Dealerships and Repair Shops Won’t Work on Bikes over 15 Years Old 😳

[docc]

 Viva Analog!

[activpop]

1 hour ago, docc said:

 Viva Analog!

Wow, that's oldie! From your Dad? I have a bunch of hand tools from my Dad's box. Old Utica dikes, needle nose and pliers, plus other stuff from his days at Western Union after WWII. Who made that screwdriver! Stanley?

[activpop]

I remember fiddling with them when I was about 6 or 7 working with him in the basement of our first house in NJ.  I still use them today for intricate work. Brings back memories when I use them.

[docc]

5 minutes ago, activpop said:

Wow, that's oldie! From your Dad? I have a bunch of hand tools from my Dad's box. Old Utica dikes, needle nose and pliers, plus other stuff from his days at Western Union after WWII. Who made that screwdriver! Stanley?

The screwdriver is from one of my dad's toolboxes; a carpenter by trade and EOD by profession. I have a newer version of that screwdriver style made by Irwin

The feeler gauge is from my high school days. It has set many a lash!

[LowRyter]

I'm remined of the guy with the new John Deere that can't work on his $500k  $800k combine and moon rocket.

Edited Saturday at 01:56 AM by LowRyter

[gstallons]

The other edge of the sword . YouTube can show a video of a complete R60/5  rebuild in 3 20 min. videos. A customer then becomes an expert on time and skills required to do the job ! They get the impression "anyone can do this" or just look under the hood and a flashing red LED will show the defective part. Things are not as easy as they used to be.

 No intelligence , knowledge , experience , skill or any unseen abilities or $75k worth of tools / shop equipment are considered when you start to bill for your labor. 

 Now , would you rather do a valve adjust on a 20 yr old V11 or a new anything else ? These dealerships don't know and don't care to even look at anything else to see .  

Now , this does leave an opening for someone to do repairs on these "vintage" bikes.

[docc]

2 hours ago, gstallons said:

The other edge of the sword . YouTube can show a video of a complete R60/5  rebuild in 3 20 min. videos. A customer then becomes an expert on time and skills required to do the job ! They get the impression "anyone can do this" or just look under the hood and a flashing red LED will show the defective part. Things are not as easy as they used to be.

 No intelligence , knowledge , experience , skill or any unseen abilities or $75k worth of tools / shop equipment are considered when you start to bill for your labor. 

 Now , would you rather do a valve adjust on a 20 yr old V11 or a new anything else ? These dealerships don't know and don't care to even look at anything else to see .  

Now , this does leave an opening for someone to do repairs on these "vintage" bikes.

This anecdote comes to mind. I may have first read on this forum:

A fellow pulls into his shop with his car barely idling and stalling repeatedly. The mechanic pops the hood for a look and walks back into the shop emmerging with a small screwdriver. Deftly turning one screw the motor smooths out and idles stably.

The driver says, "That's amazing! What do I owe you? "

The mechanic replies, "$100. "

D: "A hundred dollars to turn one screw ?!?"

M: "No, just a dollar to turn the screw. The other ninety-nine is for knowing which screw to turn. "

 

[motortouring]

When calling around, I would not start asking for a quote. I would try to get some long term relation. I do this for the older cars that I have. And I also allow the work shop to do easy stuff that could be cheaper elsewhere (or easy diy), tyres, oil change etc. If they mess up (it happens), it is part of the deal, I pay the hours and parts and we settle with a bottle of wine. Tricky things, 25 year old diesel injectors to be calibrated or replaced, we give it a try and otherwise it is a total-loss. The workshop owner doesnt like it to much, but the mechanics do. It is a bit like walking on a thin line.

[audiomick]

1 hour ago, motortouring said:

...allow the work shop to do easy stuff...

What you describe is pretty much my "tactic" too. There's a workshop not far from me. Chaotic, but the owner used to have a Breva 1100 himself, and I regularly see Guzzis there. He does the things that I don't want to tackle, either because I don't have the tools (tyre changes, for instance) or knowledge, or just don't want to do (brake fluid, for instance, which I just hate doing), and the bi-annual roadworthy certificates.

