Tires are not that big of a deal to install but are labor intensive so the profit margin for the shop and earnings for mechanic are a little lower.
Unusual that a dealer would have a problem to install tires.
If done over the phone some Harley dealers do not like to talk total price.
I could see a dealer wanting to avoid working on some stuff but tires are rather basic.
It would seem the employees might not have wanted to deal with the situation.
Easier for mechanic to book 1 hour of labor in 20 minutes on something simple than have to install tires.
Sometimes it is the employee and not the building.

 

If bergen harley would get rid of the consultan she hired and listen to , and work with her employees . she would not be loosing her dedicated employees . PEOPLE WHO WORKED THERE FOR YEARS WENT TO OTHER DEALERS !!!!

 

Had a friend take their 1974 Ford Torino in for a tune up.....Danged dealer did not even have
a distributer cap for it!!!!! LMAO

 

Did he shoot up the joint?

 

16 year old bike. Was the dealer doing regular service all these years and stopped or is this your first request for work? My Ford dealer stopped working on my Explorer at that age. Found a great indie. I would think a 2000 TC 88 which was made up to 09 might be considered current and parts, ie gaskets, covers, etc would be in stock. When my EVO had 100,000 plus, I had to find an indie to rebuild engine. That was also a 16 year old bike.
I know that when I work on older bikes I take longer, usually to try a remove fasteners without breaking them. Just takes more time a finess, a broken or stripped bolt adds hours to a simple job. Depending on the work you need done, find some local indies. Around me I have several and each one has things they are better at than another. Also, we have one dealer than runs specials and discounts January and February. But from March to November he is slammed with work and even getting a slot for a newer bike can be difficult. I think the offer for winter work was a pretty decent offer. I ride a '10' a '96 and an '81. They worked on the '96 a few years ago. Did not cost much, but it was winter and the service dept was happy to have work and the mechanic enjoyed working on it like an old friend. Come March, no way.
I'd also have a hard time guaranteeing work on an older bike. Their insurance may place limits on them, though I am a backyard mechanic and never worked in a shop or went to trade school. If I did, based on my experience restoring older bikes, I'd not offer any guarantee unless it was a frame up. Weather, road salt, tar, old oil, corrosion, cracked parts, chipped paint, electrolysis, storage all lead to complications even on simple jobs. On so many friends bikes we have had to weld cracks, fabricate new parts, remove broken fasteners, repaired wiring and components. We do it for fun and a few beers, we could never charge our time as in a business.
Or, be pissed at your dealer, either way, move on.

 

With a bike out of warranty, why the hell would you go to a dealer in the first place?

 

Yep and euro dealers, too.
I was a service writer at a BMW, Ducati, KTM and Triumph store and we wouldn't service anything over 12 years old.

 

No different than anywhere else.Go ahead and bring your 2000 model year Ford,Chev or Dodge truck to their respective dealerships and you will get your *** laughed right back out the door...

Not true. They were happy to work on my '79 Stingray & '96 Vette.

 

I've had my 2005 Dakota into a dealer recently for an airbag connector failure and they happily took my money and did a good job. Maybe 12 years is the cutoff for Dodge?

 

Thats why! The mechanic trade is going down the crapper and its hard to find new or young people that want to wrench, when they can get a tech job making $100k without getting dirty (around here anyway). Hell where I work a mid term apprentice can make almost $85k+ with REAL EASY OT, Journeymen $100+. And we cant people to apply and thats with full bennies and PERS pension.
Those that do finish school only are trained on the new stuff, the old multi talented wrenches are dead or retired.