Discrimination - I was refused service!

[twistedwankel]

So I see his point, I can understand, but I'm guessing the motorcycle indusrty can't be hurting for business if they can be so selective of their customers.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Fortunately YES. "We won't touch a bike over 10 years old!!" Period.

Even the small shops don't want to do electrical snipe hunts as they are way too time consuming if you don't have "good parts" to put on one after another to do your evaluations.

Electrical is the one area a person can use the forum papers to follow and learn the basically simple wiring on these old bikes. The most complicated tool is a good VOM and you're in business. With any luck you can pick up good used expensive components off ebay or this list for spares and trouble shooting duty.

These bikes are made to get wet and sit outside in monsoons so the biggest problem is PO mods causing shorts and bypassing fuseblocks, etc.

In short welcome to the club. I was lucky to find a person off this list who actually knows (and is willing) how to fix this old bikes. What a break!!

I did find a local Triumph dealer who will do some things like valve adjustments and carb syncing which is a good thing to have available

So don't "giveup" on all sources just the actual Dealers! As mentioned many times on this blog.

Get a good digital VOM and learn to use it in a day.

Yes bikes are rather labor intensive on maintenance compared to cars but they are generally more fun to "drive".

[earlfor]

Come on Earl! That's not a nice generalization to make! I SPECIALIZE in old bikes & do EVERY one like it's my own! Ray.

Well Ray, technically you're right, and there are some mechs that work on, understand the old bikes and do a good job, but I have found them to be so few as to be practically nonexistant. LOL Anymore, for most shops, if they cant hook up a computer to tell them which part to replace, they cant fix it.
Cheers to you for actually BEING a mechanic.

Earl

[mighty13d]

there's a couple mechanics I've found here in Maine that are willing to do the work, but they cost a lot. I can do the work myself, but only very minor things at my apartment. I have to drive an hour to my parent's place since my old man has a huge garage and every tool known to man. Plus there is a few guys in the neighborhood up there who will have the little odd tools that I might need, and a few helpful hints here and there.

[Junkie]

There's a shop in SLO that I know that does good work on bikes including old ones (Bits & Pieces), but they charge a flat hourly rate. Stuff can get very expensive that way...

basically, don't expect a normal dealership to be willing to do it, but you may be able to find a good plate to have it done if you're lucky.

[russr33]

Well Ray, technically you're right, and there are some mechs that work on, understand the old bikes and do a good job, but I have found them to be so few as to be practically nonexistant. LOL Anymore, for most shops, if they cant hook up a computer to tell them which part to replace, they cant fix it.
Cheers to you for actually BEING a mechanic.

Earl

Dead on about the computer. Nowadays they are "technicians", not mechanics.

[bwringer]

All the best mechanics are down at the Buick dealership changing Granny's brake pads, because that's the only way they can make enough money and earn enough benefits to care for their families.

In most of the country, it's impossible to make a year-round living working on motorcycles old or new, so all you find at dealers and shops is an assortment of drifters and teenagers twiddling wrenches aimlessly.

Factor in the fact that people will generally pay what it takes to get their car running again, because they consider it a necessity. A lot of people still consider motorcycles to be "toys", so they very often refuse to pay for repairs and maintenance, and many simply try to abandon the bike at the shop if the bill gets very high.

[doctorgonzo]

All the best mechanics are down at the Buick dealership changing Granny's brake pads, because that's the only way they can make enough money and earn enough benefits to care for their families.

In most of the country, it's impossible to make a year-round living working on motorcycles old or new, so all you find at dealers and shops is an assortment of drifters and teenagers twiddling wrenches aimlessly.

Very true. The indy guy in town, I went and saw him in mid-may (as people were getting bikes running for summer) and he had 5 assorted guys working there with him. I went back last week and he was all alone. I bet he scrounges up some wrench turners to help him early in the season then lays them off. At the dealership there is the one old guy who is actually knowledgeable and helpful (he referred me to the indy guy) and a bunch of early 20's guys who probably wouldn't know a valve seal from an elephant seal.

[bwringer]

What gets me is that slipshod work is still distressingly common with cars, even when you have well-paid, supposedly factory-trained and experienced mechanics.

We've all got stories, I'm sure... I won't bore you with mine.

It is usually possible to get good work done on a car, but it takes a lot of hunting to find a decent mechanic. It is nearly impossible to get competent work done on a motorcycle, and sightings of competent mechanics willing to do good work on older machines are nearly mythical.

[dennis roy]

Eddies Vintage Motorcycles on rt 10 in Swanzey NH. His guys do fantastic work. My bike doesnt have any emblems on it at all and actually has a set of GK bags on it. The first time I pulled in he knew what year , make and model it was by looking out the window. I was impressed. It's an 82 850glz.
There is a guy in Franklin NH also. I've never had any work done there because it's just to far to travel for that. It's called Coopers Motorcycle Salvage. This guy has a HUGE red barn full of anything you can think of. If he doesn't have it he has another shop in Mass. People's Motorcycle. I know Coopers does work up there. I bought some parts there and they will even help you install the stuff you buy. It's a great place just to check out.

[machinest]

I found one Seacoast Cycle in Newburyport MA ,looking to get bike inspected first day going along local main street multiple shops with new Harlie's,steetbikes and Harley clones then old slightly run down building with 15-20 20yr old bikes in for service guess which one gets my business.

[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.