12-23-2017, 05:30 AM
Having owned and ridden a Harley for the past 10 years since I went to my CB1100 EX, I have to say that the dealer situation with Honda, from my experience was/is a hit or miss proposition. It was somewhat of a shock for me, both from the prospective of the outstanding sales and service experience I had with my Harley dealer, and the same type top notch experience I had back in the 1970s with Honda dealers in general.
I did not have the experience some others have had with sales people/dealers lacking enthusiasm for the CB1100, but in many cases during the shopping process, I did find that more often than not, I knew more about the bike than the sales person did. When I found that my new bike had a front end vibration problem, I was very surprised to find that dealers are apparently not required to have a Honda trained and certified mechanic as part of dealership contract terms with Honda. The significance of this aside from the obvious is that the Honda warranty procedure requires that a Honda certified mechanic verify the problem in order to start any warranty process with Honda, which among other things, meant that I had to find a dealer other than the one I bought the bike from to get the problem resolved. Had I known this wrinkle during the purchase process, it would have been a consideration in deciding which dealer I bought from. Personally, I want a Honda trained mechanic working on my bike during, and after the warranty has expired.
When I bought my bike, the dealer gave me a written sheet indicating that the first service on my bike at 600 miles was very important,and that it would cost $148.50 PLUS PARTS! As we all know, that first service on the CB1100, is just an oil and filter change. I usually prefer to do basic service myself, so one day I asked the dealers General Manager if I could do that first service myself. He said they recommended having at least the first service be done by them, because it was necessary in order to get my engine registered with Honda for warranty! Some time later, while talking with Honda U.S. Customer Service about my vibration problem, I mentioned this wrinkle. I was told in no uncertain terms that what the dealer GM had told me about the first service was not true, I could do the service myself ( just document it ), and that my bike was already registered with Honda for warranty. I offered to scan and email a copy of the sheet I had been given showing the cost of the first service, and was surprised at the Reps lack of interest. I was told that the dealers are independent, and could pretty much do what they wanted in terms of pricing.
The dealer I bought from offered the best purchase price, but in hind sight, had I known all the other little wrinkles, I would have paid a bit more in order to establish a relationship with a dealer that offered all the other aspects that would benefit me in the long run. Needless to say that first dealer made a sale, but will never see me for anything else ever again. I am a fan of the Honda brand, and love my CB1100, but I think there needs to be more oversight with dealer sales and customer service policies, and to a lesser extent with Honda U.S. Customer Service. I dont want the reader to think that I do not know that there are good reputable dealers out there, because there are. That said, the bad ones can definitely be discouraging, and no one would know which is which without knowing the right questions to ask up front.
As someone that has some background in retail management, I am reminded of the old adage, "the boss cant fix the problem if he does not know what the problem is". It got me to thinking, suppose a channel was opened with Honda Japan about these types of problems? By channel, I mean with a select/limited number of moderators of large owners groups like CB1100 Forum, communicating by email with someone specifically assigned at Honda Japan as a contact for these sorts of issues. Go to the top in Japan, and let directives from the top pass down to Honda U.S. for correction. Knowing how protective Honda Japan is of their name and reputation, it just might bring about positive change. A pipe dream, perhaps, but suppose it was proposed to Honda..no one knows what might happen until it is tried.
I did not have the experience some others have had with sales people/dealers lacking enthusiasm for the CB1100, but in many cases during the shopping process, I did find that more often than not, I knew more about the bike than the sales person did. When I found that my new bike had a front end vibration problem, I was very surprised to find that dealers are apparently not required to have a Honda trained and certified mechanic as part of dealership contract terms with Honda. The significance of this aside from the obvious is that the Honda warranty procedure requires that a Honda certified mechanic verify the problem in order to start any warranty process with Honda, which among other things, meant that I had to find a dealer other than the one I bought the bike from to get the problem resolved. Had I known this wrinkle during the purchase process, it would have been a consideration in deciding which dealer I bought from. Personally, I want a Honda trained mechanic working on my bike during, and after the warranty has expired.
When I bought my bike, the dealer gave me a written sheet indicating that the first service on my bike at 600 miles was very important,and that it would cost $148.50 PLUS PARTS! As we all know, that first service on the CB1100, is just an oil and filter change. I usually prefer to do basic service myself, so one day I asked the dealers General Manager if I could do that first service myself. He said they recommended having at least the first service be done by them, because it was necessary in order to get my engine registered with Honda for warranty! Some time later, while talking with Honda U.S. Customer Service about my vibration problem, I mentioned this wrinkle. I was told in no uncertain terms that what the dealer GM had told me about the first service was not true, I could do the service myself ( just document it ), and that my bike was already registered with Honda for warranty. I offered to scan and email a copy of the sheet I had been given showing the cost of the first service, and was surprised at the Reps lack of interest. I was told that the dealers are independent, and could pretty much do what they wanted in terms of pricing.
The dealer I bought from offered the best purchase price, but in hind sight, had I known all the other little wrinkles, I would have paid a bit more in order to establish a relationship with a dealer that offered all the other aspects that would benefit me in the long run. Needless to say that first dealer made a sale, but will never see me for anything else ever again. I am a fan of the Honda brand, and love my CB1100, but I think there needs to be more oversight with dealer sales and customer service policies, and to a lesser extent with Honda U.S. Customer Service. I dont want the reader to think that I do not know that there are good reputable dealers out there, because there are. That said, the bad ones can definitely be discouraging, and no one would know which is which without knowing the right questions to ask up front.
As someone that has some background in retail management, I am reminded of the old adage, "the boss cant fix the problem if he does not know what the problem is". It got me to thinking, suppose a channel was opened with Honda Japan about these types of problems? By channel, I mean with a select/limited number of moderators of large owners groups like CB1100 Forum, communicating by email with someone specifically assigned at Honda Japan as a contact for these sorts of issues. Go to the top in Japan, and let directives from the top pass down to Honda U.S. for correction. Knowing how protective Honda Japan is of their name and reputation, it just might bring about positive change. A pipe dream, perhaps, but suppose it was proposed to Honda..no one knows what might happen until it is tried.