1st Service

[Firstfour_imp]

Unfortunately there is not much of a career being a motorcycle mechanic, lousy hours, not much pay, no benefits, not much of a retirement, not much chance for advancement, have to buy your own tools, you work while others ride, good chance you will be laid off in the winter, and thats if the shop you work at doesn't go out of business...I could go on and on. Thats why shops get young guys without much experience, who eventually burn out and go somewhere else.

I spent 17 years in the motorcycle industry before finding a real job. My younger brother was a great mechanic for 7 years before he got a job as a Fireman. The other excellent mechanic at that shop went to work for the local water dept.

It's a catch 22 for both dealerships and customers. We both want the best, but the nature of the industry just doesn't allow it.

Ferret, do you think over time this will improve and the motorcycle dealership sales / parts / service divisions will become more professional to the benefit of the customers as well as the employees & business owners?

I think there has been a shift in the last 20 years toward professionalism in the automotive dealership area (not to say everything is perfect there, but on the whole...).

Ferret, do you think over time this will improve and the motorcycle dealership sales / parts / service divisions will become more professional to the benefit of the customers as well as the employees & business owners?

I think there has been a shift in the last 20 years toward professionalism in the automotive dealership area (not to say everything is perfect there, but on the whole...).
Well, the manufactures have really tried, going more toward single line dealerships, bigger more professional better displayed dealerships to the point that many new ones actually look like car dealerships. Unfortunately you also get the car dealership experience in many of these. I know of one locally that has at least 12 young sales men and women. they jump on you when you come in the door, and when you say you are just looking they drop you like a stone and run off looking for a hot buyer.If you did buy a bike there, you are lucky if your salesman remembers your name, much less the owner, manager, parts guys or service guys the next time you came in. Nobody waits on you in the accessory department, but it doesn't matter because they don't carry anything anyway. If you have an issue with a bike you just bought they " schedule you in" rather than walking out to see if its something that can be fixed easily and right away. The parts department carries spark plugs, oil filters and oil. Anything else needs to be ordered, 5 to 7 days ( if you are lucky...some dealerships only order one day a week. miss that day and it may be 10-14 days) prepaid of course. I don't mind paying more if the dealership has what I want, I want to support my dealer, I want him around, but if he is just taking orders and ordering stuff, I can do that myself off the internet, for less money and generally get it quicker, generally with less hassle and without 2 trips to the dealer and one call to see if my stuff is in yet. In one respect the internet has put a few nails in the coffins of most dealerships.

The other side of the coin is the little dealer that has been around forever and is just trying to make it till retirement or until he finds a buyer for the franchise. Everything in the shop is filthy, nobody even talks to you when you walk in, and you can spend 20 minutes looking around before leaving with no one from the dealership even spoken to you.

The banks don't help by turning down 7 out of 10 people that apply for a loan. insurance takes a bite by charging excessive amounts on the most popular bikes. Sometimes a customer can afford the bike, or afford the insurance but not both.

In the meantime for both dealers, things get slow in the winter, sales of everything drops off, the flow of money coming in stops, they lay off valuable employees trying to just keep the doors open, and pay the heating bill and the note they carry at the bank. The employees although young eventually get married, have a kid or two, and can no longer afford the winter lay offs. So you lose the guys with any skill and knowledge.

Damn that was long. Short answer to your question no, I don't expect things to get any easier for the dealer, or better for the customer.We are all just getting by.

Tremendous insight. Sad, but true. So we go on, knowing the way things are, and having fun inspite.

[cbfan_imp]

You know what is sad? Our Metric bikes are built to almost last forever and are advertised that way. So you buy a nice bike that does everything you want it to and take really good care of it because you want to keep it for a long time..............well guess what, most dealers will not work on a bike that is over 10 years old. Just like washers, dryer, TV's and so on.............when they break, we replace them.................we have turned into a throw away society.

[rboe]

There is a dedicated old bike crowd out there (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club http://vjmc.org/event_support.php ) that keep these ol' gals running. Right now I'm one of them. The Guzzi crowd is full of old geezers with old bikes that run like swiss watches. I firmly believe that Japanese bikes built in the 70's to now will run forever if taken care of. These things are well built. For the most part this is true of bikes that come out of Europe too. Even newer Harleys are built very well. The problem is that there seems to be fewer folks willing to ride them and keep them up so you end up with ol' farts like me with multiple bikes. I can't keep the ones I have happy with road time. Maybe when I retire.

[OldF7Guy_imp]

Lots of insight into dealers in this thread. Personally, I hate to fool with any of them unless its a warranty issue no matter if its Ford, Honda or whomever. Otherwise, I will figure it out myself most of the time.

I have a bit of an anomaly in my area. We have an independent shop that only works on HD's. They are a bunch of older guys that have forgotten more than most HD dealers know and have been in business every since I can remember. They stay covered up and charge a fraction of what the HD stealers do. People come from all over to have work done. Its a kinda hole in the wall type place that does not advertise but relies on word of mouth. If I get a CB I am going to miss that place. They do sell tires and will mount them for you if you bring it in to them no matter what brand of motorcycle you have.

Seems like this formula would work for Japanese brand bikes too but maybe they just dont need as much work I dont know. I sure dont like the idea that a dealer wont fool with you if your motorcycle is over 10 years old. Thats when you are really going to need some work.

[the Ferret]

Truth is most dealerships these days are not owned by motorcyclists, rather they are owned by businessmen. For them it's simply columns of profit and loss and nothing more. My brother and I rode motorcycles to work everyday, as did several of the other employees in the shops we worked at in the 70s and 80s. When I pull up to my local dealership there is only 1 employee motorcycle rider, the Service Manager BJ. Rides every day rain or shine. Good guy. The owner, the parts people, the salesmen, none of them ride...and it's evident by how they treat their customers.

[Lord Popgun]

I must be lucky. My dealer's mechs are older guys, like me, and have been working on Hondas a LONG time. They work on older ones too. There is a really nice CB 750 in for some service. Not sure what year, around '75 maybe.

Their shop looks kinda hold in the wall though, not like the Lexus service bays. I can live with it. Lower overhead.

[OldF7Guy_imp]

Truth is most dealerships these days are not owned by motorcyclists, rather they are owned by businessmen. For them it's simply columns of profit and loss and nothing more. My brother and I rode motorcycles to work everyday, as did several of the other employees in the shops we worked at in the 70s and 80s. When I pull up to my local dealership there is only 1 employee motorcycle rider, the Service Manager BJ. Rides every day rain or shine. Good guy. The owner, the parts people, the salesmen, none of them ride...and it's evident by how they treat their customers.

Thats a valid point. My local Honda/Kaw dealer went out of business last year and has been there since I was a kid. It did change hands a couple of times though. There is a lot dealerships could learn to retain business. I wont even get started on how poorly I think HD stealers are because it would be a hour long rant. I can tell you I will NEVER spend another penny with them. Doesnt have to do much with the product as such but more about the attitude of how you are treated.

I think if you are lucky enough to live as long as some of us have you have enough experience in life in general as to how people should be treated. When I have a good experience somewhere with an employee I try my best to call the manager or boss and tell them about it. Too many times they only hear about the bad stuff.