After numerous phone calls answered by machines and a number of emails that all went unanswered, I decided to start showing up at these local Stealership "Service Department(s)" and ask these people face-to-face where I could get a shock recharged with Nitrogen.
At our local Honda/Yamaha dealership, I was told "I've never heard of recharging a shock"...."but I did just start working here a month ago" from the 50-something gentleman running the service/parts counter
At Polaris..... Where there were at least fourteen UTVs in various stages of disassembly, and where anything more complicated than a spark plug change or tire patch is referred out, I was told "yeah we don't do shocks... You need a 'shock place' for that"
I then started calling a couple old TRX250R junkies I know who directed me to an indy shop just south of my house in another county "where the flat-bill hat wearin serious racers go".
It's called JPMX and it's definitely a much more serious operation than the licensed franchise Stealerships in Bowling Green. The place had new and used race stuff on shelves inside. No bling. No utility quad accessories. No apparel. No bull.
The owner filled my shock with Nitrogen for ten dollars....... TEN DOLLARS. I gave him an extra fiver for a six pack because he saved me from almost sending off my shock for a refill which would have been dramatically more expensive than ten dollars.
So a week later, my neighbor from seven doors down stops by our shop to get another mad scientist part made for his drag quads. I think he's a college professor for a day job and builds and races, drag, rodeo, and GNCC quads in his basement on nights and weekends. Great guy. He thinks I'm nuts because I build and ride the stuff he's afraid of but we still get along nevertheless.
So I tell Mark about my Nitro refill adventure and he says "You should've come down to my house and I would have refilled it for free. I got tired of trying to find a shop nearby to do the rebuild and refills, so I bought all the equipment to rebuild my own shocks a few years ago."
Good to know if I need it again. I still am glad to help out the indy shop owner though, so I'll probably keep throwing my money at JPMX just for support's sake.
My point is that these local Stealerships should be ashamed (but they're not).
They aren't interested in servicing anything they sell anymore. They are only interested in selling bastardized backwards three wheel street bikes and off road side-by-sides. No parts or support for local racers (and this is the home of Bill Balance). No real functioning "service department". No staff who actually know anything about these machines other than reading specs off the pamphlet.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT SHOPS
Meanwhile, I'm tired of looking at the rusty steel retainers for my rubber grommets that mount my radiators, so I started making some stainless replacements...
Next, I'll be mounting the rads. Then I've decided to drop off this OEM axle to the local plater for some yellow zinc. Then it's a matter of wrapping up the final assembly. I still need new rear fenders though. Yes, that workbench is a mess and needs cleaned but I've got stuff going on in the other two benches currently so this one got a little neglected.
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