Service (or lack thereof)

[skibum]

Got a very rude awakening today.  I called around to several local Suzuki dealerships to see if I could get someone to synch my carbs (93 B4) and flush/fill the cooling system only to be told by ALL of them that they don't work on bikes more than ten years old.  WTF!!!!!  Typically, I do all my own work and would never consider letting anyone else touch my bike, but I've done some damage to my back and bending over the scooter is not in the cards at the moment.  I patiently explained to the respective service managers that my bike is not some roach, but rather a low mileage, pristine example of the mark in better condition than most sportbikes that left the dealership as few as two years ago.  In short............they don't care and will not work on my bike.    While I love my Bandit (owned it since new), I'm less than impressed with Suzuki customer service.  That big BMW I've been eyeing is looking better all the time.  Anybody else experience this?  Can anybody explain this?  Anybody know a decent independent shop in New England?  Rant off.

[Old_n_Slow]

Your bike is probably older than his mechanic.   

[skibum]

Your bike is probably older than his mechanic.   

............and better looking.  So what?  My mother is older than her Doctor but he hasn't declined to see her (yet). I still don't get it. 

[mademiriam]

I've hear of this before, somebody in your area must know a shop that will take it, and to be honest most dealerships I've seen don't know how to properly treat a bike with four carbs. They mostly V-twins and fuel injection.
(in 2000 i went to get a new gasket for my 82 GS400 only to be told that I should buy a new bike... I did get newer bikes but you know oddly enough never been back to deal with people that couldn't be bothered to deal with me then.)

[Red01]

It's not uncommon around here for dealerships to decline working on older bikes.  I've been told the reason for this is because they don't carry a lot of parts (for even new bikes, it seems) and often times parts for older bikes are no longer available from the mfr . Those that are, may take a long time to arrive, so they end up with a bike taking up space in the meantime.  Also, older bikes can end up with a lot more problems than they (the owner or the shop) figured on and the bill can run up enough that the owner may abandon the bike instead of paying the bill. Then the dealer is stuck with a large investment in something they may not be able to get their money out of.  So, to make life easy for them, they just don't take in older bikes at all.  

I suggest you look for an independent repair shop if no dealers in your area will take your B4 in... or offer to make some kind of pre-payment agreement if the dealer is worried about getting stuck with your bike.  

[r_outsider]

+1 on Reds reply. I know of one dealer in my area (all brands included) that will even consider working on an older machine...and even they go on a case by case basis and only if they're not busy at that moment. But there are a bunch of independents out there who deal with older stuff all day.

[PaulVS]

The owner of your Suzuki dealership makes less money than the doctor who doesn't decline to see you mother.

While I'm disgusted with the quality of the "Big Four" Japanese service quality.... you need to remember that this isn't BMW you're dealing with... you paid about 1/4 the price of the cheapest Beemer for your bike in the first place.

A 15 year old bike is not worth the trouble to most dealerships.  They're pretty much damned if they do- damned if they don't at that age.  Keeping their mechanics up to date on the the technology of the vast majority of bikes they service is hard enough, let alone the 'odd-ball' that shows up with his 'antique'.

I would be really surprised if I could find a Suzuki dealer to work on my 2003 Bandit in the year 2018.  Wouldn't you?

My wife has a BMW automobile.... and guess what.... buy the BMW... and find out what happens when the warranty expires on it.  You might be a little less outraged.

(The BMW dealer gave her a quote for a new battery 2 months after the warranty expired.... $350) 

[Have Blue]

Its standard operating proceedure.  I know of no dealers that will work on any bike that is more than ten years old.  I'm a big fan of the 70's and 80's GS
Suzukis and have not found any dealer willing to do any work on them, not even so much as an oil and filter change.   I had horrible luck with service quality with newer models too and usually ended up getting the bike home and redoing the service I had paid for. About ten years ago,  I gave up the fight and promised myself I would never again darken the door to any service department. 

[smooth operator]

 The dealers around here don't want that stuff either. Thats where shops like my buddy's come in,(KK Speed & Sport). He has old stuff come all the time. I fortunatly have my own set of keys, and usally have 1 or both my bikes living there.He has alot of old Brits,just finished work order on and old Beezer. A basket case Boni that a doctor paid too much for is about finished.He just finished his other Boni(72 with the Quick change rear wheel) I pushed a 3 cyl.2 stroke Kawi up on a lift that someone dug out of a barn somewhere"DON'T TOUCH THE BRAKES!" ,Killer Ken Kowalski yelled as I pushed it up. That was last week, I stopped in yesterday, and he said it had life again. Had it running.He has a super charged custom Norton that sits in the showroom. I bought a 250 Bultaco Astro from him when I was 16. And the place has stuff on the wall thats looks like its been there since then. There is always a keg in the fridge,and a kitchen. "Killer's motorcycle emporium & deli"  NO CHECKS,NO CARDS,CASH MAKES NO ENEMYS. There is a long list of regulars.
   You may not have a KK Speed & Sport, but look around for a shop somewhere in your area.  You'll see alot of neat old bikes, and meet alot of cool old bikers. Dan

