It is a load of BS. It is way to easy to work on your own bike. Buy the service manual and the fix my hog DVD's and you are set. Remeber the service plan is specific to the stealer where you bought the bike and is non-transferable. Stealers have alot of ways to rip us off, this is one of the worst.

Why is riding alot of miles an excuse not to do your own maintance? I think that would be a reason to do your own work. With 1 and 2 week turn around times I would not want to be without my bike that long.

Stop paying for the stealers vacations and do your own work...

 

Exactly my feelings. Drop the bike off for service, wait a week to get it back and then find it's been scratched or dinged. It kills me that dealers are so incompetent they can't schedule their time better or hire mechanics that couldn't hack it at Jiffy Lube. I book an appt a month in advance so I can leave my bike with them for a week? Huh? Every car I've ever owned I make the appt a few days ahead and get the car back the same day.And undamaged! Wow, what a concept. I've never worked on a bike in my life, but I do now. I bought the service manual, Fix My Hog dvd and tools and do what I can myself.

You'd think the dealers would catch on when their customer return rate is so poor. Guess not.

 

Had that happen at dealer where I bought last 2 bikes. Took one in for some work to be done and made appointment a week in advance. Get there on Monday a.m.(1st person in shop) and guy asks if I'm going to leave it for them to work on.

"Uuuuuhhhh....no. I ride it to work every day. That's why I scheduled appointment 1st thing Monday a.m."

"Well, we're kind of busy and I was wanting you to leave it for couple of days."

"Again, hell, no. And while I'm standing here looking at the schedule book and notice the tech you have assigned to work on my bike has NO OTHER APPOINTMENTS in book for the day, you're telling me you're too busy to do work I made appointment to have done? That's not going to cut it. I need work done today, meaning now, since I ride it to work."

Oh, yeah, last time they've seen any of my bikes.

 

To all;

I've mentioned this before, but it deserves to be repeated. In 1993 I purchased a brand new '93 FLHTP, "Police Special", it had 4-miles on the odometer. Within the first years warranty I had a situation where the frame rusted through about an inch from the swing-arm pivot point. The hole was large enough to put my thumb into it. I took it to the "Stealership" and they ordered a new frame, under warranty,from Mother Harley. It took the MOCO about 3-weeks to send a new frame with my VIN which I thought was pretty good turn-around. This is where the story goes bad. The "Stealership" spent the next 8-weeks putting my bike back together. I would go there every weekend to check status of my bike and there it would sit, no work being done to it. I got pissed! I wrote a very scathing letter to the MOCO about the quality of the service, or lackof, I was receiving. This was when I was told very simply the MOCO has no control over the "Stealerships", each one is an independent contractor. I tried to point out that their name (MOCO) is on the motorcycle andtheir reputation was a stake. Nothing I said made a bit of difference. What I discovered was the "Stealership" gets 1/3 of the rate from the MOCO on warranty repairs, so you can see why I wasn't in the priority line.

I bit my tongue and waited until I physically had possesion of the bike before the owner and I went round and round in the parking lot. It included a lot of cursing and pushing and shoving;I came very to getting into the first fist fight I've been involved in for quite awhile. For the next 10-years I did not set foot in the store and every opportunity I would tell people not to buy a bike from him. Of course it did no good. In the end the "old man" sold the business to his son and daughter and they have tried to turn it around.

Just this year, I finally went back into that "Stealership" and nothing has changed, I expected them to lie to me and I wasn't disapointed. The HD "Stealership" poor service issuehas been going on for a long time. On a bright note, I ended up taking my bike to the old Ronny Farmer's HD Dealership in Orlando, FL and was very happy with them. It was worth the 46-mile trip I had to take to get the bike worked on.

ScooterJammer

 

I bought the PCMP plan for the three years. I've only got the weekends to ride and don't want to spend the time wrenching if I don't have to. I've put on 18k in a year and think that I'm gonna make money on the deal. I guess I'm one of the lucky few, as my dealer has gotten me in and out in less than a day anytime I've taken it in for service, and haven't had any problems with any dings or scratches or things not being done correctly. I'd rather be riding, but do enjoybs'in with thestaff and theother riders who stop by until I can get goingagain.

 

Exactly! Because they're too clueless to know how to actually run a service business their stock answer is to "leave it for a few days". And you know during those "few days" these azzhats are moving your bike around and scratching it or dinging it in the process. And you think they give a chit? Please.

The reason things like the Fix My Hog dvd are so successful isbecause of all the people that are sick of the HD dealers "service".

 

I bought the prepaid maintenance on my '06 Sportster. Before I bought it, though, I got the service interval list from them. They recommended bringing it in every 1,000 - 1,500 miles before 5,000, and then I think it was every 2,500. I think it must have been in there 7 or 8 times already, sothe service plan has almost paid for itself. Of course, now I got the Ultra, so the Sporty sits in the garage, not gaining any miles and thus not getting any maintenance...

Sean

 

You need a better dealer. Baltimore HD has a "Fast Track" service promise. You bring it in before 9am for normal serviceor the recomended mileage interval service andthey quarantee you'll get it back that day.

 

I've never had a problem wih my local dealer either. Set up an appointment, take it in that morning, bike was ready by lunchtime. A couple of times I dropped in to ask questions and they dropped what they were doing and answered my questions, and even took care of the service bulletin and fixed my seat from rubbing my saddlebags on the spot.

 

Unless you lack the skills(not much) or just have money to throw away, the prepaid plans and extended warranties are nothing but pure profit for the dealer. The MOCO and dealers have run the numbers and will come out ahead on the deal. My first bike was a rolling chassis and a 5 gallon bucket full of parts and a service manual. I can tell you if it broke down I knew what the problem was and knew how to fix it.