Are all bike shops sh1te?

daemonoid · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Karma :

Is it just my experience or are all bke shops sh1te? I went to rex judd for the third time today and I've decided never to again.

First time i went to buy some kit and when i tried on the 3rd helmet the guy got pissed off with helping and went and sat back down at his desk. Second time I wanted to buy a bike but no-one came over to assist... stood there for bloody ages with sales staff sat down doing nothing, when iwent over to say "I'd like to see..." the reply was "it's over there", "bollocks" i thought! not coming back here again. Unfortunately i had to go again - i turned up today at about 1 as they had a classic bike in that i wanted to see. All i got to see was a laminated A4 sheet with opening hours for today and the metal shutters.

Other bike shop i hated was in north london - can't remember the name off the top of my head but i agreed to buy a bike off the guy. I'd got a decent but fair discount, but he wanted to double check the warranty so was going to take the deposit on the monday once the warranty company opened. Come monday afternoon I gave them a ring only to find out they sold it to someone else after I'd left.

My local bike shop are just as bad, went round there as i was having trouble taking the back wheel off - nut was just too tight for my tools - I'd burred it slightly in my failed attempts. Guy there insisted the nut was a smaller size to what i told him it was, half heartedly tried to hit a socket onto the nut then said I'd have to get the mechanic to take a look and it would take half an hour and cost me not only time and parts but the price of a socket too! Took it round the local car tyre place and they managed to do it in 5 mins with the help of the longest bloody spanner I've ever seen.

So, i guess the point of my rant is I've only ever had bad service in bike shops. Even worse I need a service soon, anyone know of any good ones near Amersham/Aylesbury/Watford?
____________________
current: ducati monster 750
past: hyosung gt250r, bajaj pulsar 180, hyosung gt 125 comet
@thomasgarrard | www.straitjkt.com | www.racingseven.com

Blau Zedong · Banned Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Karma :

I wouldn't buy a sparkplug off any of my local dealers, never mind a bike or allow them to service a bike I own.
____________________
18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Not all, but the majority do seem to be pretty bad.

MaybeGuy · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Karma :

theres 3 good ones near me.
i only think they're good because ive only ever bought parts from them or got MOTs, and they threw in little things like free access to their junk nuts and bolts bin, or let me work on my bike in their space with their tools.

i'll never let anyone touch my bike mechanically though.
if i dont know what im doing, ill either ask on here or look at a haynes.

in my experience, mechanics are half-arsed wankers out to make money without caring about the quality of their work.

it actually annoys me when i say im studying mechanical engineering and they say ''so like a mechanic then?''

fuckers
____________________
Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!! Mr. Green

Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

Pernig · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Karma :

I've had similar experiences. The service of places like this is going to put biking as an industry in real jeapordy, it's a shame.

On the upside, the guy who I bought my bike off is an amazing guy. He's a bike racer at the weekends, and a dealer the rest of the time and is based at home. He normally has a pretty good selection of older bikes plus a few nice sports bikes (Gixxers, Ninjas etc) and is a breath of fresh air, especially in Lincolnshire which is decidedly awful for buying bikes. Wish the bigger dealers were more like him. He let me go for three test rides and then proceeded to tell me some nice tips about adjusting the head bearings, how to get to the spark plugs etc. Top stuff!

I broke down about 50 miles from home a couple of months ago, and having just got back from watching the GP in Valencia that morning, drove all the way out in his van, picked me and the bike up and dropped me off at home. I tried to pay him, and he wouldn't let me!

Dealers can charge a lot, and when they deliver a service that makes you want to go back, that charge is well worth paying.
____________________
H100 Breaking for spares

Pickledswede · Traffic Copper Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Karma :

Couple of really good bike shops near me, in Southampton, Hein Gericke and Infinity Motorcycles, both have attentive staff who are a good laugh and have a good conversation aswell as helping you with what you need!

Also on the topic of garages there's a car/bike garage just down the road from me, family run, quite good value, friendly + good service.

Not sure if I was just lucky, considering all of you guys seem to have had bad experiences? I've only ever had good!

instigator · Super Spammer Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Karma :

Been to Rexx Judds twice (hard not to, used to live in west hampstead!). Nothing to write home about for sure.

Ben. · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Karma :

Blau Zedong · Banned Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Karma :

Pickledswede · Traffic Copper Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Karma :

daemonoid · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Karma :

iooi · Super Spammer Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Karma :

Well we have a pearl of a shop in Leeds, nothing is too much trouble for them.
Having been going since 1951 gives you some idea of just how good and run by one faimly spanning the generations.
They don't have a fancy shop, masses of stock. But what they do have is the willingness to help and talk, no matter what. Thumbs Up

____________________
Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

m0l0t0v · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Karma :

daesimps · Scooby Slapper Joined: 28 Jul 2007 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

kneedown · Nova Slayer Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Karma :

The small bike shop right near where i live are ace, dont know if anybody has heard of them its called mac motorcycles

The guys are real freindly and have helped me out for free on numerous occasions

personally i think its these small bike shops which are best rather than the big corporate ones like metropolis and infinity

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Nicky-Jano · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Karma :

Branson Motorcycles in Gloucester were pretty good to me.
They were really busy the day I bought my old CG so took a while to buy it, to make up for it they fitted a free side stand.

kneedown · Nova Slayer Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Karma :

The small bike shop right near where i live are ace, dont know if anybody has heard of them its called mac motorcycles

The guys are real freindly and have helped me out for free on numerous occasions

personally i think its these small bike shops which are best rather than the big corporate ones like metropolis and infinity

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

There are quite a few decent dealers around, and quite a few who are total garbage. Personally think the ones who get it right are those who have an interest and a long term view, not a short term view based on immediate profit.

Sure dealers screw up sometimes. Everyone does. More important is how they deal with it when they screw up.

Think the car industry is largely worse. You just land up paying a load more, and part of that money goes to pay some service reception person who knows little but who is there to prevent you talking to those who know what they are doing.

Service level agreements in IT I would say are largely useless. They basically set the min level of acceptable service (ie, marginally on the good side of crap) and give the staff something to aim down to. Decent staff who feel part of the process and have their effort recognised are worth far more than some dodgy SLA.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

iooi · Super Spammer Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Karma :

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

Torque wrench can be worse than useless, and on something with a non critical torque (like the rear wheel spindle) I certainly don't bother.

Many years ago I sheared off a cylinder head stud due to an out of whack torque wrench.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

Stelmer · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 Dec 2006 Karma :

Startrights are good for parts (till I found most use CMS) but after their supposed ''full service'' on the ER I will never get any work done on the bike there. Their MOT's are fairly strict too.

Dyrons are good. Not had a service done there but they found me some parts for the GSX and even removed some burred bolts off the forks and replaced them. Nowhere else would touch them. They have a waiting list for MOT's.

As for MOT's, Castle Honda in Castleford only failed my GSX on 2 bolts. Everything, even the slightly leaky and weak rear shock passed. I would recommend them for MOT's.

I would never take a bike to a garage for work other than MOT's and tyres. It's just not worth it.