[mademiriam]

The dealers around here don't want that stuff either..Thats where shops like my buddy's come in,(KK Speed & Sport). He has old stuff come all the time..  You'll see alot of neat old bikes, and meet alot of cool old bikers. Dan

+1 there are shops like this, and what a pleasure to go to them.
When I buy a bike 'dealer' serviced' means about as much to me as 'lady driven' or 'never driven in the rain'. Meaningless. I don't blame the shops for not working on older bikes but I think they should explain it to their customers in a fair way, or even maybe giving them some options of people that do.

[Have Blue]

When I buy a bike 'dealer' serviced' means about as much to me as 'lady driven' or 'never driven in the rain'.

I think "dealer serviced" means they bill time to the work order until the flat rate quote is reached and at that point, the bike is  returned to the customer.  LOL  Any requested work not completed is forgotten.

[Ray Mooney]

We have Lee's Cycle Racing here in San Diego. They do warranty work, but also do custom mods on just about anything. I see older bikes in there all the time. They have a great reputation and have always done quality work for me. Definitely look for a local independent shop with a good rep.

[skibum]

Well, I appreciate all the responses................but I still don't get it.  Parts in stock?  In my experience most dealers  don't stock anything much beyond oil filters and spark plugs even for the most current bikes.  Availability of parts?  Except for a few things, Suzuki still supports my B4 pretty well.  What is not available from the OEM, I can usually find in the aftermarket or on ebay.  Can of worms?  Like I said in my original post, my bike is very low mileage and virtually flawless.  Most two year old sportbikes are not in the condition that mine is. AND, I'm a knowledgeable owner who could assist with finding parts or providing info (I own my own copy of the factory service manual as well as the microfiche and a complete parts cross reference).  As to me abandoning the bike in place?  Get real.  I'd just as soon abandon my wife and kids.  If I ask for something to be fixed, I expect to pay a reasonable price for the service ($90 bench rate notwithstanding) and that price has nothing to do with the "value" of the motorcycle.  Current technology? While most street bikes don't have carbs anymore, dirt bikes do, so the dealer should not be totally unfamiliar.  Beyond the carbs, my B4 doesn't differ significantly from most of what's on the dealer's floor.  So like i said, I still don't get it.  In this economy, you'd think they would be begging to take my money rather than turning me away without even looking at the bike.  I can tell you one thing for sure, I will NEVER buy a bike from a dealer with this policy.  The local BMW and Ducati dealerships will work on any BMW or Duc that rolls through the door.

As to independents, I'm open to suggestion, but in my neck of the woods if your bike isn't a 45 degree v-twin painted black and orange you're pretty much screwed. 

[Red01]

Skibum, what I typed was not aimed at you and your bike.  It's just many dealership's general feeling towards older bikes.  (And yes, I know they don't stock much of anything, even for newer bikes... I had to order a clutch lever for my B12 back in '01.)  It's easier for them to tell you no over the phone.  They may react differently if you showed up with the bike in person, so they can see what they're dealing with. 

As for BMW & Ducati dealerships working on any year of their bikes...  They are "premium" brands. As such, they generally attract a different clientele. (IE those who expect to pay a premium price for everything.) They don't change as fast or as often as the Japanese, so a 15 year old model isn't that different.

FWIW, my local Ducati dealership also sells Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, Gas Gas & KTM.  They will work on any Japanese or Euro bike (including models they don't sell) and have at least one mechanic who specializes in old bikes.  I ran into one of their mechanics at an auto parts store a few weeks ago and we talked for quite a while about old bikes and some of the stuff he's been working on. His latest project is a '67 Suzuki RH-67 ("factory" version TM250).  This dealership is a little odd though... not too many towns with a population of ~7000 have a Ducati dealership and it's not exactly convenient to Seattle (which has it's own), since it's ~70 miles away.

You may be able to befriend a mechanic if you happen to hang in the same circles (perhaps a local riding group?) and get him to work on your bike or advise you on the side.
 

[mademiriam]

Skibum I didn't mean to hijack the thread with any of my own misgivings about getting parts. In my neck of the woods the dealerships will not work on old bikes, and no they don't really want our money. They have plenty of business and really couldn't care less (just as they can't care less to order parts which are still stocked by suzuki). And since most of their mechanics make what I would call barely a living wage none of the good ones ever stay. So no they have little experience with inline four carburated bikes. Half the time acting like a carb synch is a call to god.
As for abandoning your bike, like you I would not do this, and locally at least thats not why they won't work on older bikes, or other makes. Its just that they are busy enough as it is.