Dealer / Independent Service?

[FZSexy]

Hi Guys...

Just wondering what is the consensus here about the bike and servicing / repairs concerning dealers and indie garages?

Seems since this is a forum lot's of DIYers come here for help and advice to varying degrees of success. Many if not most get what they are looking for, but for those of us with less time to work out a certain electrical gremlin or a "code 19" problem or these sometimes small issues that can see days of down time for our bikes....do dealers and independents usually nail the problems down faster, or are they likely to guess and research just as much as we do?

I have not had an issue which caused any down time yet, but I'd rather have my bike at home and try to work it out if a dealer or shop would take just as long. Or in your experience do THEY have the "know how" and equipment to put the bike up, test it out, and fix it up without much guess work?

Just wondering my best course of action should the time come. Do i come here and grab my shop manual first....or if in need of a quick fix take it to a dealer / shop and expect them to fix it up ASAP?

What's been YOUR experience over the years?

 

[Red Wazp]

I have used both for things I can't or don't have time to repair. I found a great bike mechanic who works out of his garage. I trust him enough to tell me if it's something he can't do so for now he gets my business.
It's always best when you can deal with the mechanic directly.

 

[long101]

I needed to get new tires on my bike. Called the local Yamaha dealership, guy was nice enough, but told me it was a minimum of 3 weeks to be seen.

Went to a local used bike dealership (after calling and them telling me they can get me in) and they were kinda jerks, but did get me in same day.

I think at the beginning of the season all of these shops are swamped, and there is not a great choice. I would read any and all reviews about the shop, and find someone you can trust, that is in your budget. Personally I'd rather find a competent independent mechanic, due to cost. However they seem to be very rare in Chicago

 

[Love@FirstRide]

I think "You" should be able to tell if a repair or replace is in your mechanical capabilities. I'm not so sure grabbing the manual first but a quick search online of what's happening can usually point you in the right direction. Once you know what's wrong you know if you can fix it.

Independent service all the way, cheaper but its up to you to find someone good at what they do.

I wouldn't bring my bike to a Harley shop just because they don't work on bike like mine all day.(just personal preference here)

 

[Panther1911]

I needed to get new tires on my bike. Called the local Yamaha dealership, guy was nice enough, but told me it was a minimum of 3 weeks to be seen.

Went to a local used bike dealership (after calling and them telling me they can get me in) and they were kinda jerks, but did get me in same day.

I think at the beginning of the season all of these shops are swamped, and there is not a great choice. I would read any and all reviews about the shop, and find someone you can trust, that is in your budget. Personally I'd rather find a competent independent mechanic, due to cost. However they seem to be very rare in Chicago

dont know where you are at in chcagoland, but i have read good things about racer cafe in St. charles and rubber soul motorsports in schaumburg. I have not had any service done at either though.

I would probably take my bike to rubber soul if i needed work that I or my self and some friends couldn't handle. I have a yamaha dealer less than 2 miles from me and its over priced and i hear lots of complaints about them.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I've had mostly (approx 75%) BAD experiances at regular, big name name shops for warranty work... Certainly Not at all.

I do all my own work (short of physical swapping of tires on rims, and warranty work).

For tire swaps, I have a local private shop where I've known the owner and the main mechanic well over 30 years.

I'll pay a little extra and order the tires thru him.

They'll mount and balance the tires while you wait.. ($12 or $15 a wheel -off the bike). The tire guy, (also named Scott), knows I won't tolerate any scratches on the rims and will get a $5.00 tip for complying. I won't let another mechanic there do my tire swaps...

You need to simply look around and find someone you trust. It is easier with a smaller shop to build a relationship as turnover isn't as bad as a big shop in most cases..

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I don't do my own wrenching, I don't have the tools or the mechanical skills or knowledge, so I usually have things done at a Yamaha dealership, or at a well recommended independent shop or a friend who I know is competent in getting the job done.

To find a good independent shop, I suggest you join a local forum who is familiar with your area. You can read a lot of positive as well as any negative experiences that riders have encountered with that shop.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Thus far, I've done my own wrench work. However, as Scott mentioned, I don't have the tools to change tires and reseat the bead to properly inflate, so next season when I get new tires, I'll be taking it to a local shop. Other than that though, I actually enjoy working on my bike. It helps me feel issues with the bike when I ride because I know more about the internal workings.

 

[FIZZER6]

I do all my own servicing but after seeing the local Yamaha shop do a horrible chain adjustment on a buddy's brand new FZ09 on the first scheduled service I would never take my bike to a dealer. It seems dealers are in business to sell bikes, not service them. It's not the same as car dealers who actually have a highly skilled service crew and price gouge. If you are going to get gouged on a price at least you should expect top notch work.