arrow was going backwards and the valve stem was on the wrong side!!! They had re-installed the front wheel assembly backwards!
Fortunately I have a manual,,,,I put 'er up on the lift, removed wheel, and turned it around. I say "fortunately" I have a manual; because I didn't realize that the right lower leg has to be "positioned" properly before torquing the retaining nuts not to mention all of the torque specs were there.
I had ridden it approx 125 miles total with it on backwards before I found their mistake......guess I took some life off the front tire and a few thousand miles off of the Brake Pads (wear-seated to opposite rotors)
I called the Service Dept and told them what their Tech # 34 had done for me and they said they would compensate me for it somehow when I come in next.
Comments?

 

“Yep, We at Harley Davidson pride our selves on our knowledgeable factory trained mechanics and their attention to detail.” But keep your eye on them because their idea of compensation may be reversing the rear wheel to match the front.

Note! Disclaimer follows.
None of this applies to Shovelhead Bob who really is a knowledgeable HD wrench.

Zyklon

 

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS (yes, I am yelling)....Check your bike after someone else has worked on it. I don't care how many years of experience they say they have, how many schools they've went to, how many motorcycles they've worked on, how may kudos have been posted on their websites.....Mistakes happen. And when you're piloting a half ton of machinery and human lives down the Interstate at 70+ mph, the last thing you need is something falling off your scoot. I've had dealerships and independent shops alike forget to tighten things down, put anti-seize (or Locktite) on things, hook the battery up correctly....The list goes on.

For every Shovelhead Bob out there...There are ten Door **** Dans.......

 

I started riding 42 years ago.

I started maintaining my own motorcycle 41.8 years ago.

I always thought that owning a motorcycle meant that you repaired it yourself until I bought a Harley.

When they say that everyone owns a Harley these days and that's why bikers don't have such a bad name, well, then... Harley figured out if they sold their bikes to those less inclined to do their own maintenance they would make a lot more money. That's what has happened to the "biker" crowd in simple terms to me.

I'm not knocking those that aren't mechanically inclined and I certainly respect how much a mistake can cost, but I stil believe that motorcycle ownership and safety REQUIRE comprehension of much more than many owner's are willing to learn about and follow up on. After all, there's nothing between you and the pavement or another vehicle and you cannot treat these like a car.

That's my buck fifty and I'm sticking to it!

C#

 

You are right CW I checked out the forum and saw how many people were complaining about the quality of service that they were receiving from the dealers. When I ordered my Wide Glide I ordered the service manual and began buying the tools that I did not already have. After working on the bike a little I realized that it wasn’t that difficult to perform the services and do the maintenance myself. And when it’s your a$$ that goes down in a crash, you make damn sure that the mechanic (that’s you) does the upkeep correctly. I realize that maintaining your own bike may be beyond some owners. And I hope that they can find honest, dependable wrenches to maintain their bikes. But the only one that’s going to keep the bike up to your expectations is you.

Zyklon

 

Upon rare occasion, I take my bike in to have some work done. Usually a job I don't have the inclination, time, or tools to do myself. Sometimes I take it to the dealer, usually I take it to a local indy I trust. Before I picked up my new SG, I had a bunch of stuff done to - cosmetic and engine work.

When I get the bike home, I always to a carefull check to make sure everything looks right. So far, in the 9 years I've been a Harley owner, I have yet to find a mistake from the dealer or the indy. But I still check. Every time.

 

I wounder if the techs get paid flat rate?
If everyone could just slow down and have time to think, things could be bilt/repaired better.Everyone is in a hurry to make a buck.

 

I have heard (a rumor, to be sure) that at my dealership they get less than $15/hr. That would mean that they don't get a flat rate.

I did have them change my rear tire (I don't have a tire changer and I'm not interested in banging on a 200 mm tubeless tire until my arms fall off) but I checked their work right in the parking lot and found something that they hadn't completed.

Our safety director, at every HOG meeting, reminds us to check this or that. He commented on tires at our last meeting and sure enough, my front tire was low on pressure. It takes a great degree of discipline to ride responsibly, when you aren't tired, when you haven't had anything to drink, and when your bike is ready to run. I need a support group like this one just to keep my edge! <grin>

There is something to the book "Zen and the Art Of Motorcyle Maintenance"... at least, there is in the title!

I think it's great that people who have never understood the pride and enjoyment you get from taking care of your bike find out about it when they get a Harley and then pay their first service charge. After they get up off of the floor, they leave and head for the tool shop! You can buy a lot of cool tools for the cost of a service repair. You don't get as mad when you screw it up instead of the dealer, either. Much better for your stress level! The longer you do it, the less it costs.

C#

 

I double check everything the Tech's do to my bike. 3 or 4 times they have got the drive belt tension wrong and I have even had the rear axle nut come loose. They all know damn well that when I bring it in for service, if it ain't right, I'll be back pretty darn quick. Last time they left the lower fairing bolts loose and they fell out within 60 miles. I didn't really notice it until I washed it a couple days later and the whole fairing lifted up when I was washing the headlight.

As far as their compensation is concerned here locally, once they get a certain amount of work in, i.e. 40 hours worth of billable service in a week, the techs start getting a bonus. Good for them, maybe bad for you! Mistakes usually start happening when they start hurrying to get more out. Loose bolts, etc.