our local indy shop only likes working on Knuckle, Pans and Shovels.

 

Some of the dealers (not all) wont touch them because they dont know **** about them and that is very sad.

 

Cool picture Al

 

egggzactly.. i guess with MC shops the older guys need to make more money and the dealer won't pay what they need and out the door they go to make what they need to. i don't see a avg MC dealer keeping more than about three techs on hand. it's way different than car dealers where on avg i would say you have 10 guys in a shop. the oldest vehicle i ever worked on in a shop was a 57 ranchero.. jeeez what a piece of crap.. but i was the only one who knew anything about carbs, point distributors and rebuilding a altenator.. just the other day i had a 20 yr old ride in the shop.. it was worn out and not worth the money to fix it.

i think the biggest problem with taking older cars or bikes to dealers is the manufacture is not required by law to make parts for a vehicle past 10 yrs. if the part is no longer availible from the manufacture that means they have to go aftermarket and warranty the part and repair for as long as they would a manufacture part.. which nowadays 12/12 is pretty standard in the auto industry.

 

Did you mean to say 63 pan? Pans ran from 48-65.

 

Maybe that's a reason. But they certainly don't stop working on them because of lack of skills.

 

I can't imagine why I would ever take a motorcycle to a dealer for work. Doing it yourself is part of the whole thing. If there is ever anything I really can't do, I'll go to the local indy shop - he's closer and cheaper. Heck, the christmas special at my local HD dealer was a set of chrome switch housings for only "$444, installed". Seriously, cause I can buy them from HD at MSRP of $139.95 (or elsewhere for $50-90) - so it's $304 labor for switch housing installation? I must be doing it wrong.

Going off topic: The sale flyer for the $444 switch housings is on the web site for Man O' War HD - along with a video from 2010. If you check out the video at about 5:25, among the bikini models and NFL cheerleaders at the photo shoots is one of the girls who actually works behind a counter at the dealership - maybe that's why you have to pay so much to hang around there waiting for your bike to get fixed.

 

I stopped at dealership in Gillette , Wy after leaving Sturgis a couple years back and dealer refused to work on girls bike because it was modified, front wheel was not stock, She had electrical problems. They would sell her a new battery but not install it. They were gracious enough to tell her where a indy shop was.

 

I fixed up an old honda for my brother to learn to ride on, took it into the dealer to have the carbs synched he said no way {no indys for metrics} In a way i can see his theory of not working on bikes over 10 years old, but I was some pissed, the biggest thing I dont understand is they seem to think it will be hard to fix older bikes, or they don't know how or whatever...seems to me like mechanics nowdays just wanna use the computers to find the problem so they can put a new sensor in. I think if your a Harley mechanic and can't figure out a panhead or a shovelhead u got no business workin on a twin cam. Anyway so far the bikeshop that refused me has lost 2 grand in business just from me, and the honda that a different shop fixed for 300 bucks runs great.. I live in a smaller town and now drive 3 hours to get parts, they wonder y they have no customers.

 

Some else had the answer up-board. The guys at the dealership used to be real mechanics, nowadays they are just narrow area techs . . .