That old saying - "If you want something done right, do it yourself" was ringning in my ears once I got back home from picking my bike up at the dealership after having new shoes put on her and a state inspection performed... I had also thrown in the Goodridge SS brake lines I had laying around the garage for the past year or so since it was going to be there for a while... Well when I picked it up, of course I checked out the tires, the sticker and gave a glance over the lines at the calipers and all seemed well, but on closer inspection when I got to the house and changed my oil, I noticed that the SS lines were installed wrong - they put them on like the stock lines are routed, so the left side line was rubbing against the Cox rad guard and the worst! There was a small indentation in my oil pan from where they supported the bike with some sort of jack, but had placed it badly! I was pissed, but should have known that Something was going to go wrong... anyway, I talked to the dealer and got them to put in writing that they would replace the oil pan at no expense to me if it began to leak at the dent they put in it but I went ahead and drained the brakes and re-routed the lines myself, took me all of about 30 minutes to drain the lines, install them correctly and get it bled down properly (with the help of a vacuum pump)! Should have did all of that myself in the first place and saved a few bucks and hassle! A lesson learned for sure! And I used to have pretty high regard for that dealership as it was the one I purchased the bike from in the furst place and they cut me a really good deal!

* Last updated by: bigwilliezx on 6/20/2012 @ 3:05 PM *

Yeah nobody is going to treat your bike like you would. Actually, the newb they gave your bike to was probably hating on you from the get go lol just kidding.
I'm glad I found this little shop with this anal mechanic. I also got a guy that comes to my place to change my tire, he does the whole thing in front of me... I could get BST's and not be worried

At the end of the day you 14 still look good! Could you post a bigger picture of your avatar and pm me if you still wanna head to the sisters this summer... I don't know if the Sun God is going to take it easy that much longer.

* Last updated by: dragking on 6/20/2012 @ 4:00 PM *

Here ya go DK -

Yeah, ur right about that, nobody cares as much as you do about ur own stuff! When I went back to talk to them, the Svc Mgr told me that they get a little nervous working on my bike because of the wheels, scared that they'll damage em', but I told him why don't you guys invest in tire tools for custom rims??? Makes sense, they should be able to afford it... as much as they charge. I won't be back in the US until about Aug-Sep...hopefuly it won't be still too hot to do the run!

I love that color! Also the titanium and black orange! I'm planning to get a rear cowl ( the bike is sweet in solo mode)and a Corbin seat, the sargeant is nice but it makes it hard to hang off. I can tell you don't ride it enough the exhaust hasn't started to turn blue/purple yet! Yeah PM me when you get back, it will have to be during the week because all the slow Harleys head there during weekends!

* Last updated by: dragking on 6/20/2012 @ 8:47 PM *

Nope - don't get to ride nowhere near as much as I'd like to - only get to spend about 2-3 weeks at home once every 4 months or so each year and that's if we don't vacation somewhere out of the US! But my exhaust is only blue at the tops of the headers for now. I'll be sure to hit you up when I get back that way again!

Sharp looking bike BigwillieZx!

Sorry to hear about your problems with that dealer. Drag's right, always better to do it yourself. Look at Rook, valve inspection was due but he didn't trust the dealer, bike was down for awhile but he got it done and knows it's right.

Always do it yourself!

Like I said before, I worked for dealerships for around 15 years and in my humble opinion, 80% of the techs suck. They either don't know how to diagnose a problem or they have terrible work habits. Tool chests that look like junk yards is a big clue to avoid them.

Mad

Thanks Kruz! I love it myself - making it hard to throw down for the 14R becuz' I luv this one so much! Has done right by me for sure!

Yeah - u guys r right... Want to learn to do it all myself... I can do nearly anything with cars, with my only limitation being my tool set. (I was a Shade Tree mechanic during my years in the military to make ends meet between paychecks, but all military bases have fully equipped auto shops that you can use, so I had everything I needed to do pretty much anything to a car) But even though I've been riding for a while, I an a newbie to working on bikes, but I try to do a lot of stuff myself, i.e. oil changes, exhaust install, brake bleeds/installs, etc. - Don't quite have the knowledge to tackle suspension or engine work...yet... But when I do - SO LONG DEALERSHIP!

I kinda think that a lot of bike techs know what they are doing, but just don't give a rats ass about other peoples bikes - it's just a job to them. The ones that do care are few and far between and evidentally, not at my usual dealership!

* Last updated by: bigwilliezx on 6/21/2012 @ 3:21 PM *

Listen to Madd. I'd say 50/50% is the crapshoot. OK, maybe 60/40 you have a comeback or poor service. You have kids that have no clue what they want to do, so that is part of the 'ain't my bike' crowd. Other percentages are those coming up and are clueless to how easy it is but hard getting there. Lots of mistakes, but those who stick thru that learning curve are the 50/60%'ers.

And by the time you find some young sharpie, he is off finding a better paying job. Marriage, kids, and how the bike industry is seasonal and getting laid off is part of the cycle. It's hard to keep the better, or more seasoned mechanic. The MMI schools throw more theory and job skills most shops don't do but send out. So, learning all that for some is a waste.

You die with your 3amigos on the side of the road, you can eliminate 2 of them and you are off on your own being the back of the shop headache as you well have experienced. You can now stay away from the sloppy attitude some shops have. It's all about management and having it done without the customer not coming back is now their headache on top of headache that shouldn't have been in the first place.

I feel ya Hubster! Like I said - lesson learned!

Any change in the way the brakes feel?

Blue14 - the brake lever feels ever so slightly firmer sooner in the pull than the stock lines, I only really noticed any difference when I was testing it out afterwards and found it just a little easier to float the rear tire under hard braking using the front and a little more pressure generated at the rear with a little less effort - just barely a difference though, might make more of a difference if I rode on a track - which I don't... My bike is farily un-used with me being gone so much, so I am sure that the stock lines were still pretty firm making the difference probably less pronounced than an older bike with many many miles on the stock lines. Hope that helps!

* Last updated by: bigwilliezx on 6/21/2012 @ 10:48 PM *