He's now known me long enough that I can go in there and ask dumb questions any time I like. Works for me.

Edited Sunday at 05:22 PM by audiomick

[motortouring]

29 minutes ago, audiomick said:

He's now known me long enough that I can go in there and ask dumb questions any time I like. Works for me.

We have a kind of act together. Every question I ask turns out to be a dumb question. He starts with, " Did you touch it yourself, then we charge double, hahaha".

I just like to go there for my cars.

🤣🤣

For Guzzis we are blessed in the Netherlands with several top guzzi specialised workshops that embrace the old ones as wel. The old V7-range is still rather popular and in good condition also worth dealing through the bigger Guzzi workshops.

[p6x]

2 hours ago, motortouring said:

And I also allow the work shop to do easy stuff that could be cheaper elsewhere (or easy diy), tyres, oil change etc.

This is good advice...

Any shop likes to get the easy jobs, not exclusively the ones that nobody else can do, which are rarer even if they earn more. The shop needs to continuously be busy to survive, it will welcome any kind of sustaining activity. Being a returning customer is what helps.

I go to Sealy, 50 miles away, to change oil on my 911. I could do it around the corner from where I live. I have built a solid relation with Rennsport Porsche Works there, they are family owned, they are very reasonable price wise, and accomodating in any other way.

MPH has done all the heavy lifting on my two Guzzis; but these guys are unique, and they have more work they can handle. So they would rather not do oil changes. Every time I go there, their atelier is full of motorcycles waiting their turn on the elevator tables.

Edited Sunday at 07:11 PM by p6x

[Admin Jaap]

On 1/3/2025 at 6:36 PM, p6x said:

[snip]

Now, we need to factor in, that in Europe, motorcyclists use their bikes to commute and not only for leisure. Having older motorcycles is not rare, and getting the spares is usually easier, faster, cheaper.

Educated guess: 90% of European bikers don't use their bikes for commuting. Leisure only

[pete roper]

I have to say I also thought that figure was most likely a ‘Pulled out of my arse’ statement rather than one that has any statistical veracity. I’m sure some people commute on two wheels but the numbers would probably be small percentage wise.

It’s also important to realise that an awful lot of European countries have much, much more effective public/mass transport systems than most cities in the US or Australia. Even the UK which generally lags behind and has shit public transport due to decades of ‘Privatisation’ and lack of investment coupled with high fare prices still offers services that mean that old friends who live there, while they may own a car for personal transport, only use it occasionally and if travelling between towns of any size will generally take the train and then taxi or Uber it at their destination. For an awful lot of travel one’s own personal vehicle simply isn’t a necessity.

[p6x]

4 hours ago, Admin Jaap said:

Educated guess: 90% of European bikers don't use their bikes for commuting. Leisure only

My guess was based on what I see in France, where I return regularly. So maybe I should not have made a blanket statement for the rest of Europe. But in Paris, and I was there last in November last year, throughout the day of the week, you see a lot of motorcycles and scooters.

My son lives in the Western part of Paris suburbs, commutes to his job by motorcycle every day. Uses his car only in the week-ends.

Maybe it has to do with that in Paris, motorcycles can split lanes.

My son says it saves him 40 minutes each way compared to commuting with a car.

I have to realize that times have changed, maybe. Even here, it is -1 degC this morning (30 degF), and I still went to get the Epiphany "Galette des Rois" with the Quota....

 

[motortouring]

Yes Jaap, we see mainly the Dutch roads (and whether), but the more southern European countries use motorcycles a lot more. In many cases big scooters (this is not a universal term) like the Piaggio's, Yamaha T-max, Suzuki Burgman and the likes, with CVT automatic gearbox. But still I do not estimate this very high.

BTW: I commute on my Cali 2 when temperatures go up again. 

Edited Monday at 07:02 PM by motortouring