Discrimination - I was refused service!

[Zook]

The reason most shops won't work on older bikes is because the repair bill often exceeds the value of the bike.
A friend owns a small shop in mid-MO and people are always bringing him old bikes, ATVs, mowers, etc and asks him to "get it running".
Most times it has been sitting outside, uncovered for 5 years and all the carbs are clogged, and all the cables are rusted useless.
He spends a couple hours diagnosing fixing the obvious and the owner will either give the go ahead or say forget it. If the owner says no, the bike sits in the shop for months until they finally pick it up or give it to him.
Or, if the repairs are made and then he find it needs say, an igniter, or a stator or rotor ("Oh, I forgot to tell you, it stopped running, that's why it got parked") THEN the owner says forget it, and now doesn't want to pay for the repairs already made. Then the bike sits until the owner pays or gives it to the shop.
Then it must be repaired and sold or parted out-maybe at a loss.

All that takes time from other jobs that can make the shop owner a profit.

Moto Guzzis of all ages are welcome at Guzzi shops. Parts are readily available for those going way back. They haven't changed much since '67.
Might be one reason they don't sell many.

 

[Grandpa]

I'm lucky to have Kevin Pohl, owner of Tri-State Motorcycle Service in Funkstown, Maryland, as my mechanic. Funkstown is just outside Hagerstown, MD. I highly recommend him to anyone living in the MD/PA/WV/VA area.

Kevin has been servicing my GS bikes since 1992. I take my GS to him every year in November, when he's not quite as busy (he has no employees other than himself). He does my valves and carbs and other little items on my annual service.

He's a Suzuki-trained mechanic who takes in old motorcycles and knows how they run and how to keep them running. He'll work on any Japanese bike from the 70's and 80's, including my "new" 1988 Yamaha Venture. He'll also work on Harleys, but no European stuff.

If it weren't for Kevin, I wouldn't have been able to have a great running GK with 130,000 miles on it. Good ones like him are irreplaceable.